Coddiwomple

This is just the briefest of notes to let you all know that we have landed (in the middle of nowhere). A flying start, hitting the ground running, jumping into the deep end of the pool - it is all of the above. The Coddiwomple Bicycle Tour feels like a ride in the park at this point.  We have been warmly welcomed by the entire crew here at Avon Downs. And given how young the team is, Louise has already nicknamed us "The Agony Aunts". A couple of important notes: we DO NOT HAVE mobile phone reception out here! Unfortunately all your beautiful and encouraging text messages will end up in digital nirvana. But we do have internet access (most of the time). Shortly we can also be contacted via the landline which is 08 8964 5551 (same time as South Australia).  If you would like to know a little more about where we ended up, please find following a brief introduction into the Avon & Austral Downs Station duo.  Avon Downs and Austral Downs Stations Mail is delivered once a week

After riding our bicycles 6,666km (+/- some unaccounted mileage to get a cold beer or an ice cream) from Melbourne to Cairns, our year of Coddiwomple is getting a culinary twist. If the definition of coddiwomple is "to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination" then our travels are now through the kitchen landscape at Avon Downs Station and the destination is hopefully less vague but more defined and comes in the shape of tasty food.  For the weeks and months ahead, our bicycles are parked at Avon Downs in the Northern Territory and we have swapped bicycle shorts for aprons.  If you wonder how we got here, please feel free to read the previous 133 blog posts or simply skip to  We are alive and cooking! Welcome (back) and let's get cooking!

Cairns - one sleep to go... The alarm is set for 4am, the bags are packed but I doubt we find the good night sleep we are hoping for. And that's not because I need to watch the Men's Wimbledon Final! So I try to find a bit of calm and peace by letting a few thoughts percolate through the darkness of our hotel room. Now that the big toes have been dipped into the Pacific Ocean on a beautiful sunny Port Douglas day I am at peace with the ending of Coddiwomple. For a while everything happened so fast. Our story written while travelling on a bicycle for most of the first half of 2022 seemed to disappear in the excitement and planning of the next adventure. And I wasn't ready to let it go as yet. But now I am. Spending time with Mick and Fran at their little caravan kingdom in Cairns allowed us to recharge, relax and reconnect. We are so grateful for every conversation shared, for the encouraging messages and the kind thoughts. We take them with us, way out West, whe

What on earth are they going to do next???  We could practically hear you all pondering this question since we announced the end of the ride in Cairns.  To be fair, we've been pondering this too. It is finally time to reveal 'The Plan'... We will be sharing a new job/s on a cattle station in the NT.  Working as cook, gardener, first aider and administration assistant for Avon Downs Station.  I'll let you guys work out how we will divide that labour.   Avon Downs is 250km West of Mount Isa, just over the Northern Territory border on the Barkly Hwy.  The Station is owned and managed by the Australian Agricultural Company (AACo), and is a breeding station for Wagyu cattle.  We will be cooking for a staff of 16-18 people plus guests/contractors. We are quite excited by this opportunity to learn new skills, work together and to become members of an isolated team.   The logistics of getting 'the plan' off the ground have been involved and complicated by us being out o

Without wanting to make this sound like a cheesy and awkward sounding thank you speech at the Logies, this is a heartfelt attempt to express our sincere thanks to everyone who came along on the ride with us. We never felt alone.  Whether by reading the blog or by sending a kind message, whether by inviting us to join you for a glass of wine or by donating the spaghetti bolognese leftovers, whether by giving us a friendly wave or a wide berth, whether by stopping for a friendly chat or by asking curious questions, whether by inviting us into your homes or by offering us your advice, Coddiwomple 2022 became a little kindness revolution because all of you.  Freewheeling 6,666km across parts of this country is a very special privilege, not for the reasons of the physical endeavour but for the lessons you learn along the way. The bicycle can be icebreaker or peacemaker. It allows you to explore the horizons of natural beauty and human diversity in most invigorating ways. It exposes your vul

"Everything will be okay in the end.   If it is not okay, it is not the end".      [John Lennon] There are certain fundamental things you can plan for when bicycle touring: the route, the choice of gear, when to get up, what to eat (to a certain degree). But there are more variables (weather, traffic, people) than there are constants. While in the unplanned can lay great and unexpected beauty, we are certainly people who lean more towards 'having a plan and being prepared'.  But planning for the "perfect" last day on your tour is a tricky beast. Emotions are running high, body energy is running low and your determination to reach the finish line with a matching attitude is running somewhere... The memories of our last day on the 2011 Across the US Tour are still crystal clear and they reminded us to be, let's say, be cautious.  We ride out of Mareeba at 0730 hoping to at least partly beat the Sunday traffic but Highway 1 is already thumping with motorise

Mareeba - Redlynch (Cairns) 63km  There is plenty to write about today but we just wanted to let you all know that we have made it to our final destination Cairns.  We are floating somewhere between excitement, exhaustion and relief. The welcome committee formed by Dad and Frances was world-class and so was the immediate post ride care.  Family reunion after 6,666km Please stay tuned for more! The Coddiwomplers

Herberton to Mareeba 58km Ever since walking into the Herberton pub last night looking for a room we have been on the good karma train.  And today the train stopped at quite a few stations.  Sure the first 18kms into Atherton were steeply uphill, followed by screaming downhill, then required the patience and good driving of everyone on the road as we wound through the valley on a very narrow road.  But the drivers were patient, the bikes and the riders survived the hills and we rolled into Atherton to discover a rail trail! Stopped at the trail head, and pursuing the map, a ute mounts the curve and drives straight over to us.  On board is a MTB freak, keen to share with us what the trail is like and where to stop along the way.  He tells us that we can take the trail all the way to Mareeba, however the last 16kms the trail is not maintained.  He checks out the bikes and assures us that we will be able to ride it, no problems.   We needed supplies for lunch, but after months of Outback

Mt Garnet to Herberton 66km (810m of elevation gain) The elevation profile of today's ride looks like a bread knife, constantly carving up and down.  We decided to risk taking the Silver Valley Rd to Herberton as it both shortens the overall distance to Cairns, and gets us off the hwy.  We have been sharing the highway with road trains, four wheel drivers and caravanners since Rolleston (Day 114).  And cows, who have proven to be both the most curious fellows on the road and surprisingly good fence jumpers, like they are show jumping in the Olympics.  This sign would suggest they are also capable of eating cars... Things to watch out for... The hill carving starts immediately on leaving the caravan park, the main road through Mt Garnet is an 8% grade, which sure, on a road bike is pretty cruisy, but on a fat tyred, fully loaded touring bike is a bit of an effort.  The hwy takes us uphill to Innot Hot Springs, naturally occurring 74-85C geothermal hot water.  Where we decide to risk