Tuesday 24th March So those of you who have been following our adventures since the beginning will know that it's been a while since we cycled through France. So, on scouring the area I found that in Gippsland, an area between Canberra and Melbourne, there is a 100km rail trail that you can cycle the length of. Today we did the first half, between Orbost and Nowa Nowa (place names are seriously out there over here). Well, being allergic to all hills I assumed a rail trail would be flat. Hmmm, not really. After slogging up and down the trail alongside the alpine forest, we were rewarded by seeing a couple of kangaroos hop across the track. But not another soul; it was completely deserted. After lunch, I decided the coast was clear to take a quick toilet break...only to be alerted by Tom that a huge group of cyclists was heading in our direction! By the time I realised they were pretty much upon us, and let's just say it was a rather embarrassing situation all round. So much for being remote! Luckily the pretty scenery was enough to distract me from any serious shame as we peddled our way into Nowa Nowa. We were staying in the hilariously named Nowa Nowa Hotel Motel (?) and the landlord was really chatty. After a while, I left him with Tom to discuss the delights of the cricket while I had an early night IN A BED. Bliss. That is, until morning when we discovered the effects of bedbugs. I guess you can't win them all. ~Mandy
