Wide Open Spaces: Ouyen to Murrayville with a backtrack

December 9, 2017

Which song title best matches this mid-Mallee Highway scene today? This is big sky country. Wide open spaces in every direction. Felt like a long way to no where. Freedom...

Today’s ride to is a tale of two parts. First was an excellent morning start, followed by a grinding headwind in the afternoon. Overall it was an enjoyable and tiring day.

Despite the headwind or perhaps because of it affecting my concentration, once again I managed to ride away from a photo stop and almost lost my wonderfully useful click-stand again. This added an extra 10-12km to my ride as I backtracked to find it.

Today was the first day of really being immersed in the distinctive and fantastic Mallee scenery with its big scale horizons, flatness, salt bush, vast wheat paddocks and sandy soils.

The day ended in the small town of Murrayville where a couple of locals sitting on the pub verandah directed us to accommodation which was unusual and excellent. It is the Jacobs Well Retreat, a Christian centre established by a couple in a renovated school. The good thing is they accepted skeptical atheists into their lovely accommodation.

One of numerous bulk wheat stores seen from the road. It’s harvest time.

Surprised to see an Israeli flag out here. Learned later that the owners had done a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and this flag was one of their souvenirs.

Accommodation for the night. Being a Christian wasn’t a requirement.

Jacobs Well accommodation at Murrayville. A former school converted to cabins.

Sunset, grain silos and rail. So typical of Mallee towns.

Wind power tapping into the massive aquifer beneath the Mallee

Today's ride: 122 km (76 miles)
Total: 1,230 km (764 miles)

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