October cycle tour map

October cycle tour map

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Saturday, October 17, 2009

Stratford to Paynesville


Stratford - Paynesville = 70km (via c106 and a dirt road!)
Cummulative total = 364km
wind w sw

We must be getting quicker at packing up now as I think it only took us 1 1/2 hours today. Below is a photo of our campsite in Stratford - the river is the Avon. Quite a lovely setting even if we were tucked away in the corner of the campground!

We knew today was going to be a long ride so we started out early at 8.30am with the wind behind us again along the c495 and linking up to the c106 we continued our average of around 20km per hour which is quite good for touring. Within about a hour of starting we came across this echidna on the side of the road ... and it was alive! As soon as it saw us it started to burrow into the ground, now I have never seen a 'wild' echidna before only in the zoo or a wildlife park, but below is a photo of the first of 2 that we saw today!

We had lunch at some obscure name town that consisted of a CFA shed and a town hall, it probably had a population of 12 people and 3,000,000 mosquitoes of which we managed to kill 10 all up!!!!
Just after this town at about the 52km mark we found our turn off (Comleys road) and it was a dirt road (i found this road on the Google map and didn't realise it was going to be unsealed!) we took the road anyway and it was a change from the tarsealed road. It started out relatively smooth and then turned quite rough in places! But I love going along roads like that.
Here is a photo of neil coming along the road.

We were on this road for 6 1/2kms and then it linked up with the main road that goes into Paynesville, if we didn't take this comleys road then we would have to go into Bairnsdale I think.
The Resthaven caravan park is lovely, doesn't have unpowered sites so we have a powered site and are sitting here at the picnic table with our laptop the only thing that requires power! The facilities are excellent here. Paynesville is a nice little place, full in Summer I would imagine but otherwise Neil and I are the only ones camping while everyone else are either permanents or in caravans.
Tomorrow is a rest day and we might go over to Raymond island, not sure yet as we have to find out if they allow dogs as there is alot of wildlife there. The ferry is apparently free.
Until then happy travels!

1 comment:

  1. Hi guys,
    You have had crumby weather, even lousy in Bendigo. Much warmer week expected this week. You might need the sunscreen! Have a good week
    L & R

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