Enebba (A) to Dongara (B)
The last day and just sixty kilometres to go! We left the Caravan Park a little later than our usual start, at about six forty-five, after arranging for the manager to open the gates for us at that time. A short drive up to the main road and then it was back onto the bike. There was little wind to start on this cloudless morning and when the wind did come up a little later it was once again from the south. The road rose and fell gently and progress was fairly quick, buoyed as I was by the thought of completing the journey. The Brand Highway passed through fairly thick bushveld, and the area was more rural than I expected, with several turnoffs to the coast that lay just a few kilometres to the west.
With just twenty kilometres to go I encountered the first serious yobbos of the entire trip. A car overtook me and the passenger in the front seat leaned out of the window and yelled something that I found completely incomprehensible. I waved politely. The driver had hooted as he approached from behind, so I had checked that I was at the edge of the road and not in any way infringing on the roadway. When the car was about two hundred metres ahead of me it slowed and performed a U-turn, coming back past me, this time with the passenger inverted, his feet sticking out of the window. A few minutes later I heard a car coming up behind me very slowly. As it passed the passengers hurled empty beer cans at me. One hit my shoulder and bounced into my face, but no harm was done. Presumably satisfied and well entertained by their behaviour, they sped off on their way.
Twelve kilometres from Dongara I turned west onto a road that led to the coast. Almost immediately I crested a rise and was presented with my first sight of the Indian Ocean in the distance. After twenty-eight days of incessant pedal-turning it was almost an emotional moment.
I stopped for a cup of tea just a few kilometres from the end, perhaps sub-consciously drawing out the moment, then it was on to Port Denison, the little harbour adjacent to Dongara, and the finish.
The coast at Dongara
Mission accomplished! Jane waited, camera rolling, on the esplanade just a few metres from the water’s edge and it was a very special moment.
End of the journey!
All in all a very successful Odyssey. The route was covered three days ahead of schedule without incurring any injury whatsoever and I suffered no mechanical problems, save for a few punctures. A satisfactory pace was maintained throughout, with the fastest two days of the trip being that final two days, during which I was helped by the southerly wind. The total distance covered was just eighty-eight kilometres less than planned.
At Port Denison we stayed at what was probably the most luxurious caravan park that we had stayed in since arriving in Australia, with an en suite bathroom and a storeroom provided for our own private use. In the evening we went to a restaurant called the Octopus’s Garden where we shared a celebratory bottle of champagne.
Thank you, Jane!
This was a long cycle and it really would not have been possible without the wonderful support from Jane throughout the trip. I know that there are solo-cyclists who do long trips on their own, with panniers full of kit, but having Jane to take care of logistics, to organize camp sites and food, to massage tired legs and to offer encouragement when the headwind was howling made the trip infinitely more enjoyable than it would have been on my own. Thank you, Jane. I remain deeply indebted.
Total distance covered 4567 km
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