Crossing Australia - Twice!

Time to get excited everyone. Today is the start of my 3 week across Australia (and back) trip.

Departure point is Sale, a small country town in rural Victoria, in the south-eastern part of the country. Heading to Margaret River, which is in the south-western part of our bit of dirt. The map is below. One way will be about 4000km. Return leg will be a little different for variety, but options are limited – will post that later. All up I should be looking at about 8000 – 10,000km.

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Have got the 6th Gen all loaded up. Only changes to the original packing list is that I am now taking a couple of Kriega packs as well (ran out of room….)

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 The first half of this ride is an organized push (“The Long Ride 2016”), in support of men’s prostate cancer, and the group will be sticking to a defined schedule.

Will be trying for daily updates, but don't hold me to it!!

Let’s go!!

Augo

Today is effectively Day Zero, to get us all to the agreed start point.

Sale – Melbourne

Distance - 230km. Today will end up being the second-shortest day of the entire trip.

Temp range - 16-20 Deg C.

Weather - Overcast, no rain.

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Left Sale at 1.30pm after we all rode away from work. This is Nick.

Lots of motorway – the Princes Highway is undergoing some roadworks around Rosedale and Traralgon, so slow going. Am travelling with a mixed bag of bikes and rider skill level, so some patience required.  A pretty non-eventful route that takes you through some little towns like Trafalgar and Yaragon.

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Time to introduce the team.

Fluffy and Charlie. Fluffy’s on his HD ElectraGlide. Charlie’s trying to fill Fluffy’s ElectraGlide with her hair straighteners and shoes.  

Jack, on his Indian Scout. Awesome dude, awesome bike, but Jack will only be with us for a few days. Work pressures mean a very early return to Sale.

Chris and Lisa. Chris is on his TDM 900 and Lisa’s on her brand new VeeStrom. She’s only had her licence for a short time, but she’s really embracing the idea of such a long ride.

Max, on his Triumph Sprint ST.  Max will have to turn around after 3 or 4 days.  Again – work pressures.

Simon, on his VeeStrom.

Gav, on his 6th Gen.

Leg stretch at Officer (185km), which is pretty much an outer-outer suburb of Melbourne these days. Stayed on the Monash Freeway, through the Burnleigh Tunnel, and past the Central Business District.  Over the West Gate Bridge, continuing west towards Geelong. By the time we got off the West Gate it was about 5pm, and traffic had slowed to almost a carpark. Fought some congestion and got off the freeway at the Point Cook exit.

Topped up the tank in preparation for tomorrow, when we meet a bunch of other Victorian riders, as The Long Ride participants start to move west and join up along the way.

Non-eventful day. Boring, but essential. Tomorrow we get away from the city and start the ride in proper style.

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Awesome Thai food - I had the Panang Chicken Curry - will be paying for it tomorrow.....

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Wow, that's quite a load! I bet you end up using a fraction of it all and wishing you may have packed less, at least that's what ends up happening to me. How is it hiking your leg up and over that?

Enjoy your journey. Liking the pics, keep it up!

Wheres the rider sit > !..... :tongue:

Keep sending the updates - looks like an adventure...

Melbourne to Mildura.

Distance; 577 km

Weather; fine / patchy cloud.

Temp; 13-21 Deg C.

Today was a great day. Was the first of the decent distances, and our small group met up with the rest of the Victorian and Tasmanian riders in terms of the organized part of the ride.

A whole bunch of bikes on the road – we recognized the recipe for congestion on small country roads, so we stayed together in our small 7 bike group.

Said goodbye to Jack – hate to see the little fella go, but he had to attend to some pressing issues. We will miss him.

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Uneventful morning. Bendigo, then got to Kerrang. Had lunch.  All good. Simon advertised that he was in his old stomping ground from primary school days, where his dad was the School Principal. Possibility for a ride by and a photo opportunity? Absolutely….

From there, we blasted off to Swan Hill. Soon after, Simon and I split from the group for his bit of nostalgia.

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Found Simon’s old school in a little piece of small-town Australia. “Piangil” must have a population of only one hundred or so – not much to it.

From there, we had to head to Mildura via some back roads – very quiet country roads, so time for some more spirited moves. Passed through more rural Australia. “Manangatan” and signs to “Tooleybuc” and “Ouyen”. You’re not missing much. No surprises with the big silos – we’re in some pastural heartland here….

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Got to Mildura – nice town of about 30,000 people. Early to bed and up for more adventure tomorrow!!

Augo

Map;

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Great shots and thanks for sharing.

Nice!!!! Please keep the pics coming no have never seen this type of scenery.

C

Australia has always been on the bucket list to visit, a bike tour while down there, even more so.

Why not travel via The Great Ocean Road? And why bypass the brilliant roads around Adelaide?

dfh - that is on the return leg. This half is an organised route. Back to the East Coast we are on our own. Patience.....

Day 2. Mildura to Broken Hill

Distance; 285 km.

Temp; 13-23 Deg C. Clear / Patchy Cloud

Awesome day for riding a bike.  Agreeable weather conditions. Very quiet country roads and not a single Highway Patrol Officer seen all day. Great visibility even on corners due to not much vegetation. Speeds were “sporting” throughout.

Left Mildura via a small neighbouring town called Red Cliffs. We passed through the day before, and I spied a cool looking old hotel – needed a photo. We rode out to get said picture and I almost got collected by an old fool in a Camry on a Roundabout – twice (long story). Impeccable start to the day.

Got to Red Cliffs. Got the photo. Got back on the bike and left.

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Destination for today is Broken Hill, with strong links to mining. Once we left Mildura and Agriculture supported by a river, the landscape took a decidedly different turn. Would love to tell you this looked like the Grand Canyon, or Utah…… Not so much…

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Lots of nothing. All… Day… Long…

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Whilst the sign said to look out for lots of these…..

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We didn’t see any alive Kangaroos or Wallabies (plenty of roadkill though). Welcome to Australia.

Saw lots of these evil looking horned goats. Completely feral in nature, and they brazenly walk around the shoulder of the road, as well as the bitumen. Hitting a goat at “not 100 km / hr” wouldn’t have been awesome.

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Got to Broken Hill. Bit of a depressing looking town, although it does have it’s memorable history. Has been the backdrop to a bunch of notable Australian movies, including “Priscilla; Queen of the Desert” and one of the earlier “Mad Max” films.

Swapped bikes with Simon. He gave it a pretty good turn of pace.

His comment; "I love it. I want one, but it scares me."

My comment; "The V-Strom is not for me."

Pub dinner. Couple of beers.  

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See you tomorrow.

Augo

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More, more, more!...... Love the scenery. Thanks for posting btw.

C

Great stuff mate, looking forward to the rest.

Day 03.  Broken Hill to Port Augusta.

Distance; 415 km

Weather; Perfect - sunny. 13-23 Deg C.

Before departing Broken Hill, we had a look around. Bit of a grim economic scene by the looks of it, but that’s from the perspective of a guy there for less than 24 hours…..

Clearly, however, Broken Hill has a very rich and colourful history. Lots of grand old buildings.

Beautiful old Police station, right next door to the Courthouse (naturally).

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The Palace Hotel, which played a big part in “Priscilla; Queen of the Desert”.

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There is a “Mad Max” museum, which was closed.

Had a great bacon and egg roll for breakfast, which is my “go to” meal on the road. Simon ordered muesli (I don’t know why – it’s good for you??) and it never came. Don’t know how you can stuff up muesli, but they did. So on that sour note, we hit the road!!

Not long after leaving Broken Hill, we hit the New South Wales / South Australia state border. Landscape still looked pretty bleak – lots of red dirt, and not much else….

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We rolled into Yunta for a refuel (that’s all you can do there – 2 service stations is the town), then onto Peterborough for lunch.

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Pressed on – couple of good photo opportunities. This doesn’t look like much, but the line of cars is waiting for fruit quarantine inspection.

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Some Australian states are very twitchy about the spread of fruit fly, due to potential impact to agriculture. Entering some states can come with a cursory inspection of your car  - not so much for bikes.

Peterborough was an interesting small Australian town. Has a strong affinity with old trains (???). Found a solid pub offering one meal – the classic Australian Pub Sunday Roast. Gold!!

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After that, we scratched the surface of Peterborough, to find that they have a motorcycle museum. An excellent small private collection of Guzzi, Benelli, MV Agusta, even a couple of Honda Monkey Bikes…..;-)

Blasted off from Peterborough to Wilmington for a quick leg stretch then off for the final leg to Port Augusta. Landscape changed again to lots of low scrubby saltbush.

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Whilst this part of Australia on the surface looks desolate, vast and empty, there is ultimately a special beauty about it.

Here’s the map.

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Augo

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I hope there is a curvy road ... ???

Switchblade - curvy roads are coming, but it will take a week or so. The first third of this trip is focused on endurance and covering miles.....

Day 04.  Port Augusta to Ceduna.

Distance; 499 km

Weather; Light rain in the morning. Rest was sunny. 16-25 Deg C.

Had breakfast in Port Augusta; was looking forward to getting out of there quickly. No sense of humour, which is understandable, given the unemployment that is coming for the town. The power station is being dismantled after 60 years along with the steel mill, and a lot of folk will be out of a job…..

Went to the “Office Café” – thanks girls – the meal and the service was fantastic. Simon wanted to ensure he had “eyes on” his bike throughout, so he parked his V-Strom on the sidewalk opposite. Completely legal in Victoria.  Not so much in South Australia. Halfway through breakfast, Mr Plod was out in force. Classic.

Simon moved quickly to protest his innocence….. All ended well – no fines and everyone was on their way…..but we have pictures for later.

From Port Augusta we headed off – got rained on immediately, but very light and no ongoing concern. Ignored it, and dried out quickly.

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Stopped at Iron Knob for the obligatory photo - who doesn’t like an iron knob??

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Stopped for fuel at Kimba – apparently we've covered some small distance....

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Pressed on – had a leg stretch at Kyancutta……, but our goal for today was Streaky Bay – bit of a divert from the highway route to Ceduna.

We turned left and we continued to Streaky Bay – lots of fun. An old bloke (“Blue”) on his brand new FJR was “running it in” with the VFR for the afternoon – great fun. Good guy / great bike, particularly if you like luxo-bike-couches. Spirited....

Got to Streaky Bay. Little tourist town / fishing village. Nice place. Beautiful views.

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Launched from Streaky Bay for Ceduna. Pretty easy gig, with a good crew. Flexible right wrists….. Ceduna is a pretty town – for anyone who’s been in Australia before, the foreshore area is a complete replica for Glenelg in Adelaide – beautiful setup, including pier, same aspect, grassed frontage, etc.

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Have caught up with a work mate who is also on this ride – Mup is a champion, and he rides a Ducati Multistrada. I “test” rode it this afternoon. A weapon. Complete weapon. I must have one – I have briefed Mrs Augo on the situation.

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Dinner in a flash (nice) pub. Took the bikes into the drive-thru bottle-shop afterwards to ensure we would have refreshments.  Bottle of red in the Shelley Beach Caravan Park – kicking goals…..

Accommodation is a tent site on the beach – it’s reasonably hard to take…..

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Another 500km day tomorrow.

Here’s the map.

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Augo

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darn, new item added to the bucket list.

I thought California was the only place to search for fruit. I always wandered if people smuggled watermelons or something.

Moderators - I don't know how to remove the photos at the very bottom of my post - help!!??!!

Day 05.  Ceduna to Border Village.

Distance; 479 km

Weather; Patchy cloud. 13-23 Deg C.

Went back to the Foreshore hotel for breakfast and loaded up for the day.

Departed Ceduna thinking that it was a pretty cool little town.

Today’s leg would introduce the group to a collection of small outback towns in South Australia, and also give us a very small taste of the Nullarbor Plain – an Australian icon. Vast and desolate. The numbers are big, as are the views.

First – leg stretch in Penong. Nothing to report. Trust me. Keep going. Another couple of roadhouses / truckstops. The “remarkable” factor is low.

Gav had some previous experience here. He mentioned that there were a few excellent view points of the “Head of the Bight”. The Great Australian Bight. Impressive cliff faces and rugged Australian coastline. Excellent.

We visited two sites. One was pay for entrance, due to the infrastructure no doubt.

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The next was a few hours later and was literally a car park on the side of the road – get out; load up on awesome views…..

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Interesting fact on the Nullarbor. The place is so remote, that creative solutions are required for “basics”. Due to no big towns, and huge distances in between them, there is no ready access to high end medical support. Solution?? Designate key parts of the highway as makeshift airstrips for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS). The police or ambulance literally turn up with a patient, close off both ends of the airstrip to traffic and a fixed wing aircraft lands on the road. Patient transfer complete, the road is then opened up again. Here is a regular sign on the Plain identifying the strip to drivers, and the threshold of the airstrip – the “piano keys” for the pilots.

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Pulled up at Border Village – located on the border of South Australia and Western Australia.

The most dubious “campground” I’ve ever seen, even $15 for three people was viewed as steep. On the upside – the staff were awesome; pretty much accommodated our every request. Set up tents next to the cattleyards and got some sleep prior to a big day tomorrow.

Here’s the map.

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Augo

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Day 06.  Border Village to Norseman.

Distance; 721 km

Weather; Overcast, light rain. 12-23 Deg C.

Today was all about the Nullabor Plain – Road Trains, Roadkill and boring straight roads.

Very early departure from Border Village due to the distance today. Packed up wet tents in the dark, refueled and hit the fruit quarantine station on the border. Grabbed a few opportunistic photos.

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Gratuitous border shot.

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Bloody big truck, with a couple of small bikes next to it.  This is a road train. 56 metres of truck. This one is a triple – one of the big ones.

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The Nullabor is pretty amazing. This is as far west as I have ever been by road. I have visited Perth before, but only via plane.  The Nullabor is not the desolate desert I was expecting. There is a lot of greenery around. Useless scrubby crap, however, it’s still green. This is about as "desert-ish" as I saw today.

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Saw a herd of wild camels today, along with an emu and a couple of (dead) wedge tail eagles. Would you believe I have not seen a kangaroo yet in almost a week of travelling through Australia - unheard of...

We rode the longest straight road in Australia - not a single curve, corner or twisty in 90 miles......

Got rained on in that epic straight. 

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Here is a nice shot of the VFRs against some of the typically rugged landscape on the Nullarbor.

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Here’s the map.

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Tomorrow is a short run down to Esperence – only 200 km.

Augo

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Cool write-up, thanks!!

I've done most of those roads over the years while doing charity car rallies, all of them in 1980s Alfa Romeos worth less than $1000 (so yes, we were up most nights fixing things.....). The Nullarbor is a lot more interesting than I'd been led to believe. The scenery is fascinating, and you can see weather systems forming from hours away (from Perth to Adelaide in 3 days we drove through the same storm 3 times!!). The wildflowers are beautiful out there and the wildlife is very interesting. Got closer to a wedge-tail than was comfortable, saw many dingoes, but like you say, kangaroos are almost non-existent through there. Not sure I'd be keen to do it on a bike more than once, but well done anyway.

Might sound like a stupid question, but did you see any huge cats on the Nullarbor? When I drove across it I saw a HUGE cat, probably about the size of a labrador. I wasn't imagining it either, the guy I was driving in convoy with also saw it, and we were both on the CB radio going "what in the hell was that?".

I always find it hard explaining to people how beautiful outback Australia is. The nothingness is breathtaking in and of itself, but it's hard to put the sensation into words. I'm itching to get an adventure bike up into some of the gravel roads through the centre I did on the car rallies.

Enjoy the ride mate, keep the updates coming!!

Day 07. Norseman to Esperance.

Distance; 203 km

Weather; Patchy cloud / sunny. 14-28 Deg C.

Bit of a casualty day today.

Today was to be a very short day, so Gav and I had a late, lazy start. Simon had done a big day yesterday and had extended through to Esperence, so we would meet him there.

We woke to the news that Chris was not feeling well, so he and Lisa were going to take it very easy, leaving later than us. Nick and Charlie got on the road early to see some sights on the way down.

Quick brekky and a fuel up, and then I was wanting a photo of a “herd” of corrugated iron camels in the main road of Norseman. Pulled up to the herd, and complacency took over. Coasted to a stop in neutral, subconsciously put the kickstand down (like I have a million times before) and reached for the camera, looking to take a very quick shot. Kickstand was on uneven ground and the bike rolled forward. Stoopid rookie error.

Scratched the left mirror housing, bent the clutch lever and a few scratches on the left fairing. Purely cosmetic. The soft luggage took a lot of the sting out of it.

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The offending camels....

After the bike was righted, Gav and I pressed onwards to Esperence. Only 200-odd km, so a very easy day.  Got to the caravan park to find that Simon had secured us three excellent positions, and we set up quickly. Lunch in a brilliant café, and then we cut up the local tourist route of the Shoreline and the famous “Pink Lake”. The beaches in Esperence are spectacular – pure white, and the sand is so fine that it squeaks underfoot.

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The Pink Lake however, wasn’t pink. I think the light was all wrong. Here's an explanation of why it is supposed to be pink.

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Got the clutch lever replaced. Honda OEM lever, for $32 fitted on the spot. Happy.

Woke the next day to hear that Chris had actually been airlifted to Perth, and was yet to be diagnosed, but regardless, it must be serious. Lisa was understandably upset, so the morning was spent sorting logistic arrangements for carriage of his bike.

In the end, we got in contact with some guys who were driving a support vehicle with the charity ride and they took it to Perth, where Lisa will have much more luck finding a freight company to ship both bikes back to Victoria. She will continue riding with us to Perth.

Charlie came down with a migraine, so overall, there’s been far too much drama for my liking.

Here’s the map.

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Tomorrow is Esperence to Albany – 480 km.

Augo

Day 08. Esperance to Albany.

Distance; 480 km

Weather; Patchy cloud / Rain, 12-19 Deg C.

After Chris’ bike was loaded, we got ourselves on the road.

We said goodbye to Esperence, which was a beautiful little tourist town and headed for Albany. We knew that we would be heading into some shitty weather.

After about 30 minutes, the temperature dropped and the rain started.  Being a stubborn male, I refused to believe the rain would hold, so I delayed deploying any wet weather pants, until my denim was pretty much saturated…..

At the next refuel town (Jerramungup), I got some warm dry clothes on. Much better!!

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Notwithstanding the rain, wind and general crap conditions, we cut some very good time. Empty landscapes became rolling hills of green, reminding me a lot of the dairy farms of Victoria.

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Blasted into Albany as it was getting dark. Noted a Harley Davidson & Ducati dealership. Possibilities for tomorrow. Whilst we had made good time, the late start meant we were going to be putting tents up in the dark, with the added bonus of rain. Winning (not).  Caravan park was excellent. Right on the beach. Tents up, we refused to get any more gastronomically adventurous than delivered pizza and beer.

Chris underwent surgery and it was confirmed he had a stomach ulcer bleed. He’s a lucky guy, that it was caught and treated.

Here’s the map.

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Tomorrow is Albany to Margaret River – 350 km.

Augo

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Day 09. Albany to Margaret River.

Distance; 450(ish) km

Weather; Mainly fine. Sunny. 14-23 Deg C.

Breakfast on the waterfront. Nice start to the day.

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Dropped into that HD / Ducati dealership. Albany clearly has some money in the local economy. Lots of expensive toys in that shop. Some I would like to own; some truly ridiculous. No Multistrada though on the Ducati side, so my quest for a new steed is yet to start in earnest.

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Gav may have found a new bike??

Left Albany. Pretty town, with a decent historic streak to it. Of note, Albany was the last bit of Australia that our soldiers in WW1 would have seen prior to getting on ships, bound for war. However, it felt a bit underdone compared to Esperence, which was all over its tourist marketing campaign.

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German couple looking typically serious.

The upside of today, was that we enjoyed some of the best riding of the trip. One stretch went through the Valley of the Giants. Huge old gum trees that overshadowed the road. Fast sweepers, one after the other, for a good 150km. Road surface was very good. Some traffic, but altogether manageable. Simon, Gav and I had a ball.

Stopped in Manjimup for lunch. Bit of a hipster town where organic hemp basket weaving is probably a thing. Good eats though.

From Manjimup we specifically looked for, and found, a bunch of backroad shortcuts that took us to Margaret River. Gav, Simon and I separated ourselves from Nick, Charlie and Lisa and carved the roads up for a few hours.

Went to Cape Leeuwin, where the Southern Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. Also has a pretty cool lighthouse.

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Once we all got to Margaret River, the charity part of The Long Ride was technically over. Everyone now has to head home under their own steam, with no centralized co-ordination. Lisa will be travelling to Perth to catch up with Chris and they will fly home after freighting bikes. Nick is putting Charlie on a plane back to Victoria and he will ride home with me, Gav and Simon. But first, a couple of days in Margaret River and Perth simply tooling around and seeing the west coast!!

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Here’s the map.

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Tomorrow is exploring Margaret River – distance unknown.

Augo

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Good on you Augo, Great report and the pics and map enhance the story. Bringing back memories of a similar ride in 2010 to the Ulysses AGM. Wonderful. Sure there is plenty of straight road across the Nullarbor but "boring" never! It seems like it might be when contemplating the return journey, however, I didn't find it that way.

Happy travelling.

Day 10. Local area Margaret River.

Distance; Negligible – maybe 150 km.

Weather; Patchy cloud. 14-23 Deg C.

Morning was a bit of a late start – Gav and I headed out for breakfast. Found a hipster café (these things are monotonous in their regularity in WA) and had some good eats. Then set off to a supermarket for supplies for the day.

Simon and Nick & Charlie turned up, so back at the caravan park, we embarked on a major battle with washing clothes, washing bikes, airing out camping gear etc. That lasted until about lunchtime, then we got into what Margaret River is famous for – wine, craft beers and good produce.

First stop, the Margaret River Chocolate Company. Not really my thing, however, great opportunity to get a bunch of supplies for the family. Upon leaving this location, we noted a bit of smoke / smell about the VFR. More on this later.

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Next, we went to the Bootleg Brewery. Craft Beer makers who take food and drink very seriously. Great location, great vibe, great food and of course, great beers. Had the tasting paddle of 8 beers along with a pulled pork roll with slaw and BBQ sauce. A bit clichéd these days, but still bloody good. I would move to Margaret River for this establishment alone.

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Then to Hap winery. Really nice stuff; they tend to specialize in sweet  wines, particularly sticky after-dinner numbers. Again, not my thing, but Gav put an order in and some wines should be inbound to his wife shortly. Had the conversation about the prostate cancer ride we completed and a complementary bottle for this evening was forthcoming. Great work, Hap winery!!

That was it for the day. Pretty low key, but very enjoyable. Overall, I’d call it a win.

No map.

Tomorrow is Margaret River to Perth. Distance about 250km.

Augo

Day 11. Margaret River to Perth.

Distance; About 250 km.

Weather; Cloud and rain. 12-23 Deg C.

Remember that smell and smoke from the VFR? Appears to be a slow oil leak. Point of origin, unknown. However, the cooling system is still regulating temperature, and there is no massive oil slicks behind / under the bike. There are no reliable service agents in Margaret River, so I’m going to nurse the bike to Perth.

Set off. Quick detour to the Busselton Jetty. It holds some record for the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere(??). It’s big. It has a train on the jetty to get tourists to the other end.

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Slowly but surely inched our way to Perth. Like all capital cities in Australia, Perth’s freeways suck.

Temperatures on the bike stayed within norms. Gav and Simon trailed me – there  is obviously some smoke and drama, but we are monitoring carefully.

Finally got to a service centre, where Simon is having his V-Strom serviced. Talked to Mike, the head mechanic. Not sure if he has time today. Deep discussions follow – we need to depart asap tomorrow morning. We walk off to have lunch, waiting for the phone call. About an hour later, Mike rings. V-Strom is serviced. The VFR is almost done. Looks like the bolt-head on the oil filter (not naming brands) has partially failed, resulting in a slow oil leak. Filter and fluids replaced, we are now back in business.

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Here’s Mike – a legend.

From there, we rode to see Nick and Charlie. We were all being put up at a friend of theirs – Brett. An ex-work mate of Nick’s. Great guy, married to Jodi – equally awesome. We had a great night and a fantastic BBQ with far too many wines and rum.

Simon and Gav got into deep discussions (with helmets on) regarding the virtues of their respective intercoms....

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Air mattress in the shed – perfect end to a stressful day.

Here's the map.

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Tomorrow is Perth to Norseman. We are starting our trip home in earnest. Distance 740 km.

Augo

Day 12. Perth to Norseman.

Distance; About 740 km.

Weather; Everything – patchy cloud, some blue sky, and rain. 12-20 Deg C.

Departed Brett and Jodi’s at 0730. Hung over. Never drinking again. Yeah, right. Nick said goodbye to Charlie. She would be flying back to Victoria today, leaving Nick to ride with the lads. Lisa is staying in Perth with Chris while he recovers from his surgery.

Battled freeway traffic – remember I said Perth’s freeways were crap? They have not improved in the last 24 hours.

Headed East, through some of Perth’s hilly country. Really pretty, lots of fog added to the ambience, but not the comfort factor. Fuel pretty early on and then we were ready to get started properly.

The rain started, but we didn’t care. We were back into long distance bike riding.  Lads only. 

Ripped through the first couple of hundred km. I am amazed with WA. I assumed it was largely dry, dusty and barren. Wrong. East of Perth is wheat country. Delivered in gargantuan proportions. Everything is enormous. The wheat fields go forever. I spied wheat silos that were so big that they had 4 dump chutes to accommodate 4 railway carriages at once, in order to fill a train…..amazing.

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We followed this water pipeline for most of our route today. As we headed further east, the landscape got more rugged and drier, changing from wheat fields to classic Aussie scrub.

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 Arrived in Coolgardie, a bit of a relic from the gold rush days. Unfortunately, in the modern age, the town is now not in great shape. Had a quick lunch and a beer in the local pub. It would have been a grand old girl in her day.  But now it is not looking so flash.

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From Coolgardie to Norseman (home of the infamous camel-induced-sidestand-roll-forward incident of 2016 – all the locals talk about it). Gave those fricken evil camels a wide berth.

Set up tents in the same caravan park we used last time. Much quieter this time, without hundreds of other riders. 

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Norseman pub for dinner.

 Here's the map.

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Tomorrow is Norseman to a secret free-camping spot, near some cliffs overlooking the Head of the Bight. So secret, I don’t know where it is…..Back onto the Nullabor Plain, and we have to do the 146 km of straight road.....again.

Augo

Day 13. Norseman to Border Village (+40 km).

Distance; About 750 km.

Weather; Mainly fine. 12-20 Deg C.

Straight to the Norseman BP roadhouse for breakfast. We have a couple of big days ahead of us. Check tyre pressures. Everything was as it should be.

Took off and had an uneventful run to Balladonia. Best coffee on the Nullabor, so a quick stop. Also checked out the display of SkyLab debris, from a NASA Satellite which crashed in the region in 1979.

From there, we did another run on the 90 mile / 146 km straight road – Australia’s longest. Simon strangled that poor little V-Strom for all it was worth. I think it’s normally good for about 300-350km. That day, he ran out of fuel 6 km from Caiguna, so it’s fair to say it was working pretty hard…..

I asked the lady behind the counter whether she had a jerry can for fuel I could borrow. “Sure” was the answer – a 25 Litre can….. Mmmm, not so useful. After ratting through the bins, we found a 1 Litre plastic milk bottle, with a lid. Gave it a very good wash and dried it out. Grabbed a litre of fuel and set off to rescue our mate. Found him where we left him, and completed the fuel transfer. All good.

From Caiguna we pressed on for a short leg to Cocklebiddy, for lunch. Fuelled up again, as the next stop would be Border Village. This is probably the most I’ve ever paid for Unleaded fuel in Australia.

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Next stop was Eucla, then across the border into South Australia. Refuelled at Border Village roadhouse and grabbed some supplies for dinner as we would be free camping tonight. Loose use of the word supplies. A bottle of red, some beef jerkey and some "Shapes" biscuits.

Back on the bikes. Grabbed a photo opportunity on the coastal cliffs.

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But light was fading. Had to get off the road and find a campsite before the critters came out. Ended up about 40k East of Border Village and found a shielded site off the Highway. Tents set up, we settled in for the night.

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Great day, good riding. Tomorrow offers more of the same.

Map;

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Augo

Day 14. Border Village (+40 km) to Nutt Bush Retreat (near Iron Knob).

Distance; 860 km.

Weather; Fine. 14-20 Deg C.

 Distance day today. We had originally wanted to get to Ceduna for the night, to revisit the Foreshore Hotel. Well, we got to Ceduna, but we got there at 1pm.  Not wanting to waste half a day, we settled for lunch at the Hotel, then got back on the road, and figured we would see how far we could get. We thought Nutt Bush Retreat – a caravan park setup near Iron Knob – would be achieveable. We made some phone calls. They had space, so we made a booking and committed to the extra miles.

 Put the bikes through the Bottle Shop again (Dejavu anyone??) for supplies, and pressed on.

To get there in time, we would have to do Ceduna – Kimba in one hit. Only 313km, which sounded easy, but we were all pretty knackered by the time we got there. Refuel, leg stretch and then the final 90km to Nutt Bush.

 Sun was setting as we rolled through the Iron Knob area. The mining sector pulls iron ore out of the ground, so the unending shades of red dirt and rock were highlighted by a setting sun behind us, as we made the final push East. Would love to have captured a picture, but we were focused on our destination.

Finally, success. Nutt Bush Retreat is located on Pandurrah Station, which is still an operating sheep station.  Been in the same family since 1895. It is only 40km West of Port Augusta, so we had an obvious breakfast spot in the morning.

Here's the map.

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Augo

Visiting Australia has always been on my bucket list but now it's made it a notch or two higher on the list! Thanks for posting this!

Duc2V4, 27 April 2016 at 0:28 AM

Visiting Australia has always been on my bucket list but now it's made it a notch or two higher on the list! Thanks for posting this!

Thanks Duc, it's been a pleasure to share this stuff with all you guys!!

Cheers,

Augo

Day 15. Nutt Bush Retreat to Adelaide.

Distance; 385 km.

Weather; Fine.  Sunny. 13-26 Deg C.

We left Nutt Bush Retreat after having had a great night. Excellent campground, with great facilities.

After packing up, we made a bee line for Port Augusta for breakfast. On the way in, we were still in a remote-Australia-Nullabor headspace and the speeds were creeping up. As we overtook a lady in a Four Wheel Drive (SUV), she screamed out the window “Cop!!” and pointed ahead. Nodding in thanks, we slowed down and looked out for police cars. Couldn’t see anything. Thought we’d been slowed down by an anti-bike cager.

Just before we entered Port Augusta, we (responsibly) overtook a small generic white car, which had a uniformed police officer going into work. A respectful nod and we all kept going. Clearly the lady knew all the locals and their cars. Nice one....

Breakfast and fuel, and we were ready to move into Adelaide, capital city of South Australia. To keep it simple, I’ll sum it up like this; boring highway, not much to see, strong crosswinds throughout and I was without my mojo. Didn’t enjoy it. Just wasn’t working for me. The only thing that kept me on my toes was a trio of motorcycle cops. It was Friday, leading up to a long weekend and the police were out in force. We watched the three officers working together and they were zipping backwards and forwards, nailing car drivers, and paying particular attention to those folk towing caravans. Safety first, I guess.

We finally made it to Adelaide and we headed for a large dealership in town. Nick wanted to get a backrest fitted to his Harley. While we waited, I threw a leg over a Triumph Tiger Explorer. Nice size bike, tall, leggy, heaps of room. Has potential.

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Bar right next door, so we had lunch and a few beers while we watched bikes come and go.

From there, the group split. Nick and I would be heading to Nick’s son’s house for the night, and Gav and Simon were heading to a mate of Gav’s, after completing the Chain of Ponds route (nice twisties).

Nick and I transited through Adelaide – beautiful town with lots to see and do. It’s famous for it’s churches, but there’s more than that. It’s the red wine capital of Australia and there is some great riding in the hills around the city. Excellent beaches as well.

Nick’s son and his partner were fantastic hosts and we had a great night. Excellent home cooked meal, great company and a heap of laughs. A good night’s sleep and we were ready to head to Mount Gambier.

Map

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Augo

Day 16. Adelaide to Mount Gambier.

Distance; 490 km.

Weather; Fine.  Warm & sunny. 13-25 Deg C.

Nick and I were up bright and early ready to go. Gav and Simon rang to say they were “getting there”….. Might have been a big night. Nick and I decided to press without the others and we would rejoin as a group along the way.

We left Adelaide and headed to Victor Harbour.  I’ve never been before and it’s a beautiful and fascinating place.  Long history with whaling, and the references to whales are everywhere – whale tails, museums etc.

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They have a horse drawn tram that is still in use today, complete with a stable full of Clydesdales. Very cool.

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From Victor Harbour to Wellington – small town where you get on a free ferry to cross Lake Alexandrina. Saved a few KM, and it’s a ferry, and it was free. What’s not to love?? Caught up with a husband and wife on his KTM 1190 Adventure R who were touring around. We would end up shadowing each other for much of the day.

Ferry trip complete, we kept eating up the miles. Nick recollected a pub in a small town just outside of Mt Gambier (in Tantanoola) that had a stuffed Thylacine – or Tasmanian Tiger, now extinct – in a display. Sounds good, let’s have a look.

We got to the pub. Had a look. There is something stuffed in a case. Not a Tassie Tiger though. Apparently, it’s an Assyrian Wolf, which came to Australia via a Russian whaling boat. Went feral, and started terrorizing the local community. As a result; shot, and stuffed. Placed in the local pub. Classic.

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Pressed on to Mt Gambier, where we would be staying with Nick’s mum and dad. Gav and Simon arrived about 30 minutes after us.

Had a great night with way too much red wine and an excellent meal from Nick’s mum. Nick’s dad is a motorcyclist and he and a mate will be joining us for a couple of days on the road – a special moment for Nick; sharing a great ride with his old man.

Here’s the map;

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Augo

Awesome trip report Augo, wish I was there with you, although it feels like I am, great writing, appreciate it!

9 hours ago, Mikey

Awesome trip report Augo, wish I was there with you, although it feels like I am, great writing, appreciate it!

Too easy Mikey. All too often we take our own back yard for granted. Australia is an awesome place and I'm glad I could get you guys along for the ride.

Don't worry - the next couple of days are the best yet - Great Ocean Road, here we come!!

Cheers,

Augo

Very cool trip, and for a good cause to boot.  Thank for the great write-up!

Day 17. Mount Gambier to Warrnambool.

Distance; 195 km.

Weather; Fine.  14-28 Deg C.

Went for a guided tour around Mt Gambier, courtesy of Nick and his dad, Chris.

Chris rides a Triumph Thunderbird. We set off to see the sights. Mt Gambier is built around a dormant volcano complex, so lots of striking natural features to see.

We rode out to Mount Schank, parked the bikes and walked up the trail to the volcano rim. 

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Some pretty cool views, and a great vantage point for the surrounding farmland.

From Mount Schank, we rode Blue Lake, probably Mt Gambier’s most famous asset.

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The lake changes colour through the year. The colour change is a function of heat – during the cooler months, it is a steel grey, and during the warmer months (December to March) it turns to a vibrant cobalt blue colour.  It sits over a huge water table and the lake is about 77 metres deep. It is the key water source for the town and surrounding agriculture. The circumference of the lake is 5km at the top, via the road.

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After a quick coffee we moved on to Umpherston Sinkhole, also known as The Sunken Garden. The sinkhole was created when the top chamber of a limestone cave collapsed downwards. Now the topsoil down on the floor of the cave forms a perfect environment for the garden.

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Quick bite to eat. We met Allen, a mate of Chris, who would be riding with us on his HD Sportster. We all loaded up and headed to Warrnambool. Passed through a couple of nice small coastal towns like Nelson and Portland. Stopped at Port Fairy for a leg stretch and a coffee. Some cool old buildings and a great coastal aspect / vibe.

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From there, a quick blast down to Warrnambool. I’ve stayed here before with Mrs Augo and it’s a great mid-sized town. Lots to see and do (whale watching etc).

Dinner at the local Returned & Services League (RSL), as tomorrow is ANZAC Day, and we wanted to get all the details of where the dawn service would be held. Great RSL, really friendly staff.

Early to bed, as tomorrow morning would be an early rise. Dawn service, then we would be riding The Great Ocean Road.

Here’s the map;

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Augo

Augo73, 26/04/2016 at 6:54 AM

Looks like the bolt-head on the oil filter (not naming brands) has partially failed, resulting in a slow oil leak.

No need to be coy, sounds like another K&N failure.  Several have been reported here including Olive's in which she lost most of her oil but managed to stop without crashing--though she had to be towed to the nearest service centre.  Those !#$% things are a hazard.

Thanks for the excellent ride report and photos, Augo!

+1.  There have been a number of reports of 'those filers' failing putting riders in harm's way.

And agreed - excellent report - really enjoying seeing photos of South Australia!  

3 hours ago, Belfry

No need to be coy, sounds like another K&N failure.  Several have been reported here including Olive's in which she lost most of her oil but managed to stop without crashing--though she had to be towed to the nearest service centre.  Those !#$% things are a hazard.

Thanks for the excellent ride report and photos, Augo!

3 hours ago, Cogswell

+1.  There have been a number of reports of 'those filers' failing putting riders in harm's way.

And agreed - excellent report - really enjoying seeing photos of South Australia!  

Correct....K&N it was...and will never be again....

Day 18. Warrnambool to Torquay via the Great Ocean Road.

Distance; 250 km.

Weather; Fine.  Cool morning. Warm Day.

Woke up just before 5am and got dressed in the dark. This morning, it is 25 April. ANZAC Day in Australia.

ANZAC stands for Australia & New Zealand Army Corps. This day, in 1915, at dawn, our troops stormed the beaches and cliffs of Gallipoli in Turkey. ANZAC Day is a national day of remembrance in both Australia and NZ. The dawn services are not loud, flag waving ceremonies. Rather, they are quiet, somber occasions to gather together and reflect.

It was a special morning at Warrnambool. A huge crowd, considering the small size of the town. Speeches were made, The Last Post was played, followed by a minute’s silence then Reveille. The crowd then dispersed to the RSL for breakfast (gold coin donation). Bacon and eggs with Bundaberg Rum in your coffee.

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Our thoughts go to brave men and women – not just Australian - around the globe who have served and are currently serving on deployed operations.

Well done Warrnambool. It was an excellent and fitting service.

But wait, there’s riding to be done. We are about to carve up the Great Ocean Road, one of Australia’s best…..

I’ll mainly let the photos do the talking;

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London Bridge used to be connected to the mainland. One day in January 1990 the left part of the bridge collapsed, leaving two tourists stranded on the remaining stack. They needed to be airlifted to safety.

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Beach adjacent to London Bridge.

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The 12 Apostles. Slowly being eroded. There aren’t 12 anymore. One day, they will all be gone.

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12 Apostles to Apollo Bay.

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Apollo Bay to Lorne.

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Lorne.

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You can drive the road Eastbound (like we did) or Westbound. Due to its close proximity to Melbourne, this is what you see if you are Westbound at the start of the road.

All up, an excellent day, until we got to our caravan park. A special shout-out to the caravan park who begrudgingly put us together on one crappy dirt lot right out the back and then charged us $109 for the pleasure… The excuse? It’s ANZAC Day (public holiday). Nothing like turning an important day of remembrance into a cash cow...

Here’s the map;

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Tomorrow is our last day on the bikes…

Augo

Day 19. Torquay to Sale (home).

Distance;  295 km.

Weather; Check the board below (better than my crap weather reports).  

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Sad day today. The ride is over.

 We departed the caravan park early and headed straight to a bakery for breakfast, then fuel. Simon had been ragging on Nick’s Harley for the whole ride, and on the last day, his V-Strom packed it in, needing a push start from the petrol station. Much laughter from Nick…..

 From Torquay to Queenscliff, where a ferry makes hourly runs over to Sorrento, on the eastern side of Port Phillip Bay. Cuts out significant time and angst navigating through Melbourne.[image: IMG_0700.jpg]

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Said our farewells to Simon before boarding the ferry. He would be staying in Melbourne for a few days, before making the final push home.

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Got off the ferry after 45 minutes of smooth sailing. The crew's forecast about dolphins was right - saw a small pod of them move towards the bow of the boat like they were about to do some bow-wave surfing, but they disappeared at the last minute.

 Through Sorrento, and then an hour of small backroads and tiny towns, prior to going through Drouin in order to get on the freeway.

 Once on the freeway, it was an uneventful and quick return to Sale.

 Whilst I’m sad the trip is over, it is great to be home with the wife and the 2 kids. I have missed them.

The last week has seen me washing the bike, camping gear etc, and trying to convince Mrs Augo that I need a new, bigger bike.....at least the VFR is clean again.

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 Here’s the map;

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I’ll put up one last post, wrapping it all up, with distances, overall map etc.

Augo

Nice trip -- and your write-up both feeds and increases my own wanderlust.

Any gear you brought that you'd leave behind next time?  (And anything you wish you'd had with you that you didn't bring?)

2 hours ago, TomP

Nice trip -- and your write-up both feeds and increases my own wanderlust.

Any gear you brought that you'd leave behind next time?  (And anything you wish you'd had with you that you didn't bring?)

Tom,

No it was pretty much spot on. I had catered for the weather to be a lot colder, so there were a few sets of thermals that I didn't touch, but these are very small and light. Inconsequential. There were a few double-ups (e.g.; spare kevlar jeans, spare gloves) that I could have done without.....until I needed them.....;-)

I had the usual tools that I didn't use, and I didn't have to get into the First Aid Kit, but I would never leave home without these on a big trip anyway. Insurance.

I was pretty heavy on luggage this trip, but I specifically wanted to document the trip, and once you start committing to cameras, GoPro, Laptop etc, you need all the associated batteries, charging cords and the like, and the mountain of stuff grows......

I did take a really crappy pair of hiking shoes that I knew wouldn't last, and thankfully I could ditch those at Perth when they finally fell apart. Perfect Planning!!

Anything I didn't bring? Next time I'd like my wife to be there - she missed out on a lot of cool stuff. She enjoys touring on the bike, but this was simply too long for two up on the VFR. 

Cheers,

Augo