There was a cockatoo conference right above my head this morning. It sounded like all of the bird gangs in the southern hemisphere had assembled for a major squwark off. But in reality there were only about half a dozen. And as it was raining I just lay there in my tent and listened to them.
By about eight o'clock, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Lovely lovely sun. And it stuck around for most of the day despite the wind cancelling out most of its warmth.
We headed for Georgetown today. We have a penguin tour booked for tonight. If was only about 200 kms on good roads with a few spots of roadworks, which turned the highway into gravel roads.
But it was exceptionally hard work riding into the cold headwind all day. The posties aren't speed machines at the best of times but today it felt like somebody was physically pushing me back.
But it was exceptionally hard work riding into the cold headwind all day. The posties aren't speed machines at the best of times but today it felt like somebody was physically pushing me back.
Our first stop was Scottsdale where we headed to the first warm cafe we spotted for lunch. As usual, the bikes attracted attention and before we even got off, somebody came up and chatted to us about them, us, the world, travelling and all that sort of stuff. I love it that people feel comfortable enough to approach us and just started talking. I wonder if they would with bigger bikes or sports bikes? Some would but not the range that approach us. I particularly like the sneaky picture that people take when they think we're not looking. these bikes are very common here and many people ride about on them, to work, for work and just because they can. But for some reason, our arrival is a bit different.
A chap came up just as we were kitting up to go. He was a builder and a biker who rode all over, but had never been out of Australia, on a bike or otherwise. He'd been on the toy run in Hobart last weekend, but he was clearly mulling over going further afield as he was very interested in our kit and how we got along wandering from place to place. I think some people think that you need permission, or a specific plan or accommodation booked in advance as you go. We don't have any of that, just a vague direction of travel, an idea of what we want to see, and a rough idea of how much time to spend in one place. That's how we do it, and we fit things in an a daily basis with regard to that.
Because of the wind and the penguin tour, we decided to do GeorgeTown in one final bash, and arrived at about 1630. That gave us some unwind time, time to wash ourselves and some clothes, find some food, and get ready for the penguins.
Fairy penguins ( Eudyptula Minor) are quite common along the Bass coastline. Thy live in colonies, breed in pairs for life, usually using the same burrows, and lay two eggs in one go, sometimes doing that several times over the year. The average age is 7 -9 years, but there is known to be one fella in Low Head ( near George Town) who is 18 years old.
They come ashore in the last two hours of daylight, popping out of the water and onto the beach. Sometimes that happens in groups, sometimes individually, but they wait for each other on the sand and then make for their burrows en masse. That's because they are vulnerable on land, so its a safety in numbers job.
The chicks stay in the burrows all day, waiting for the parents to return from sea. You can hear them squeaking in the bushes as the parents land and they only stop when the correct parents find the correct chicks, and feed them dinner, usually regurgitated squid. Only penguins two years or over go to sea. Juveniles stay on shore until then, getting fat.
But before they go to the chicks, they preen themselves. They have an oil gland at the base of their tails which they prod with their bills to release oil which they then spread through their feathers, ensuring watertightness. Its a bit like getting ready for work the next day.
The pictures are ropey as the only light is the orange light the guides have, and flash is forbidden as penguins have no eyelids so bright lights phase them. But they'll do.
A chap came up just as we were kitting up to go. He was a builder and a biker who rode all over, but had never been out of Australia, on a bike or otherwise. He'd been on the toy run in Hobart last weekend, but he was clearly mulling over going further afield as he was very interested in our kit and how we got along wandering from place to place. I think some people think that you need permission, or a specific plan or accommodation booked in advance as you go. We don't have any of that, just a vague direction of travel, an idea of what we want to see, and a rough idea of how much time to spend in one place. That's how we do it, and we fit things in an a daily basis with regard to that.
Because of the wind and the penguin tour, we decided to do GeorgeTown in one final bash, and arrived at about 1630. That gave us some unwind time, time to wash ourselves and some clothes, find some food, and get ready for the penguins.
Fairy penguins ( Eudyptula Minor) are quite common along the Bass coastline. Thy live in colonies, breed in pairs for life, usually using the same burrows, and lay two eggs in one go, sometimes doing that several times over the year. The average age is 7 -9 years, but there is known to be one fella in Low Head ( near George Town) who is 18 years old.
They come ashore in the last two hours of daylight, popping out of the water and onto the beach. Sometimes that happens in groups, sometimes individually, but they wait for each other on the sand and then make for their burrows en masse. That's because they are vulnerable on land, so its a safety in numbers job.
The chicks stay in the burrows all day, waiting for the parents to return from sea. You can hear them squeaking in the bushes as the parents land and they only stop when the correct parents find the correct chicks, and feed them dinner, usually regurgitated squid. Only penguins two years or over go to sea. Juveniles stay on shore until then, getting fat.
But before they go to the chicks, they preen themselves. They have an oil gland at the base of their tails which they prod with their bills to release oil which they then spread through their feathers, ensuring watertightness. Its a bit like getting ready for work the next day.
The pictures are ropey as the only light is the orange light the guides have, and flash is forbidden as penguins have no eyelids so bright lights phase them. But they'll do.
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