Philosofiction

Steve Bein, writer & philosopher

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TT Report, Day Last: Devonport!

September 27, 2022  /  Steve Bein

I made it! Took me almost a week longer than expected, what with the false starts and the mechanical problems, and really we should count me as having finished yesterday. This morning’s ride was just 8 km to the ferry, 19 minutes flat. I did an extra 8-9 km yesterday to account for it, but didn’t bike all the way here. Instead I stayed overnight in Latrobe, the platypus capital of the world, to see more of those little guys. I camped right on the Mersey River so I could catch them at dusk and then again at dawn.

(Yes, I can wake up that early. I just choose not to.)

I rode farther than the official route calls for, to the Mersey Bluff Lighthouse. It’s not the most majestic lighthouse you’ll ever see, but it overlooks the Indian Ocean, and when I was in South Africa I overlooked swimming in the Indian Ocean. So I checked that off my lifetime to-do list this morning too.

That makes four oceans for me, and—an unsung moment, as this happened almost three weeks ago—my seventh continent. I still need to get far enough north in Scandinavia to swim in the Arctic Ocean, and that’ll be five for five and seven for seven. Then I plan to pursue a weirder goal: visit all the tectonic plates. I don’t think I know anyone else who wants to do that. If you want in, email me.

As Worst Bikepacker in Australia I have to say I’m feeling pretty good. I didn’t know if I could do this and I did it. Not with style or grace, but I got it done. More importantly, I had a hell of a good time along the way. The biggest challenges pushed me harder than I’ve been pushed in a very long time, but of course that was the whole point of coming down here. And when you get pushed like that, the rewards are all the more fulfilling.

Stay tuned for a few more posts reflecting on those rewards. For me, next up is laundry day. (I’m writing from the laundromat now. Three cheers to Devonport for free city-wide wi-fi!) Booster already had her shower two days ago, and then another last night, and then a good drying and waxing up. Tonight we jump on the overnight ferry to Melbourne, where I’ll rent a car to drive the Great Ocean Road.