Australia's Centre Of Gravity

[Digger]

G'Day Slackers,

Goin' for a ride....this time to Australia's centre of gravity near Finke in the NT. Leaving on Sunday 13th Sep and be back in about 2 weeks. Might check out some more of the APY Lands at the same time...stunning landscape.

http://www.placenames.nt.gov.au/origins ... -australia
http://www.exploroz.com/Places/75844/NT ... entre.aspx

Will be going with another couple of Club members, a DR650 and an AT. I'll be on the 1200GSA for this one.

SPOT Tracker is here;
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa

In the meantime...get back to w***.

[Fastrhino]

Have a safe journey and get lots of great video footage.

[Swampy]

Hope everything "Balances" out for you on this trip Cecil B

PS. Get back to work?.........No thanks I'm retired

Swampy

[spacey1]

OK, I'm back at work.

Thankfully, we can rely on you, digger, to keep us all entertained... dingos in a hole, camel herding, laying under bikes, and the whole lot on video.

For the love of us 'workers', keep it up...

Safe trip

[Digger]

Thankfully, we can rely on you, digger, to keep us all entertained... dingos in a hole, camel herding, laying under bikes, and the whole lot on video.
For the love of us 'workers', keep it up...

Somebody told me once.."publish; or perish".
Everyday is a new adventure...

[Digger]

Returned from Australia's geographical centre earlier today....covered some big distances but the whole journey went pretty seamlessly. Went on some unfamiliar roads and tracks and even ventured through some country where permits were required. Getting pretty hot in the interior now...it was in the mid 30's a couple of days ago. That must mean it is the end of the desert riding season for this year. So much to see; so little time.

Typically, the Great Central Road is/was in good shape on the WA side. Once you cross into the NT it is a very different story (as some other club members can attest). Once in the NT the road is heavily corrugated with some sandy sections that can be difficult to negotiate.


As you get closer to the Olgas the road conditions improve and then become a sealed road to Uluru and beyond (to Alice or Adelaide). It was a round this point that we saw a Vstrom two up heading West. We thought that was pretty ballsy considering the conditions but assumed they must have known what they were getting themselves into. Works out they didn't. On the return journey we discovered that they were both thrown off the bike with the pillion breaking an ankle. They continued riding to Kalgoorlie to have the leg X rayed after the nurse at Warakuna plastered it up.

[Digger]

Lambert's Geographical Centre is just West of Finke in the NT. The access track proved to be difficult with some deep sandy sections winding thru dunes. This is the first trip in a long time where I did not take a lotta video footage so if you are expecting a Mongrel Dog Production then you are gunna be disappointed.


12km later we were at 'Central Australia'. The way out was more difficult than the way in....this often applies because you know how difficult the conditions are going to be on the way out and it creates a bit of angst.


On the return journey we navigated thru the 'APY' Lands in South Australia thru to Surveyor Generals Corner and onto Blackstone and Warburton. We needed fuel for 900km. Thankfully the roads and tracks thru the APY Lands are in good shape (for the most part).

[Digger]

_Wilks suffered a punctured front tyre on the Storm Trooper about 100km south west of Tjukarilya on Great Central Road. This was the only puncture for the whole journey between all of us and in fact the only 'maintenance' issue for the trip.


Raider ran out of fuel...2 km from Laverton. Luckily, he had spare fuel on board 'just in case'. Wise decision.


Things haven't changed a lot in Kookynie in the last 100 years... Kookynie is part of the Golden Quest Discovery Trail which has good unsealed roads for the most part. An ideal training ground to get the big GS's out there in their natural habitat.

Show's over...get back to work!!!!

[Fastrhino]

Great write up Steve.

[jls]

By the looks another great ride
Starting to think there,s something in the water out Tjukayirla way

[Bozo]

Storm trooper? Raider? Digger Vader?

[_Wilks]

The route we took.


1st night frost... between Kalgoorlie & Laverton via Yarri Rd


Len Beadell plaque on the tree in the photo below


Took an important (to me) photo


... which goes with these from the same area (will have to get my HP2 out there next year!)
My old GSA (now Spacey1's)

My old DR (now Robbo's)


East of Docker River. The usual sandy section found through there.


errr, The Olgas


Curtin Springs. 80km east of Yulara. My preferred stopover after re-stocking the food bag at Yulara.


Digger Vader





Good company


Surveyor Gen's corner


Some clown felt it was important to knock off the "South Australia" and bar


Bugger


Ever the artiste... nice composition & angle there Digger. (Twas a good call asking him to grab my camera for some pics)


Team work (or praying to the tyre gods - "let this be the first and last flat")


Horse checking out the white thoroughbred

[spacey1]

Great ride write-up, Gents

Brought back lots of fond (and not so fond) memories of the GCR (Northern Territory end).

I reckon Ken would have ridden that one-wheeler to the closest servo to get someone else to fix it.
He is a whizz in one wheelers

http://www.airwheelsaustralia.com.au/

Yeah, yeah, I know, back to work slackers...

[Cookie]

Thanks Digger and team for another inspiring report and pictures.