Day 713 – Australia – WA [Rest Day in Norseman / Kalgoorlie]

23/05/22

 Rest day in Norseman (Western Australia, Australia)

Back to town to get a few things fix – before starting the desert crossing

Kalgoorlie’s Goldfields Museum entrance

Today’s rest day was a nice road trip back to Kalgoorlie. A 200 km drive to the city. One sure thing is that the drive seems much longer than the run! First objective was to fix James’ bike. The front wheel had been damaged and wasn’t roadworthy anymore. It was essential to get a replacement. I had identified 3 bike shops in Kalgoorlie using Google Maps.

Once we get to Kalgoorlie… it became evident there were not 3 but only 1 bike shop! Quite a surprise and leaving us with no plan B. Once at the shop, Reg the owner flatly told us they did not have that type of wheel in stock. Duh. Now what. Then he told us his own road-bike had the exact same front wheel as James’! Right, so he offered to sell us both his wheels, and charge us for the cost he will incur to replace his. Deal done.

The gravel bike being fixed

With that sorted we proceeded to visit the Goldfields Museum, which we had missed last week. Great Museum, very informative – and we found an antique bike which looked much sturdier than James’ bike! All the stories of the goldrush, the Aboriginal people, the evolution of their rights and the pioneers who built fortunes at a great cost of human lives. The conditions were truly terrible back then.

Back on the road tomorrow – it is raining buckets tonight. I hope it settles before the morning…