New Norcia

Midland to Moora, 7 day tour 1990, cumulative distance 450 km.

Moora to New Norcia day 5, Friday 2 November 1990. The morning was fine and cool with a light southerly. I left Moora at 8:11. I had decided to go to New Norcia the short way, through Koojan and Gillingarra rather than through Walebing. This meant that I would be going due south early, while the wind was light, then as the wind freshened from the SW later on I would be riding eastward with it. Going through Walebing I would be riding straight into the wind for the last part of the ride. The short way was 3km shorter and included about 13km of unsealed surface.

As expected the Midlands Road was flat and straight, running as it did close beside the railway line.  ... Read more

New Norcia to Bindoon, day 6, Saturday 3 November 1990. I left New Norcia at 7:42. The morning was fine and cool with a light headwind, which wasn’t to freshen until it didn’t matter. There were steep hills. One started near the seven mile well nature reserve. Another long climb ended in a sign saying ‘Bindoon Hill, 285m’. I had got up without stopping. I rested at 20017 and 20033. Much blue leschenaultia on the roadside.

I reached Bindoon Hotel at 10:42. It is 4km north of the town proper, so I dumped the heavy luggage and rode to the shops to get a paper, some milk and food for breakfast and some tangelos from a roadside seller. Rested back at the motel ($30 for a small room with its own plumbing but little else) then went for a walk down to the Brockman River, (flowing well) and back.  ... Read more

New Norcia is a town in Western Australia, 132 km (82 miles) north of Perth, along the Great Northern Highway. It is situated next to the banks of the Moore River, in the Shire of Victoria Plains. New Norcia is the only monastic town in Australia.