Augusta to Nannup

Saturday 10th December

The Lonely Planet Guide says, of this section of the ride: “it has no attractions or services other than the small Nillup general store at 27km”.

Well, fair enough, it wasn’t the most exciting day’s cycling I’ve experienced, but it was still pretty enjoyable, thanks to excellent sunny weather and a nice quiet road that remained fairly flat for most of the way.

At about 20kms the route crossed the Blackwood River:

Continuing onward I stopped briefly at the aforementioned Nillup store, as it was the last opportunity to stock up on water:

Further on I saw this memorial to a biker who’d been killed riding his Harley Davidson. The region is popular with bikers and I saw several large groups of riders during the day. Needless to say I haven’t seen any other cycle tourists since starting the ride 11 days ago.

At 57kms there was a picnic area where I stopped for lunch:

Further on the trees were charred from the recent bushfires:

I saw several kangaroos and a family of emus during the day but they were all moving too quick to photograph. This iguana, having just been run over, remained nice and still:

At around 2.15 I arrived in Nannup, the destination for today. It’s a charming, friendly little town set in the forest, popular with artists and “alternative lifestylers”.

I visited the Fishbone winery to sample a few of their reds, it was in a lovely setting and the wines were pretty good:

There was a scenic walking trail along the Blackwood River:

I found very comfortable accommodation in the Blue Cockatoo Lodge and after an excellent steak dinner in the Nannup Hotel, prepared to watch tonight's lunar eclipse.

Distance today 98kms.