Morning on the Plain
Good morning. The second day on the Nullarbor Plain.
I woke to a perfect sunrise, light spilling across the horizon. Just that alone made me feel, “Today will be a good day.”
After packing up my tent and setting up my bicycle, I started riding. Then, to my surprise, I saw another cyclist approaching from the opposite direction.
On a road like this, to meet someone feels almost impossible. I couldn’t help but laugh.
We stopped to chat, and soon he invited me: “How about breakfast together?” To my amazement, he even cooked for me. A simple meal shared by two travelers—different ages, different countries, different stories—but somehow connected by the same desire: to see the world from a bicycle.
Moments like this remind me of what travel really is.
A Familiar Face at Balladonia
By late morning, around 11 a.m., I reached Balladonia, the first roadhouse along the Nullarbor.
I was ready for a short rest when I noticed a familiar figure. It was the Scottish man I had met back in Esperance—the one recovering from a leg injury.
To see him here, hundreds of kilometers later, felt almost unreal. And then he told me, with a grin, “It’s my birthday today.”
What happened next left me speechless. He bought me food and drinks—French fries, ice cream, even a Red Bull. “Take what you like,” he said, laughing like a kind uncle.
The generosity of strangers on the road continues to humble me. These gestures, simple as they seem, mean everything to a traveler.
At the Edge of the 90 Mile Straight
After parting ways with him, I set off again. My goal for the day was to reach the beginning of the 90 Mile Straight.
This road is Australia’s longest straight stretch—146.6 kilometers without a single bend or traffic light. Just the thought of it is intimidating. Tomorrow, I will ride it.
Tonight, though, I stopped just before it began. I pitched my tent under a calm sky, with only the soft sound of the wind around me.
The sunset painted the horizon in colors too vivid for words.
I crawled into my tent wishing for the same clear weather tomorrow. Another day of the Nullarbor awaits.
