Friday 13th February Day 6 20150213

Day 6 – I woke up at about 6 but didn’t get up until 6:30. I went to get the soap and … alas, I had left my soap and soap container in the shower. I looked – the soap was still there, but the container was not. First loss of the trip. I had my shower and changed into cycle gear, then had breakfast. This was tea, biscuits and the remainder of Coke and orange juice. I have to keep up my fluids. Everyone else in my dorm didn’t arise until after I had packed, but the others (Christina, Kilem, Mia and Matt) were up having breakfast at the same time as I was. We chatted a little at breakfast, then I moved SUZI around to get a clear route to leave, and they all left while I was packing SUZI up. Matt got a ride with Christina (he is touring by hitchhiking). I decided against putting the liner in my jacket – my pants are still okay. I got out and set the SatNav for petrol – and it took me to a closed servo, but I knew there was one further on, so I persevered and found one a further 500 metres on. I filled up, then left and found I was heading in the wrong direction, so took a tour through town until I was on the road south. I knew the road until the Coles Bay turnoff, so that was good and the road was okay from then on, until I turned inland for Campbell Town. On all the roads, there was a lot of road kill: spotted quolls, wombats, possums and wallabies and pademelons. I felt rather cold and found the temperature had dropped from 19°C to 14°C, but it wasn’t simple to stop (no level patches and no sealed rest areas or laybys) to put the jacket liner in. By the time I stopped at Campbell Town, it was too warm for the liner anyway. I parked, walked up and down most of the main street, bought the papers and then went to the bakery for hot chocolate and fruit bread (but sourdough? Please, give me a choice!) while trying to do part of the Sudoku. When I left, I ws gong to visit the historic R.C. church but … there was a funeral in progress, so I gave that a miss. As a note for the future, the pub has a single for $50! I then went to head inland again to get across to Queenstown. One of the towns I went through was Creey, apparently the trout-fishing capital of Tasmania. All the street signs were in the shape of trout! As the height of the road rose, the temperature dropped. Every time I wanted to stop to put the liner in, there was no place to stop. Then when I met a road junction, I turned the wrong way and only found out when I was heading southeast instead of southwest. So I turned around and found that the SatNav was telling me Queenstown was over 200 kilometres away. But I knew there was a road to cut across, but apparently the SatNav didn’t. I continued on and eventually found it, even though there was no warning notice and the SatNav didn’t tell me it was there. I turned onto it and suddenly the SatNav realised it was a road and altered the distance to a respectable 38 km to Derwent Bridge. The road itself evidently hadn’t been graded it a long time, but even that would have been bearable, but … vehicles coming the other way would not stay to the left. They all wanted to sit on the crown of the road, which pushed me over almost off the road on my left. Plus, none would slow down, so I was covered in dust every time a car passed. However, the road became sealed after 20 kilometres so conditions became more bearable. On the Lyell Highway I watched out for the “Wall in the Wilderness”. I found it and turned in (full points, as they posted the entry prices at the gate), parked, paid my entry fee and had to make a dash to the loos – drinking a lot means you also have to get rid of some – and then had a leisurely look at the sculptures. They are really good and very effective, and well worth the entry fee. I set off after chatting to a young fellow who was looking for a motorcycle to tour on. I went through Derwent Bridge and turned off to go to the Lake St Clair National Park Visitor Centre. It was nearly 4, so after I saw the price of hostel rooms, I enquired (yes, they had some but look first) and then booked a bed for the night. I unpacked (it looked as though I might have a room to myself) and put some drinks in the fridge, then found that I was sharing with a chap on a pushbike. I chatted to a party of four bushwalkers from, (yes!) Queensland and then went to the restaurant for tea. I ended up sitting with the people who were parked next to SUZI. They are from … Queensland. The state must be empty. I went back to the kitchen in the hostel block and met Fred from the Netherlands, who is my roommate. I had a few drinks, wrote up my blog and after a bit of a chat, went to bed.