2010 Ride Around Australia

[spacey1]

July 10: Day 10,11,12,13,14,15 - Darwin

Stopped in Darwin for six days.



My Other-Half flew up to Darwin to escape the southern cold weather and share a few balmy winter Darwin days. Balmy meaning 30 degrees

I ordered a rear tyre from Tyres for Bikes in Perth. One of my friends carried it up to Darwin on her Virgin Airlines flight. We had to duck out to the airport and somehow carry it around.



City price for the tyre and no delivery fee

AliCross in Winnellie fitted the new rear Anakee2 and balanced it for $27. Great service and advice about tyre pressures. Set the tyre at 2.9 bars for full load and speed. However, AliCross do carry a stock of GS tyres as the demand is high. Richard (manager/mechanic/owner) was telling me a story of 6 GSer's coming in, all in one hit, for tyre changes. Book in advance if your group is going for that. It is Darwin after all.

The Mitas E-10 (lower left image) on the front showed almost no signs of wear at 5000 km. So only the rear was replaced.



Whilst in Darwin, there is much to see and do... however no swimming in the Timor Sea or any local rivers and creeks... Saltwater crocodiles are infamous for their appetite for humans. The crocodile population was almost wiped out in former times, but they are back with a vengeance. A visit to the Darwin Museum will set you on the right track. There is a monster-stuffed crocodile there which is monster-enough to keep one away from the water... forever

On the plus side, Darwin has much to offer.



Like sensational sunsets at the famous Markets at Fanny Bay...



There is that matter of strange northern tropical fruit...



I can highly recommend side trips to crocodile-free Litchfield National Park (300 km round trip), Buley Rockholes,







Edith Falls, (believed? to be croc-free)



and Katherine Gorge (300km south).









Pine Creek refreshment break for a beer...



or two



And spare some time for contemplation at the Adelaide River War Cemetery for the heroes who fought and perished for the freedom we cherish so much today.







Darwin has changed much, since I was here in the late 80's. The military presence is high. We stayed with friends in the military and were honored to be able to attend the funeral of one of our Aussie warriors who was killed in action in Afghanistan.

Food in Darwin is a real treat due to the influx of migrants and proximity to Asia.

There is on thing however, that is never far from your mind... the water. It's lovely balmy weather up here and having a swim to cool down is a great idea. There is that ever-present threat of salt-water crocodiles, stingers, sea snakes, land snakes, etc. We went for a walk down to the Timor Sea in the harbour one night and dipped our toes in the water. As you can see we weren't afraid That's as deep as we got...



It's lucky that the Northern Territory has a plethora of magical croc-free, fresh-water-swimming holes.

[spacey1]

July 16: Day 16 - Darwin to Three Ways Roadhouse

The original plan was to exit to the Carpentaria Highway (dirt road) just south of Mataranka, then venture over to Borroloola, Doomadgee, Burektown to Normanton and Karumba. Then slab it south to Cloncurry and Winton.

However, after chatting to a couple of drivers of mud-covered 4WDs who recounted stories of the road conditions along the Highway(?). The local council had just transported in a bulldozer to un-bog the grader. They and many others had turned back and chosen to slab it to the Gulf.

So head down, bum up, slab it down to the Three Ways. Surprise, surprise, the weather turned cold again. Pushing into a blasting head wind at speed kicked the fuel consumption to over 7.4 litres/100km. 964 kilometres covered on this day. Note to self: It's easy to cover big distances when the speed limit is 130 kph.

My overnight stop at the Three Ways was in a scabby over-priced donga. It was at least warm. I did have the good sense to stay away from the busy truck terminal at the main intersection to ensure a decent sleep.

[spacey1]

July 17: Day 17 - Overlander's Way > Threeways Roadhouse to Cloncurry via Camooweal and Mt Isa.

Had an early start from the Threeways onto The Overlander's way to Cloncurry, Queensland. This day was a replica of the previous day. Cold, blasting head wind, fuel consumption over 7 litres/100km.







Fuel and breakfast (meat pie and coffee) at the Barkly Homestead. More strange fruit trees at the Homestead?



Evidence of vast herds (?) of kangaroos abound. If there was not a dead kangaroo carcass every 50 metres, there was two 100 metres up the road. Trucks driving through the night must have huge bull bars (covered in blood) to bounce these off one after the other for 100s of kilometres. I considered the plight of the many pairs of bicyclists pushing into those head winds, inching forward through one cloud of rotting kangaroo carcass after another, hour after hour... and decided motorcycling was a less punishing mode of transport

Even during the day, there was an endless stream of fauna that delighted in throwing down the gauntlet and playing chicken on the highways. Brolgas, emus, kangaroos, wedge-tailed eagles, Northern Territory Kites (hawks). I'm sure there was more. There are the water-buffaloes back around Darwin, never saw any this time round.

Stopped at the Queensland border for the evidence photo.



The country is wide and flat, seemingly forever, in the eastern Northern Territory and western Queensland. Speed limits seem pointless...



Hard to imagine that the whole country-side is under water during the wet season

The transition down to Queensland highway speed limits was positively disheartening. At least they have the courtesy to stage it down to 110 kph, then finally down to the QLD 100 kph.

Across the border to Camooweal, a FNQ cattle town. Western Queensland was plagued by locust swarms at this time. When I re-fueled in Camooweal, I made a pile, about 20 centimetres high, of locusts (and one very roasted small bird) from my bike. Other service station users were quite amused by it all.

On to the mining mecca of Mt Isa. Not dissimilar to our own Mt Newman... Dusty and dry.

Another photo break was called for at the Burke and Wills Obelisk. Poor buggers having to walk across this land...



800 kilometres this day. A cold night at the Central Hotel in the middle of Cloncurry.



Looking forward to heading north to a warmer Karumba and the Gulf of Carpentaria tomorrow.

[wightman]

Flipping magic, Nev. Hope we don't have to wait till 2020 for the warts and all on this years' Gascoyne J.

[goodguy]

Nicely put narrative of your journey Nev, have reconfirmed my reasons for not being a great dirt road fan.

[spacey1]

July 18: Day 18 - Cloncurry to Karumba, Gulf of Carpentaria on the Burke Development Road

Heading north again... warm weather again

A short ride this day, only 450 km. Plan to spend the day sight-seeing.

Fuel and brekky at the Burke and Wills Roadhouse. August is the time of year that the 'Grey Nomads' are in full swing. Their numbers peak and many turn around and head south away for the northern heat and the impendingwet season. Expect to share the road with a gadzillion caravaners travelling at or below the speed limit.



The Burke Development Road is subject to extreme weather conditions. This whole region is mostly underwater during the wet season. The Normanton River can be up to 12 km wide which cuts Normanton and Karumba off from the rest of Queensland for the duration of the wet season. Geographically, this region feeds the Darling River which empties into the Murray River way down in Victoria, which then spills its waters into the Great Southern Ocean in South Australia.

If you're up here before the wet starts, know this

This 'Wet' creates a maintenance nightmare (and guaranteed employment) for the local councils. The road (bitumen) is constantly washed out / pot-holed / single-lane / gone altogether, therefore always under repair. So the benefit of being able to stand-up on the GSA at speed, is to preview the dips and flood-ways from a position of height, to avoid the many pot-holes and wash-outs in said dips and flood-ways. Again, there were many.

The landscape is generally flat, but there are many floodways with 2-3 metres water depth indicators. Even on the sides of hills! I was constantly asking myself, "Where does all the water come from?" or "How does the water get up here?"

McFarkle is always telling me, "There are 2 types of wildlife... observers and participators. The preference is observers."
The local fauna up here are of the 'participator' variety.

I was the closest I've ever been to hitting a kangaroo. Middle of the day. It just stuck it's head up out of the long grass on the side of the road and decided, "I'm going the scare the crap outta that rider." I swear I felt the fur brush past my shoulder

Wedge-tailed eagles on dead kangaroo carcasses (generally just one bird) - They see you coming, wait for the last second, then launch themselves into the air in front of you with their two metre wing-spans

Northern Territory Kites (hawks) on dead kangaroo carcasses (generally six or more birds) - They see you coming, wait for the last second, then launch themselves (all six) into the air in front of you

Emus (generally families? flocks? more than one) - Big birds that are almost invisible until they decide to run in every direction at once

Brolgas (generally three?) - Large birds that are almost invisible on the road surface and background light

You will experience all of these in this remote regions

Easily made it to Normanton before midday. The river was only 50 metres or so wide. It didn't seem that imposing... but there you go. Where does all the water come from? It must really rain up here!

Fuelled up and headed to Karumba and the Gulf.

So I rode down to the Karumba boat ramp for my first glimpse of the Gulf of Carpentaria.



The attraction of this place to many is the magnificent sunset over the Gulf of Carpentaria. And the most favoured location is at the Sunset Tavern out on Karumba Point.





I spent the afternoon here eating my favourite barrimundi fish and mud crab, washed down with pints of cold beer.



The view over the Gulf turns from this...



to this... Seating gets scarce around sunset. The beer stays the same temperature



There was no accommodation at or around Karumba. All caravan parks and hotels were full. The local council had imposed heavy restrictions on the parks and no over-booking was allowed. The sheer number of 'Grey Nomads' in the region was extraordinary. I joined a bunch of German tourists searching for accommodation. We were ejected from all the places we checked out. At least they had a van to sleep in... I guess that'd explain the volume of caravaners stopped in rest areas along the road

It was already after dark, so I slipped into one of the caravan parks through the rear and set-up my tent behind a line of caravans down by the river... No one will find me here I told myself. It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning and a couple of walks down the river bank for late night ablutions, that it suddenly dawned on me that I was in 'crocodile country'. The thin skin of my tent would probably serve little to protect from marauding crocs!!!!

I'd forgotten about the statue of the massive crocodile in Normanton and it's possible implications

For the first time ever, I was packed and ready to ride just before sun-up...

[spacey1]

Flipping magic, Nev. Hope we don't have to wait till 2020 for the warts and all on this years' Gascoyne J.

What 'choo' talking about John??

That's done and dusted at http://forum.bmwmccwa.asn.au/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=2450

[spacey1]

Day 19:

Normanton to Winton (730 km)

After all the fun in Karumba, it's time to start heading south again.

Target this day is Winton, for a day at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs out near Bladensburg National Park.

As I was packed and ready to roll at sun-up, it was going to be a relatively easy task to push over the 730 km to Winton.

As mentioned previously, the Burke Development Road varies greatly in surface conditions. One minute it's 2-lanes wide, then the wet season floods have washed out a lane, pot-holed the entire surface, washed away the entire road leaving pot-holed dirt. The local council road repair teams have a constant job on their hands patching up the road.

Along the way, I discovered that I had an un-welcome companion. The companion came in the form of one of those large and fast VW camper vans. It was pegging along at about 2 kph quicker than I. So I let it overtake.

No problem.

However, on every instance that I let the VW overtake (numerous occasions), I would, in short order, catch it up on the next long speed-controlled dirt section of the road under repair. I was then waiting in the dust behind the VW van. The stop-go paddle-pop worker would signal us to move on. More wallowing in the dust for me. This just wasn't going to work... And I really didn't want to speed either!

So at every dirt stop point, I would ride to the front of the queue and get ahead of the VW van. I could move much quicker than the van on the dirt.

Inevitably, on the bitumen, it would catch up and sit on my tail at very close range. This was just not on. One of my memories on the way north was that one of the flood-ways was covered with deep pot-holes. So at every flood-way, I would stand-up to preview its' contents.

Finally, it happened. Here was the one. The VW van was hovering over my tail... again. I swiftly avoided all the very large pot-holes in the flood-way. I never saw the VW van again.

That was the only bit of excitement for the day. No Australian fauna were flipping cards on the road-side.

So I made it to Winton, via the Four Ways, Three Rivers, and Cloncurry, without a hitch. I even had time to leave all my gear at the pub and wander out to the Australian Age of Dinasaurs in order to make a full-day booking to chip dinosaur fossils the next day. A childhood dream of discovering dinosaurs was to be fulfiled.

It really was enlightening to ride around on an empty unladen motorbike...

Day 20: Australian Age of Dinosaur Facility, Bladensburg National Park

I'm up early and head out to the Australian Age of Dinasaurs. It's unexpectedly cold for this latitude, but that's all part of it...

http://australianageofdinosaurs.com/



The facility is high on a jump-up (table-top mountain). A steep winding dirt track leads visitors up to the location. The lookout offers grand views over the distant ranges and the flat, endless, Queensland inland.



Following a briefing and training session with the dinosaur team and other visiting tourists, I'm officially a dinosaur hunter.

I'm assigned to a bench with a magnifying lamp, an air chisel the size of a small pen torch, and a large section of Matilda embedded in rock and plaster.



My role, as I've already chosen and paid to accept it, is to chisel away at this chunk of rock to uncover more of Diamanatinasaurus matildae or Matilda's bones, well 'bone' really. In fact, it's a bloody big bone.

Matilda, the skeleton so far... Herbivore



Banjo, the skeleton so far... Carnivore



One of Banjo's Claw... A particularly nasty newly-discovered Australian velociraptor-type dinasaur.



So all day, I'm chiseling away, uncovering, square centimetre by square centimetre, a real dinosaur! And performing the role of dinosaur guide to tourists during the course of the day. A childhood dream of discovering dinosaurs... fulfiled.

If you want to know more about Matilda and Banjo, visit the website, or drop in and spend a day or a week. Check the website for the right time of the year. I'm betting it gets hot out there in Summer... and wet in the rainy season...

Day 21: Winton to Nambour

Up early and pushing to see how close I can make it to Nambour. No particular plan.

Stopped in Longreach (174 km) for fuel and noticed liquid of some sort dripping onto the ground at the service station.

The fluid turned out to be brake fluid. Never a good sign... Anyway an investigation uncovered a fractured brake line at the ABS block in the centre of the bike. Great... On a brighter note, I guess I could have discovered it when there was no fluid left, combined with the necessity to stop in a hurry.

So after tracking down a motorcycle dealer, CentreTune Motorcycles, who organised an overnight delivery of a BMW 'brake recall kit' from Morgan and W in Brisbane, I resigned myself to a couple of days in Longreach and all its' many sights and attractions. I would just like to mention that overnight in Longreach time means at least 3 days.

I telephoned our WA BMW dealer, who advised that I would be re-imbursed for all my break-down costs by presenting all appropriate invoices to them on my return. I'm glad and very happy to say that this telephone advice was honoured.

So it was to be three days of roaming the streets of Longreach on foot.

I discovered that the streets are named after birds, Swan, Spoonbill, Duck, Eagle, Emu, Magpie, Cockatoo, Ibis and so it goes on...

The Commercial Hotel make a great 'Lamb Shanks' dinner. Note it stated 'Lamb Shanks', plural. You will never be able to finish the two shanks. It is a feast fit for a king!

The Abajaz Motor Inn has free wifi. After I'd spent more dollars at Outback Queensland Internet in Galah Street. The wifi was great as I could make all my phone calls through Skype. I still had credit from the $14 I put on at the Tjukayirla Roadhouse out on the Great Central Track back in Western Australia.

The Stockmans Hall of Fame and the QANTAS Founders Museum soaked up a day.

Many coffee and cake stops at the bakeries. I am in a BMW Motorcycle Club, so I do have a reputation to maintain...

And so after 3 days, I was released with a motorcycle fully equipped with brakes again.

I take my hat off to and recommend the diligent and extremely helpful folks at CentreTune Yamaha for their great service.

Day 24: Longreach to Nambour (1208 km)

Another early start, or so I thought... After packing the bike. I ducked back into my pub B&B room for that last check to make sure there is nothing left. "Good all clear," I noted to myself. "I'm out of here," I said to no one in particular. Left the key at the bedside table then closed the door.

I walked down to the bike. What! No helmet! $#@%$^$%^

The publican doesn't get in until after 8.30am...

Finally I'm underway and making good headway towards Rockhampton, then I'm back in my old stomping grounds.

It's also the first time that I ride at night. The kangaroo menace seemed to have disappeared. No carcasses on the road since Westwood.
Stopping in Miriam Vale, I call old friends in Bundy (that'll be Bundaberg to you). And I'm stopping there for the night.

961 km...

Day 25: Bundaberg to Nambour (263 km)

So after much ado with old friends, I'm off to Nambour to catch up with family.
I left my bike and gear at my bro's house, spent a couple of days, shortened greatly by the Longreach stay, much to the consternation of my Mum...
Jumped on a plane and flew back to Perth. Due to return in October... to complete the journey.