2-4 June 2026 – 16 kms – Swan Hill
Wamba Wamba and Wadi Wadi Country
So the question is: do you peel the band-aid off slowly or rip it off? Do you ease into a problem or jump straight in?
After I got to the motel on Monday, I noticed that there was a thorn stuck in the front tyre. There was no loss of tyre pressure. If I hadn’t seen the thorn, I wouldn’t know that there was going to be a puncture. The thorn was obviously stuck in the tube and plugging itself.
So, do I just ignore it and leave it there? Or do I pull the thorn out and fix the puncture while I have somewhere warm and dry to do it? Everyone knows the joys of roadside puncture repair.
So I pull the thorn out and the tyre goes quickly flat – accompanied by a great and dramatic hissing sound effect.
But I don’t fix the puncture on the first zero day. No, I let that wait until the second day of this enforced rest. Then I spend at least 45 minutes massaging the bead until I can finally get a first lever under the bead and a second lever under and around the tyre to dislodge it. That tube and tyre have been on there for about 4 years, so it is a challenge. But it eventually gets done.
All the while, it rains and thunderstorms and blows a gale for those two days. I’ve made the right decision – it’s not one of those times you get roofed accommodation based on a weather forecast and then come to regret it because the weather ends up being okay.
There is a brief lull on the first day. I go out and find a map for my parents so they can follow my route. I also find two model cars that I think Nigel might want. A phone call confirms he does want them.
So I go through all my gear. With those cars, I mail back some of the water bladder capacity. I’ve come to the conclusion I’m likely to prefer going long distances vs loading up on water (you either have a lot of water and do shorter kms due to the weight – or you carry less water and go a longer distance). I also mail back the used maps and my little folding bucket – I use it daily for multiple things on my high country tours. I thought I would use it to get water from rain tanks or other water bodies, but I just don’t think that is how things are going to play out. Mailing those things doesn’t relieve me of any weight, really, but maybe just saves me some space.
But I absolutely don’t send home any of the clothing. I’ve been using it all and am grateful for having various layers to manage the temperatures and rainy days. My winter puffer jacket is sorta my one luxury item. Some people carry around aeropresses or little chairs… I am carrying a somewhat bulky down jacket. And oh my goodness, do I ever appreciate it beyond words on certain days of this trip!
On the second enforced rest day, I look at the forecast for Thursday. There is only a small chance of showers, but the wind is still going to blowing hard from the west. That is the direction we need to go. That direction is also over 100 kms to the next town. It is pointless to fight against headwinds gusting over 50 kph, so that means we are going to have to wait out another day until the winds subside a bit.
I pack up Thursday. I am going to stay at the caravan park tonight for $23 instead of the normal $45. I would not pay $45 for an unpowered site, but $23 is fine if there’s a decent amenities block, laundry and a camp kitchen. It will also let me do laundry.
So Thursday, we have a good look around Swan Hill before we go over to the caravan park.
I take some pictures of the park play equipment in the AM. While I’m doing this, a guy in navy blue work coveralls and blundstone type boots just sorta appears. He hovers near my bike, so I go back over to the picnic table it’s leaning against.
The guy is probably in his late 50s and has a rather leathery appearance. He’s got a faceful of stubble and a rather lean look to him. He’s smoking a cigarette and asks some general questions about the bike. I’m pretty certain he would have pilfered through my panniers, at a minimum, if I had not returned to the bike. Now he’s stuck making some small talk. I think, if I’d been a guy, he would have talked gear. He’s a shearer. There’s not much work at the moment, but it will get busy in 2-3 weeks time.
Swan Hill is a functional, utilitarian service town. There’s really nothing special about it. It’s super busy though. It is surrounded by irrigated agriculture and therefore has a heap of diversity in its people. The town seems to embrace multiculturalism – it should, and needs to, as the town would collapse without all those immigrants working the fields, the fast food shops and the meal delivery services. So it is nice to see all shades of skin colour and a variety of languages being spoken in the street.
The town has a distinct lack of interesting architecture. It’s just a lot of one-story businesses in a 8-10 square block business district. There is one main boulevard leading away from the lift span bridge. There is parkland in the boulevard centre, along with a War Memorial, picnic tables, an amenities block and a fountain. But that is kinda the extent of exciting urban planning. The old Council building is architecturally significant, but that’s about it.
Interestingly, I do not see a charcoal chicken shop, but there are 5 fish and chips shops? We’re a long way from the ocean here. There also seems to be a distinct lack of pubs – unlike Echuca up river that seems to have one on every corner.
There is some parkland along the river and a river walk that’s not all that long. The parkland is sorta disconnected from the city centre by the rail line, and it’s got a private caravan park and pioneer tourist village attraction that break up public access to the river.
After I ride all over town in the morning, I go back to the park and make myself at home at the stage and sound shell. It is in the sun but out of the very gusty wind. I think it is the warmest place in town – it’s definitely warmer than the library was the other day.
When I go over to the caravan park, the woman spends awhile trying to find me a spot that will be a bit sheltered from the wind. She can’t put me in any of the sites with trees, due to falling branches. That’s good – you definitely don’t want shade today!
She finally puts me sorta behind one of the cabins. The grass is soft and lush. The wind is ferocious. It is coming from the direction of the Saleyards. A sale was on today. Consequently, there is the nice smell of cow shit and sheep urine blowing through that adds to the ambiance of a caravan park along the highway.
Laundry does get done. Pannier and front fork bag organisation gets done with a small food resupply. Dinner is cooked and eaten.
It is going to be a very headwindy day tomorrow, so lights out is early. We want to be on the road around 6am again tomorrow. Onward. I never really had any desire to see Swan Hill and 3 days here was probably 3 days more than I ever needed.