In A Big Country

We made it.  We are safely in Perth with 2144 miles on the clock, the fat lady has sung beautifully and we know exactly how many chickens we have.

To paraphrase Kennedy's 'Apollo Programme' speach, we chose this trip 'not because it was easy, but because it was hard'.  It WAS hard but we have been very lucky.  Had we had more headwinds and/or very hot days it would have been much much harder and I wonder if we would have made it.

Australia truly is a big country.  Across two expeditions we have followed the coast from Brisbane to Perth, but we are still considerably  less than half way round.  The obvious next leg is from Perth to Darwin but that needs quite a lot of research.......the north is even hotter and the gaps between places even bigger.

Just to wrap up the fine details:

Last night we went to the local pub where it was still 1975.  The key 'attraction' was a couple of barmaids wearing very little but dental floss.  I am as broadminded as the next man but it was in very poor taste.

Today we had 57 miles to do and we did them.  End of.  We cruised into Perth and headed for the bike shop where had reserved a couple of bike boxes.  We confirmed they were there then continued 1.5 miles to our hotel to loose the bikes before walking back to the shop.  On the way we invested in a 6-pack as a thankyou to the bike shop manager, which was repaid with interest when he offered to chuck the boxes in the back of his 1966 Ford V8 pick-up and drive us back to the hotel. 

We now just have to pack the bikes and drink beer until it leaks out of our ears.

Bonus tracks:

Touch of Grey

I am pleased with this one - you will need the band!  We would like to thank the following, without whose support, we might not be here:

Coppers Brewery - we saw a new Bently on the road recently, we think it might have been driven by their CEO after the sudden unexpected upturn in business.

The Australian Guild of Sausage Roll Makers - soooooo good!

Johnson & Johnson - purveyors of fine arse creams.

Maureen from Port Augusta - thanks for the wind prayer Maureen.

Kelloggs - Honey Nut Cornflakes are the only way to start your cycling day.

Australian road crews everywhere - your tarmac is amongst the best we have seen.

Samsung - without your auto-correct feature this blog would have been much better spelt.

And, of course, our adoring Facebook fans.  Thanks for tuning in and sticking with us, even when the blog was mostly bollocks (if anyone just said 'it was always bollocks' they are excluded from the thankyou).

Two Little Boys

By now you will not be surprised that I am not afraid to use a Rolf song.  He is a disgusting perv but this one just HAD to be used.

Despite the title of the blog, Neil is never grumpy and even I have odd brief moments of cheerfulness.  And as for the 'old' bit........we may be nudging 60 but, when screaming down a hill on the bikes, or poking about in a dead kangeroo, we are still just 12 year old boys having the time of our lives. For now it is time to go in for tea but it won't be long until we are next allowed out to play.