Thursday, Sept 12.

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Day 43. (Of cycling).    Yarrawonga (Vic) to Albury (NSW)

Distance: 100 km in 4hrs 24min at 22.6 km/hr.

Distance so far: 4235km.

Climbed: 808 ft.

Elevation tonight: 526 ft ASL.

AHR:  109 bpm.

No of punctures: 4.

Out at 8am.      In at 2.15 pm.

Sunny morning to start out with. Sunny spells continued all day and a general gentle westerly air-flow was welcome to my progress. Not a drop of rain

No problem with wheels till I was about 25 km from Albury. Felt a bump in the back wheel and the steering started to wobble. Pressure had dropped....here we go again! No 4. With only 25 km to go I opted for giving it a blast of the pump every 5 km or so. Much easier than removing all the panniers, replacing the tube and then attaching the panniers again.

Leaving Yarrawonga, I crossed over the Mulwala Bridge and entered New South Wales. This is my fourth state. The actual border isn’t down the centre of the Murray as I supposed but along the southern bank. If you’re fishing in the Murray from the Victorian bank, you need a New South Wales licence. I didn’t notice any dramatic change in the road surface (as I noticed when we first crossed into Victoria).

Surfaces were quite good although for a long part of the Riverina Highway there was no hard shoulder. With traffic being light, that wasn’t a negative.

For the first 20 or so km I was near enough to the lake with its naked trees. Those trees contribute to the health of the lake - they calm the waters used for water sports, and they provide a favourable habitat for the Murray cod. The water mustn't be too deep around them.

 

Even inland from the lake, all the gum trees were dead possibly due to the high water table in the vicinity as a result of the weir or because of the salinity of the water. These gave an eerie look to the surroundings.

Today, I cycled along the northern side of the Murray. But, it isn’t just a linear river. It meanders and over time many lagoons and wetlands have developed in the valley. The red line indicates the flow and the blue dots show my route along Spring Valley. I was in sight of water for the first 20 km and again shortly before arriving in Albury.

The land along the northern side had cattle and sheep and even goats. I imagine different crops may have been growing further back from the river.

The magpies around here are still in swooping mode. Over a stretch of 100 m, he can swoop up to 10 times, sometimes with a clicking sound or actually hitting the helmet.

I have found drivers to be most accommodating by and large. It has been that way since I started. Typical of this, one large truck driver exiting from a side road saw me while I was still 200 metres off, but waited till I passed before coming out.....and gave me a hearty wave. 

The route today was very flat till I came near to Albury. Ahead, and on both sides hills appeared and I fear that they may be a factor in my travels from here on.

I had my morning coffee in Corowa after 46 km. coming into Corowa is Federation Avenue. Corowa is often referred to as the birthplace of the Federation, an idea that actually came into existence in 1901 and gave us Australia as we know it. I attempted to visit the Federation Museum but I’m out of season.

Spotted a number of homely signs along the road today. They might have a few tickets up that road for the replay on Sept 28!

After Corowa especially, there were many sheep and wool associated businesses on the edge of town. In Albury, I enquirer in the Tourist Office if there was any wool museum/display but to no avail. I try again as I move northwards. There is great demand for Lucerne hay for feeding and is quite expensive, much dearer than hay.

Before I arrived in Albury, I paid a visit to Wonga Wetlands by the Murray, a series of 7 lagoons that is a sanctuary for bird watchers and naturalists. They are man-maintained as the Murray has been regulated since the construction of the Hume Dam in 1919. It doesn’t flood as nature intended. These wetlands cover about 80 hectares of the Murray floodplains. ’Wonga’ means cormorant in the Wiradjuri language. Behind the visitor centre is an indigenous campsite established by the Wiradjuri people.

Three walking tracks of various lengths encircle the lagoons and bird-hides are provided for watchers and photographers.

The railway station in Albury has the longest platform at 450m and was the transfer point for the change in rail gauge  between NSW and Victoria. Standard gauge was only introduced in 1962. Even the waiting room has been restored to its original splendour .

St Patrick’s Catholic Church was opened in 1872 on Smollett St. I cycled a bit down through Noreuill Park on the banks of the Murray. here the Murray flows through a definite central section. When Hume and Hovell were attempting to forge a land route from Sydney to the Bass Straits, they arrived here  and the river seemed impassible. They eventually succeeded and Hovell inscribed the event on this tree.

I checked into the motel and was assigned to room 32....my favourite number. Time to do the lotto!

Tonight, I dined in the local Bonetti's Pizzeria and had wholesome fettuccini and marinara for a change.

A nice handy day with pleasant weather, but those confounded punctures have returned.

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.