Penong - Nundroo

It was not until nearly 4pm that the bike parts I was waiting on were ready for collection. I had been popping into the general store to check if they had come regularly over the last few days, and I had the sneaking suspicion that the gentleman made me wait far longer then necessary. But maybe the isolation of the town was doing funny things to my brain.
So by the time I had the bike fixed and my luggage packed it was nearly 5pm, and I still had 80km's to cover to reach the next road house of Nundroo. Normally I would have waited until the next day to ride this distance, but I could wait no longer, and decided that riding in the dark was worth the heart-ache.
At first it was absolutely boiling hot. The sun was by far the hottest I had experienced yet. I was really racing to reach the road-house asap, and I was also carrying in excess of 10litres of water. I was really working hard.
A thick cloud of flies followed my bike along the journey, relishing the opportunity to laugh, splash and play within the oasis of pools of perspiration forming on my skin.
After dark, I was meticulously careful to move off the road completely when being passed by a car or truck. I had a rear, red flashing light on the bike and a bright white head-light, but I would leave nothing to chance, and so ensured my safety. I was surprised by how few times I was forced to move from the road. The traffic was very light at night.
Finally I arrived at the road-house. It was very old and very run-down. But the prices were relatively cheap and so I stayed the night for $8, and was even treated to a free dinner - the left over pies and sausage-rolls that were otherwise destined for the bin. And at road-house prices a free feed is a welcome change for the wallet.
The shabby road-house made me feel that I had cycled back in time, or maybe to another country, and I enjoyed the alien feeling.
So I spent $30 on bottled-water to refill my water bladders (no taps in the Nullarbor), stocked up on food, and prepared to take the 145km ride to the Nullarbor Road-House. My vulnerability was beginning to feel very real.

Nullarbor scenery...and lots of it!