Perth to Bruce Rock 1995

Perth to Bruce Rock, day 1, Thursday 26 October 1995. Niteroad had picked up my bike and taken it to Merredin on Tuesday 24 October. I caught the Prospector train from East Perth at 8:45 am on Thursday 26th. I had packed a brunch consisting of a salami calabrese roll with capsicum and a cheese roll with capsicum, and a couple of cans of Coca-Cola. I ate this slowly and dozed sometimes as the train rolled comfortably through the sunlit countryside.

Bruce Rock

The train was 10 minutes late leaving Perth but arrived in Merredin on time. Then I ran into the great convenience of the new, privatised, fragmented way of running the railways today. The station building was closed, and I had to hump my luggage 200 metres to the information place to find out where Marley’s Transport, the Merredin depot for Niteroad, was located. When I could get attended to they told me it was about a kilometre and a half from the station.

I set off in the hot noonday sun, pausing to buy a cold chocmilk. I had walked some distance when I was met by a utility coming the other way, with my bicycle in the back. The girl said that her boss had seen me coming and told her to save me a walk. I suppose I could have asked them to bring it all the way to the station and meet me from the train, if they were willing to be that helpful. I will try it next time.

I changed and got everything packed and ready, with the all-important speedo connected, and started rolling at 12.49 pm, speedo reading 2833. I headed due south and had to climb for a few kilometres. The weather was warm, about 30, with a light southeasterly, which was mostly against me but not to make too much difference.

The journey was quite pleasant – the speedo was reading accurately according to the 5-kilometre posts (this was to change later due to a problem with the tyres, of which more later, Day 9), the bike was running really well and vindicated the work I had done on it before the trip. I stopped for a drink at 2848, 2861 and 2873.

Towards the end of this trip I was passed by the local school bus, whose driver honked at me as the kids all waved and cheered.

I arrived in Bruce Rock at 3.41, 2882. The journey had not seemed too difficult, but since it was the first day and I was anxious about the trip and keen to make a good start, my mind was ruling my body, as had happened during the push to Bluff Knoll in 1993, so I was less aware of physical stress than I might have been.

I booked into the Bruce Rock Roadhouse Motel, one of only three units. I had booked this on the previous evening, and the woman had sounded a bit doubtful – this explained why. I had to walk into the dining room to find anyone. Two women were there and I asked them if they were running the place, but they said they were only customers. They discussed my trip with me and told me there was no food in Hyden, only a horrible pie from the deep freeze and suggested that I should get the lady in charge of this roadhouse, a friend of theirs, to pack me up something. I thanked them politely and did not explain that I didn’t expect to be in Hyden until Sunday, or that (as it turned out) the food there would most likely be adequate for my needs.

The unit was small, with sealed windows and an air-conditioner the only source of ventilation. I turned this to Cold and lay down for a sleep.

I didn’t wake up until 5.47. Just time to shower, change, look round the town and make a couple of ‘phone calls before dinner. I ordered Chicken Kiev with chips and salad and (as I was to do with dinner throughout the trip) a whole jug of iced water. While I was waiting for it I had a sudden stomach problem. I went over to the two women who were still, three hours later, sitting at the same table talking, and asked them to tell the waitress that I would be back shortly as I had to go to my unit to fetch something.

When I got back my meal was there. It was quite nice, though the chicken exuded a quantity of spicy melted butter when I cut through the skin, and I wondered how much of this meal would stay long enough to nourish me. I remembered the disaster of 1985.

Afterwards I wandered through the other part of the roadhouse, which was also an amusement parlour and general store, to get some biscuits. The lady offered me something to make breakfast with in the morning but I said I was not feeling well, and thought just biscuits would be better. She agreed and suggested tea as well. Indeed, I had a cup of tea when I went back to the unit, and this stopped my problem – not straight away, but by next morning. I had a cup of tea every day of the trip, after that.

Km for day: 49. Average speed to Bruce Rock (as always, calculated on total elapsed time, including stops for whatever reason) 16. kph.

Perth to Bruce Rock 1995

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