Port Lincoln to Port Augusta

 Yesterday was welcome day off the bike. We enjoyed a lie in and walks along the coastal walkway. We spent quite a lot of time on booking accommodation through to Melbourne. 

After breakfast we set off and stopped for gas and we noticed a lot of old cars being displayed along the promenade. There were some bikes also. We decided to take a look and I was particularly taken with a custom Harley Davidson Shovelhead. The 60 year old owner bought it when he was 16 and I reckon has spent every spare moment customising it. A really clever guy who has achieved a lot with very little. All of his modifications he has carried out by hand including some fairly intricate engraving. Some of his mods include an air filter cover from an old aluminium pan, a forward control pedal from a cut down bicycle pedal and the muffler is a big brass shell casing!  Amazing and thanks for sharing the stories. 

We then took a wander around the cars, lots of Holdens of course but all sorts of old and really old marques, all obviously loved.  

We then set off for real and visited a couple of really nice with holiday spots like Tumby Bay and Arno Bay. Tumby Bay had a huge mural on the wheat silos. 

Not much open on a Sunday and by the time we got to Cowell we were hanging out for coffee, but no luck and then we went to get gas and there was a power cut! 

So we headed to the steel town of Whyalla at a reduced rate of knots to preserve our dwindling fuel supply. 

We left the wheat belt behind and entered a quite stark and barren landscape. Whilst we have been in the Eyre Peninsula we have noticed a distinct lack of roadkill compared with anywhere else. We spoke to a couple of bikers yesterday who commented on it as well. That changed later this afternoon as we passed several dead Kangaroos and these were big buggers. So maybe slowing down a bit is not a bad thing. 

The same bikers were hoping for a bit of adventuring in the Flinders Range but almost all the dirt roads are closed up there due to the recent storm that has swept through the area. I reckon we have been lucky to just be on the edge of it.  

We gassed up in Whyalla and grabbed a pie at the servo for lunch. We took a little ride around the bery pretty waterfront and the not so pretty steelworks and continued on our way. 

This area is quite barren but beautiful in its own way and with the Flinders Range as a backdrop it was a lovely area to ride through. 

We  arrived in the small town of  Port Augusta and we are staying in the old part of town which has many old and beautifully restored buildings including our hotel. We were emailed instructions on how to access the carpark gate and then a code to access the building. I think we are the only guests! Shades of Ashgabat! 

This place, whilst spotless and with  nice buildings has a neglected feel about it, many of the shops have shut and there are a lot of for sale signs up. Someone is trying to run outback adventures as this is a jumping off place into the outback but I’m not sure it is happening just yet. Maybe it will look more lively in the morning, Monday. 

I have just reminded Robyn that this time next week we will complete the circle!  Inshallah.