Road Trains
Monday 3rd January 2011 Ride statistics:
Balcardine - Hughenden
Distance: 480 km
Depart: 6.00am
Arrive: 2.00pm
Total ride duration: 8 hours
Temperature: unbelievably hot!
Had the day off yesterday, but back on the road today.
Balcardine onwards saw the introduction of my first 3-trailer road trains. As I came out of Longreach I encountered 4 of them in a row so I got whipped all over the joint.
I set off at 6 am again so made good time to Winton, but the ride up the Kennedy Development Road to Hughenden, oh my god, I thought I wasnt going to make it. Its 214km of single track, heavily rutted road without a single stopping place to offer any shade. I pulled over at the side of the road about 6 times to drink and soak myself in water but by the time I got to Hughenden, I was a jittering wreck. The man at the petrol station gave me a seat in his shady workshop and then let me use his shower as I was shaking with heat exposure. Although I made it to Hughenden by 2pm and could have tried to do another 100km or so, I figured I should quit while I was still alive, so booked into the local motel.
Tomorrow, Charters Towers, then somewhere up the Gregory Development Road, maybe Ravenshoe if Im lucky.