Into the hairdryer

Tom Price is a world away from Hedland; green and shady it’s a welcoming oasis in this dusty red world. And the treat doesn’t end there. When strong gale winds force the Tom Price mine to close early, we find ourselves invited by ‘Cheesecake’, Cotter, and Cory, two drillers and a welder who live on the campsite and are determined to make the most of this unexpected half day off. Normally working 13 hours a day, 2 weeks in a row, they are now enjoying their first beer and whiskey-cola already in the afternoon, and so are we. Anyone passing or planning on using the camp kitchen is an instant invite on the party and it turns out a hilarious evening, and a lesson in Australian culture. The ‘barbie’ fired up, heaps and heaps of meat (lamb chops, steaks, sausages, and risoles, mind you risoles, not hamburgers) fill the square meter of barbeque more than 2 times. Apart from what we eat the meat is hardly touched, let alone the salads; the liquid dinner much preferred. An Ozzie BBQ is not necessarily a meal, it’s a social event, and a wonderful one at that.

We leave Tom Price with our spirits up to the max, finally the wind is behind us and we expect to be at the western coast and into cooler climate soon. Our hopes are already trashed on the second day out of Tom Price when the wind turns against us once again and our thermometer rises to 50 degrees. It rises to 50 because it can’t go any higher. The lack of shade, the extreme dry heat make the afternoon breaks nearly as exhausting and dehydrating as the hours on the bike. We soon learn that cycling into this fohn becomes unbearable after 1 PM, so we only cycle in the morning. We go trough incredible amounts of water and when we loose 10 precious liters trough bad luck and a little stupidity on Herb’s behalf, the situation gets precarious. We decide to leave the road and ride to a homestead to fill up. Kilometers well worth it: water never tasted better and perhaps nothing ever will. Miraculously we still cover the over 550 kms to Coral Bay in less than 5 days. To arrive here, where the outback touches the ocean, is a great relief. Still 1141 windy kms to go, but soaking in the chrystal clear waters of Coral Bay for a couple of days will make that a managable feat.

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