A Morning Sky Beyond Words
Day 5 on the Nullarbor began with a moment I’ll never forget.
As I stepped out of my tent and looked up, the sky took my breath away.
The night’s final stars lingered, fading gently into the glow of sunrise. The colors blended so perfectly, it felt as if I had stepped into a dream.
For a while I just stood there, thinking, “I want to stay here forever, just watching this sky.”
But the road was waiting. I packed up, set out, and began pedaling once more.
Pedaling Into Painted Skies
Not long after, the sky gave me another gift.
A deep orange sunrise spread across the horizon, with thin clouds drifting like soft strokes on a canvas. I kept moving forward, but in my heart, I wished I could share that beauty with someone beside me.
After about two hours of steady riding, the sign for Madura appeared in the distance. The sky grew heavy with gray clouds, and a cool wind brushed against my face.
I stopped briefly, opened a can of tuna, and refueled. Sometimes it’s the simplest food that gives the most strength.
By mid-morning, I reached the Madura Roadhouse. There, I treated myself to a packet of chips. It wasn’t much, but that salty taste and the chance to rest for a moment felt like a small celebration.
On the Nullarbor, these little “refueling stops” mean everything.
A Quiet Camp and a Surprise Encounter
Later in the afternoon, I cycled another ten kilometers and found a small, grassy space shielded from the wind. It seemed like the perfect spot to pitch my tent.
Just as I was settling in, something unexpected happened—I met another Japanese traveler.
It had been such a long time since I had spoken my own language with someone face to face.
We exchanged a few words in Japanese, and then he surprised me with gifts: an energy drink, some candy, and even a few sausages.
That gesture touched me deeply.
I’ve been supported by countless acts of kindness here in Australia, but there is something different about receiving generosity from someone of your own homeland. It carries a weight of familiarity, of shared roots.
In that moment, I felt proud—proud to be Japanese, proud to carry that identity with me on this long road.
