Friday 4th February 2011 – The ride from Gin Gin to Noosa Heads found me in a rotten mood. I was hot and tired and fed up with riding alone and not having anyone to talk to. And more road works – at one point I got so hot waiting in a long queue of traffic that I pulled the bike over to the side, got my bottle of water and started pouring it all over myself. It was only when I’d finished that I realised the truck driver behind me was watching the whole affair!

Anyway, I found the YHA and booked in. Another small, stuffy room with no air conditioning, I was not a happy bunny. However, I managed to make contact with my brother’s friend, Andrew, and the next day he came and took me off to the comfort of their gorgeous country home, complete with swimming pool, fans and air conditioning. I had a really lovely visit with Andrew and his family, so, when I left this morning I found myself in floods of tears again. It was just so nice to be with people I knew again and to be looked after.

I left about 9.30 this morning which ensured I missed the rush hour traffic into Brisbane but meant I ended up doing most of the 300km to Byron’s Bay in the sweltering heat of the day. It seems to take me longer to cover distances when its really hot and it was 4pm before I got to the Bay. Unfortunately, the YHA was booked out, so I found a campsite which had small “lodges” available and booked into one of these for 3 nights. After all the travelling of the last few days, I feel exhausted and need to recharge.

The good news is, I’ve managed to make contact with Glenn & John, the two guys who rescued me in the middle of the desert on my way to Mount Molloy, so I’ll be stopping off in Sydney to see them later in the week.