Day 51 - Angaston, South Australia to Menindee, New South Wales - 510km Chris versus Kangaroo!

I made it all around Australia without any major wildlife issues and the day after finish I smack a kangaroo at full speed. I was just minding my own business on a remote dirt road North of Morgan when two kangaroos, that were looking for trouble, jumped out in front of me. I had about a quarter of a second to react so I dodged the big one. Unfortunately this aimed me directly at the smaller one and I put my weight into so I wouldn't get knocked over. After a bit of sliding and head shake I was able to keep the bike upright and get it slowed down. The kangaroo didn't fair as well. It was dead by the time Shea pulled up to it. After Shea lectured me for killing their national mascot we went on our way.

We rode the 500 kms today on almost all dirt tracks through cattle stations. It started out as dry scrub land with nothing living that we could see and slowly transitioned to better grazing country. I saw a number of "No Goat Shooting" signs before I saw all the feral goats that were hiding in the brush everywhere. I'm not sure if they are wild or they actually raise them for goat meat, goat milk, feta or something else I don't even know about. The roads became even more crowded with sheep, cows, and the old goats and kangaroos we'd been seeing all day. I was extra alert for any more animals in my path and didn't have any more close calls.

Shea did very good for his first day on the bike. (After we pulled out his spare mattress from his camping swag so it would fit on the bike) He made it through sand, mud, bull dust, and rocks at a relentless pace without any problems. Then when we reached the SA & NSW border we turned around to take a picture by the sign. Somehow Shea managed to crash in a flat parking lot when turning around, smash his ankle, twist his knee and break the hand guard off of the bike. I tried to get a picture while he was still pinned under the bike but he was too fast for me.

We made it to a little town called Minindee in New South Wales. The pub was open and we had a few beers and a nice feed. I was told I had to remove the knife from my belt and "What was I thinking bringing that into a pub". I guess country NSW is a little softer than I expected.