Simon picked me up from the hospital so we could leave directly after my immunotherapy treatment.  We stopped at Marulan for lunch and then again at Gundagai in search of some cold sparkling water.  The town was very quiet though there was a stall selling cookies and we thought it appropriate to buy some Anzac biscuits....

Being a public holiday, we weren’t sure whether any cafes would be open, so were pleased to find Araminta’s tea room was serving coffees.  We enjoyed our coffee in the sunny yard before returning to the Goulburn River track and retracing our route past the old Goulburn bridge....

As we stopped at the bakery for lunch supplies, one of the customers asked where we were headed. He lived in Maroopna and gave us some advice on the best roads as well as asking us if we were taking Kirwans bridge.  We confirmed that was our intended route....

I had been struggling with my new bike seat, so we detoured to Living Edge Cycles to buy a gel seat cover that would hopefully make riding a little more comfortable.
After retracing our route along the bike path, we stopped at Taste of Capri café for the most expensive coffee of the trip so far....

Despite the advertised Goulburn River access, we didn’t see the river as we left through the farm gates.  Our route was along a dry weather road only, and given the deep ruts, we were pleased that there had been no rain for sometime as the road would have been impassable on bikes....

With a full day of sightseeing planned, we were on our way to the Old Port by 9.30am.  On arriving, it took us a while to find somewhere to park our bikes – and we eventually locked them at the base of the wharf....

Our hostess, Louise, stopped us for a chat as we were leaving.  We had plenty of time and enjoyed discovering a little about life in Echuca and how Louise had ended up living there.  We took her advice and had breakfast at the Watson Street Pavilion with its lovely views over the houseboats moored in the Murray....

Knowing we had 72kms to cover, with no café options, we were well stocked with food and drink. Simon had mapped stopping places, so it was just a matter of covering the distance.

Unfortunately, our departure was delayed as I had a flat tyre following an encounter with one of the notorious local thorns.  We thought it was a Caltrop, a woody burr that splits into five segments, each containing two strong sharp spines....

Our original plan had been to cycle 23 kilometres for lunch at The Bend restaurant in Tocumwal.  Mid way through yesterday’s cycle I had cancelled the reservation as we decided to take it easy and spend less time on the bikes and explore the local area....

The weather forecast was ominous, with 15-30mm of rain in Mulwala.  According to the Bureau of Meteorology site, the rain was forecast to be heavier in the afternoon so we planned to leave early.  I had contacted our Airbnb host requesting an early check in and were advised that we may be able to check in from 1pm....

The rain passed overnight and it was sunny by the time we left, passing the polling station on the way.  We cycled through Mulwala and crossed the bridge into Yarrawonga. Over 100 years old, the bridge has a noticeable dip in its southern section. This has existed since construction due to significant, long-term subsidence....

As forecast, it was cloudy when we woke and much colder than previous days.  We rugged up with extra layers, and after a quick stop at the bakery for lunch supplies, headed along the lake and out of town.  We picked up the bike path at Kyffins Reserve.  The sun emerged and it was lovely cycling along the lake foreshore with lots of water views....

We woke to a cold and foggy day so weren’t in any rush to leave.  We had a second coffee at Doc’s café just down the street, and voted it the best coffee of the trip.

It was marginally brighter as we cycled down the Main Street and took the rail trail to the Corowa Wetlands....