Day 284, Thursday, 7 January, 2010

Distance travelled – 83.2 km
Avg speed – 16.7 kph
Max speed – 38.9 kph

Hamilton to Lake Bolac

Before leaving Hamilton this morning we rode back into town to have a quick look around the CBD and the botanic gardens for which Hamilton is famous.

A mostly uphill ride today but for most of the day we had magnificent views of the southern Grampians, Mt Sturgeon and Mt Abrupt. Lots of big gum trees throughout the paddocks, so in a way very similar country to outside Penola. 

Harvesting is still very much underway in the district, so there were a lot more grain tucks on the road than in previous days, but they are all very friendly with lots of toots and waves.

The last 10km into Lake Bolac was mostly downhill which gave us a very pleasant end to our ride for the day. Like yesterday we felt we were traveling a little fast and would have liked to have had the time to look more at Hamilton, and at Dunkeld and Wickliffe that we passed through along the way.  We have resolved that once we reach Ballarat we will not be chasing any more deadlines until we get home sometime in February or March.

This afternoon we learnt that there is a 55km rail trail between Skipton and Ballarat. Skipton is the halfway point between Lake Bolac and Ballarat so we have decided to try this trail tomorrow. The gravel trail will undoubtedly be slower than the highway but it should be more shaded and it will nice to ride without keeping an eye on our mirrors all the time. There are a number of early exit points at Pittong or Linton if we decide we are better off on the highway.

Zoom into the map and use the 'Satellite' layer to see our new location.

Glenelg Highway between Hamilton and Dunkeld

A unique piece of hedge sculpture

Mt Sturgeon and Mt Abrupt, Grampians

Dunkeld park

Waiting for the header

A working header with the Grampians in the background

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