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I can’t believe I’ve been on the move for half a year. It’s exactly six months today since I caught the ferry from Trieste to Muggia in Italy and started hiking along the Via Alpina to Switzerland. Two months ago yesterday, I cycled out of Perth to Woodman’s Point as I started my cycling trip across Australia. I’ve never done anything this physically demanding day in and day out, let alone for six months, and it’s fair to say: I’m knackered.

Having stayed put for a week, I know that I’m getting weary of packing up every morning, unpacking every evening, lugging everything I own on the back of the bike, trying to find accommodation, food and Internet at my destination and generally being on the move all the time. I’m tired of avoiding heat, fighting headwinds and having my life dictated by the weather again. The last ten days in Adelaide have been a refreshing change: like being able to sleep in until after 5:30am because I don’t need to race the heat. I had a fridge where I could put milk and yoghurt. Little things! Yup. Familiarity and routine beckon.

I spent Saturday with a guy who was my project manager back in the UK (Simon) who emigrated about 18 months ago. He took me to the top of Mt Lofty where, despite the cloud, we got a good view of the whole of Adelaide. True to form, I managed to take a tat shot:

It was quite a drive up to the top and the unfortunate thing is that I need to cycle over the same bloody big hill on the same way out of Adelaide when I leave. Simon almost seemed to enjoy pointing that out.

Several times, infact!

Then it was for something different. There’s a place called The Toy Factory nearby with a huge rocking horse outside – it seems Aussies like everything big: Cars, RV’s, roads, Galah’s, Rocking Horses. It’s really for kids but I’m ashamed to say I enjoyed climbing it anyway:

The company makes traditional wooden toys, by hand. Buy them as a kit, or buy them ready made. It’s not the kind of mass produced stuff you’ll find in high street stores made by dedicated, hard working Chinese school children: they’re all hand made inhouse and you can watch them at work in the workshop. Wooden toys, rocking horses, cars, trucks, caravans – all hand made. For some reason I can’t explain, the big kid in me came out and I had a grin on my face the whole time I was there. It was something different and it was superb to see that the skills to make this stuff haven’t been lost.

It was good to see a familiar face again (even if it was Simon’s! hehe) & it was a bit bizarre meeting up with a guy I used to work with 12,000 miles away. Whereas I still need to get settled in Sydney, he’s been here for 18 months and has been through all the hassle that I need to endure once I get to Sydney. His house is enormous and is only 10 minutes away from miles of pristine beaches where every other shop sells Iced Coffee (one word: “decadence”). His kids are enjoying it too & his son showed me a video his teacher had made at the end of the school year. I was awed. Really: that’s not like any school I ever attended in the UK!

I looked around at various rentals but couldn’t bring myself to commit to any. If I stopped here for three months, I wouldn’t be too happy about getting cycling fit again when I leave. Oh, how I remember the pain during the first two weeks leaving Perth! It makes sense to carry on and wind this thing up.

When I pass through Tailem Bend in a few days on my way out of Adelaide, I’ll decide whether to head South to Melbourne or push on across the middle to Sydney. I am undecided as yet.

L8r!