{"id":4529,"date":"2013-05-16T02:34:44","date_gmt":"2013-05-16T00:34:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?p=4529"},"modified":"2019-12-31T08:29:19","modified_gmt":"2019-12-31T13:29:19","slug":"queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/","title":{"rendered":"Queensland Encounters: it’s not just cows and kangaroos"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re bumping along another lonely country road, calling to the cows as they chomp lazily.\u00a0 A family of sprightly kangaroos bounces past.\u00a0 The morning mist is heavy, but brilliant rays of sun peek through with the promise of another gorgeous Queensland day.<\/p>\n

The Tropic of Capricorn\u2019s not far now.\u00a0 A week\u2019s ride perhaps.\u00a0 Less if we push it.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The mist will wear off soon and then it’ll be another beautiful day on the backroads.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
A rare patch of pavement–gravel has been the norm for much of the way.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There\u2019s a chill in the air when we launch into our day of pedaling.\u00a0 It\u2019s not exactly Bondi Beach weather, but hints of hot weather ahead appear.\u00a0 A cactus begins popping up here and there, we spot our first bottle tree near Biloela, the air conditioning is cranked up full force when we slip into the local IGA supermarket in search of half-price vegetables.\u00a0 (The best deal is a pitiful cauliflower on the block for AUS $6.59.\u00a0 We leave empty handed and I\u2019m subjected to Eric\u2019s rants against price gouging for the next 20 kilometers.)<\/p>\n

\"\"
It’s always exciting to watch the change of scenery unfold so slowly. Bicycles really are the best mode of transport to see the world.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
We haven’t seen this sort of landscape since our ride through the outback of Western Australia 6 months ago.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Days are dreadfully short now.\u00a0 Winter is clearly on its way.\u00a0 Darkness has crept up on us a few times and we\u2019ve had to dig out the lights and reflectors.\u00a0 In these parts, it\u2019s a long way between towns and starless nights are impenetrably black.<\/p>\n

One night we were offered a bed.\u00a0 We\u2019d pulled into the old timber town of Jimna late afternoon.\u00a0 The paved road stopped there.\u00a0 Just a narrow strip of gravel ahead, winding its way through the forest. The place looked deserted and kind of creepy.\u00a0 Scenes from the gloomy Lars Von Trier film Dogville flitted through my mind.\u00a0 Jimna felt like a place where one might get trapped, surrounded by locals with a touch of the sinister.<\/p>\n

As we pondered a map of the area, an SUV pulled up.\u00a0 Eric sauntered over to see what was up.\u00a0 Probably the usual queries\u2014How far have you come?\u00a0 Where are you riding to? <\/em><\/p>\n

I was fatigued from all the ups and downs and couldn\u2019t be bothered to drag out my friendly tourist persona.\u00a0 I jammed in my earbuds and listened to Jian Ghomeshi interview some woman about her \u2018month of madness\u2019 due to her brain \u2018being on fire.\u2019<\/p>\n

The SUV sped off and Eric was back, grinning.\u00a0 \u201cAlright, we\u2019ve got a place to sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n

He was pleased, probably because he\u2019d have a place to charge up all the electronic devices.\u00a0 I could feel a headache coming on (dehydration most likely\u2014the water we\u2019d topped up with at a farm tasted bad and I\u2019d hardly drunk a drop all day) and the thought of a warm bed was enticing.<\/p>\n

Ross and Robin (the couple in the SUV) had a place just down the road.\u00a0 We\u2019d been instructed to make ourselves at home, they\u2019d be back in a couple of hours.<\/p>\n

I continue to be amazed at how trusting people can be.\u00a0\u00a0 No one seems to worry that two innocent looking cyclists might turn out to be thieves, psychopaths or insufferable bores.<\/p>\n

We ended up spending two nights in Jimna.\u00a0 It was a quiet community of loggers and urban transplants, people weary of the rat race in search of solitude and a simpler way of life.<\/p>\n

The kind of place we might settle down in one day, when our wanderlust has run its course.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Ross and Robin saved us from another night in the tent!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But for now, there\u2019s still much more of the world to explore.\u00a0 We may be in Australia, but it\u2019s really Japan that\u2019s on my mind.\u00a0 After nearly nine months of the familiar Anglo-Saxon way of life, we\u2019re hungry for a change of scenery.\u00a0 The bright lights of Tokyo beckon.\u00a0 Just a few more weeks of country roads and a steady stream of cows, horses and kangaroos.\u00a0 Soon we\u2019ll be speeding down multi-lane highways, jostling with crowds, and slurping noodles in busy markets.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t wait.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A nice spot to pitch the tent at one of Australia’s 24 hour free rest areas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Won’t be seeing many of these for awhile. I must say I won’t miss the stench of road kill that’s been rotting for a few days.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Always nice to rock up to a tiny town and camp next to the local church. In Japan I’ve heard the best stop to camp is at the local park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Doubt we’ll be running into these sort of characters in Japan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Typical Australia! I’m sure we’ll be pining for such landscape after we’re back in Asia for a few months.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Battling logging trucks as we leave Jimna.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019re bumping along another lonely country road, calling to the cows as they chomp lazily.\u00a0 A family of sprightly kangaroos bounces past.\u00a0 The morning mist is heavy, but brilliant rays of sun peek through with the promise of another gorgeous<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[176,49],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nQueensland Encounters: it's not just cows and kangaroos - Worldbiking.info<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Queensland Encounters: it's not just cows and kangaroos - Worldbiking.info\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We\u2019re bumping along another lonely country road, calling to the cows as they chomp lazily.\u00a0 A family of sprightly kangaroos bounces past.\u00a0 The morning mist is heavy, but brilliant rays of sun peek through with the promise of another gorgeous\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Worldbiking.info\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"worldbiking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-05-16T00:34:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-12-31T13:29:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/featured-image.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"World Biking\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@worldbiking\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"World Biking\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"World Biking\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/f57a15cc54fe11f80a90902e2256d401\"},\"headline\":\"Queensland Encounters: it’s not just cows and kangaroos\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-05-16T00:34:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-31T13:29:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/\"},\"wordCount\":921,\"commentCount\":2,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Australia Bicycle Touring\",\"Tour Updates\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/\",\"name\":\"Queensland Encounters: it's not just cows and kangaroos - Worldbiking.info\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-05-16T00:34:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-12-31T13:29:19+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Queensland Encounters: it’s not just cows and kangaroos\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#website\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/\",\"name\":\"Worldbiking.info\",\"description\":\"Round the World Bicycle Tour since 2006\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Worldbiking.info\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/11-florida.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/11-florida.png\",\"width\":280,\"height\":90,\"caption\":\"Worldbiking.info\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/f57a15cc54fe11f80a90902e2256d401\",\"name\":\"World Biking\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/0.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f32773a3812157bf4b26e3db7396fe6?s=96&d=retro&r=pg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/0.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f32773a3812157bf4b26e3db7396fe6?s=96&d=retro&r=pg\",\"caption\":\"World Biking\"},\"description\":\"Hi, I'm Amaya. Together with my husband, Eric, we make up the World Biking Team. We're on a quest to cycle every country on the planet and inspire others to go bicycle touring. We hope you enjoy the blog!\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/about-world-biking\/\",\"worldbiking\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/worldbiking\"],\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Queensland Encounters: it's not just cows and kangaroos - Worldbiking.info","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Queensland Encounters: it's not just cows and kangaroos - Worldbiking.info","og_description":"We\u2019re bumping along another lonely country road, calling to the cows as they chomp lazily.\u00a0 A family of sprightly kangaroos bounces past.\u00a0 The morning mist is heavy, but brilliant rays of sun peek through with the promise of another gorgeous","og_url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/","og_site_name":"Worldbiking.info","article_author":"worldbiking","article_published_time":"2013-05-16T00:34:44+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-12-31T13:29:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":"900","height":"600","url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/featured-image.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"World Biking","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@worldbiking","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"World Biking","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/"},"author":{"name":"World Biking","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/f57a15cc54fe11f80a90902e2256d401"},"headline":"Queensland Encounters: it’s not just cows and kangaroos","datePublished":"2013-05-16T00:34:44+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-31T13:29:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/"},"wordCount":921,"commentCount":2,"publisher":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Australia Bicycle Touring","Tour Updates"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/","url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/","name":"Queensland Encounters: it's not just cows and kangaroos - Worldbiking.info","isPartOf":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-05-16T00:34:44+00:00","dateModified":"2019-12-31T13:29:19+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/queensland-encounters-its-not-just-cows-and-kangaroos\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Queensland Encounters: it’s not just cows and kangaroos"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#website","url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/","name":"Worldbiking.info","description":"Round the World Bicycle Tour since 2006","publisher":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#organization","name":"Worldbiking.info","url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/11-florida.png","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/11-florida.png","width":280,"height":90,"caption":"Worldbiking.info"},"image":{"@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/f57a15cc54fe11f80a90902e2256d401","name":"World Biking","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"http:\/\/0.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f32773a3812157bf4b26e3db7396fe6?s=96&d=retro&r=pg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/0.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0f32773a3812157bf4b26e3db7396fe6?s=96&d=retro&r=pg","caption":"World Biking"},"description":"Hi, I'm Amaya. Together with my husband, Eric, we make up the World Biking Team. We're on a quest to cycle every country on the planet and inspire others to go bicycle touring. We hope you enjoy the blog!","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/about-world-biking\/","worldbiking","https:\/\/twitter.com\/worldbiking"],"url":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4529"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4529"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4529\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9855,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4529\/revisions\/9855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.worldbiking.info\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}