Total: 1010km
Weather: Sunny high 20's
I woke up a little earlier than normal this morning so I could experience the sunrise of Tassies east coast before I leave. I also had a pretty disrupted sleep which played its part in waking up early. The sunrise was amazing as expected . Following this I packed all my gear up and enjoyed a bowl of oats, water and some lemon juice leftover from yesterday.
After this Briggite woke up and had some brekky too. I wasn't sure what her plans were but I think they're similar to mine - take it as it comes. I would have toured with her for a bit more as she was great company, the only problem is that she has a longer time frame and is moving at a slower pace.
I got out of the camp site around 8:45 and got into the main town of St Helen's just after 9. Here I stocked up some bread and lollies then took off for what I was expecting to be 100km with undulating surface, including a consistent band of steep hills throughout. I stopped after 40 odd km and had a chochlate bar. I decided to take it pretty easy even though I felt strong enough to keep pushing it out. After this short stop the wind hit me a lot harder. It didn't help with a straight 13km climb to get to the other side of the mountain either. This was hard going past this point. It felt like the road kept going, especially when I realised that I was still 60 odd km away from my destination. I persisted and then made it to Derby, a small cosy feel country town. I went to a home made food cafe, which I had a delicious homemade berry muffin. After this I kept going for a further 33km. In total I was on the bike 7hours and 30 minutes exactly.
During this I also passed the 1000km mark on the odometer. This was a great feeling as I realised a big chunk of the trip is completed. It made me realise that Melbourne to Adelaide, in a direct route, is just under a thousand km. If I've done 1000 in undulating terrain here in Tassy, then I can do it on the mainland. The only thing I am slightly worried about is heavy winds on mainland, this is something that concerns me a little.
When I eventually pulled into Scottsdale I found a perfect little free camp site 2 km before main town. Because I arrived at 17:45 I had to move quick, as I know in most of Tassys smaller towns the local IGA closes at 6 or 6:30.
I couldn't believe how fast I set my tent up. This was the quickest I've done it all trip. At the same time I had an old fella close by keep talking to me. I kept saying I was buggered and I would catch up with him later but he kept asking me questions. I had to drop all my gear off and head up to shops.
The ride up to the shops was a killer. only 2km away but the hill up was perhaps the steepest I had to face all day. Thank god I took my gear off at the camp ground. Luckily the shops were open till 7. I managed to get my phone charged for 40 minutes and also load up on some wholesome food.
I came back washed up and had dinner with a French couple who are touring around Aus in a van. I couldn't believe how polite they were. I asked if I could borrow a fork and they invited me to sit with them for dinner. Not what you would call typical French behaviour..
Now I'm off for some sleep as I am absolutely buggered!
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