Day 123 - Are we there yet?

Jericho (wild camp) - Barcaldine 80km

A frosty suprise awaited us when crawling out of the tent at 06:30 for the "I can't wait any longer" first toilet routine of the day.  The bikes were covered in frost, including a free Gatorade slushy. 

We embrace the morning chill, revive our campfire and slowly move into the day as the sun continues to bring some warmth and light across our scenic wild camp. By the time we hit the road it's past 9:00am.

There's very little to write home about of today's stage. Which doesn't mean that it is boring but sometimes the stimulation has to come a little more from within.  As the scenery is a mostly flat, straight road heading off into the distance, and either scrubby bushland or scrubby farmland on either side.  

There are no services, of any description between us and our end point today, so toilet breaks, morning tea and lunch are all picked from likely looking spots by the side of the road.  I'm sure as we sit in the dirt, making wraps and reading aloud we make quite an interesting spectacle for the passing vehicles.  Almost all of which are caravanners, they are everywhere!  Although not a busy highway, we estimate at least one van passes us every kilometre, that's eighty vans just here on this one little hwy in the middle of nowhere, 1000km from Brisbane.  We expected that the traffic would be mostly trucks and road trains, but they are a minority.  

Queensland Roads continues in their quest to make boring roads safer through the application of trivia.  Today's question, "what is Barcaldine's biggest attraction?"  Kerstin and I hazarded some guesses, but had to keep cycling for the answer...

The Tree of Knowlege.  Reputedly the birthplace of the labour movement in Australia.  The town was the headquarters of the 1891 shearers strike and many meetings and protests were held beneath the tree.

Some towns just feel good as soon as you arrive, and Barcaldine certainly has that appeal.  We make a pit stop first, and meet a truck driver on his way to Alice, then further to the Tanami desert.  He tells me that the roads are so bad out there, he has to trundle along a 10km/hr, and proves it by sharing a photo of the budgie who hitched a ride on his bonnet.

For a town of 1500 people, there are three caravan parks to chose from (see above re: caravanners everywhere), they all look pretty full and I have that moment of worrying that there is no room at the inn.  But luckily it's no effort to find a spot for a tiny tent and two bicycles.  It seems there is much to explore here, and we decide over dinner at the pub to stay another day.  The 2km ride back to the tent after dinner is done as quickly as possible so that we can jump into our sleeping bags with warm bodies, another unseasonably cold night is expected.