Day 101 - New beginnings

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Murgon - Ban Ban Springs 77km

Before I begin the story telling of today's events, I feel an acknowledgement of country is the best place to start. The last few nights we rested under big (full) moon nights in places of great significance for the Aboriginal people. Especially here at Ban Ban Springs, where a dreaming story of the Wakka Wakka people reminds us that this is a place where all are welcome to meet. We pay respect to the elders past and present. We wish for the generations to come that places like this will be respected for what they are, and that the spirit of the Rainbow Serpent will inspire them.

Rolling out of Murgon has a slight sensation of new beginnings. Maybe it is the "100 days on tour" theme or feeling the full recovery from recent health speed bumps?  I am not sure and I certainly don't want to mention the possibility of a political element in this sentiment... we all know that 'miracles can happen', on both sides. 
Morning tea entertainment

In the tiny locality of Windera, a mere 28km into the ride, we find some welcome morning tea entertainment. The little park and picnic bench were set up in 1988, including this time capsule. While we munch the remaining Easter chocolate bunny we contemplate the highlights of 1988, where we were, what we did and what we remember of that year. It only takes a mere moment for me to deliver my version (forgive me Whitney Houston) of "One moment in time" which was one of the theme songs of the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. Louise is not impressed, but kindly engages in the conversation about the golden year of Steffi Graf's tennis career. 

With a our compass set to make it to the town of Gayndah by Friday morning, I stop singing and we move on to be sure to make it to Ban Ban Springs before the rain catches up with us. This means a new joint venture with the A3 - the Burnett Highway, which is, promising enough, also a tourist drive called the "Country Way".  Some research about this traffic artery running south to north tells us it might be okay for travelling cyclists, with a shoulder in most parts and a medium flow of traffic, but including big livestock road trains. 

Bicycle friendly Burnett Highway

We engage in a new "on the road" game. You couldn't play this while travelling in a car. It's called "Lamb, Pig or Beef?" and it has nothing to do with your appetite. Not like when you are squeezed into seat 54F on a long distance flight and they ask you "Chicken or Beef?" Every time a livestock truck passes us we guess what animal is on board, by the odor that engulfs us for the next 30 seconds. I can tell you, it's pretty easy to figure it out and that pigs are definitely the worst. But again, a kudos to the truck drivers who are leading the way in terms of sharing the road courtesy. They are making a huge difference to our anxiety levels. With a gentle tailwind and the rain holding back, we roll into the free camp at Ban Ban Springs just after 3pm, leaving us plenty of time for setting up camp and a little post ride cool down stretch. It's a simple set up but in a very welcoming sense. Even the local birds are happy to see us, like this guy 

Blue-faced Honeyeater

And then the spirit of the place kicks in - a meeting place for all. We chat to the fellow campers who cover a diverse cross section of travellers.  An older lady who stops to have a chat, without getting out of her little bubble car, who seems a bit lost and tells us that she'd rather live on the road and sleep in the car than in her flat in nearby Gayndah. Then we meet our first Rolling Solo or "Rollers" traveler, Wendy and her dog Sophia, who is a fabulous ambassador for the women travelling the country. We excitedly tell her that our dear friend Juliette is also a "Roller" and that we longed for the moment we would finally run into one! There is a couple from Newcastle who travel with their ...oodle dogs for the first time and an older chap in a rusty old Landcruiser who Louise assists to get his iPad rebooted. 

I have the feeling that the Rainbow Serpent was smiling at us and, content with what it observed, held back the rain for a little bit longer. 

 


Location: Ban Ban Springs QLD 4625, Australia

Comments

  1. JulietteMay 22, 2022 at 7:47 PM

    Great to hear that you found a Roller! We are very friendly travellers. XXX


    ReplyDelete
  2. BrendaMay 23, 2022 at 8:10 PM

    So pleased to know you were shown some courtesy on the road. It is good to pay respects to Aboriginal people.

    ReplyDelete

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