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Report of a self-supported and self-planned bicycle tour on the famous Birdsville Track, Australia. Monsoon rains added an unexpected degree of difficulty...

Summer, Sun, Sand and Mud - cycling the Birdsville Track, Australia

Waltraud
2004-03-05 13:53:55

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turns into a storm, and there is a pile of clouds approaching from the north. We are already only using the lightest gear of our Speedhub gearing system. Twice we have the chance to wet our shirts and hats in a water hole, but the water was already too salty for drinking. And the wind is hot… It seems that we cannot make good progress today. Somehow we manage to arrive in Lyndhust before noon where we find a resting spot under a roof of a public building. We spend the rest of the day there, it is impossible to continue. We now experience a monsoon storm, pushing huge amounts of dust and sand into the small village. Even car drivers take a break in the gas station or the bar.

Sunglasses and a cotton towel: covered like terrorists

The next morning seems without wind, cockatoos are screaming, and temperatures are at decent 25°C. We are back on the road – full of excitement. No more paved road for the next three weeks… Farina, an abandoned town is 30km north of Lyndhust. It is now National Histioric Site, as almost everything in Australia that is older than 50 years. Since there are too many broken bottles scattered around the site, we prefer to return to the main track.

From today on we are in the desert, dominated by the colors brown, grey, red and white amplified by the glaring sun. We protect ourselves against the sun by wearing a wet cotton towl over the head and shoulders, held in place by the traditional Australian hat, the Akubra. Good sunglasses are also absolutely required, not only to protect against the UV-radiation, and the strong light reflections, but also against the increasing wind. Only a few hours after sunrise we are fighting the storm again.

The 50 km from Farina to Marree are becoming a challenge. The wind is still increasing, although we thought it was over since yesterday. And at eleven o'clock we measure already 35°C. Luckily we carry enough water. Every 15 minutes we have a 5 minute ...