Day 72 - Turtle Rescue

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Stanthorpe to Killarney 72km

Waking up to the sound of rain is only good under limited circumstances, like you have a day off and nothing to do except snuggle in bed, drink cups of tea and read great books or any circumstances at all if you are in a drought.  When you are in your tiny hiking tent, everything is damp because a). humidity is 95% and b). you are peri-menopausal circumstances are less than ideal.  The hills, back into NSW (anything to avoid riding the New England Hwy), will not wait, and I accept that everything will be packed away wet.

But, a bit of a sou'wester blows the clouds and fog away, and the sun comes out enough to dry the tent over breakfast.  Layers are stripped off, and we head off.  Knowing the first 15km is uphill, I'm surprised by how easy it feels.  And I congratulate myself for getting fitter and stronger these last two months.  And while this may be true, the sensation of flying along is most likely due to that most welcome of rare events, a tailwind!

We tick along the first half of the day with speed and joy.  With a big descent to the Maryland River and bridge, Kerstin spies a little Beach when making the crossing.  Further investigation reveals a short, rough track down to the water.  And we decide to stop early, relax a bit, and have lunch by the water.  These are the moments when you are so grateful to be travelling by bike.  There is no way we would have found this spot otherwise.  A blanket in the sun, a bit of reading aloud while Kerstin makes sandwiches.  It's the perfect lunch spot.





Of course the downside (pun totally intended) of great descents to river crossings is that there is the inevitable climb up the other side.  I delayed leaving our little spot for as long as possible, but my timing would turn out to be perfect.  As we slowly made our way back up again I could see the top of the hill getting closer and closer, lucky since I didn't have a lower gear than the one I was already in.  Just before the peak I spotted something on the road.  Leaving Kerstin to hold the bikes and wait, I trotted back down to discover the first non squished turtle seen so far (there have been a lot of flatten ones).  Hopeful I picked the little guy up, and was reassured by his little legs waving, that he was alive and kicking.  So I removed him from the road and popped him over the fence, and closer to a damn.  Running back to Kerstin, a B-double comes roaring over the hill.  Perfect timing!  That little turtle would have been a pancake.


Good deed done, the final 25kms into Killarney, and back into QLD, would take us through the town of Legume.  And I would love to tell you how it got its name but Google, Wikipedia and the Tenterfield tourist information have all come up empty.  I can tell you they grow beef there, but not a bean, chickpea or lentil to be found.

Killarney is one of those towns that gives you a good feeling.  Within minutes of arriving I was wishing we could stay longer.  But the bikes are booked for a Saturday morning service in Ipswich, which really is necessary.  Should you ever find yourself in this part of the world.  I would recommend it, there are probably plenty more turtles to rescue.
Location: Killarney QLD 4373, Australia

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