Speed Week and Beyond

[Digger]

Day 10 update cont...


I decided to take the easy option and stay in a $30 room at the Coburn Hotel on the SA/NSW Border. $30 don’t get you much but at least I was off the ground for a night.



I rode thru Banjo Patterson country today. He spent time in the military during WW1 and retired a Major. He was a lot taller than I expected.

[KoosWA]

He was also a journalist in the Anglo-Boer war in South Africa. I recently read some of his extensive and detailed dispatches in a two volume biography. Fascinating as my grandfather was in a concentration camp some of that time, he was 9-11 years old during the war. My great grandfather was a commando out and about in the veld living off the land. Eventually captured and sent to a PoW camp in Bermuda, which he luckily survived. The same farm was in our family from 1883 through the war[s] till 2019.

Steve I see you're heading to the Gold Coast some time. I work between GC and Brisbane and live in Coolum. You're welcome to come around to the Sunshine Coast when you get back. I'll show you around the hinterland. The DR is in for major heart surgery, but should be back in April. I'll be in Perth over Easter until 10 April.

[Digger]

G’day Slackers,

Update - End of this Chapter.
I have arrived at my destination, Newcastle NSW, to finish this chapter. I will leave the bike here in temporary storage and fly back to Perth for a few weeks. After that I will return to commence a new chapter; a 5 day supported bike ride with 200 other Riders conducted by Moto Trekkin from the Hunter Valley to the Gold Coast commencing in April.
Watch this space.



Sometimes it’s the weird stuff that catches your attention when on the tour!



Birdstrike. I hope it wasn’t on the endangered list.




Before



After.
Rear tyres are expensive and don’t last very long on these big Adventure bikes. I do like to get my monies worth out of each tyre. Unfortunately I’ll have to scrap this one before the supported bike ride. Pity...I reckon there was still a bit of life left in this one.



So much to do; so little time.

See you on the other side.

[Digger]

Steve I see you're heading to the Gold Coast some time. I work between GC and Brisbane and live in Coolum. You're welcome to come around to the Sunshine Coast when you get back. I'll show you around the hinterland. The DR is in for major heart surgery, but should be back in April. I'll be in Perth over Easter until 10 April.

Hi Koos, the supported ride dates are 18-23 April. From there I hope to store the bike in Brisbane and return to collect it in time for the BMW Safari Enduro from Longreach to Toowoomba. That will be in August. We can liaise closer to the day to sort out the detail.
Regards

[Digger]

G'day Slackers,

Join this ol’ fool as he crosses a Continent all in the name of Adventure. In this video, Steve goes to Speed Week, an annual event held in Outback South Australia, to witness Riders/Drivers trying to improve on their previous personal best by getting an extra few km/hr out of their machines.
Grab ya gear; lets go!



Now get back to work!

[Swampy]

Yet another cameo performance by Mongrel Dog Enterprises Founder/Producer/Director and Star Cecil B Digger!!

Special mention is made for the person responsible the extensive Wardrobe and the Research and Development team that went into producing yet another fine production!!

Swampy

[Digger]

The Adventure continues...

Watch this space!

[Digger]

G’day Slackers,

I returned to Newcastle today (Friday) to collect my BMW and will continue with this next part of this Adventure, a 5 day supported ride from the Hunter Valley to the Gold Coast.

I collect the bike tomorrow, Register on Sunday along with 200 other Riders and the event starts on Monday.



Some of the tyres required to conduct an off-road event such as this. 200 Riders, 5 days zig zagging over the Great Dividing Range. What could possibly go wrong?



I visited the Star Hotel today; made famous by the Cold Chisel song about the Newcastle Riots in 1979 when 4,000 rioters trashed the place.




The pub was sold and was going to be closed down. On the last night of trading the patrons wanted to continue partying but the Cops had other ideas.




One of the overturned Police cars set alight during the riots.

Extract from Wikipedia,
The Star Hotel riot, occasioned by the closing of a popular pub, was one of the largest riots in Australian history. An estimated 4,000 people fought with police on the streets of Newcastle, New South Wales on the night of 19 September 1979.

Link to history of the riots is here.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Hotel_riot

See you on the other side.

[Swampy]

Visited Hunter Street many times while I was based at the Army Fire Station in Singleton!!

Swampy

[Digger]

Visited Hunter Street many times while I was based at the Army Fire Station in Singleton!!

Swampy

I know the original Parachute Training School was located at RAAF Base Williamtown north of Newcastle before it moved to Nowra after the disbandment of the the Naval Air Arm (long story). There would be many a Soldier who would have fond memories of the Star Hotel and Newcastle in general. Not to mention the steel works of BHP. It would have been a ‘Workers man’ type town back in the day....a larger version of Collie. Good times.

[Digger]

G’Day Slackers
A one minute Teaser to keep the juices flowing.
https://youtu.be/2FUbjLHTsSU

[Digger]

Hello Snowflakes,

The story so far...
I returned to Newcastle and collected my bike. The 5 day supported ride was from the Hunter Valley to the Gold Coast. Moto Trekkin provided the logistics, planning and execution. We were blessed by great weather. Not everybody finished. I fly back to Perth on 26th April after storing the bike in Brisbane to be collected later for this journey to continue later in the year.



Scrutinising for roadworthiness bottom left of shot before registration at Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley.



Tyre change prior to day one. Not my bike...I’m on the R1200GSA.




200 Riders...what could possibly go wrong. Not everyone finished. The Master of Ceremony (MC) was a comedian. Very creative. Most of these events have some stale, middle aged, overweight balding men who think they know what they’re talking about addressing the crowd (sometimes they do!).

[Digger]

...Cont


Each day had ‘breakout routes’ for Riders who wanted a challenge. Day one’s breakout route involved 20 water crossings.



Some spectacular scenery as we zig zag over the Great Divide.




One Rider broke his leg in two places on day one. Another broke a shoulder.

[Digger]

...cont


Oh dear!



One rider lost both front teeth from his own crash bars. I’m not sure how that can happen but it did.



One Rider got crossed up in some ruts, crashed and was concussed. We had paramedics and an ambulance in support but she needed urgent care so a chopper was called in.

[Digger]

...cont


Dalmorton Tunnel on Old Grafton Road.



A lot of the waterways and rivers had water flowing from recent heavy rain and flooding.



Accomodation was included in the Registration fee and gave you three choices. Single, shared or camping. I do enough camping. . I chose share accomodation. This was the villa at Urunga Resort.