October cycle tour map

October cycle tour map

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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Tongala to Nathalia


 Tongala to Nathalia = 44km
Cummulative totals = 143km and 20,144km
Nathalia Riverbank Caravan park - $22.50 unpowered

Happy to arrive here at Nathalia today ... this is our 3rd day riding since we left and although they haven't been long days we are still finding our legs .... we both felt it along the way here today!
We both had a better nights sleep last night ... relearning to sleep on the ground!  We woke up nice and early and had to stagger around in the dark for around 30 minutes as it doesn't get light until 7am.  We noticed last night that there are alot of bull ants around so we kept an eye out for mainly koutas benefit as they give one hell of a bite ... well this morning while making brekky Neil got bitten twice on the hand and while packing up the tent I got one on the foot and boy did I let out a squeal!  my first one every ... I think dad you will remember them down at Rosebud when you got multiple bites ... they are not poisonous but the bite is painful and you come up in a welt and later on a little swelling or a small red area where you were bitten.
Very happy to leave this campground.
We headed east for around 13km and then north.  It is a bright sunny day with light winds.  The traffic is moderate and it is not until we get on the Murray Valley highway that we encounter heavier traffic.  We are not big fans of this highway and have been on it before but the only sealed way to Nathalia from Tongala is via this road.  It is a single lane each way with no shoulder and the drop of the road is about 10cm!  It is full of locals, caravans, b double trucks, tanker trucks and small goods trucks, so not necessarily pleasant to ride along.  We manage to perserve until over the Goldburn river and up to Korutpa and then decide to take an unsealed road and take the back way to Nathalia.  Now I was very surprised that Neil suggested this road that is not sealed as he tends to avoid them .... maybe after yesterdays jaunt for 7km or so he has begun to like them, I don't mind them as they break the monotony of bitumen.
As we start the unsealed section we come across these Clydesdale horses and funny enough I begin to take a photo of them and they decide to move closer together for the photo ... it is like they knew that when someone points a camera at them they are suppose to move closer together for the shot!
 we take a break here and Kouta knows that it is time for his smackos ... he loves the Kangaroo ones from Aldi!
 The unsealed section is only 6km long and is relatively smooth and most importantly no traffic!
Once we rejoined the sealed road I begin to feel it in the legs, fortunately Nathalia is only another 8km or so away.
Nathalia is a lovely town with a population of 1450 (8 people more than Tongala!).  The campground is nice, small but pleasant enough, no facilities (kitchen) but clean shower and toilets and it is alongside the Broken Creek, which is quite full at the moment.  We get here just on lunchtime  so I have the afternoon to do my hand washing, I had forgotten just how hard it is on the arms to wring out clothes when you hand wash!!!
We are having a rest day here tomorrow.

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