Day 15 - Gotta Love that Karma Bus


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Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Echuca
December 12th 2020
Published: December 12th 2020
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The definition of "puncture" commonly has two varitions. (1) to puncture via a piercing of the skin and (2) the cause of a sudden collapse of air. Technically I didn't get a puncture, a patch applied 12 months earlier had given way overnight and in the morning my rear tyre was deflated.
Jeff on the other hand was admant in the Puncture Count score happily singing (yes singing) one - nil while I changed my tyre.
Needless to say we got away later than expected this morning, but I was greatful for my bottled air which meant no hand pump was required.
Only a shortish day today of 60+ kms. We started north from Nathalia and into a North Easterly wind. Slow going for the first 5kms but the wind was our friend for the rest of the day.
We turned west towards Picola and the impact of the tail wind was dramatic. Not much of interest to see until we hit Picola itself. Here there was another example of Silo art depicting the local bushland and fauna. Magnificent works of art on a large scale. We also stopped to have a chat with a local and Jeff found a public toilet to use - this is of significance why? Well, after Picola we travelled on to Barmah, home to the largest redgum forest in the world. Barmah is also weirdly a Victorian town on the north bank of the Murray. This is possible because of the way the Murray loops around in an "S" fashion over quite a distance. In Barmha we stopped in a park on a bend in the Murray - quite beautiful. As we left the Karma Bus hit Jeff and his front tyre was flat - in the true sense of the word, punctured by bindy eye thorns that were growing around the public toilet he used in Picola. As you can imagine I took no joy at all in seeing Jeff have to change his tyre. Close exmination revealed about 10 other thorns lodged in his tyre which we removed.
Back on an even footing (1 -1) there was less talk of punctures after Barmha.
Heading out of Barmha we came across the Caddell Wall. Caused by a massive shift of the earth about 25000 years ago. At the time it blocked the natural flow of the Maurray and it backed up and found a new way forward closer to its present day course.
From Barmha the wind was still well and truely at our backs. We made good time getting to Echuca and making the short ride to the Campaspe River for a photo stop before heading back to a bakery for lunch. After lunch we went to the station and bought tickets for the short hop to Bendigo. Current plan is to stay there tonight and ride the rail trail to Heathcote tomorrow. This much looks set, but after that things get less "certain".


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