4 pedals & 4 paws: Nathalia to Cobram

Nathalia to Cobram = 66km
Cummulative totals = 209km and 20, 210km
Bush camping along the Murray = free!

It has been a long hot day on the bikes and we are relieved to have set up camp along the beautiful Murray River just out of Cobram.
We had a lovely rest day at Nathalia and the following pictures are me making dinner on our first night falafels ... since I couldn't put my food processor in my pannier bags I have to use my hands to crush my chickpeas ...

I then add egg, spice and breadcrumbs and then shape them into flat patties so they fit better in the burritos ...

Neil then cooks them on the bbq and viola ...

mmmm yummy!
So today we get a late start (around 9am as we were chatting to the caravan park manager as he is a kiwi. There is a strong northerly wind blowing and we are going in a north east direction ... because most roads in this area are a series of grids we find that we go north for a bit then east for a while, then north again, then east, then north, a little east and finally north again. So we had mainly cross winds going east and pure head winds going north ... the long stretches were east! So a tough and hot day. Not long after we turned east onto a very quiet road we came across a group of cyclists that were part of an organised tour. All oldies cycling from the start to the end of the Murray. They chatted to us and loved the fact that Kouta was in the trailer behind me! Last year this same company (cycle around oz) did a 6 month tour around Australia ... I wonder how much that organised tour would cost.
So on we cycle and have a lovely coffee break at Katunga which for a small town had fantastic sporting facilites.
Not long after we left there we got a huge down pour and although the temperature is around the late 20's early 30's it is a relief and cools us down but it is only a brief shower and soon the sun returns and it is hot.
Just before getting into Cobram we take a quick break at one of the 1000's upon 1000's of kms of channels that irrigate the farm land around here ...

the channel goes one way ...

and then the other ...

we get to Cobram after 1.30pm so a little late, we stock up on tonights dinner (sandwiches) and water and head off to a bush camp called Scotts beach which is along the Murray, we vaguely know the directions but camp 5 can sometimes we well out on their directions and we ended up at some obscure place miles away from the murray river so we back track and try another track and realise we are in the right place but unfortunately everyone that is there looks a little worse for wear ... there was nothing but tents and lots of packs of beer so we moved on to another track and found a lovely billabong but that also had a car there so we moved on again (we are hot and tired now) but at the other end of the billabong I spy the river and the entrance to where the water flows when the river is high to fill up this billabong is an ideal spot ... unless there is going to be a torrential down pour and the river rises another 3m then we will be flooded but I think not tonight. So we pitch our tent and I run into the river, cycle clothes in all to wash the sweat, grime and dirt off me ... it was sensational since it was still hot .... Neil joined in as well while Kouta caught up on some sleep!