After a hot breakfast with my hosts from the previous night, it was pack up and get back on the bike for what I was expecting to be an easier day.

Cycling out of Tom Groggin at 8.30, it was an uphill ride to the Alpine Way where I (still) expected an unrealistically downhill run to Khancoban.

The promised “mostly downhill” run had not presented itself and between tall trees lining the road and thick forest on the slopes, I was again struggling up long hills to enjoy an all too short downhill section.

Today’s goal was to complete the last 50km to Khancoban but this steep terrain was again conspiring against me. Should I mention that the two English girls passed me again (for the last time) this morning?

It seemed as though I was catching up with them each day but they were finishing earlier and starting later that this overloaded Bloke.

There was a long lunch stop at Geehi Rest Area which influenced my final destination for the day and stopping to chat to fellow cyclists Gaz and Chrissy from awildland.blogspot.com also set me back half an hour or so. After quitting their jobs, they have been cycling around Australia for eleven months (as at October 2015) and were heading back to Newcastle in New South Wales.

In fact, this section contained the highest ascent of any day (1086 metres / 3562 feet) and it was only sheer will power that got me to Scamell’s Lookout in time to shelter from an approaching lightning and rain storm.

 

The final straw on this camel’s back were the two long hills after Geehi and the lookout with only one 9km downhill stretch in the middle.

This was a lot of hill climbing and when I pitched my tent next to the unisex toilets in the lookout car park, it felt like five-star accommodation.

The view from the lookout here really is worth the short detour off the Alpine Way.

The last 20 kilometres to Khancoben would have to wait until tomorrow.