2016 BMW GS Safari - SE Qld - 6 to 11 Nov

[Digger]

G'Day Slackers,

I'll be leaving Wed 26 Oct to make my way thru Central Australia via Laverton, Alice, Boulia, Charleville and onto the Gold Coast to commence the Safari on 6 Nov. One other Club Member is accompanying me as far as the Olgas and Uluru before he peels off and makes his own way back to Perth.

SPOT Link from Wed @ 8.00AM is here;
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa

Link for Safari is here;
https://bmwsafari.com/

Will be departing from Dome Cafe in Mundaring at 8.00AM Wednesday.

I'll post stuff as the event progresses but in the meantime...

[Robbo]

Hope you have another great adventure Steve. Look forward to another mongrel dog production when you get back.
Robbo.

[Bozo]

Looks like Digger has reached Uluru as part of his "doing a diagonal" trip.

Bozo

[Digger]

Looks like Digger has reached Uluru as part of his "doing a diagonal" trip.

Bozo

You are correct...I am travelling alone and have made good time. The 'Rock' was closed to climbers (heat?) and I am currently at Erldunda at the junction just south of Alice. I staked the front tyre last night while looking for a suitable bush camp and repaired it with a plug but it appears to be leaking slowly. I'll swap the tyre out tomorrow (Saturday) morning and head for Alice for 24 hours R n R.
So much to do...so little time

[Bozo]

Digger

Enjoy the R&R in Alice at 39 degrees...a cold beer sounds appropriate, though the Hilton has a high tea on Sunday if you are inclined to curl a pinkie whilst holding a fine china cup.

Bozo

[Digger]

Great Central Road is in good shape (again)...the days were warn and the nights were cool. All that has changed now. It is definitely the end of the desert riding season for this year. Any later and it would be risky.



It is normally about this time that the road turns to shit...bad corrugations and quite sandy. Not this time...the road from the border to Uluru was in the best shape I've seen. There seemed to be a lot of Police doin' the rounds. I was stopped in the middle of nowhere (on the WA side) by a three car roadblock. They did a licence check, blew in the bag and even had a sniffer dog there. Apparently, Bad Guys run drugs thru the middle to try and avoid detection.

[Digger]

To all you Riders who use to complain about the rocky and Sandy creek crossing at Docker River; your prayers have been answered. They have sealed it in the last 12 months. Could be the beginning of the end...but I doubt it.



I staked a tyre when looking for a bush camp...managed to plug it but it continued to have a very slow leak. I ended up swapping the tyre out the following day. I got about 14,500km outta this one so it was probably timely anyway.

[Digger]

Uluru...yesterday (Friday). Never seen it so quiet. The Rock was closed to climbers (probably temperature related)...must be the end of the tourist season although from there to Alice still has a steady stream of tour buses on it.


Having a lay day today and will head for Boulia on the Plenty and Donahue Highways before turning South towards Birdsville.
SPOT Link is here;
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa

Back to work Slackers.

[Cookie]

Keep up the good work Steve, conditions look great albeit on the warm side.

[Digger]

Went to the Road Transport Hall of Fame in Alice. I've been passed it several times and thought "one day". Today was that day. Quite an impressive indoor and outdoor display and interesting tales of hardship while trying to open up the Outback.



Even had a 1926 Indian there with an early version of a TKC 80. Half a leaf spring on the front for suspension and a couple of coils under the seat. I could almost picture my soft bags hangin' off the back.

[Digger]

Part of the Kenworth display...more like a Dealer Showroom than a Museum. Very neat and well maintained.



I can remember when...I cut my teeth on these things as a 17 year old soldier back in 1974 and they were not a new truck then. 5 speed 'crash' gearbox with hi and low range. No creature comforts. Different story nowadays.

[Digger]

The border crossing where the Plenty becomes the Donahue Highway. Conditions changed (for the worse) as soon as I crossed into Qld.



39 degrees in Alice...phfft. A walk in the park. The following day was 42+. What could possibly go wrong?

[Digger]

Within 10 km of crossing into Qld, I cut a tyre on a gibber and was able to limp the bike to a RFDS emergency airstrip. Plugged the whole but the tear was too big to seal. 40+ heat in the middle of the day so I decided to wait two hours in the hope the heat would reduce before swapping out the tyre. It didn't so I changed the rear in the heat. Thirsty work. Only saw one vehicle in the time I was there (3 trailer road train) and he couldn't do much for me anyway. I pack tubes as spares as well as patching gear. I don't wanna become a headline.



I had lunch with 'The King' yesterday...I thought he was dead. Works out that he moved to Bedourie in Outback Qld. We had a cheeseburger together but he didn't talk much. I found him to be quite 'wooden'. I'm surprised he was so popular. After lunch I said Thank you very much and then I left the building.

SPOT Link is here;
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/face ... UCtYLNPufa
Currently at Charleville and well ahead of schedule. Will arrive at Toowoomba tomorrow (Wednesday) and spend two night there.
Back to work Slackers.

[Bozo]

Digger
It would not be a Digger trip without extensive reference to tyres.
Does the museum know that you have changed out the Indian's front tyre?
Good to hear you made it safely to the big smoke (Charleville).
More civilised temperatures ahead of you...you may even need your coat in Chinchilla.
Great to hear the story as it unfolds.
Bozo

[jls]

Yes great to be getting the up dates and pics
Nice use of the ground sheet ,must of been windy by the size of the tie down rocks