Warragul - Traralgon

Warragul - Traralgon = 74km (via c103, normally it would be 55km via the Princess highway)
Cummulative total = 208km

Here I am sheltering at Moe, it is bitterly cold when you stop cycling!

Here we are just passing the Yallourn Power Station!
Well what was suppose to be a 55km day turned into a mammoth 74km! We were ummming and aahing over whether or not to go today as there was forecasted thunderstorms, but we woke this morning to a beautfiul day and looked at the weather radar on ninemsn and decided that we would start out and head towards Moe (the next caravan spot) and revise it from there.
Looking at all the local maps and what maps we have there was no road that runs along the Princess hwy/fwy so after Nilma (about 6km on) we would have to join the hwy. Cycling along the hwy is not my idea of touring ... it is noisy, boring and noisy! We got to Trafalgar and decided that all local maps are made by idiots as there was local roads running parallel with the hwy so we jumped on them to Moe and it was lovely riding along these roads.
Got to Moe (33km later) and decided that we should continue as it was cloudy and a few spots of rain here and there but nothing major.
From Moe we took the quiet c103 road to Traralgon, so we passed through Yallourn where the big power station is and the open cut coal mine ... didn't see any protestors, but the ride was beautiful, a bit up and down but we had a slight tailwind that we greatfully appreciated.
Originally we were meant to bush camp tonight at Sandbanks reserve (6km north of Traralgon) but since thunderstorms were forecasted we decided that we should make for a caravan park in Traralgon ... lucky as the Sandbanks reserve was a huge area great for tents and vans but with a sign to say no camping!!! I suppose it is too close to Traralgon and there were houses an km on!
Now in all my travels I am very sensitive to towns ... I look at it from the perspective 'would I like to live here' and this is based on how easy it is to "use" the town. Now how would I "use" this town? i think is it bicycle friendly, does the road structure flow or is it all parking and driving all mixed up and is everything well labelled and thought out ... Traralgon is NONE of the above. As far as I am concerned if they are still looking for a place to put nuclear waste drums well Traralgon is the place (and leave the lids off too!!!!) Stupid is the only way to describe the town. The city center has angle parking on every street and both sides and so the traffic is stopped if someone wants to get out of their parking, it is all higglety pigglety, and drivers don't know what is going on, the information center is in the middle of the town and on the hwy so too bad if you approach it from one of the smaller outer country roads, nothing is sign posted and to make matters worst ALL 3 caravan parks are half way back to Morwell!!! Lucky Neil is so calm and level headed as far as I am concerned blow the damn place up! So we had to back track at least 6km into a head wind to the caravan park. But on a positive note the caravan park we are in is called the Village CP and it costs us $18 to camp including showers, camp kitchen (pay bbq) and the lovely lady put us in a very sheltered spot since we are camping and the wind is strong.
So dinner is nearly ready and the wind has died down and it has stopped raining. Tomorrow I am not sure where we are heading for ... as usual it depends on the weather!