The days get busier the closer to home we get!

I forgot to mention yesterday that we travelled 170km from Melbourne to Traralgon, eventually resting at the Park Lane Caravan Park. Today we have got back onto the water after cycling 120km’s from Traralgon to Loch Sport on Lake Victoria. I had a sleep in until 5.30am this morning and hit the road just before 6am to travel north along the Princess Highway. After 26km’s I made a detour at Rosedale and rode along some great country side to Longford. I had grazing paddocks on one side of the road and Radiata Pine forest to the other. There was no wind, traffic or people along this stretch of road at this time of the day which made my journey that little bit easier. As I travelled through Longford I headed out along the Gippsland Lakes Coastal Park eventually finishing around 120km’s at Loch Sport.

I am now going to put the ski in the water and paddle for a couple of hours towards Metung.

We have the local news crew meeting us in about 10 minutes and later in the day we are heading back to Sale to have a cuppa with the Major. Tonight we are doing a talk in at Sale to two Rotary clubs and a number of people from the town in hope to raise further funds and awareness.

The new crew has slotted in well and intend to get me home in one piece. I have just jumped in the water here for about 10 minutes at waist depth, and I swear there are ice bergs floating past. My legs just went bright red in seconds, but they say it is great for recovery.

Thanks to Phil Kearns for his kind words. It is really appreciated to know that a person of your sporting calibre is following the journey.

Also a special mention to Dave and Rob at Bicycle Super Store, Traralgon for giving us a hand with the new Cannondale.

Until tomorrow, Craig

Lake Victoria

 

A crowd of fans gather to see Craig paddle past...

It’s good to be back on the water!

How good was it to take the mighty Epic ski off the roof this morning and wipe off the Western Australia red dust. The only problem was that when we took it off at a boat ramp on Hindmarsh, it was only 3 degrees. The new crew took no time to get used to all the equipment, and in no time we were in the water and paddling towards the mouth of the Murray River. At the mouth of the Murray River we saw about a dozen seals frolicking around in the morning sun. I saw one other lonely seal further east of the mouth as I paddled through some shallow water.

Today was all about paddling, with the new Cannondale bike being left in the campervan supplied by Sydney RV Centre. I paddled in a south easterly direction along the Coorong National Park waterway that stretches for about 80 kilometres and runs parallel to the coast. There was no getting lost as all I had to do was keep the massive sand dunes to my right. The sand dunes are part of the National Park and lie between the surf and the Coorong inlet.

I have spent about 7 hours on the water today and covered approximately 50 kilometres, with morning head winds and then a stronger breeze on the side. The paddling conditions were slightly uncomfortable, but still a pleasant change from the bike. I had my trusty friend Brian Friend and my sister-in-law Jenn as support crew – they thoroughly enjoyed their time on the Coorong. The body is feeling a little sore and I have again got a number of blisters on the hands, which is expected. We have just set up camp for the night at Lake Albert Caravan Park and I look forward to a good night’s sleep after a seafood dinner.

Craig

Jenn the Boatie

The Newest Member of the Crew