First off, I want to apologise for the lack of substance in this post. After Port Augusta I felt as if I had completed everything I wanted to and was solely focused on getting the distance done to Sydney. However, I still had a great time and here are the few things I got up to!

After enjoying a day relaxing we set off again with a new enthusiasm in reaching our final destinations.

Bradley and Vanessa were going to a small town called Leeton (to work at a fruit farm) and I was off to Sydney. 1000km & 1600km respectively.

(please ignore the time scale, I think Google estimates are rather ambitious for cyclists!)

We set off early each morning watching the sunrise in front of us as we rode, mornings were cold and frosty suprisingly.

Sometimes the road was so uninteresting that a tree full of shoes was a good excuse to stop and rest!

Recent flooding of fields, I thought oz was supposed to be hot and dry!

We did however pass through some lovely picturesque towns to picnic in for lunch.

The first sign showing Sydney!

However it really wasn’t too long until we reached a town called ‘HAY’ and we bid goodbye to each other as our routes separated.

I had so much fun cycling for 6 weeks with both Bradley and Vanessa and would like to thank them for making the journey across so enjoyable. I know it would never had been as good cycling solo across the desert.

The final group photo….

(2 days later they completed their journey!)

Travelling alone again was peculiar and I found it hard to keep myself entertained. Having no-one to talk to regularly was strange.
I then turned to staring at my speedometer and taking photos of the numbers…. Yes I was that bored!!

12,121 miles

12,345 miles… Going 6,7 mph…. Sorry

12,500 miles….  This means I have surpassed the 20,000km marker!!!

Fancy some road kill?

Exciting stuff!!

Things however did improve when I got to the Blue Mountains just before reaching Sydney.

It was then all downhill to Sydney, at last!

I was so happy to reach here afterwards 7 weeks of almost non-stop riding. It has been a fantastic country to cycle in and so easy to tour. Completely hassle free camping and impossible to get lost, friendly people and tonnes of wildlife, perfection.

So then I had 1 week spare. Fortunately I was able to arrange to stay at the families of Sarah and Scott who I met in Turkey and cycled with in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

First off was Scott’s Aunty and Uncle (Lyn and Uong) in Sydney and then Sarah’s parents (Debbie and Steve) further south in shall town called Moruya.

Uong and I

(unfortunately I did not get a photo with Lyn)

(Debbie and Steve)

I was spoilt rotten by them all and fed until I was bursting!

In Moruya I was also treated to some sightseeing in the local vicinity, in which one area there were tame roo’s!

Back in Sydney I went to see the famous landmarks….

The opera house and..

The harbor bridge.

They really were impressive in the flesh and I am pleased to have made it this far. Personally these landmarks signify the ‘other side of the world ‘.

So that’s it…Australia finished!

Next stop is the big old USA. I fly into Los Angeles and will take a couple of days to adjust to the time difference.

Then I’ll turn the pedals once again and head east bound to New York city, a distance even greater than of what I did here in Australia.

This will also be the first time I am behind Greenwich mean time and catching up instead of cycling away.

This is the home straight. The final country…. 10 weeks and it’s all over… Game on!