Monday 20th December 2010 – I stayed 2 nights in Mildura. As soon as I rode in I felt it was perhaps a bit of a rough town and, when I saw a guy being pinned to the ground by 6 police officers, it confirmed my suspicions. It had been great to rest up and not have to contend with the mossies again, but I was glad to leave.

The final ride from Mildura to Adelaide started off well – huge prairies of wheat interspersed with massive citrus orchards – but as soon as I hit the Barossa Valley the wind really got up. I was having to bank the bike right over just to stay on the road. At one point I pulled out to overtake a truck but had to give up as the combination of the crosswind and the tailwind meant I almost became detached from the bike so pulled back in PDQ. I’d been making a conscious effort to loosen my grip on the handlebars when I set off, but the winds made it impossible to keep it up and by the time I got to Adelaide I was worried I’d inflicted some permanent nerve damage on my accelerator hand.

As soon as I pulled into the YHA in Adelaide I met a young American lad, Dave, who was trail-biking round eastern Oz. He was really lovely and I spent the whole evening exchanging stories with him. My room-mate, Robin, also an American, was really interesting too. She had just spent 2 months sailing across the Pacific on a yacht. She said her thoughts would cycle through the following sequence “What should I make for breakfast, when’s my next watch, WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE, what should I make for lunch, when’s my next watch, WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE ...” which amused me greatly.

So its been nice being back in Adelaide. I still love it but I’m ready to move on now. Roll on Whyalla tomorrow.