Day 3 – Monday 11^th March – Hamilton to Port Fairy

Temperature today was 33C, so we headed off early again at 8am after Tony made his diagnosis on Peter’s bike which needed attention at the morning tea break. Tony and Alicia joined our ride today, having linked up on the previous night in Hamilton, following family commitments with a wedding in Mansfield over the weekend.  Conditions today were very favourable with excellent road surface, a magnificent tail wind and the heat of the day coming into play in the last session heading into Port Fairy.

Prior to our morning tea break, we stopped and marvelled at the magnificent sight of the Mount Napier lava field, which last erupted 8,000 years ago in spectacular fashion. Graham, our resident geologist, was ecstatic!! Morning tea at Byaduk saw some running repairs undertaken on Peter’s bike by our resident bike mechanic, Tony.

On route to the lunch break, we paused for a well-earned drink and toilet stop at the historic town of Macarthur, where Peter in his younger days worked for a period. We then proceeded on our day’s journey, experiencing some excellent conditions, with extremely smooth road surface, and welcome tail winds which enabled us to maintain a good pace. We overshot our designated lunch stop, which was planned to be outside the CFA building in Orford. Instead, we stopped for lunch on the side of the road beyond Orford in the shade of some welcome trees, where Margaret and Sandra once again supplied a nutritious meal, which included salt and pepper          !

During the final run into Port Fairy, we stopped to ensure that all riders were adequately hydrated, as the conditions so far this ride have been very hot, particularly in the afternoons. As we approached Port Fairy, the wind changed from a tail wind to a cool head wind, which was a mixed blessing as it slowed us down a little. Rolling into Port Fairy, we were confronted by throngs of people leaving the town after the annual three day folk festival. Bruce, Tony, Peter and Dave walked around town, and found a band playing at the Star Hotel. They spent an hour or so at this watering hole enjoying a cold ale and listening to the entertainment provided by The Roadtrippers (men like ourselves!) The day finished for all with dinner at Wisharts Fish and Chippery restaurant on the wharf.

Dave and Tony