We are only a couple of days from the end of the 2 week Mawson trail and our only complaint is the winds we have been having. They have been predominantly northerly thru to westerly and at times up to 40km/hr in our faces. The expectation was for less wind and from the more favourable south.
Once through the wine growing region the route carried on thru the cereal belt complimented with paddocks of sheep (with new born lambs) and cattle. The smooth gravel roads were interspersed with lesser used red clay tracks that climbed over small ridges as the route wiggled north. The sections thru wilderness areas made for more interesting riding and more kangaroo action.
The small towns are quaint and promote the history of the area be it mining or pastoral. The shops and cafes are full of memorabilia. Speaking of cafes, it seems the only way to cook an egg is to fry it and breakfast menus have been a bit limited. Oh for a good eggs bene.
We rolled into the mountain biking town of Melrose in the middle of its fat bike festival and enjoyed catching up with friend Rachel Bentley and her daughter. Rachel is working with the Flying Doctor Service based out of Port Augusta so it was fun to catch up and hear of her work adventures.
Now further north we are getting hints of the Outback as we leave behind pastoral landscapes as they are replaced by barren scrubby terrain and the start of the red ridges of the Flinders Range.
In the town of Hawker we visited the gallery of Jeff Morgan, a local prolific landscape artist who is famous for his large panorama works (45m round & 5m high) that feature in circular rooms in his gallery.
From here we get to bike through these stunning landscapes to Blinmen, the last town on the Mawson Trail
