Local trains carry it for free provided you travel with. Rural regions try to retain its population by developing the tourist. As a consequence lot of villages dispose of accommodations for travellers, some of them located in old refurbished buildings like farms or mansions even old convents. This book is only available in important bookshops of cities or camping shops like D cathlon or le Vieux Campeur. Nevertheless it contains a very large number of good and cheap g tes d' tape .
Villages also feature a definitively different architecture than the Australian ones.
There people are friendly but, like in every country, they are proud of their culture and tradition. Also matter of interest, especially after a long ride, is the local gastronomy. France produces a huge panel of cheese as large as the number of villages or cheese makers. There is for all the tastes. It's also available in local markets held often once a week in each important village and which worth visiting.