A mixed grill, with something for everyone.

April 6, 2024

Kwokralup Beela to Walpole

It was a short but interesting and varied ride today with mainly sandy fire trails, open farmland, woodlands and towering old growth forests. We’re heading to the small coastal town of Walpole and our final rest day.

We were up early as per usual and had no obvious snake incursions overnight. With the Northcliffe general store having run out of baby food my breakfast was dry muesli and I can confirm that my salivary glands are working perfectly. We were on the trail by 8.30 and had almost all the days climbing done in the first hour. It’s noticeably more humid as we approach the coast and the tracks are almost all sand with pea gravel seemingly a thing of the past.

Bloody hell! How will I find an optometrist out here

This was actually part of the Swarbrick art loop, a 500 metre circuit in the middle of an old growth Karri forest in the middle of nowhere.

There’s many more stretches with no tree cover but the forest is never far away and it’s a welcome return when it does appear as it’s so much cooler.

Whilst the forest has lost none of its charm and allure I’ve run out of new descriptors for it and I refuse to use ‘immersive experience’. So here’s some more pictures.

In the last 2 days we’ve hardly seen a soul and as it’s usually people doing crazy shit that fills half the blog, I am struggling a bit for material. Pete is not a ‘crazy shit’ sort of guy, he’s sensible, forthright and practical which are fine attributes as a travelling mate but no use as material for a blog. I can’t wait for my mate Rob to join me on my next cycle trip mooted in Italy later this year. I suspect he will provide some interesting anecdotes.

We made it into Walpole in time for an overpriced burger and chips at the Phillipino Magic cafe. What was magical was the chocolate milkshake with malt that was on the menu. Despite the soaring malt price the cafe proprietor took the view that it was a loss leader and said customers had been flocking into his shop since he had introduced it.

This cost me $62 and was worth every cent. $10 for chocolate milkshake, $2 for double malt and $50 to the Cancer Research Foundation for losing my bet that I’d never find malt

That is a perfect segway to highlight our fundraiser. We’ve raised a tick under $5,000 to date which we’re extremely grateful for. A big thank you to everyone who’s donated including friends, patients, businesses and people along the way. Rarely has anyone turned down my sales pitch. Here’s your chance for those still thinking about it.

https://www.trybooking.com/au/donate/twogoodblokes

Next stop was the Walpole hotel to sort out some accommodation. With the classic Paul Anka hit ‘And they call it Puppy Love’ blasting through the speakers it was very difficult to concentrate, and not wishing to pull out what little remaining hair I have, we gave up and booked into a motel just up the road. This proved a great option as it was run by a Punjabi family. The attached restaurant had a distinctly North Indian influence and our evening meal was the best of the trip so far. A marked improvement on Mexican rice with cucumber.

Pete assures me there are no crocodiles in these parts

Today's ride: 35 km (22 miles)
Total: 900 km (559 miles)

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Dianne CoxHey Guys it’s Thursday. Missing the blog since Walpole. Have you run out of internet toilet blocks?
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