Marlo to Cann River

 
Marlo to Orobst = 16km (cycled 19/10/2011)
Cummulative total = 657km

Only a little day today - bad hayfever and it wasn't pleasant cycling.  Stopped at Orbost nice and early and basically had another rest day.  The campground has heaps of trees so there was plenty of shade throughout the day.



 
Orbost to Bemm River Scenic Reserve = 47km (cycled 20/10/2011)
Cummulative total = 704km

Left early this morning with an absolute full load of water and a little extra as we knew the temperature was going to be over 30 degrees which is pretty hot for cycling.  So the bikes were very heavy and with a little extra food as we knew this would be our last reasonable supermarket for a week or more ... and I think in the end this was to be our undoing!
So we sort of knew there would be quite a few hills between Orbost and Cann river but we were hoping to get some flat to recover from the hills.  But basically you are either going up or going down!  The first big hill is about 4.5km up with a reasonable gradient and the same back down.  Unfortunately we have no other choice but to go on the Princes Highway and the traffic was quite reasonable not alot but enough to have a few 'dim wits' driving on the road taking risks when overtaking us.  Going up some hill somewhere between our first break (Murrungowa rest area) and our second break I have managed to hurt my back - I am still trying to figure out how and I think it was just a combination of many things - very heavy bike at the front, Koutas constant movement and trying to keep the bike under control when we didn't have a shoulder and cars over take, low rider panniers etc.  I think this has led me to pull a muscle in the lower back and for the rest of the day my back ached. 
 
this is the flattest bit of road I could find!  So by mid morning I reckon it was already 30 degrees and the sweat was pouring of us.  Sure glad we took the extra water as we were guzzling it down!  Relieved to get to the Bemm River Scenic Reserve as just before we got there (before the small climb to the entrance) we were run of the road by a van that decided to over take a car towing a caravan and unfortunately it was at that point on the highway where we had no shoulder to retreat to, so we had to quickly get of the road - it happended so quick! I wonder what is going through that persons mind when they do that!?  The rest area   is about 300m of the main road but you can still hear traffic.  We managed to get a spot in amongst the shade but it was still hot.  Even little Kouta was panting away furiously trying to find a cool spot and when he did the blow flies drove him nuts!
 
I only just managed to get of the bike, the back is very sore and I couldn't stand straight.  So I laid down for the rest of the afternoon hoping it would ease up over night.  We were the only ones camping here!  There is no water to drink just tank water to wash your hands and pit toilets which weren't as bad as some that we have come across!
 
 
Bemm river scenic reserve to Cann River = 30km
Cummulative total = 734km
Unfortunately I woke this morning and the back is very tender and I still can't stand straight.  Thinking that a small walk might loosen me up a bit we went on the rain forest walk which is a short 1km easy walk to see where the McKenzie river meets the Bemm River

It is hard to tell by this photo as it seems to be a mass of criss crossing trees and fallen branches all around it but this is where the 2 rivers meet.
 
Kouta was a bit uneasy walking across this swing bridge - maybe he got motion sickness!
 
this is the McKenzie river
After getting back we decided the walk made no difference - we had to make the decision to either go to Cann river (shorter) or back to Orbost - I didn't think I could make it back to Orbost with my back so we took the shorter option (by no means the flattest!).  We also decided for me to take the luggage trailer and Neil to take Kouta.  So I off loaded some of the food onto Neil and set off.  Still climbing for the bulk of the first 15km to Lind National Park.
 
Here I am slowly coming up the hills which are a good gradient just long and a few of them!  Today the weather was alot cooler and almost muggy.  But the traffic was very heavy.  We noticed that the road was narrow in places and for most of the time we didn't have a shoulder as you can see in the photo above.  It was infuriating to cycle today as the traffic although alot of it were just ... not 'dim wits' today but more 'dip shits' (excuse the expression!) really they just don't know what to do when they see us - the amount of times they over took without a regard as to what is coming ahead I actually lost count.  Due to no shoulder for the bulk of the day I struggled.  At one point there was 2 men (don't know what they were doing) but they had a Vic roads car - so I asked Neil later (as I was far behind!) if he said anything to the vic roads guys - he said yes and that they should be looking at bike paths along here ... I laughed because you all know that I also said something to them and mine wasn't as polite as what Neils was! mine was somewhere along the lines that they should be building shoulders along here and then added quite a few swear words along with it!!! LOL I tell you I felt alot better after saying it to them! Anyway just after yelling at them we go for a lovely long downhill!
The road tends to flatten out a bit about 10km short of Cann River.
 
Here is Neil towing Kouta!
We get to Cann River and the campground is a town one and you pay at the hotel, so Neil pays for 2 nights and sees that there is a bush nursing facility so he pops in and they say for me to see them in the afternoon.  I go and there is not alot they can do except give me a few pain killers but they can book me in to a Chiropractor of Osteopath in Orbost but not until Monday.  So initially I decide okay we will stay here over the weekend to see if the back eases up and maybe go back to Orbost (by bus) to an Osteopath.  so that was all settled.
It began to rain abit late afternoon and evening so we had to cook in the tent annexe - I had chicken and corn soup and Neil and baked beans.
 
here is neil cooking
 
and here is Kouta giving me that look of "I know I have already eaten but do you think you could give me some of your meal?"  and I did soaked the soup in bread and he loved it ... oh speaking of bread - Cann river has a small grocer with big prices - we paid $5.91 for a Molenberg multigrain loaf.
I woke this morning and the back is a little better but I think it might take more than a weekend or 3 days to become better so I said to Neil lets get you on the morning bus to melbourne pick up the car and come back and get us tomorrow and we will take a break in Melbourne, get some treatment if I need it, and hopefully restart maybe after the Melbourne long weekend and have a look at maybe somewhere in the north west of victoria.
LOL here I am all along with Kouta at Cann river and Neil is on a 7-8 hour journey back to Melbourne and this morning I have already planned at North West Victoria trip and my back isn't even healed ... but one is optimistic!  So this is the end of this attempt at Canberra - hopefully we will be back again to do this Monaro highway.

Nowa Nowa to Marlo

 
Nowa Nowa to Marlo = 52km
Cummulative total = 641km

Last night I forgot to take a photo of our camp spot and Neil didn't remind me until we were just about to go ... he didn't volunteer to put the tent back up just of the photo!
 
That old looking shed is actually the lounge and kitchen and despite how it looks on the outside it is actually nice and cosy on the inside!
We set of this morning just after 8 and had decided to give the rail trail a miss and ride along highway 1.  We knew it had a good shoulder so we were pretty safe.  I said to Neil just before we left that we shouldn't get too many motorbikes this morning as the race only finished last night so they will all start to leave around the same time as us and probably not catch up to us ... just as I said that around 8 2 loaded motorbikes road past!  Crikey they must have left early ... and it was like that the entire way to Orbost - heaps of motorbikes!
So there is a nice little climb going out of Nowa Nowa - you climb for around 3km but it is an okay gradient and then it is up and down for the bulk of the way to Orbost as you cross over several creeks.
We did notice however that for around 5km at the 13 - 18km marks that both sides of the highway had alot of regrowth from a recent fire ... we were both trying to recall when we heard about a fire coming through here in the past 2 years as it has been 2 years since we last rode along here.  Actually now I remember the fire starts at around Toastaree - how do I remember that? well last time we came on the trail our bush camp was there at Toastaree under an old trestle bridge maybe less than 50m from the highway in a small gully well as we rode past we looked and saw that the bridge had been burnt down and our private little bush spot was very exposed!
We got to Orbost just after 11 and did some food shopping as I don't think Marlo has any food shops.  We turned south on a quite local road to Marlo.  Basically the road follows the Snowy River and it is at Marlo where the river mouth meets the sea.
By turning south we are going into a solid ocean breeze but fortunately for us the distance is only 14km and the first 9km are along the river bank which has heaps of bush and trees and so protects you from the ocean breeze.  It is the last 5km that is the killer - into a very strong breeze and very exposed.  Happy to get here!
 
As you can see I am in a thermal and my jacket - despite the warm sun the breeze is actually quite cold.
 
I took a photo of Neil taking a photo of me! I love doing that!  The mountains and hills in the distance is where the Snowy River meanders from 100's of kms away.
We arrive at the caravan park and chose the park named 'Marlo Ocean Views' thinking that it will be on the foreshore with maybe access to the beach ... Neil said it really should be renamed as 'Only the campground office has Ocean Views' LOL!!!  It is a huge park that is spread over 2 blocks with a road dividing it in half.  There are quite a few permanent holiday batches here but in saying that there is ample tourist room.  He has put us in the second block and there is no one around we have the entire grounds to ourselves - the tourist vans are in the first block!  But in saying that we have to go to the first block of toilets and showers which I am guessing is around a 400m return walk ... best not hold on!  Here is our spot.
 
That shed to the right is the camp kitchen - or what they call a camp kitchen - a double bbq and hot plates with tables so minimal but all ours for the moment!
 
Lying in the tent this afternoon waiting for Neil to make my cuppa :) and half a very dry stale coffee scroll (chelsea bun) that I got marked down from Foodworks in Orbost ... couldn't resist the sticker.
After the cuppa we decide to go for a walk to see the ocean views.  We walk along a bit and found a clearing to see the mouth of the Snowy meet the sea ...
 
and a closer look ...
 
There are quite a few tracks going down to the river but most are in some state of disrepair - I presume because of stormy weather but we eventually found one ...
 
this is looking west along the Snowy
 
and looking west again back up the Snowy!
 
And me and Kouta taking a break on drift wood.
I have to say we haven't seen the town center yet but along the part we are at is really nice.  Some great homes and holiday homes along here and some have great views of the ocean and river.  I would have to say that I think Marlo is a very pretty place and much nicer than Lakes Entrance - although alot smaller and less populated.  But judging by the size of the caravan park and the fact that there are 2 parks here I would imagine this place like any other coastal town in holidays and summer would be unbearable!
We take a break here tomorrow and shall enjoy a good sleep in tomorrow morning!

Bairnsdale to Nowa Nowa

Bairnsdale to Nowa Nowa (via rail trail) = 60km
Cummulative total = 589km

I couldn't find a map and profile of the rail trail so I haven't included it in this post.  It has been a tough day today and we were suppose to be bush camping but we could not find a suitable site but more on that later.  But first let me tell you about last night ...
I have decided that there is something 'wrong' with people sometimes either it is the smoking and alcohol that is doing the damage or the air they breathe I am not sure.  But first let me give you the general impression of the majority of campers last night - there were a few tourist like Neil and I but the rest were all part of an Anglers club (as they were all wearing the same shirt).  Now this group varied in age and sex but the majority had a few common characteristics - most smoked, most were very overweight and all were drinking from when we arrived until when we went to sleep ... which you can imagine that by then they or some were very intoxicated.  Now we all know that the majority of caravan parks have a no noise time of around 10pm now this park didn't tolerate any of that and basically said no parties but for some strange reason our neighbours and their counterparts in the 2 cabins opposite us couldn't read ... at all ... maybe it was the smoking, drinking and excessive weight that causes this to happen ... I don't know ... but can you tell by the way that I am writing this that I am not to happy with our neighbours - well let me tell you, you know I apply the philosophy of 'some people shouldn't be allowed to breed' well this applies to this group!
I tell you we went in the tent around 6pm as there was a heavy shower and our neighbours had returned and so they all congregated in the caravan near us.  They then decide they want to be Shania Twain and John Cougar-Mellan (spelling?) Camp wannabes.  But the problem is two fold - first they are using a tiny portable cd player that when turned up too loud it begins to screech.  The second problem is that they try to sing along to the songs - now there in lies my problem ... let me describe to you the sound off their singing - first the Shania Twain wannabes - can you imagine the screech of 2 cockatoos?  now multiply that by 10 and throw in nesting season (the sound of them at nesting time seems to be alot worse than any other time of the year!) that is what it was like ... now for the John Cougar-Mellan Camp wannabes - can you imagine the screech of 3 cockatoos? now multiply that by 20 and again throw in nesting season - I know I am going on a bit here but it was awful and loud.  Jude do you remember that St Kilda game with the feral St Kilda women sitting behind you?  Well we are sure it was them!
Believe me Neil is beginning to worry that this is going to go on all night and if it wasn't for him going up to the managers when we were ready to go to sleep (around 9 so we put up with it for 3 hours) so we listen for the manager and he tells them to turn it down, so they turn it down a little bit and he  firmly says down, and a little more until he really firmly tell them to turn it down that even they can barely hear it!  Then the dominant female cockatoo screecher pipes up what time is it and someone says 9 and then she rants and raves that it is only 9  blah blah blah - funny that they can read their watch but not the brochure with the park rules about noise and parties!  So they quieten down by 9.30 and a few retired to their cabin only to chat all night but we slept through most of it thanks to the rain that drowned their chatter out.  So we didn't exactly have a great night and were delighted to get out of there this morning.
Now on to todays riding - sorry about that  just some people really irk me (what am I saying most people irk me!) don't worry I will get over it.
So this morning we woke to a lovely beautiful day only the odd grey cloud left over from the rain last night.
The rail trail is only across and up the road abit and easy to find.
At the start we meet a man that has both his legs amputated below the knee on a recumbent and he starts chatting.  So after about 15mins we set off.  The first 9km to Nicholson is sort of sealed with thin bitumen and while riding along Neil decides that next time we pass through here we will camp on the trail about 5km along and we have already found the perfect camp spot!

 As you can see there are a few bits of grass and weeds coming up through the bitumen but it was okay. 
At Nicholson there is a fabulous bridge to cross and gives great views - below is Neil on the bridge
 and me and this is the view looking inland and up the Nicholson river
 From here the trail becomes lilydale topping and gravel sometimes either/or or both mixed in.  It is also climbing very gently for around 10km but with the bikes loaded and last nights rain which soften the top layer of lilydale topping it was hard going ... in fact it is a bit like riding through sand!  So we were grinding all the way to Bruthen (20km on).  Here we stopped for a cuppa and the town was very busy - being a weekend.  Last time we came here on a weekday only the general store was open and the bakery, cafe and boutique shops all closed but today since you have the weekend traffic stopping they were all open and the place was humming!
From here the clouds were beginning to build so we stopped by the sports field to let some showers passed and then set off on a long gradual climb up Mt Colquhoun.  After a morning of riding through sand the legs felt a little heavy and again the track was sometimes very soft and was hard going.  Although this part wasn't as bad as the morning one as it was more stony but in the future I think we will do it at the end of summer when the track it harder!  What we did notice about the rail trail was how much it had changed in 2 years and I suppose after 2 years of rain the grass and shrubs are alot bigger and there is more of them.  the sides of the trail are thick with small bushes when last time it was clear and even on the track there is alot more grass and weeds.  We also noticed alot of rain damage to parts of the track.  But it was okay.  You certainly had to watch where you were riding!  While on the down hill Kouta was throwing himself around so we let him out for a run and I think one of this legs fell asleep as he was limping then he seemed okay.  In fact he trotted off so we let him go for a bit ...

 It is very difficult trying to take a photo as you ride along with one hand!  but Koutas independence didn't last very long ... less than 100 meters!  So back in his chariot he goes.  By now I am getting weary and I think Neil is a bit too - even he said it was hard going this morning.
We get to the trestle bridge where we thought it would be a good spot to camp but due to the influx of bush growth what previously was idea clear bush camping land is now over grown and inaccessible!  So we decide to chance it and go to Nowa Nowa to see if they take dogs.
 because the trestle bridge is unsafe to ride they make the track go down a small steep hill and back up an even steeper hill to get out!  Here is the photo ...

 Last time we had to walk up it and this time was no exception but for Neil getting stuck and not being able to restart again!  I went up first and it was tough especially since the bike is full of water and my food bags are very full (Bairnsdale is the last big supermarket for a while so there was a bit of a 'stock up' on things!).  I got through the first bit and Neil began his - now we are pushing the bikes up a hill gradient of around 25% and the weight of the bikes (I would say mine is about 40kg and Neils 45kg) pushing back agains you almost makes your arms cramp up!  I just managed to get to the top of the 2nd bit and Neils yells out that I will have to help.  So I yell back that he will have to hold on while I got up the hill a bit to more even ground for the bike so I push on for around another 30m, put the bike on its stand, tell Kouta don't move a muscle or else the bike will fall and go back down to Neil to help him push his bike up ... while waiting for me he has both his brakes on and I think his hands were about to give way for all the brake squeezing!  but we manage to get up the hills!  Only a little further up and there is a great down hill to Nowa Nowa and lucky for us the campground takes dogs.

This is outside the restaurant/campground - cool bike aye!
Exhausted when I got here and at first I didn't want to stay as it looks really old and run down, but once in here it is still old and a bit run down but it is clean and has a fabulous rec room with a magnificent kitchen so I will never judge a campground by its cover again!
Thinking of jumping on the road to go to Orbost as the 2nd half of the trail is very rough.  Only 2 other tourists here and they are well away from us so I know we will sleep well tonight!

Sale to Bairnsdale

 
Sale to Bairnsdale = 74km
Cummulative total = 529km

Well we had a very restful day yesterday at Sale.  It was foggy in the morning but turned out to be a brilliantly fine warm and sunny afternoon and even the night was mild that I didn't have to wear any thermals!
We wanted to leave early this morning and so got up when the alarm went off at 6am and we packed and off just before 8am.
It was good riding as I knew there wouldn't be any wind until around 11am and even then I wasn't sure how far along we would be when it struck.  I assumed it was going to be like yesterday afternoon windy and blowing from the east and so a head wind for us if it was like that for us today.
We have done this road before 2 years ago but we came from Stratford rather than Sale.  So we zig zagged our way to the Stratford-Bairnsdale road which was just after you cross the Avon river.
 
Neil remembers that him and Warren camped along this river back in 1986 but now that track that they took is now on private land.  Mind you with the river very full there would be A LOT OF MOSSIES!  So once on this road to Bairnsdale it virtually goes east and veers north east to Bairnsdale.
The traffic was light but not as light as what we have been having!  We had a cuppa at Meerlieu instead of at Bengworden as last time there was mossies.  From here the wind picked up and it was a tailwind so we made good time through the rolling hills (which was relatively gentle).  About 17km out from Bairnsdale we had another food break and poor Kouta must have been a little hot as he drank quite a bit of water - although cloudy at this point it was around 24 degrees and probably the warmest day we have had for cycling so it was lovely to build up a sweat! 
Now for those of you that are familiar with Koutas 'commando crawl' here is a picture of him doing it on the grass ... must have had an itch!
 
And here is me ... not doing the 'commando crawl'
 
From here the road veers north a bit and by now to the west of us we can see the clouds building and getting very grey.  So we pedal like crazy to try and beat the weather before it pours and we don't have the tent up.  Now the wind is coming from the side and is beginning to get a little crazy - funny thing is one minute it will blow in front and be warm and then blow again from behind a bit and you could feel it a touch cooler.  So we had this for the rest  of the way to Bairnsdale.  7km before we had to join the main highway and boy it is busy!  So glad to get to town and the campground.
This campground takes dogs but puts all dog owners in a certain area so we had to have a powered site - alot more than a non powered and alot more than the Sale showgrounds - it is $24 for us which I suppose is okay.  The spot is right next to the highway so I am hoping that it isn't as noisy at night as it is during the day.
In the end the grey threatening skies went south of us towards Paynesville.  But I think there is more on the way.
Tomorrow we are on the rail trail and head towards Nowa Nowa via Bruthen.  So we are hoping to camp in the bush just before the historic trestle bridge.  But I think there is suppose to be a strong gusty wind in the afternoon so I hope we are all set up tent wise before it hits.  Although it is meant to be a south westerly it might be able to blow us all the way to Orbost!

Camp 6 Golden Beach to Sale

 
Camp 6 Golden Beach to Sale = 42km
Cummulative total = 455km

It was such a lovely campsite this morning - there was next to no mossies and the sun was just rising over the horizon so we decided to stay here and have brekky - if there was too many mossies we intended to pack up and go down to Golden Beach and have brekky here. 
 
We left before 8am this morning and it was so pleasant to ride despite leaving the same time as everyone who is going to work in Sale so our quiet little road was somewhat busy for the first hour.  We went through Golden Beach and it has a place where you can have a hot shower - $4 for 5 mins which is handy to know for the next time we come through (if we do!).  Just past the shops we came across one of the locals ...
 
The road to Sale is a good one and we cannot get over just how friendly the locals are when it comes to us cyclists on the road - they slow right down behind us when they couldn't overtake us.  Neil noticed most were oldies and assumed that it was Pension day and they were all going into Sale to shop and spend!  It wasn't long until we got to Sale since we had a slight tail wind.  Upon entering town we noticed that there were heaps of people lining the street and the opposite side of the road to us was sort of blocked by police and we giggled and said they blockaded the road for us!
Well off course it is the big motorbike race at Philip Island this weekend and we had noticed a few  going the opposite way to us this morning and the blockade sort of is for the hundreds of motorcyclists coming through with a police escort.  It was quite good to watch and we still continued along our way and people were cheering at us even!  One guy took a photo of us as we rode along and as we passed a couple of schools - there were kids watching the motorcyclists and cheered and laughed when they saw kouta in his trailer and so they cheered us on as well! well I think that is probably the closest we will ever come to actually feeling like royalty!!!

Not a great photo of the escort  but it was very impressive indeed.  We arrived at the showgrounds and are staying here for 2 nights.  We chose the showgrounds as it would be cheaper than the other 2 campgrounds and I think both are on the Thompson river which is really high at the moment and I think that would be a mossie infested place.
It is $15 for us for a powered site.  There is only toilets and showers here no laundry or kitchen.  Since we have very dirty clothes as we have been wearing the same clothes for a week now we had to hand wash our clothes either in the shower or in our foldable bucket and there is no where to hang them up to dry so I used my bike and Neil used the tent ...
 
Tomorrow I will do another round of handwashing but not so many so I hope it doesn't rain!

Woodside Beach to Camp 6 Golden Beach

 
Woodside Beach to Camp 6 Golden Beach = 76km
Cummulative total = 413 / 14011

Kouta decided to wake us up early this morning as he wanted to play with the rabbits - there were heaps around the campground. So we got up and neither of us looked to see what the actual time was ... it wasn’t until we were about to leave and we saw that it was only 8.30ish!!! So we stopped off to fill up with water as this campground has bore water and the drinking water is from a tank so I suggested that Seaspray (our last place before we could collect water before bush camping) might also have Bore water so we should full up here - we carried around 10liters of drinking water with us - more than enough for us. The 10km ride into Woodside was into a headwind (we knew this) although the wind wasn’t as strong as what it has been the past 2 days. At Woodside we turned east on to the main highway and it had a nice shoulder for us - this is the highway that goes to Sale. We turn off at 8km along and at that point Sale is about 45km away but we have chosen the back roads so it is for us about 100km!!! Here is the photo of the road when we turned off
     
I tell you it was an extremely quiet road and between here and our break at Giffard we saw one farm ute and a motorbike all going the opposite way to us. It was sensational riding along there past sheep and cattle pastures and flat! At Giffard we had our coffee break and the weather was decidedly dicey at this point - the clouds are grey and thick so we weren’t sure if it was going to rain or not. But lucky for us there wasn’t one shower for us today! This is riding along this Giffard road
 
Throughout today we would see these lovely little white flowers growing alongside the road
 
and once at Seaspray and along the coast there was lots of these lovely pink pigface type flowers
 
At Seaspray we had our nutella sandwich break. Seaspray is a small coastal town made up of predominantly holiday homes (it is only 30km from Sale - at this point Sale is about 60km for us!). The holiday homes are nice but the Caravan Park is full of summer vans and annexes that are really packed in tight and close together and Neil said that it lowers the tone of Seaspray - he wasn’t impressed with the place at all! Me? Well my first impressions was that it is a very exposed and windy place to be especially outside summer time and when in summer time this place would be packed just like Woodside Beach. Probably not the sought of place I would like (too many people!) It is nice now when empty but not in summer! At the corner store we picked up a loaf of bread to add to the one we already have - just in case we get hungry and as Mum would always say ‘there’s bread’!
From here we join the road that goes through Gippsland Lakes coastal park
 
 
This road runs between the ocean and the start of the huge Gippsland Lakes area. It looks great on the map and there are a few houses dotted along the way. Now our information from the Bush Camps 5 book states that we can camp with dogs at Flamingo Beach but at the start of the road the signs say that you can only camp with a dog at camps 1-6 and Paradise Beach, so we think Flamingo Beach must be number 6 as the camps start at number 20 ... so now we start the ‘camp countdowns’ so numbers 20-16 came and went very quickly then there was bit of a break before camp 15 and another long break before camp 14 then a HUGE gap before camp 13 which believe it or not was Flamingo Beach. So obviously we couldn’t camp here with Kouta. It would have been nice as it had a good view.
 
By now it was 68km and I was beginning to tire so slowly we continued. Along the way we spotted an Echidna (I never get tired of stopping and taking a photograph of one of these!) We have seen a few so far and I forgot to mention that we saw 6 kangaroos in a field yesterday - they were definitely shocked to see us and immediately got up and bounded away!
 
Finally 8km later we reached camp 6 and funny enough we are only 2 km from the end of this road until we hit Golden Beach. Relieved to be here at last!
 
The first thing we noticed that there was no one here (and not likely to be) but there was a huge population of mossies (and big ones too!) So we set up camp in the sun as there seemed to be less of them compared to being close to the trees. Not knowing how long we could last before a real onslaught of mossies we decided to have a quick wash and then a cuppa and proceed with cooking our meal. Now knowing it was going to be a bush camp with limited water we decided to have poached eggs on toast with cheese, salami and tomato sandwiches to follow and to have this early. Oh those poached egg silicone cups you gave us Dad were fabulous!
 
 
After dinner we got attacked by mossies so we went down on the beach
 
 
At least it wasn’t like last night freezing and instead we didn’t have to put the gortex’s on so just the thermals and sleeveless jackets was enough! After we just sat and watched the waves and ocean - ahhhhh lovely not a soul around. Off course we did the obligatory family photo off which Kouta refused to cooperate with. I think he may be a little sick - he gulped down his meal with a few slices of Salami, trottle away and then proceeded to throw it all up ... and for those with dogs we all know what he does next!
 

Tomorrow is a short day to Sale - around 40km.