The days with Karen and Graham in Port Lincoln flew by. We were able to take part in their everyday life, eat together, share stories, look at photo books and drink coffee with friends.

It was good to have a brief glimpse into a “normal” life and to deal with something other than long cycling days, wind directions, water and food procurement. We were delighted that Karen and Graham took the time to show us around the village and the surrounding Lincoln National Park. It would have been too far by bike and we would have missed the views of beautiful bays, beaches and our first sighting of kualas. Thank you so much, Karen and Graham!

We were quite flattered when a reporter from the local radio station got in touch with us (as it turned out later, on Graham’s tip😉). He wanted to publish an article about us on social media and spontaneously decided to invite us to the radio studio for an interview. Completely unprepared and with our Swiss English, it was probably the worst interview in a long time … and luckily it was never broadcast😊!

After a happy and fulfilling stay in Port Lincoln, we said goodbye to our wonderful hosts and were ready to continue our journey. With a strong tailwind, we pedaled smoothly between parched cornfields and visited all the tranquil coastal villages on the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsula. We soon reached the transit town of Port Augusta, which everyone had warned us about. We found the town more pleasant than expected, took a break in the well-kept town park and spontaneously changed our plans.

We had already studied the weather forecasts in Port Lincoln and it appeared that mild (not yet too hot) temperatures might make a tour through the Flinders Range National Park possible. However, two days of heat followed by a rain front had intervened, not ideal travel conditions. So we decided to ride to Mt. Remarkable National Park near Melrose for the time being and wait out the heatwave there. The rainy weather program would then happen somehow. We quickly stocked up on supplies at the large supermarket and took the unpleasantly busy Princess Highway south towards the evening. Fortunately, we were soon able to leave it and a slow, almost traffic-free climb to Horrocks Pass followed, with a great place to spend the night.

Along with the heatwave, we rolled into the village of Melrose the next day. There was nothing going on here and we quickly scouted out the two cafés and two hotels. A good opportunity to do nothing and be really lazy, because even the hiking trails were closed due to the hunt for invasive feral animals. The opening of the trails had been announced for the next evening, but nobody seemed to care about removing the barriers so close to the weekend. Anyway, we climbed over the fence and scaled Mount Remarkable, whose view was anything but remarkable and ended in the forest. Alas, if we hadn’t been up there, we would have thought we’d missed something.

With heavy rain clouds on the horizon, we set off early morning for Quorn, where we wanted to wait for the weather to improve. The fact that the rain actually started in the afternoon came in very handy. David wasn’t feeling well and was glad to be able to lie down in the campsite’s dry recreation room. The following days brought even more rain, half the normal annual rainfall. Apart from a lot of sleep, we had plenty of time to explore the pretty but very manageable village, try out its cafés and visit the evening light show at the silo twice😊.

After almost 24 hours of dry weather, we thought it was time to leave Quorn for the Flinders Ranges National Park. It was a good thing we hadn’t set off earlier, because we had to ford a (temporary) river on the tarmac road to Hawker, which would have been impassable the day before. A fireman saw us pedaling towards the river and then turned back so that he could take us across the water. Oh, that was nice! The ford would have taken us a few hours and would have made everything dirty.

Over lunch in Hawker, we decided on our route through the Flinders Ranges. As more dark storm clouds loomed in the sky on the onward journey, we decided without further ado to complete the loop in the opposite direction and postpone the dirt road section until the next day. Our patience and many changes of plan paid off. Thanks to the rain, everything was (relatively😉) green and the view was clear. The hike up Saint Mary Peak was just as much a pleasure as the drive on the unpaved Scenic Drive through the national park. Gorgeous!

The tarmac road ended in the village of Blinman (“Highest Town in South Australia”). After a well-earned refreshment at the hotel, we turned off onto the stony dirt road through the Parachilna Gorge. This route was also very scenic. On the western side of the Flinders Ranges, the mountain range ended abruptly and dropped down to the plain to Parachilna. The village consists of just a few houses and a hotel-restaurant (“Most remote Brewery of South Australia”). Unfortunately, we arrived before opening time, but my unscrupulous look through the window brought the hoped-for success and we were able to enjoy an exclusive coffee inside the exceptionally stylish restaurant😊.

Despite the caffeine and the fantastic view of the mountains, the ride back to Hawker dragged on. When we arrived there shortly before closing time, I didn’t have to think about the answer to David’s question “cool drink or shower?” for a second. Definitely, cool drink! As we were sitting in front of the general store with our Coke in hand, Heinz approached us. Our fellow countryman was traveling by rental car and had noticed our CH stickers on the mudguard. After chatting for a while, he went to check into his rented cottage and immediately came back to offer us a shower and invited us to stay the night. Together we made a simple evening meal from our supplies and spent a sociable evening among Swiss people. Thank you Heinz!

The next morning, we said goodbye and rode south through gently rolling prairie countryside. Between the tiny villages there was nothing but land, wide open skies, a few sheep and a quiet road… just great! It wasn’t until we reached Jamestown that things got a little busier, as preparations were underway for the evening Christmas pageant. In anticipation of the town’s “big event”, the spectators moved their camping chairs to the best spots and we decided not to miss out on the event. After the first lap around the village square, however, we had seen enough of the parade and moved on.

With a strong tailwind, we roared through cornfields and pastures before the wine-growing region began just before Clare. With vines and wineries, the villages became more numerous and much more upmarket, which didn’t necessarily appeal to us. In a seemingly small winery, we tasted the local wine and realized that the paid tasting was actually designed as a sales talk. As soon as we had tasted the last wine on the order form, the manager ran short of patience and insinuated that his lunch was waiting. Hadn’t he told us shortly before that he doesn’t hire Australians because their work ethic isn’t good enough😉?

This experience was the end of further wine tastings on the way through the Barossa region. Nevertheless, there were so many temptations in the many villages with cafés and bakeries that we only made slow progress. In the hilly landscape of the Adelaide Hills, we almost felt like we were in Europe at times. Especially when German stores lined up in the touristy Hahndorf. We treated ourselves to a coffee and something sweet at Otto’s bakery to strengthen ourselves for the ascent to Mt Lofty, Adelaide’s local mountain. From there, we looked down on the small city center and a sea of family houses. Which one would be our home for the next few days?