Bon Bon Rest Area > Tarcoola (40km, 4h) > Coober Pedy (120km by car)

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Aie aie aie… Today happened what I did not want to. Firstly, the wind is a strong head one today (Anthony, you were right). Secondly, my hub is not doing well. It started making a bad noise which means I’m certainly damaging the magnet system inside it. It’s not good. I must find a solution before being stuck in the middle of nowhere! But let’s start the day from the beginning, before everything happens…

Map.

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One more good night in the desert. The sky is so clear and I was not at all last night. Let’s have some breakfast and then I will pack as soon as I can.

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Ready! That sky is terrific! But the wind is blowing hard and in my face again!

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That piece of highway is used for landing emergencies. Non common thing (for an European).

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Yesterday night I went to bed later than normally but it was very nice. Now, having that bloddy thick haedwind, I feel pretty tired.I’m having a short nap expecting the wind will change its direction…

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Nope, the wind is still against me but look what I’ve found :-) More than $2 on the road!

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And the road goes on as the wind…

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Tgis is where the problem starts…

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This time, I’ve touched the limit. This hub starts making a noise that does not sound good. I’ve done 40km and I’m in a rest area which has no water. I could stay here tonight or wait until the wind drops off. Generally after 5pm it stops. And I’m still tired so I will have another nap on that table. What should I do? Stay? Continue? Ask for help?


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I’ve certainly spent an hour doing nothing than sleeping on the only table I had on sight when three cars stopped for a rest I guess. I had a chat with those guys and explained to them my problem. Straight away they proposed me to drop me off in Coobed Pedy which is 120km further or a day and a half for me. Well, my trailer’s hub would certainly survived until there I guess but I’m going to damage it even more. I’ve accepted their kind help, we put my bike and trailer onto the top of one of their trailer and…

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… and we are on the road!

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Pour bike… I would love to be able to cycle all the way…

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The road is now flat but the wind is vigorously strong.

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Very quickly, too quickly we are approaching Coober Pedy, a town well known for its Opal mines. Every single cone you see there means there is a hole next to it. A machine digs a hole vertically, then a smaller machine (certainly humans before) digs horizontaly underground until they empty the area and move a bit further repeating the same process. The area is quite dangerous especially at night! I won’t camp their.

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Here we are! 120km covered in 1h20min. I feel guilty, guilty to drive on that road on which I expected to have some tough days. I miss that feeling when you reach a main city after a week of cycling in the middle of nowhere. This is too easy.

Of course I needed help because it was useless to kill that will by continuing cycling this way. I thank Neil, Sue, John, Kate and Graham for their help. They booked a campsite for tonight and included me as part of their group. Apparently, in some campsites in Australia, being 5 or 6 doesn’t make any difference in term of price. But for me the difference is huge! Just two words, hot shower :-) I will be camping between their cars tonight. Kate cooked a very nice dinner for all of them, I’m clean and part of a community for the night. This is great :-)

It’s not what I had planned, it’s different but it’s still adventure! Tomorrow, I will have a look around and find a solution. I hope I will be able to get another wheel and then continue my trip until I get a new hub in Bali where I will meet my family. That’s the plan!

3 thoughts on “Bon Bon Rest Area > Tarcoola (40km, 4h) > Coober Pedy (120km by car)

  1. Bad luck about the hub gears .A warranty on the hub not much use to you at Coober Pedy. Glad your meeting lots of helpful travellers ,that in itself is a great experience.,it would be a big job to change to DERAILLEUR gear system. Good luck in finding a solution..We had a similar problem riding around Kangaroo Island when my mates Derailleur fell apart , but we weren’t in the middle of the desert. Graham and Joy

  2. Comme tu dis Damien, ceci est une nouvelle aventure. Tu vas bientôt recevoir ce nouveau hub parti de France, et après retour sur la route linéaire pour 1532 kms ! Je pense que tu auras bien le temps de soigner ta culpabilité dans cette immense partie du désert qu’il te reste à traverser. En attendant profite bien de tes nouveaux amis et de toutes les visites à venir à Alice Springs ! Bisous.

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