Today I had another 3am start, with dark and misty conditions, from Colac. Once again, we got plenty of media coverage in the Colac area and were invited to stay at the Colac Lake Caravan Park by Rob and Alley. The road conditions were pretty awful on the way to Geelong and only got worse as more and more traffic hit the road on the way to Melbourne.
I left the highway to Geelong and entered the motorway to make my way towards Melbourne. After 3 hours on the road I was feeling ill and wanting to vomit, with plenty of dry retching off the side of the bike. To add to this problem, my legs felt very heavy and just wanted to stop. But I did manage to complete 100 kilometres. I plan to leave early tomorrow to paddle into Melbourne from Port Phillip Bay, then up the Yarra River.
Only a short blog today as I’m not feeling well and am busy organising things with the support crew for Melbourne and then Tasmania on Saturday.
Warrnambool continued their support last night by hosting a BBQ on the Civic Green with the major in the middle of town. Funds totalling $1,000 were received by groups and individuals who attended the function. We also had the pleasure of being invited for dinner to “The Flying Horse Bar and Brewery”, for complimentary dinner and drinks. After having a great nights sleep at the Big 4 Discovery Caravan Park in Warrnambool, I headed off to the mouth of the Hopkins River to be joined for a 10km paddle with local kayak and surf club members.
The Hopkins River runs in a north-easterly direction from the surf to the Princess Highway. It is surrounded by small cliffs and beautiful green grazing country. The conditions were ideal for paddling with no wind and a glassy surface across the water. We had a slight mist throughout the paddle and it was enjoyable to have some company along the journey. I think the other paddlers probably thought I talk a lot, but it is rare to have company and that’s what happens when you are enjoying the surrounds.
After exiting the river it was a matter of riding 100km to a small town called Colac. The morning mist made visibility difficult and there was still an abundance of trucks transporting timber to Melbourne. The country side is extremely green and has the smell of cattle and wet grass. Part of the scenery around a small town called Terang was fascinating with stone fences running through the paddocks that went for miles and would have taken years to build.
The media has been great along the day with each town sending out press to cover the story. I now hope that this converts to donations. My days are now drawing to an end and I am hoping that the effort is worth the end result.
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