meander

stokes bay had an excellent cafe where we were able to get a cold beer and some tasty fish after our ride. we also ran into a belgian family again that we have been encountering around the island since d'estrees bay almost 2 weeks ago.

the bay immediately in front of the cafe and what appears to be stokes bay is rocky with no sand, but if you climb through a tunnel of collapsed rock at the east end you come through to a gorgeous sandy beach at least 1km long. the first 100m also has a little breakwater making it perfect for kai to paddle and swim.

after going to bed wondering whether the possums or mice would attack again (they didn't) we woke to the sound of rain. we weren't expecting any showers for until the next evening so it was an unpleasant surprise.

after packing up as we rolled out of the camp we realised the trailer had a flat tyre so quickly patched it and set off. 1km up the road it had gone flat again so we patched it again (and found the thorn in the tyre this time). about 30 minutes after kai had been put to sleep in the trailer the tyre went flat once again and unfortunately he woke up as we finally gave in and replaced the tube.

the weather was pretty miserable most of the day, overcast and regular showers of rain. the first 45km or so was sandy dirt roads and we were very glad for the mudguards on the bikes. we really enjoyed the last 10km of bitumen where we were finally able to ride at a respectable speed.

we set up the tent in the caravan park just outside kingscote (the only place you're supposed to camp in the area) and headed into town for second lunch.