Day 3 Quanby Corner C.P. to Poatina 30 December 2021
10°C minimum and 28.5 max in Poatina. 6.57am start. 46.9km ride in 3.03.38 time, 4.28 min elapsed time. Ave 15.33km/h and max 53.07km/h with 512m elevation, 679 descent.
I wake up at 5.00am but this time I get packed up a little quicker and using the facilities in the kitchen and the toilet. 7.00am departure. The 10 or so cyclists were still in bed or just waking up as I depart. From the C>P I turn left on the bitumen for a short downhill ride in the cool morning air then turn right on the first dirt road, Bogan Road, up up and up hill. This one was a long walk with very little riding time. By 8.00am I was on top, a small rest then on downhill on fast, rubbly dirt road with the brakes on. If cars were coming the other way I’m not sure I would be able to stop. Past the turn off to Liffey Falls and out of Liffey State forest more downhill with some shorter uphill walk sections. The scenery was spectacular on Gulf and Liffey Roads to the turn off to Bracknell. I kept going straight on the flat to downhill Liffey Road, as I didn’t need to go into Bracknell despite my GPS telling me to go there. As I right turn into Blackwood Creek Road towards Blackwood Creek which wasn’t a creek or a town, but a small collection of farm houses spread out. Just like Paradise, no paradise at all but some houses/farms close to the road. After many kilometres on this road I turn left for the detour t the main road. The GPS want to make me do a U turn though but I knew I was on the right road, very pleasant and mostly downhill. At 10.00am I have a break by a big eucalypt tree overlooking the farms on Sandridge Road. Only 13km to Poatina as the weather is getting hotter and not much shade on the main roads.
Once on Poatina highway it’s all uphill. The back of the knee is getting sorer I think form pushing the bike uphill and hyperextending the knee causing the meniscus to inflame. I’ve had it before by simply putting my leg up on a chair with the knee hyperextended while reading a book. I stop at the shop at 11.15am and buy two Gluten free tomatoes and cheese toasties, I’m told the ham is on its way, a chocolate bar, lemonade, cup of tea and an orange for lunch. It was $8.00 for lunch, unbelievable cheap so next time round pop into the shop. By nearly 1.00pm I ask about staying at the Chalet $120 (with a fridge and TV) of which the lady behind the counter rings someone to open up. When I arrive I’m the only one here but a few hours later some cyclists from Quanby Corner arrive as well as the 10 cyclists seen before. I try to post the drone and batteries back to Darwin at the Post Office, only open between 11.00-12.00 and 1.30-3.00pm but as it’s a small post office he did not have the right sticker for road freight only and so I had to carry the drone and batteries for the rest of the trip. I would have put some clothes in the box as well, as I realised I packed 3 pairs of cycling shorts not 2 and I was unlikely to wear the balaclava due to the nice weather.
Poatina is a step back in time when it was built in 1958 as a town to house worker who were building the hydroelectricity station underground just out of town where the water pipe goes underground. The town is smaller in size from its heyday but very little has changed. A few new chalets attached to the hotel on both sides of town but the houses don’t have front yards, all similar bricks and even the side and back fences are made of wood and hip height like we had at home in the 70’s. Maybe the people should dress and walk around town like the 60’s as a tourist attraction.
The Chalet had a number of options such as backpackers but I chose a motel room and the bike was locked underneath in a caged area. There is no restaurant open as they had no guests booked and the shop closes at 5.00pm. The tent was hung out to dry outside as the morning dew absolutely saturated it on the green lawn of the Quanby Corner C.P. That’s why I got the Sea to Summit compactable stuff sack Small which worked to not get anything else wet. It only just fits into the front sweetroll bag so looking at getting an XS size like the sleeping bag size on the way home.
As usual a nice nap in their air-conditioned lounge room overlooking the valley, put on just for me. A nice pleasant sunset walk around town was over in 20 minutes but enough time to try the drone out again. This time it flew once but would not fly again due to an error which I found out is in one of the propeller engines. The bike is fixed having my partner send me photos of the Rolloff hub book to get 7 more gears. Im hoping I’ll be iusing more than just 1st gear tomorrow. I have Pad Thai in a box which was delicious. Its heavy to carry on the bike which is why I ea tit tonight before the push up hill tomorrow.