Eli Bikes Australia

Eli Bikes Australia My name is Eli Major and I am a US citizen push biking Australia. My journal is best navigated through the Photos tab. I try to keep it organized.

I got distracted by the chaos of the American election. I continue posting. Today I move further down the peninsula to...
11/24/2020

I got distracted by the chaos of the American election. I continue posting. Today I move further down the peninsula to Port Lincoln.

11 March, 2017. 112km today. I poked around this morning and did not leave until after 10am.... this is a mistake. However, I had an event this morning. Woke up around 5 and went to relieve myself, and found myself covered with ants! They had swarmed up the side of my tent and they got all over me when I left in the dark. Smacked dozens of them to death once I got back in the tent. They bite, but they're the little ones so it's only a twinge. Still annoying. I'll be sure to check with the light from now on before leaving the tent... I only shone my light on the ground for snakes, not the tent itself for ants.

Pushed down the road and saw another tiny brown snake! I'm watching for them like crazy at this point. That was honestly the highlight of the day.... other than that, lots of biking through the bush. The wind started up a gale around noon. I needed a day like this, though... it'll motivate me to get up and get going at 4am like I'll need to. That way I can avoid the afternoon wind mostly and get a good 100km+ in before it starts. If I bike into a headwind every day, it'll take me more than a month to get to Perth.

Rolled in to Port Lincoln just after dark. Checked in to the hostel, went to the grocery, and ate and went to bed. Getting up early for shark cage diving tomorrow!

A ferry ride and an intensifying Outback look as I move west.
10/04/2020

A ferry ride and an intensifying Outback look as I move west.

10 March, 2017. 67km. Got up a little after 6 and biked to the ferry. It's a two hour ride. I strapped the bike to the wall and sat in the passenger lounge and read the newspaper. Got into Lucky Bay later that morning... not much going on there. The ferry terminal, a few houses, and some shipping related things made up the town. They are expanding the harbor though, so maybe there's more going on than meets the eye.

It's Outback now. Flat, dry, scrub plants. I know the whole area isn't like this; I'll be coming across wheat fields at some point, but it's pretty rough looking country. It's not terribly hot or windy though, so that's something to be happy about. It won't last but for now I'm enjoying it. Saw a few interesting things on the road. I saw and photographed my first brown snake! It was just a little one, but it's a good reminder to be careful. Gotta watch my feet at all times, even when stopping the bike on the road.

Decided not to make a long day of it and set up a camp a bit south of Arno Bay. It's really easy to do here; there is a dirt road just a few dozen yards to the left. I found some scrub trees, really a whole forest of them, to camp in. There was a dead car nearby that had been there quite some time. It even had bullet holes in the doors. Noticed lines of ants marching everywhere.. made a note to make sure the tent is well closed tonight.

A simple biking day through South Australia.
09/20/2020

A simple biking day through South Australia.

9 March, 2017. 60km today. My plan is to take a ferry from Wallaroo to Lucky Bay. This will cut off Port Augusta, but it will save me almost three days of biking. It's not a "necessary" ferry but it's not unreasonable either.

Left the campsite and biked a short distance into Wallaroo. The caravan park wanted 30 bucks for a campsite, so I kept checking around and found a hotel with a $30 room. It was really basic, but a cheap hotel room beats a campsite for sure. Went to the grocery store, at a little bit, then took a nap around 5pm.

Then I woke up at 12:30 in the morning. Whoops. Watched a movie, went back to sleep, got up for the ferry at 6am. That's actually not bad; it'll help adjust me to the early wake up times that I'll need due to the afternoon winds heading west.

I escape the Fringe, say goodbye to my hosts, and push off towards the Outback.
09/18/2020

I escape the Fringe, say goodbye to my hosts, and push off towards the Outback.

8 March, 2017. 94km. Got up and finished packing, then hung around for a bit.... not going to Wallaroo all in one day, so I didn't have to leave right in the morning. It was nice to just sit down a bit before the work coming up. I really need to shout out another thank you to Tessa and Krystal for hosting. I had a great time here and met lots of amazing people in Adelaide. Oh well, time for that howling desert.

The ride to Port Wakefield was fairly standard highway riding. A couple of guys pulled over at one point to give me a ride (which I had to refuse) and one of them is a radio DJ. He took my phone number and is going to call me from the air at some point. Pretty cool!

Rolled in to Port Wakefield right at dark. Looked around the town, then continued north and settled on a bush campsite just a few km north. I'm hidden from the road by some scrub trees with a pasture on one side. The stars are mostly out... nice night.

Maybe the best Fringe day in Adelaide... the next day I push west.
09/16/2020

Maybe the best Fringe day in Adelaide... the next day I push west.

7 March, 2017. 6km today. Well, I'm still here in Adelaide! Oops. Can't lie, my nerves are getting to me a bit. There will be some wide open spaces in the next few months. I'm good to go now of course, but another day here just seemed like a good idea. Did some more shopping for the trip and got around to a task I'd been planning four months... I finally reversed the wires on my water tanks! The downward pressure is more evenly distributed and the tanks are mounted higher. No more worrying whether the one on the left will slip and knock off my disc brake anymore.

Bought some more groceries and a propane tank for my stove. I was hoping to get another 5 liter tank but the BCF store was out. I'll figure something out, I could repurpose 2 liter bottles instead. I need an easy to move container or containers to serve as drop containers for the more remote areas. The plan is to ask motorists I meet at roadhouses and towns to drop water in the bush for me 80 or so kilometers down the road. I refill, strap empty containers to the back of the bike, repeat. All of the cyclists I've known to do this long stretch have used this strategy and none have ever failed to find the water.

Tessa and I bussed into town that evening. I decided to see one last fringe show. Tessa was meeting Krystal to see a musician, while I went to see Cirque Africa, which I had tried to see two different evenings now. Bought tickets in advance this time, who would have thought? The show was great. It's an energetic hour for sure featuring some really impressive gymnastics. The best show I've seen at the Fringe, and many people I've met also rate it highly.

After the show, I met up with Tessa and Krystal in the Garden. We wanted a bit and met an American drag queen acapella group. Listened to them sing, then wanders around more of the festival areas. There are interactive light displays up in the city: a row of bars that react to movement and a building wide projection of children's stories at the library. Then we saw a bit of the Adelaide Festival before heading back.

Gearing up psychologically for the trip across the Nullabor.
09/16/2020

Gearing up psychologically for the trip across the Nullabor.

5 March, 2017. Didn't do much today, took a true day off. Did some trip planning and research, but not much. Was around to watch Krystal open her Nintendo Switch. It looks pretty neat; she has the new Zelda.

6 March, 2017. Prepping for the trip now. Laundry, bike maintenance, repacking, some shopping. This whole biking to Perth thing is getting real. It'll be fine I'm sure; as usual, almost everyone is astounded by the idea except bike shop guys. Tessa and I went to the grocery store; she is making laksa for dinner. The three of us ate, then played Aquarius! Tessa won both games; she's either a natural or has beginner's luck!

Another festival day in Adelaide. I also ran a 5k (made me way sorer than the bike ever did at that point).
09/15/2020

Another festival day in Adelaide. I also ran a 5k (made me way sorer than the bike ever did at that point).

4 March, 2017. 35km. Got up kind of early today. Tessa invited me to go on a 5k run in the park (there is a weekly community event on Saturday mornings). I figured it'd be fun to see how my 5k is. Turns out, not bad (25:00) although I was pretty sore the rest of the day. It uses a completely different set of muscles in my legs. We went with a group of her friends to brunch after the 5k, then walked around the downtown market. After that, we headed to the beach. and swam out to the sandbar. It's good to get a swim in in South Australia.

Later on I biked back into the city to go to dinner with my friend Sabina and her crowd. This was a great evening; we went to a pub for dinner, then wandered around the festival area, settling for a bar on the top floor of the AFL stadium. This was a really good group of people, I had tons of fun. I really need to take more pictures with the friends I make. Biked home after a couple beers and a coconut cocktail and that was that.

I mostly planned for the Nullabor today, but I did go into the Fringe for the evening.
09/14/2020

I mostly planned for the Nullabor today, but I did go into the Fringe for the evening.

3 March, 2017. 32km. Bummed around the house for most of the day, but I biked into town in the evening to see some more of the Fringe. I didn't have any tickets booked, so I decided to get tickets at the door of some smaller shows. The first featured an excellent juggler. He has a talent for showmanship and didn't rush anything... meaning he ended each of his four sets with some impressive tricks.

I wandered around a bit more and decided to see a comedian. Probably would skip this one if I did the night over, but that's ok. Two of three Fringe shows have been worth it so far.

Also stopped for sushi... they had good salmon avocado rolls. An ice cream was necessary at some point too, it was a warm evening. I keep thinking that I should take more notes on days off, but I didn't do much except laundry, check roadhouse hours out west, stare at maps, and watch youtube.

A hike in Adelaide's hills and another Fringe day.
09/11/2020

A hike in Adelaide's hills and another Fringe day.

2 March, 2017. 31km today. Got up and went on a hike with Tessa and her friend Alicia today. We went into the hills and climbed up a dry waterfall, then came down around the ridge. It's blackberry season and they are everywhere. They're an invasive species here, but we took advantage. Containers were brought. I got a nice view of the city of Adelaide up on the ridge top as well.

Tessa had to work after that, so I hung out at the house a little bit, then went into town for the evening. I met Tessa and a group of her friends at a pub downtown, then we walked to The Garden of Unearthly Delights, one of fenced festival areas. Inside are food vendors, shows, entertainment, lights, and all sorts of things. We looked at some of the shows and exhibits, watched a young possum for a bit, and wandered around in general. It's a very old fashioned feeling festival. The lights are strung about the trees in such a way that it feels enclosed, although the park is fairly open in terms of space. What a great atmosphere.

The Adelaide Botanical Gardens and my first day exploring the Fringe Festival.
09/10/2020

The Adelaide Botanical Gardens and my first day exploring the Fringe Festival.

1 March, 2017. I took a bus into the city today to check out the botanical gardens. It's a really hot day. The gardens have plenty of shaded paths, so I took a walk around. It's a good gardens, as I figured it would be. Australian cities tend to have excellent botanical gardens, and nearly all of them have one. The rainforest glass house is pleasant, it's cooler in temperature with misters going off. Got some ice cream, walked a bit more, then fell asleep on a bench in the shade.

That evening, I met up with my friend Krystal and two of her friends. We went to a variety show with fire jugglers, an escape artist, and various other human tricks. It's my first Fringe show and I had a pretty great time.

A day off in Adelaide.
09/06/2020

A day off in Adelaide.

28 February, 2017. Took an easy day today; five days on the bike means a day off was needed. I'll be here in Adelaide a few days at least. I'm staying with my friend Tessa that I met in Tasmania; her roommate Krystal is really cool too. I landed in a house of kindred spirits in many ways... environmental philosophies, common interests, that sort of thing. Did some journal updating, ate LOTS of food, and read about the festivals going on in town.

It's the middle of festival season in Adelaide right now and there is so much going on. I'll see a few shows while I'm here; comedians, jugglers, music, art, plays, and all sorts of events are featured. The Fringe Festival lasts a month and there is so much to see and do. I'm excited; a few days here will be a good sendoff to the Nullabor.

Lots of hills on my last day into Adelaide. This city is the halfway point around the continent. I arrived just in tim...
09/05/2020

Lots of hills on my last day into Adelaide. This city is the halfway point around the continent. I arrived just in time for festival season and some wacky adventures. Got to see a friend I made in Tasmania as well (still sorry I missed some of you).

27 February, 2017. 81km. Didn't get going very quickly, but that's alright. There were interesting people at the camp site to talk to. One guy I talked to was particularly interesting, he's an engineer who's selling a method of using ceramics to reinforce engine parts. Sounded interesting for sure. He's going into Adelaide for the car race this weekend and a few companies are meeting with him.

Left a little after lunchtime. It's pretty hot... this will be good motivation to get moving early crossing the Nullabor. I can get 100+km in before noon if I don't sleep in so I can avoid biking in some of the heat at least. I also had the most climb in one day I've had since Tasmania. My route from the west brings me over the Adelaide Hills. I stopped in Mount Baker for a pizza and some energy. I've got some more climb to do, then I coast down into Adelaide.

Managed to get to my friend Tessa's house a little before 9. I had met Tessa back in Tasmania in Eaglehawk Neck; it's very nice of her to offer a place to stay while I'm in Adelaide. I had several offers, and my sincere thanks to everyone. I met her roommate, Krystal, and finally got a shower after bush camping since Mount Gambier. Glad to make it here, this is the halfway point!

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