The strong southerly wind was blowing again as I headed south in the early morning from Eudunda towards Moculta on the Murray to Clare Lavender Cycling Trail. Fortunately, on some of the roads, trees provided welcome windbreaks.
After nine kilometres, I came to this spot near Foote Creek, which was the scene of a grisly accident in 1839.
Foote Creek
Three travellers on Gawler’s expedition to explore the Murray River, were separated from the main group. When preparing their campfire for the night, Isaac Hearnshaw’s gunpowder flask exploded in his face, dislodging his left eye.
Eliza Arbuckle, an eighteen-year old woman who had fled an arranged marriage in Scotland, re-inserted Isaac’s eye and helped to bandage his face, thus saving him from bleeding to death.
Reflecting on this glimpse into early South Australian colonial history, I pedalled a few kilometres further south.
Neales Flat
Soon I came to the old school house at Neales Flat.
Built in 1874 as a German-speaking Lutheran School, it was also used as a church until the adjacent building was opened in 1893. The Neales Flat school was taken over by the government during World War One and eventually closed in 1942.
At the back of the church, the cemetery contained many graves of early German settlers .
My eBike battery was still showing at 100 percent as I continued south towards Dutton.
Neales Flat to Dutton
The farming land for the next twenty kilometres was flat and dry, and dotted with old farmhouse ruins.
Fortunately, the southerly wind was finally abating.
Dutton
There is so much to see at the charming village of Dutton, such as the Lutheran schoolhouse, built in 1876;
the church bell tower erected on four large gum tree trunks and housing two bells imported from Germany in 1891;
and many pretty cottages.
After a snack in the church yard, I continued on to Truro on the Dutton Mail Road. I noticed that my battery had dropped to 60 percent.
Truro to Moculta
For many people stopping at the highway town of Truro, one of it’s main attractions is the Sunrise Bakery. I was able to buy a lovely salad sandwich and a pastry treat before continuing on to Moculta.
Now I was cycling into the eastern side of the Barossa wine region.
One of the amazing features of this section of the Murray to Clare Cycling Trail, is the Moculta mausoleum. Built in 1876, it houses the remains of 24 people. As I had already visited several times in the last few months, I didn’t drop in on this occasion.
Moculta
As I arrived in the main street of Moculta, I heard a mighty clanging noise coming from my back wheel. I stopped to have a look and noticed that the brace on my bike bag rack had come loose and was banging against the back tyre.
Using an Allen key, I was able to remove the brace. Next I phoned and sent a photo to my mechanical adviser (long-suffering husband, Derek). Derek gave the opinion that the rack would probably last the distance to Murray Bridge, even without the brace.
Reassured, I cycled on to my accommodation for the night: Lemke Cottage, built around 1866.
My non-cycling friend Renate joined me for the night to share this cute 2 bedroom cottage. Cost for my share of the accommodation was $151, which was the most expensive night of the trip, but so worth it for the comfort.
Having cycled alone for the last three days, I was glad of company and as Renate had come by car, we drove to Angaston for a delicious dinner at the Wanera Wine Bar.
I finished today’s ride with the eBike battery level showing at 40 percent.
Summary of my Day 3 ride from Eudunda to Moculta on the M2C
Once again, I had encountered southerly headwinds for over half the ride, but the wind was not as strong as the previous day and there had been less climbing.
My Strava record shows that I had cycled 53 kilometres and climbed 652 metres. The same ride recorded with Ride with GPS shows an elevation gain of 505 metres.
Tomorrow, I would be riding from Moculta to Mount Pleasant.
For further information about the Murray to Clare Cycling Trail or to download the full map, see the Lavender Cycling Trail Website.
Top photo: On Diagonal Road between Neales Flat and Dutton
