From last nights camp it was a nice but cold ride of about 75km to the town of Lake Cargellico. I had never been to this town before so was interested to see whether the lake was "real", as often lakes in Australia are only seasonal. However Cargellico was a sizeable body of water, which at least this morning, was teaming with bird life. The town itself was larger than I had expected but does seem to be dying as there are many closed and closing businesses.

The second stop of the day was Hillston, a small town on the Lachlan River. As I had coffee in Hillston I thought the highlight of this town would be the population of sqwarking white cockatoos in the trees beside the river.

However I was destined to get to know Hillston a lot better.

I had planned to go to the town of Ivanhoe after Hillston but the road between the two towns turned out to be a dirt road more challenging than I was prepared to attemp - I am noticing the weight of the luggage I am carrying, which makes the bike unstable on roads with deep gravel - so I returned to Hillston and a night at the Kidman Motel.

During the night my stomach reacted to something I ate yeaterday and so this morning I was in no state to ride so I am having another day and night in Hillston"