Rob 'n BOB on the BNT
15
December 2003
Robert's
BNT Journal --
as told to and prepared by Gwen on
Wednesday, November 26, 2003:
Ravenswood to Collinsville,
Queensland -- November 20 - 25,
2003
After a few days pleasant R&R
in
Ravenswood, it was again time to
head out on the track. It was an easy enough ride south to
Connelly station but wild camping beside "weedy river water" was
just so-so! The next day, though, despite quite an elevation
gain, it was smooth biking on the paved road to Burdekin Falls Dam and
Rob averaged 17km an hour! Not bad, with a fully loaded BOB being
pulled along behind him! He must be growing "strong, lean, and
'mean'", by now!
At 5pm, Rob's time, when he phoned
me, the temperature was still 35C in
the shade, so, he was grateful for the quiet campground and little
swimming pool there! There has been a store but it was closed and
appeared to have been closed perhaps for some years. But, thank
goodness the payphone was working! And, there was a clean
"ablution block" and even a laundry! That's always been my
"little measuring stick" of a satisfactory campground!
Amazingly, there was a considerable amount of water in the Reservoir
behind the dam so THAT's good for the people it supplies!
For this portion of his trip, Rob has
bought a BOX of "fine wine" to
offer himself some quiet evening activity. He mentioned something
about "doing a taste test" and that it DEFINITELY was an improvement
over Rob's own homemade Shiraz (that so many of our friends had the
"pleasure" of experiencing at it's "release" a year or so ago!)
BUT, this box wine PROBABLY didn't "quite" measure up to anything in
the "Oldfield Reserve Library" that Tinhorn Creek Vineyard winemaker,
Sandra Oldfield, has so carefully developed!! Rob will have to
bike a VERY LONG WAY, INDEED, to find many wines better than THAT
collection!
Burdekin Dam to the Bowen Pub (in
Strathbowen?) was another 102km day
as no interesting wild camping locations showed up along the way.
The last 35km were downhill but tiresome, indeed, with a rough,
corrugated, gravel surface! Since the few customers in the pub
cleared out early in the evening, Rob and the Publican sat out on the
back porch till 10pm, visiting, sipping, and enjoying the songs of the
night birds. Pleasant pastime!
From the Bowen pub he biked just 35km
to Boralee station, alongside the
WONDERFUL Bowen River, which had LOTS of water. When he woke next
morning, the temperature had taken a dip down to 12C! Too COLD to
make an early start! But, not to worry, as it was only another
35km into Collinsville! "Flat and boring country roads these two
days", he said.
THEN, it was "down to
business"!! Enough of this "playing
about"! HOURS of reading and responding to email on the "public
computer" at the Shire Office; purchasing of "treats" for "energy
food" -- Christmas fruitcake and apricot/peach "sugar
cubes" (THAT ought to do it!); Powerade crystals to mix with water (to
disguise the flavour of the water, and, to give him "energy"); also,
MILO, as well as flavoured coffee! At home he wouldn't be caught
dead consuming such stuff -- but -- this ain't
home, baby!
After stretches
of heavy biking over
many kilometres, Rob thinks that
it's dehydration that plugs up his ears and even makes him hoarse to
talk! Just shows you some more of the consequences of one's
"water table" growing low! And, this happens, he says, despite
drinking, drinking, drinking! All this is a discovery in progress!
He had to "wait in line" before
7:30am beside the one and only
Automatic Banking Machine in Collinsville, for the "money truck" to
come along to "fill 'er up"! so he could get some cash! Credit
cards are good and handy -- but -- they don't
answer all a consumer's needs!
His computer time in Collinsville
cost him $20.00+ --
and -- then, he "lost" the Trip Journal he composed "to
those cyberspace gremlins" that "grab our stuff", from
time-to-time! Hence, the need for ME to prepare these last 4
segments! The next internet stop, Rob will have to prepare his
composition in a different format and thereby prevent any further
accidents befalling his labour intensive writing!
His next stop is to be the Bowen
River Weir, where the station folks
say there's "no worry" over crocodiles being in that water! The
"town folks" regaled Rob with many warnings about the "crocs" there,
though. So, he'll just have to exercise reasonable
vigilance! That Weir is at least 150km inland from the sea, but,
crocs are reported at least 200km inland on some of those rivers!
Makes one humble and respectful of Nature!
