The Finishing Line

Fittingly, I crossed the finishing line on a searing 40 degree day.
I woke in the morning a little later then hoped, and under a blue sky I jumped on my bike, accompanied by my friend Dave, who had agreed to ride the last day with me, sharing in the celebrations.
We lathered on the sunscreen and zinc, and pushed out into the scorching air. Dave shot out in front of me and I struggled to keep up. The traffic was not too heavy, and we managed to weave our way through the back-roads to our resting spot - you guessed it - somewhere to have a quiet beer. Luckily Dave had worked at this fancy hotel before, because our shabby appearance would have otherwise spelled refusal.
The ride home was only a short 30km's, and before I knew it we were arriving in my home town of Sunbury.
By the time we were pulling into my street, Dave was beginning to fall behind and seemed to be struggling in the hot air.
My arrival was during the middle of a working day, so understandably there was nobody home when we rolled up the driveway. Dave and I took some photos and chatted for a while before a few more of my friends turned up for celebration drinks. My parents arrived home from work soon after and suddenly the air was thick with the smell of a barbeque and the sound of chatter.

And that was it. From the 12th of February to the 29th of November 2012 I cycled 21,251km's around the vast paddock of Australia. I spent 1,280 hours in the saddle, had 1 sore bum and grew 1 gorgeous beard.
The feeling of reward is strong, and the times of hardship not forgotten. The people I met, the landscapes I saw and the experiences I had made this cycling journey my trip of a lifetime. Something to remember and something to be proud of. I would like to thank my family and friends for their support along the way, but in particular I would like to thank my Dad - Peter - who spent countless hours helping me out whenever I had an issue. He always listened to my problems, calmed my worries and helped me through the desperate times. I couldn't have achieved success without you Dad.

Thanks to those who read this blog, I hope you enjoyed it and are perhaps inspired enough to take some small trips out on your push bikes.

Until my next adventure, Cheers
Tom Mackie

                                                       Becoming an all too familiar sight!

                                                                   Dave's war paint

                                                       Dave all tuckered out

                                                                       Home

                                                                         Victory!

         
                                                                    The End

The Home Stretch

There I was, standing in front of the towering 'Welcome to Victoria' sign. I took some time to soak up the pleasure of this monumental moment. Victoria at long last. I knew where I was in the world again. I knew the plants, the animals, the towns and the people. The enormity of Australia seemed to be placed into perspective for me at last.
When I sat back on the bike seat I thought about where I had been and what was waiting for me at home. It all felt surreal and exciting. As I plodded along over the next few days I couldn't help myself from ticking boxes off in my head: 'this is the last time I will...' eg, change a tube (hopefully), drink from a river, buy a gas bottle, erect my tent etc. It was all drawing to an end very quickly. In fact, I spent a total of 6 days riding from the Victorian border to Melbourne. I was powering along like never before.
After camping near the border on my first day in Vic, I peddled a few km's past Orbost to find a great camp spot in the bush. The scenery on these first two days through East Gippsland was fantastic. It was Spring and the wildflowers were in full bloom, bringing with them chirping birds of every colour and buzzing clouds of insects. I saw countless goanna's (Lace Monitors), prickly echidna's, stunning King Parrots and stocky wombats. It was a fauna and flora display under the clear blue skies.
As I followed the coast line west I found myself camping at the waters edge in the beautiful little town of Port Albert. While caravans and camper vans were welcome to stay in this small free area, camping was prohibited, so I organised for the vehicles to be parked around my tent - not visible from the roads. The friendly travelers were only too happy to help out. That evening I was attacked by sand flies for the first time on the entire trip! Bummer! There was however, a gorgeous sunset, and I after jumping off the jetty for a wash I was ready to sit back and enjoy the serenity.
After talking some back roads past Foster, I sprung back onto the map at Inverloch and continued riding to just outside of the tiny town (if you could call it that) of Kilcunda. There I found a priceless camp spot which included some short green grass for my tent overlooking a deserted crashing beach. It was perfect. I took a swim and watched the sunset over the water. The excitement of being so close to home was overwhelming, yet I found peace in sitting on the beach by myself after all this time.
From my beach paradise I rode quite accidentally all the way into Melbourne city. I was planning to find a camp spot early but nothing jumped out at me so I just kept peddling. The city came into view just on sun-set as I came hurdling down Beach Road. With a slight tail wind I cruised into familiar territory as I made my way to my sisters house. Michaela and Stacey live in a suburb close by, so I made my way to see them.
When I arrived we were all so excited to see each other, but cuddles were not exchanged until I had taken a lengthy shower. My body and clothing were emitting a stench, my beard was growing horribly and my clothing was torn and black with dirt.
I spent two nights at Michaela and Stacey's house, rejuvenating before my last push home - only some 30km's. My sisters place is around the corner of my good friend Dave's workplace, which just so happened to be an Irish pub. So we visited the pub together to catch up and compare beards (as Dave was holding off shaving until I arrived). There was a party on at the pub and it felt so strange to be flooded with friends and family so suddenly.
My 21,000km cycling adventure would be over in less then 24 hours.         

                                                                             Port Albert

                                                                         Port Albert

                                                                   Dave was the hands-down winner

                                                                   Having a great time

A Leap Back In Time - Day 2

Day 2,  13-02-2012
You Yangs - Torquay

Successful days riding.
We felt both motivated and relieved that things were coming together - happy and riding well.
On the way out of the You Yangs Dave refused to keep riding until he had eaten some food, so we sat on the side of the quiet road and ate some sunshine mix (fruit and nut mix), and paper-thin wraps. The avocado we bought was rock hard - so we threw it.
Breakfast in Geelong was nice. I had a yogurt with muesli (Dave teased me about it) and Dave had some pancakes with cinnamon cream which he hated.
We then motored up some hills into Torquay with out a problem, except I had lost my red flashing rear light for my trailer which I had waited for on order for more than 2 months. Bummer.
After a royal-rogering from a friend of ours on accommodation, we paid $15 each to stay at the caravan park. We set out tents up only to decide soon after that we could just break into our friends annex and caravan anyway. He had great comfy beds for us to lay our aching body's on. After getting comfortable, a bottle of vodka mysteriously vanished within an hour or so. Our behavior also took a mysterious swing and we were chatting and having a great time before we knew it.
We ordered fish and chips for dinner from the Scottish girl behind the counter who secretly fancied us.
Next we were off to the pub for a few pints. Literally two. Dave was on his mobile phone for 94% of the time. The bar girl was pretending not to listen to our ramblings, but she was... And she was loving it.

A Leap Back In Time - Day One

I would like to dedicate the next two blogs to turn back the clock and copy the diary entries that Dave and I wrote together after a few drinks.

Day One:
Sunbury to the You Yangs - 77.3km's

Had a very nice send off from my family and Tom Pickering. My sisters made a great goodbye banner for me to ride through. It was a special moment.
Felt strange to be leaving for such a large trip right from the front door. New address: #1 Highway, Australia.
No worries getting from Sunbury to Bacchus Marsh, but we were hungry so stopped to smash down some pricey Jolly Millers. Dave's quads were screaming as we entered Bacchus, due to lack of nourishment.
Dave's iphone slipped from his pocket, and as he went to grab it before a car ran over it, his bicycle launched itself backwards. Scrambling for his phone he found himself in the middle of the road with his bicycle upside down.
We stopped in at the local 'Flannigans' for a few schooners. We carried all of our bags in with us (quite a lot of gear!). There was a middle aged man with his daughter who was just overly loud in conversation - it was border-line yelling. He was the loudest stranger that Dave and I had ever met.
Just outside of Bacchus we encountered a small, low, moving brown cloud. We decided to inspect the phenomenon more closely after a small debate. I was keen to take a photo. As we pushed through the thin scrub we soon realized that it was a swarm of small insects. After some rapid-fire picture taking, a glance at the display screen revealed that we had been taking photos of nothing.
Walking up the hill out of Bacchus Marsh (yes, not riding), and suddenly we were slapped in the face by a blistering headwind.
Both fighting some serious demons, we had to overcome the worst pain we had both experienced. But hours later we arrived at around 6:00pm in the You Yangs, completely unimpressed. Camping was prohibited in the state park but we decided to ignore this small detail.
We hauled our heavy bikes over the fence (only to find a gate meters down the road). Dave snapped a branch off a tree, and made a kick-arse Big W broom to clear the area of ants and debris. This made for a crisp, clear campsite for a crappy nights sleep.
Dave had a terrible sleep due to a very sore bum, back, quads and neck, which left him with about 3 and a half hours sleep. I on the other hand, had no less then 7 hours sleep, broken only by the occasional body cramp. Dave's sleep was haunted by the incessant 'koo' of a local bastard bird.
We had both had a horrific, horrible first day on the bikes.

The Visitor. The Hills. The Race.

And so the race continued. A race to beat the rain. A race to return home before December. A race to push my limits.
I slipped and slithered my way down flooded streets south of Sydney in the chilling rain. A brief feeling of warmth flooded my heart to find three drowned cyclists coming my way. We stopped for a chat and I felt relieved to find that I was not the only person taking the rain with such a heavy heart. These boys were just as cold, and just as miserable as I was. What was more, this chance encounter was not our first meeting! We had crossed paths before many months back in the Great Sandy Desert (when things were much warmer)! It was a fantastic feeling to be seeing each other on the other side of this great continent. We had all come a long way, and had very different experiences since, which we were soon taking the time to share. So there we were, an American, an Englishmen, a German and an Aussie (myself), laughing and chatting in the pouring rain - it was a welcome break for all four of us, and we parted with smiles on our faces.
A few more rainy days passed by, and my spirit lifted gradually as I adjusted to the conditions, never riding less than 100km's / day. Campsites were found within the dark depths of the soggy forest floor. Even so I spotted countless echidna's, and few snakes, and some birds in which I had never seen before. This flush of wildlife reminded me of better days, and enthused me to push on to drier lands.
One dark, late afternoon, just North of the township of Batemans Bay (NSW), I was thrilled to see a small silver Toyota Echo driving towards me - lights flashing, horn beeping with a hand waving out of the window. This was the arrival of my good friend James. Here to cheer me up with a cold beer and some much needed catching up. We pulled over onto a dirt road that wound its way into a forest to lay out a few swags, crack a few beers, play some music and stay up chatting late into the night. It was ace.
In the morning we were both a little worse for wear, but James insisted I ride to a camp spot just South of Batemans Bay, perhaps for his amusement! There we were able to swim in the ocean, shower at the lifesaving club, cook some dinner and retire for another day. It had been a short day on the bike - some 30km's - and I was treating it as my last rest day for the trip. There wasn't long to go. I would like to take this opportunity to thank James for taking the time out of his busy life to drive all the way into NSW's to spend a few days with me, before turning around to drive all the way back. I had a fantastic time with him and I thoroughly appreciate his efforts.
Over the next few days I sped in silence to the Victorian border. Taking the coastal roads through Bermagui, Tathra, Merimbula, and Eden were challenging with some incredibly hilly terrain that slowed me down and fatigued my legs. This meant that to achieve my 100km/day target, I had to spend long hours in the saddle each day. These small fishing towns seemed to elude the hustle and bustle of the East Coast, and I enjoyed visiting the jetties or talking to the friendly locals. But before I knew it, I was standing in front of the towering "Welcome To Victoria" sign, with a growing feeling of excitement in my body. This really was the home run, and I was prepared to endure whatever challenges it had in store...

                                                           My good friend James

                                                                     East Coast Scenery

                                                               Campsite visitor

                                                            Struggling up those endless hills

NSW - Sydney

It is not without guilt that I admit that New South Whales passed by in somewhat of a blur. The days were long, the km's were many and I raced ahead desperately trying to avoid the rain. In the few days of consistent sunshine my belongings were beginning to spring back to life. My internet dongle dried out linking me once more to the outside world, my odometer once more smiled back up at me with the help of a shiny new set of batteries, and I was snapping away happily after cleaning the circuit-board of my camera. I had missed some priceless photos along the way, but there was still two states ahead of me, and I was happy to have her back.
I continued my ploy to free camp each night and found some great sites tucked away in the forests. I also utilized some of the designated rest areas for camping, but found that pesky Jehovah Witness folk would prowl around these sites pushing reading material down my throat and wasting my time.
As I rode down the coast I was frequently joined by elderly men on their morning ride. We would begin to chat whilst riding, and they would often extend their trips if we were enjoying each others company. I was amazed by the strength of some of these men, and they relished the opportunity to test my own strength by pushing me hard up hills. A glint in their eye became all too familiar before we would approach a hill and the race would begin. I enjoyed these little games.
To my surprise the country became intensively hilly north of Sydney. I followed the 'old' pacific highway through winding, twisting hills beneath a bird filled tree canopy. The road held almost zero traffic besides the occasional motorbike screaming past.
I was in a hurry to reach the northern suburb of Curl Curl in order to catch up with a good friend Tara that night. I underestimated both the distance and the hills and found myself crippled by a 180km ride in searing heat.
When I finally arrived in the beautiful coastal town of Curl Curl I was in a state of desperate exhaustion. I tried to pull myself together when meeting Tara's family, but my words were jumbled and my handshake was weak. I didn't have the heart to tell them that this day had been one of my hardest to date, after all, how could I be tired now after cycling many thousands of km's? However their house was located on a hill looking out over the ocean, and I soon forgot my worries over a beer, a bbq, and some great conversation in the warm evening air. Tara took me out to a pub where we met some of her friends for a drink and some socializing. I'm quite sure they took me for a mentally disabled patient as I couldn't string more then a few words together. It seemed a veil of fatigue was constricting my brain.
I was offered a comfortable bed to sleep in and a bowl of cereal for breakfast - the ideal start to a tough day of riding through Australia's busiest city.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tara and her family for their hospitality and friendship during my time in Curl Curl. Their relaxed, positive nature helped me along and for this I am thankful.
Although the roads into Sydney were pumping with early morning traffic, I quite enjoyed my ride through inner city Sydney. It was with pleasure that I crossed the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge and I journeyed up through the busy CBD. Sadly the weather had once more turned sour and I spent the day sweating profusely under my sticky rain jacket. It was a better alternative than freezing in the cold rain.
Suddenly I was lost. Very lost. By law I couldn't ride along the freeways, and I didn't have a map of the Sydney cycle ways. This was a costly mistake. So I plotted a route that zig-zaged across the map in a most unfortunate westerly direction. I would have to head west until I was clear of suburbia, and then resume a south-easterly until I was back on the coast. Bummer. For this reason I spent a most miserable night camped under the drizzling sky in a playground park in the middle of a very rough suburb. Goodnight Sydney, you may have dampened my tent, but my spirit remains resilient!

                                                                          Happy in the Drizzle

                                                                  Sydney Harbor Bridge

                                                                     Eastern Rosella

Farewell To QLD

After the intensive ride to Brisbane, I was as ready as ever to get off the bike, and on the beer. I had contacted Kel, my friend that I met in Arno Bay, Port Kenny and Esperance. Kel was minding a beautiful luxury house for his brother in Redcliffe, just north of Brisbane. Kel invited me to come and stay at this house for a night or two. It was a strange feeling to see Kel on the other side of Australia and we were both very happy to see each other. The weather was superb so we made the most of it by swinging past the pub for a few beers in the sun.

The house we stayed at was beautiful and well stocked with delicious food and drink. We explored the pantries like excited little boys finding sweets, seafood and expensive steaks to relieve our (my) insatiable hunger. There was also a fully stocked bar to be utilized. 

The next day I unloaded my bike and Kel brought out his racer for a ride. Kel knew the cycle paths very well and I thoroughly enjoyed following him around the coastal cycle routes under the blazing sun. We rode for some time and I had the feeling that Kel was testing my fitness from time to time. 

We spent the second night sitting up chatting into the late hours of the night. Unfortunately I didn't make it to bed until 2am, which made it rather difficult to rise for my early 4am start to attempt the ride through Brisbane city. But none-the-less I found myself riding bleary-eyed through the dark, early hours of the morning to beat the building traffic. 

Riding through Brisbane was slow and laborious, taking far longer then expected to cross. I enjoyed the beautiful view crossing the Story Bridge chased by angry motorists rushing to start their work days. 

From here it was a very long, sleepy ride all the way (more then 150km's) to the Gold Coast. The ride encompassed a difficult climb up Tambourine Mountain, offering stunning views over the Gold Coast from the top. 

When I finally arrived on the Gold Coast just after dark, my eyes were red, my legs were sore and my body odor was radiating after long hours of climbing. Thankfully I was to live in luxury for another night! Kate, a close family friend living in a high-rise building had invited me to stay, and had dinner waiting upon my arrival. So after a cold shower and a tasty Thai meal, I relished the opportunity to relax with Kate for a chat and a drink, before well and truly hitting the hay.
This was my last full day riding in Queensland, and I was excited to be entering the next leg of my journey. What did New South Whales have in store for me?

                                                                                  Turtle Head

                                                                               Green Tree Frog

                                                                           A wet weather camp

                                                                            Mother of all monsters: Echidna

                                                                                  Dirt Track Riding