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Day 367 - IT'S OVER!!!

Yesterday was mad with so many things happening... We had a lot of bodies under the roof last night as well and it was quite a party...

The house looked like a bomb had gone off this morning and it will take me ages to clean it up....

My head is still spinning from everything and it will be a while before the dust settles I think....

I have a million things to do in the wake of the journey and look forward to some peace and quiet...

So, it's finally over with lands seen, records broken and many, many people met...

I want to thank everyone who has made this possible, from the business' to the mums and dads who kept us on the road.... Too many to list today but you know who you are... I will be eternally grateful for your generosity....

The impossible has been made possible and an incredible chapter in my life draws to a close...

THANKYOU....

Day 366 - Brisbane - Cleveland - Coochiemudlo Island - 15,918.24km

Today was a hugeeeee day....

We skulked into Cleveland last night to make camp in a friends front yard (Thanks Dave, Meg, Cate, Emily & James)... They made us very welcome and we enjoyed the company of many friends over a BBQ and a few cool drinks...

This morning we made our way back to the city for what would be a very busy day...

First up was a ride into the city to King George Square and a reception with the Lord Mayor of Brisbane and many other interested parties.... A few speeches, a few presentations and a refreshment break before jumping back on the handcycle for the second leg of the day....

Next up was riding through Brisbane and out to the bay where we had a bit of an event waiting...

We were met and escorted by the local Police & Fire Department past Cleveland High School where the road was lined with very enthusiastic students... The same happened down the road with students from Cleveland Primary... There was a lot of sreaming and waving (I loved it)...

Eventually (and slowly) we arrived at Library Square in Cleveland where we were met by the Mayor who led a series of presentations and speeches. This was a terrific point in the journey and there were so many people from so many places who had come to the party....

But the show must go on... And I got back on the handcycle for the final leg to Coochiemudlo Island following my old practice route along the bike paths past Coochie before boarding the barge home...

Again, there was an amazing turnout at the ramp with the Coochie locals making me feel very welcome with champagne and gifts....

We met and talked with everone before slowly trekking up over the hill and into the backyard where it all began....

The final formalities complete I got off the hancycle for the last time on this journey... Relieved and overjoyed that I actually made it....

Time for a beer!

Carnage Count: 3 Cane Toads

Day 365 - Southbank (Brisbane) - 15,869.59km

What seemed like a quick ride from the Gold Coast to the city was hampered by the spagetti line I needed to follow to avoid riding on the M1... It is a very difficult (to follow) route that takes you about 20km further....

However, despite the extra distance, the hills and the headwind I was happy to be riding into Brizzie and somehow managed to grind it out...

Was pretty tired at the end but soon washed it away when we made our way quietly to a friends house in Cleveland for the night... Lots of good food, good friends and a few quiet cold ones...

Carnage Count: 2 Snakes, 1 Roo, 3 Unidentified & Lots of Caterpillers

Day 364 - Labrador (Gold Coast - QLD) - 15,795.78km

The fog & mist we woke to dissappeared quickly as we drove to the start site today...

The predicted showers never came and it turned into a glorious day as I handcycled back into Queensland...

We also bumped into a film crew from NBN news who captured our arrival just inside the border...

We made camp thanks to Pine Ridge CV park then headed back to Surfers to check out the beach... The boys went swimming while I wandered around town...

Later Cr Dowling made his way from Redland Bay to meet with us and catch up on the journey... He also treated us to a terrific dinner...

A great day at the office!

Carnage Count: 3 Cane Toads, 4 Unidentified & 2 Birds

Day 363 - Murwillumbah Rest Day

Here we are just south of the border enjoying the last scheduled 'rest' day of the trip... And just as well as it has been raining steadily since 5am...

Of course the rest days have rarely been used for rest and today is no exception with a myriad of phone calls to make, lots of details to finalise, a collection to do and a website to update...All in a days rest!

Seriously... I am keen to move on, the forecast is dodgy but nothing will stop me now...

Day 362 - Murwillumbah - 15,729.27km

After a great time with the team from Rainbow Power in Nimbin I was happy to be back on the road again...

There were lots of hills but the riding was magnificent and the expected rain stayed away...

We even stopped in at the Uki Public school and had some fun with the Year 1's & 2's...

It was hard to stop when we got here because we are sooooooo close to home but at this point I need to stick to the schedule as we have a lot of engagements next Monday...

Carnage Count: 3 Unidentified Bodies & 1 Cane toad

Day 361 - Nimbin Rest Day

Tucked into a few chores in the morning, laundry, downloading photos etc...

After this we headed over to the Nimbin Central School where we had a great session with some very vocal and interested kids who asked terrific questions and kept us busy for a few hours...

Next, we had a great lunch of pasta at the Nimbin Hotel (Thanks!) and I went into town with Dave Christmas to do a collection... It went very well and I got to meet many local characters...

This evening we have a shindig happening at the Rainbow Power Company...

Day 360 - Nimbin - 15,678.20km

It seems like just a year ago we were here getting the solar panel fitted at the Rainbow Power Company...

This time however, I rode into town instead of driving and it was daytime and along the way I got to enjoy the scenery of the area...Mind you, I did need to ride around the country to get here...Maybe I took a wrong turn at the first lights!

Anyhow, the end is approaching rapidly and it is nice to see familiar faces and places again... Many thanks to Dave and the Rainbow Power team, their solar panel, battery and inverter were an integral part of our journey...

Later we were entertained at the Nimbin Hotel and were treated to pizza by the Nimbin Pizza & Trattoria...

Carnage Count: 3 Cane Toads, 3 Frogs, 1 Possum and 3 Unidentified (and smelly) Corpses