Log One Hundred and Twenty – Going with the Flow

4 August 2025

Sometimes with the best laid plans things just don’t go according to Hoyle. So it was a week or so ago when my bike separated from the bike rack and was dragged unceremoniously down the road for about 100 metres. A fellow bike rider rode towards our car waving his arms excitedly. I stopped and there laying on the road was my bike with both ends of the handlebars ground down several centimetres. That brought an end to our plans for a ride that day and for some days on.

We drove 80 kms to the nearest bike shop and left it there for the installation of new handlebars and a general check over.

It was about a week before the bike was ready. New handlebars are like having the drivers seat in your car in the wrong position. You can still ride the bike, it just doesn’t feel right. Time will heal that situation.

My second unplanned event was the dropping of my iPad and subsequent destruction of the screen. A new iPad was a better solution than repairing the outdated device.

We got back on the trails and have now completed the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail (BVRT). All up its about 160 km long and one of the longest rail trails in Australia. We have also completed the South Burnett Rail Trail or at least the best bits which was another 44 kms.

We were sure these rides would be an excellent way to enjoy the countryside with the added advantage that it would be a healthy thing to do. These high minded ideals have been undermined somewhat by the wonderful bakeries that we have discovered in these rather remote country towns. There were so many wonderful pastries, pies and excellent coffee all of which were calorie free and had to be sampled.

It’s also been a great surprise to see so many older bike riders out there covering great distances. Many of these riders are loving their e-bikes and dare I say they probably would not be on these trails except for that electric motor and battery.

Over the years we have experienced special challenges unique to long term adventures. We have experience exploring new highways and byways, new landscapes and backroad country towns. We have also enjoyed some great surprises at bakeries, cafes and pubs that whilst they may be well off the well trodden highways they still deliver some amazing culinary delights.

The challenge we have become more aware of on this trip is finding a hairdresser or barber that is going to get it right. These services are quite personal and you generally stay very loyal to the professional you have been seeing for years. Unfortunately there comes a time when you have been on the road for many weeks that you have to chance it with an unknown barber.

If you are follicly challenged this may seem to be a trifle however some of us appreciate a decent haircut every 6 weeks. I have enjoyed one of the best haircuts that was provided in a campground in a remote town in the gulf country. The trim was provided by a boutique, professional barber who hailed from Sydney. He was travelling around Australia. I have also enjoyed excellent services in Charters Towers at half the cost I would pay at home.

And so it was I have recently tried a barber in Kingaroy and it was a success. Cost and quality of the service were outstanding. The other member of this adventure has not enjoyed the same success with the hairdresser she visited in the same town. The difference however between a good haircut and a bad haircut is just two weeks.

The other insight I have gained on this trip is the uniqueness of our camping kit. Others have observed that some of our gear is quite old. We have been camping for many years and if it still works why throw it out. Just to give you an idea of how old some of our gear is, much of it was made in Australia. Our electric heater, our frying pan, toaster, our electric jug and much more all hail from a time when this country made stuff. I agree that’s old.

The rail trail segment of our plans are complete and we are now headed for the Queensland coast and new country or maybe even the Great Barrier Reef to explore.