I knew it was going to be hot today and had wanted to make an early start to avoid the heat. However the roadhouse kitchen didn't open until 0830, and with 90 kms to the next food stop I certainly wasn't going to miss breakfast. So it was about 0915 by the time I got on the road, and the temperature was heading well towards its target of 35 for the day.
The first stop, after about 20 kms, was a brief detour off the route to see Chinaman's Well, built by Chinese immigrants during the 1850s gold rush:
There weren't many good views of the Coorong from the road, and the relentless heat made the going pretty tough. These distance markers, which appear every 5kms on many Australian roads, were good reminders to stop and replenish some fluids, although it would have been nice to have some more rest areas with places to sit down in the shade:
I reached Kingston at about 1500 and had a rest, and a good intake of isotonic drink, by the giant lobster:
Took a ride along the attractive seafront, and saw the historic Cape Jaffa lighthouse:
Rather than stay at Kingston I decided to press on for another 42kms to Robe. It was still hot and there was an increasingly annoying headwind. However the lure of several wineries along the way, in a little-known wine growing region known as Mount Benson, provided the necessary impetus to ride on.
I only managed to visit one winery, Wangolina Station, before closing time, but it was certainly a good tasting experience, the wines here are quite distinctive, being a lot more delicate and less earthy than is usual in South Australian wines.
I reached Robe at around 6.30pm and checked into the Robe Hotel, right on the seafront. I was extremely hungry after a long and tough day in the saddle and so went out to eat right away! I had an excellent dinner at the Caledonian Inn. Robe is an attractive town and I will definitely take some photos tomorrow and post them to the blog.
Distance today 137kms, total so far 365kms.
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