Bairnsdale to Swift Creek

It was hot on the Rail Trail that led from Bairnsdale to the sleepy logging town of Bruthen. The March flies were out in force looking for fresh English blood to quench their thirst and the normal flies were hoping to suck up whatever cyclists sweat they could find. Once in Bruthen there was only one way to my destination of Swifts Creek camping area. That road would be the Great Alpine Route. Totally rideable but very taxing, with it’s tight sections and steep climbs. My goal was to get as far as possible with Swifts Creek being a good target but Omeo being a fantastic but slightly unrealistic distance with so many climbs. Once I was pushing on it felt hard going but certainly not the most difficult mountain climb I had taken on. Just after Tambo crossing with a very difficult section ahead a huge thunderstorm hit. The wind picked up and became ice cold and the rain lashed down adding to the discomfort. I was stoically pushing on when the thunder got louder ushering in a overhead lightning display that I was not comfortable riding in. Unfortunately with such a tight road and no rest areas to pull into I had no choice but to continue as best I could. It was pointless putting on my waterproofs as my shorts and tee shirt were soaked through and had turned skin tight. I continued to ride through it to the town of Ensay were luckily it slowed down to then stop and be replaced with bright sunshine. This bought it’s own danger as the road became really slippery, dangerous and almost not rideable. I stopped off in Ensay for a while to regain my composure and let both the road and my clothes dry out as much as possible. It was only a further 15 kilometres to Swifts Creek and I arrived quite hungry but with maybe enough energy to make Omeo a further 25 kilometres ahead. I pulled into the free camp area at Swifts and almost instantly decided against pushing on. The facilities were just too good to not use. I had a hot shower, a shave, made dinner and coffee and kicked back and read my book. Just before sunset I noticed a homeless looking character so I kept my eyes on him to see what he was up to. It can ruin a nights sleep if you try to drop off with something on your mind. He was hanging around a bit too much so I cycled down to the Main Street to use the general store. While there I spoke with the clerk about the guy and she said that he had been around for a couple of weeks and that he was camping on the edge of town so I would be fine to camp where I had eaten lunch. I returned later and set up and was out cold within minutes. The following morning I packed up early and made breakfast under the Rotunda out of the rain that had just started when the homeless man arrived and sat on the bench around 30 feet away. I felt a bit sorry so offered him a coffee. He accepted and came over to take it from me. He thanked me for the drink and said he would go over to his bench to drink it as quote: nobody likes a chatter box. He then sat on his bench and didn’t stop talking for 40 minutes. I must have heard 100 stories and not one of them had an ending. They just moved along becoming one continuous mess. I drank up, packed up and moved down into the town. The general store was open again and I spoke with the store owner about the bus that went through town and what time it was and if I could put my bike on. I hadn’t wanted to catch it but with the weather still a mixture of rain and thunderstorms I didn’t really fancy the 35 kilometres ride that I was facing. As luck would have it he advised that the bus wouldn’t come until 3pm and if I was going to wait for it then he would take me instead as he had to do some stock drops in Omeo later that afternoon. Once again my philosophy of putting myself in situations where other good things happen had worked out. By 4pm I was in the pub in Omeo with my tent set up out back in the free camping area and me with a $9 pizza in front of me just asking to be eaten.