Day 269
We passed Burdekin Bridge without incident. Traffic was not as heavy as we expected, and compared to Indonesian drivers, Aussies are much more cautious when passing. We also had good news from the banks that Chopper had been dealing with for the past few weeks. Our international transfer finally went through! Now we have money, plenty of money to survive our slow traveling to New Zealand.
It was a good day for cycling, as have been the other days since we started traveling on the coast. A clear blue sky with perfect cool temperatures, and Bruce Highway was not so formidable as we imagined. For most part, there was a decent shoulder.
The free rest area in Guthalungra was also a nice surprise. A large grassy area was fenced off to keep the caravan outs and we took full advantage in our tent. Several large eucalyptus trees provided ample shade and there were pagodas with picnic tables and water faucets. The adjacent roadhouse provided a hot shower for 3 dollars per person. Even though we could have paid 3 dollars for a shower for 2, we decided to stick to the code of conduct. Stingy as we are, there are many other ways to save money without being dishonest.
A truck driver dropped by our camp and brought us a rock melon, and confessed that he was once a trike rider too back in New Zealand. He has been coaching rock climbing as a part-time job in Australia. It was before long that Chopper and Ron forged a bond – over how best to deal with aggressive drivers whilst cycling. Both recommend more aggression. It was refreshing to have a good conversation when we least expected it.