TRAVERSE Issue 21 - December 2020 | Seite 62

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turning south from Norseman we were hailed by verdant and fields of yellow canola , a welcome reprieve . Esperance brought back the beautiful ocean , a marvellous fierce sea as it cracked with thundering booms against the rocks in the shallows , like bombs detonating , catapulting water twenty meters into the air , reminding me of Justin .
The mood was tainted slightly on our descent to an outlook as Justin came of his bike again . He couldn ’ t extend his right leg quick enough any time he needed to put his feet down , and both rider and bike simply keeled over . In the coming days , he fell over at a turn off , at a garage , at a campsite and at a roundabout , but credit where credit ’ s due , he kept on going , and so did the ever-impressive Peggy .
Although the camping ‘ all-in-one meals ’ that simply needed hot water and some prayers had proved more than adequate , we felt we ’ d survived on some pretty meagre rations and deserved pampering in the colourful South Western corner of Australia . Every day we dined on steak , freshfish , and delicious cakes , all helping to soothe an aching soul … and knee . We headed to an apiary that also sold mead , and despite being tea total , I tried a little .
As we pulled out of the car park , we had to go back up a small slope to a T-junction with the main road .
Not expecting a 4x4 to whiz by quite so close , I managed to stop perfectly steadily , then simply fell over to my left . It was the gentlest of falls , but all-around embarrassing !
Having spent a lot of time enjoying ourselves and not thinking so much about the return leg , we made a few phone calls to arrange transport back for our motorbikes , which was far easier than we anticipated . All we had to do , famous last words , was make it into Perth by 5pm in a few days ’ time . In forty-degree heat , we ’ d roll our bikes in at three minutes to five , sweltering , but rather forlorn , to abruptly end our five-thousandkilometre ride .
And just like that , it was finally time for us to head east . RR
1 . With an annual average rainfall of just 165mm , Australia is considered the driest inhabited continent however , some regions do exceed this greatly with 12,461mm recorded in Bellenden , Queensland in 2000 .
Australia ' s average elevation is just 330 metres , making it the flattest and lowest continent . Australia ' s highest mountain is Mount Kosciuszko with a height of 2228 metres . Lake Eyre is the lowest point at 15 metres below sea level .
Conjecture has often arisen when discussing whether Australia is an island . Many geographers say it isn ' t , as islands and continents can ' t be the same thing . In that regard it is the smallest continent although , the only nation that is a complete continent .
Either way , Australia covers a large area and has an extremely unique landscape .
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