11-12/08/2021 Gympie to Lake Dyer via Nambour.

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We're up to Plan W for West.  

Due to a) not wanting to get caught in a snap SE Qld lockdown in a tent and b) NSW's current Covid mess, we've ditched the Big Ride South. Not to say it's gone forever: it's just in the process of being renovated.  Instead we'll eventually head west and combine riding the bikes with a road trip that may just go far west enough to go directly to South Australia and skip NSW altogether. If SA will have us, that is.

The new plan started with a ride to Gympie North train station, which was 6.5km of the most terrifying riding of the whole trip.  Thankfully we survived and spent a solid 45min waiting for the train and chatting to a man who was about to start his train commute to the beginning of the BVRT. He was so excited that we felt quite old and jaded, but that didn't stop us exercising our freshly earned BVRT bragging rights and imparting BVRT tips and tricks.  Unfortunately (possibly fortunately from his point of view) a maximum of two bikes are allowed in each of the front and rear carriages. This prevented us from ear bashing the poor man all the way to our stop at Nambour.

Train#1: Gympie North to Nambour. Careful for crowds.

Stopping in Nambour meant that the next day we could catch one train all the way from Nambour to Ipswich, which lowered our train-changing-related stress levels considerably.

Train #2: Nambour to Ipswich with two tunnels and lots of tedium.



Getting to Ipswich meant we were reunited with the car and all the things that get pared out of your life when bicycle touring because they're too heavy or take up too much room: proper pillows! full size towels! a change of clothes! food that isn't dehydrated! We are definitely living in luxury tonight.

Home for the night: Lake Dyer near Laidley.

Today's animal pic: pelicans on Lake Dyer


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