Gladstone to Burra

 Gladstone to Burra = 87km
Cummulative Totals = 7613km and 27,614km
Burra caravan park = $20 unpowered

We woke this morning and there were quite a few clouds hanging around - the forecast is for a change to come through and it will be a cold one with winds swinging from a northerly to a southerly!  However despite the clouds this morning our little Kouta still found the sun rays to worship towards (like he has done for most mornings on the trip) - while we pack up he will quietly slip away (but stay relatively close) to find a spot that is sunny!

 An early start for us this morning as this is a small campground and the kitchen and toilets are quite close (unlike  most campgrounds we are usually the furtherest away from these!) so packing up was quick this morning ... on the road at 7.30am.  The wind was early too and it was a northerly and by the time we got to Gulnare to turn off to Spalding and Burra it had swung to a north westerly so it was behind us all the way to Burra.
From Gulnare you start to climb over a small series of hills and then you head south to Spalding.  This is a nice town where we had a cuppa and picked up tonights dinner (as by the time we get to Burra the supermarket will be closed).  We picked up some bargains - frozen Helgas bread for $2.50 a loaf, 12 pack of farm fresh free range eggs for $4.50 and sausages (500g) for $3.50 ... cheap!
Here I suggested to Neil that we might want to consider going to Morgan today as that road from Burra to Morgan runs in a south east direction and this wind will just blow us along!  That would mean a 170km day!  He was not very receptive to the idea, he thinks we will run out of time as we still have to get over the range to Burra.
so we left Spalding and absolutely flew through the next 20km to Booborowie.  It is a gentle climb to this point but with a tailwind you hardly noticed you were climbing.  I did have to stop and take a photo of this bride which Neil liked ... I think it may have been from the old railway line

 it is beautiful country side riding through here and all around Spalding are these water pipes pumping water here there and everywhere to the smaller towns.  Most of the roads follow some sort of pipe - here they are on our left ...

 At Boororowie turnoff we stopped for a cuppa and then embarked on the 9km climb.  It is a climb of about 3-4% so it was relatively easy to ride and the aim the whole way is to get to these windmills - you can sort of see them at the top of the hill to Neils right ...

 they are getting closer ...

 yep  nearly there at the top ...

At the top you go down gently and join the Barrier highway which takes you into Burra.  This is an old town with heaps of old stone buildings.  The caravan park is nice and clean with heaps of rules!
tomorrow we will make for Morgan or Cadell.