19/02/12
Everything packed to go early and after a good breakfast I was on the road by 0830. Ben & Jeinie followed me for a few K's out of town and then it was me and the road again :-) Bike's running great, trailer performing perfectly. Unless the road is really rough I would not know that the trailer is there !! Sure, I can see it in the mirrors but no swaying or bouncing at all. Travelling up the backbone of Australia watching the countryside slowly changing. It's greener than when I was here in the early to mid 60's. There has been a few years of good rain to pretty up the desert.

The bike is averaging 5.9L/100k. I'm not pushing it but the butt complains of being too long in the saddle :-) I'm refuelling about every 250k and having a stretch and a drink and a hand full of Jeinie's fantastic rice balls. Damn they're good !!

Tropic of Capricorn

Need a taller screen but great to ride !! :-)

Refuelled at Ti Tree (abt 283k) then I did 70k on reserve before I chickened out and put in 5L just 20k short of Tennant Creek.

Refuelled again at Tennant Creek (more rice balls and a good guzzle of water then off to Elliot where it was refuel for the bike and me (Yep, Jeinie's rice balls. Damn delicious !!) By now the butt was complaining again but (:-)) shifting around on the Air Hawk certainly helps. The countryside is slowly changing. The occasional curve but nothing to get excited about :-(

I called it quits  about 40k out of Mataranka and pulled into a roadside stop for the night. There were 6 cars / vans and about 14 campers there already, some already retired for the night. Tent up and into bed. BOY !!! It was the first sweaty night I had in the whole trip. Whenever I woke up I was sweating !! Roll over onto, by now, a wet sheet and sweat some more !! Welcome back to the tropics !!!! :-)

20/02/12
On the home run !! Refuelled at Katherine (nearly running out of rice balls !!). Dropped in the last 5L at Adelaide River and then called into Beck's place before home. Becks and I cleaned up the last of the rice balls between us :-) Just the right amount Jeinie !!

It's hard to believe that that's the end of my trip. It has been a fantastic trip. Sure things went wrong but people came out of the woodwork to help out with no expectations but to be helpful. I made new friends, had an absolute blast, enjoyed every moment with Alanah, and am looking forward to my next trip to Tassie. Probably about Feb - March next year. Anyone coming ??

15/02/12
This was to be an early departure of Adelaide but Ben rang and asked me to pick up some stuff from a Korean grocery shop.  No worries, but where to load it ?? I bought a blue Coles chiller pack and what didn't fit into the trailer went into it and then secured it to the top of the esky. As a result I didn't leave Adelaide CBD until 1000hrs and was still in the suburbs at 1100hrs. I topped up the bike and the two spare fuel containers on  the outskirts and onto the open road at 105 kph. (On the road once more :-)) The road was flat, the bends few and far apart and it was warming up quickly !!

 I stopped only to refuel (except for the Green Shed) and, even with the AirHawk seat on my butt was starting to complain. The bike averaged 5.9l/100km all the way to Coober Pedy. I was sitting on 105 - 110kph.

Hills to the left of me :-)

Hills to the right of me :-)

Look at those curves :-)

 Boring. I wanted hills and curves !! I pulled into Coober Pedy just on sunset (2030hrs) and looking for somewhere safe to camp for the night. As I was refuelling a couple of blokes came up to look at the trailer and my tow bar setup. They asked me where I was headed and I said "somewhere to pitch my tent". "Go and see next door" they said. 20 min later I was in my tent asleep !!! 850km closer to Darwin !!

16/02/12

The 'HILLS' of Coober Pedy !!

Woke up at 0530. Time to get up !! Looked at the phone, 0630 !!, my, where did that hour go ?? Better get up !! Looked at it again and it was 0730 !! Better get up this time :-) It sure was hard. I must be getting soft, or somehing. I packed up and was 'on the road again' by 0800. Beautiful and cool after last night's arrival temp of 40c !!

The sweeping forests to the Opal Mining country :-)

Bike still sitting on an average of 5.9l/100km until I reached the NT border. Upped the rate to 120 - 125kph. Fuel consumption jumped to 6.7l/100km. I had to add fuel to the tank as I wouldn't have made the distanceto Alice Springs  !! The bikes a little thirsty when pushed whilst towing a trailer :-)

I arrived in Alice Springs at 1400hrs and as I was refuelling Ben pulled up behind me at the servo. He had seen me at the last set of lights :-) With directions to his place I was soon unpacking Jeinie's and his stuff, and with a coldie in my hand, calling it a day :-) Dammed HOT...

This trip is coming to an end. Another two days on the road and that's this trip done !! It seemed a million miles away on Boxing Day when I started ...... :-)

08/02/12
Don't you hate it when you say something is done or fixed and you find out later that it's not ?? Gets me, every time !!

Liviul - second from the right :-)

I stayed in Yass until midday to watch Liviul's first swimming race. She won !! Of course, naturally, why wouldn't she ??, It was expected (by me !!). Not one eyed at all !! Noooo.



I headed off at about 1230. Heading West toward SA. I got to Wodonga to refuel and the bike's battery was flat !!! %%%(;_*!!. Got a jump start and headed off but after about 10K the bike acted like it was firing on one cylinder again !! Bugger. Turned the bike around and began to push it (yes, with the trailer) back to town. I did about 4 - 5k before quitting. I was cactus !!

 I rang Kate who gave me the number for the Ulysses club in Wodonga and the fellow (Des Malone) came out with a 'jump starter' which I hooked up and left for 5 min before starting the bike to get a bit of charge into the bike battery. He then suggested that I follow him to his place and plug the battery into his charger. He and his wife went out of their way to make sure I was OK. She made me a cup of tea and a couple of rounds of beef sandwiches to shove down my throat and then washed it all down with a beer !!

She described herself as an ex biker's moll :-) as she does not go on his rides anymore. Des rides a 2006 BMW R1150R with ABS. A beautifully kept bike. I left about 2000hrs with a fully charged battery and headed to Benella where I pulled into the van park. It was closed and I could not raise anyone but as the boom gate kept out cars not bikes in I went, found a powered site, plugged in the battery to my charger and called it a night !!

09/02/12
A very early start saw me in Bendigo to refuel. IT WAS FREEZING !!! I was so cold that when I stopped I could not stop shivering for some time. Luckily I had pulled up at a servo that had a tiny K'Mart workshop attached. I went in and asked if I could plug my battery charger to a point to recharge my battery which was flat again. He said "no worries" and hooked my battery to his quicker charger then directed me to a bakers shop 150m away who made great coffee :-) I felt better after a hot coffee and a breakfast foccia. (bacon, eggs, cheese, onions and sliced sausages between two slices of toasted foccia) Man I even felt warmer !!

By then the battery was fully charged (at no charge) and I was on my way. This time with a .5m x .5m piece of bubble wrap between my shirts and the jacket. Ahhhh. Bliss !! With Head down and bum up :-) I headed off to Ararat where I conked out of battery power 200m from a small workshop. This time it cost me $5 to get the battery recharged but it lasted me to Naracoorte. I pulled into Kate & Gordon's place late in the afternoon, a day later than anticipated due to the problems I was having. As it couldn't have been the regulator I think it was the alternator that has packed up !!??!!??. Anyway, a shower and a feed and I called it a day.

10/02/12
Up at 0545hrs for a 0700 start for Adelaide sans the trailer. I had removed the tow bar and packed enough for an overnight stay if required. The battery was recharged and I hooked up my trailer battery as well to give me more range. The bike battery was 14Ah and the trailer battery was 28Ah. Theoretically, triple the distance. I had lashed my overnight bag over the top of the battery which was sitting on the passenger seat :-) At Tailun Bend I stopped  to refuel and the overnight bag was still there, but no spare battery. It was somewhere between there and Kieth where I had stopped for a hot drink, Bugger !! Crossing fingers I turned the key. Beauty !! Lots of get up and go so I turned it off and went in for a coffee and sandwich.

Inside were 10 motorcyclists who were on their way back to Adelaide after spending a week it Tasmania. I asked them what they saw and they all said it was too much of a blur but that they would all go back for a longer period of time to actually see something.I told them to plan for at LEAST a month :-)

I arrived in Peter Stevens, Adelaide, at about 1245 and rang the credit society to say I would be a little late as I had yet to sign the insurance papers for the new bike. That done I hoofed off to them to hand over the papers and to pick up the cheque for the bike. That felt good. Having the cheque in my pocket heading back to the bike shop !! By then it was nearly 1500 and it turned out that I would be taking the bike at 0900 - 0930 tomorrow.  It was having a final check etc etc !! I wheeled the Song across the road to their workshop, pulled out the battery to recharge overnight, and told them I would be back at 0900 to remove my GPS wiring etc. Oh yes, It rained all the way from Naracoorte to Adelaide and well into the evening !! A COLD day indeed !!

Found a backpackers nearby and after a good feed of curried chicken and rice, A German and then a Belgium beer it was lights out for me.......

11/02/12
Early start. Went to the Central Markets for a coffee and then back to the Peter Stevens workshop to wait for them to open. Replaced the battery, removed the GPS wiring and then across to road to sign the last of the papers for the new bike !! :-) I wheeled it out of the showroom floor at about 1000 and was able to walk around it with no other bikes cluttering my way. Man she looked good !! Fired her up, quiet !!!!!! Getting a bit pumped now. I lashed down my overnight bag, put on all the gear and, oh yes, a new helmet to go with the bike. Snicked into first gear and away we went, purring down the road without a care in the world !! It felt soooooo good sitting on something more reliable and with heaps more grunt.

Not ridden yet !!

At Kieth - half way to Naracoorte

Loaded and heading back to Naracoorte

There was light rain falling but with my good new found friend, 'bubble wrap', I was warmer than I had been for some time. The GPS led me out of the city and I was able to go a bit faster than 60kph. 80kph in a blink, 100kph a blink later and quiet as !! 120kph on the speedo still quiet (the GPS said 110kph !!) and I'm under 4000rpm !! The Song would have been at 5000rpm by now. I filled up at Tailum Bend and by now the rain had stopped.  With all the roadworks going there I was able to vary the run in revs from 2500 to 4000 most of the way to Kieth and then cruise to Naracoorte at 100 - 105kph (GPS speed). Now to get the tow bar organised !! That won't happen until Monday.



13/02/12
Wired the bike up for the trailer. Finished this about 1300 hrs and when I hooked up the trailer to test it. nothing worked ???
What's going on ??? Checked and rechecked everything...  Every wire was sealed in heat shrink !! Then I found it !! The earth was secured between two painted surfaces !! Dumbo !!!
I re secured the earth wire to a bit of bare metal and ..... viola !! Everything doing what it was supposed to.

Leaving Naracoorte for Adelaide

We then received a call from Sparky (a friend of Brett's and Gordon. (He had offered to modify my tow bar to fit the Susy). He was home early and asked to bring the bike around. It turned out that apart from making two new drop bars the tow bar needed very little modification !! It took about 2 hours and the tow bar was fitted and ready to rock and roll !! Was I a happy Chappy ?? Sure was !! :-) I went back to Kate & Gordon's and hooked up the trailer (which I had already reloaded except for the clothing bag) ready to go in the morning. AT LAST !!!!!!!!!

14/02/12
Left Naracoorte at 0730 (15 degrees) with the trailer in tow. Except for a slight increase in fuel consumption the bike handled like there was no trailer there :-) Ripper !! I arrived in Adelaide at 1200 and dropped the bike in for it's first service. Picked it up at 1700 and $350 broker !! I asked where they put the gold as it was a bit savage for a first service !! No Gold !!!! Staying the night in a van park 3km from the heart of the city. Heading NORTH tomorrow :-)

03/02/12
What a lazy day today !! :-) As I was returning the key to the office prior to leaving the van park ran into the manager who had a new Triumph T100. Went from a 1400cc Kwaka to a 800cc Trumpy. Light and manourverable he said !! He went riding with his wife as pillion though she now thought the seat to small !! I told him that I was heading back to the mainland this evening and was considering unhooking the trailer and going for a quick run somewhere, He offered to lock up the trailer in his yard and suggeted a few roads to try. I had to smile to myself, everyone I had spoken to who rode had a few favourite roads they wanted to share!! What a great place !!

There were a few 15kph bends !!

So off I went, headed no where in particular and just enjoying the ride and the perfect  weather on my last day. At about 1630 I arrived back, picked up the trailer and headed for the park by the waterfront. Under the big trees I had the last of my good bread, some brie and made up an expresso to wash it all down. Then pulled out at 1730 for the ferry terminal.


When I arrived there were  about a dozen cars ahead of me and by the time the gates opened the line went out of sight around the corner. I picked up my boarding pass, went through the quarratine and handed over a couple of gas canisters and then sent into row 10. At that time I was the only motorcyclist there. WIthin 45 min there were over 30 bikes lined up behind me. Everyone came up for a chat and to look over, under, inside the trailer. Everyone !! Who made it, what's it like to tow, wasn't the bike a bit small for the trailer, what was fuel consumption like etc etc :-) Even a couple who were travelling on BMW RT  thought the trailer as an answer to a few more luxuries :-)

Once onboard I showered, went to the bar and had a light sherbert, then crashed !!

04/02/12
 I woke up about 0530, minutes before they called 'wakie, wakie' over the PA. They had put all the bikes close to the bows so we were off almost seconds after the gate was opened.  As it was early (0640) and a Saturday morning there was almost no traffic around while I headed to meet up with Jim and his family again. We headed off to Ivanhoe for breaky and to the the conference venue. It was a great day ended up by arriving back to our accomodation at about 2230. After a couple of light Boags it was midnight and time for the sack !!!

05/02/12
Breakfast this morning was a 'breakfast pizza' with eggs, mushrooms, bacon, sausages, advacados and cheese on a thin crusty pizza base. I then headed to the Business Centre for some XS then on the road again !!

Once I cleared the suburbs and moved through the light industrial centre on the outskirts of Melbourne the wind started.  It was initially a side wind and so strong I had difficulty keeping the bike and trailer in my lane.In fact, some of the gusts were so strong I felt that the bike would be blown over. If it wasn't for the trailer, it may have done so !!  At one point I was travelling about 60kph in a 100kph limit area with strong gusts threatening to knock me and the bike off the road !! (Talk about tightening the butt muscles)!!. I pulled into a servo to find out how much more of this to expect and was told  that it may be like that all the way to Woodonga !! I waited for about 45min but there was no sign that it was going to ease, so off I went again. To say that it was stressful would be putting it mildly. I was not sure sometimes  which lane I would end up. Then a large roadtrain passed me and I thought "why not sit on his tail" ?? I did for over 180km before the wind eased up enough for me to pass the rig and give it another go. The wind was still strong but more head on and was not the throwing me and the bike around. It was almost about 50k out of Woodonga before it had eased up to a strong breeze. Phew !!

The road was in great condition but boring !! Once into NSW the highway was concrete most of the way to Yass. Smooth but boring. Even the countryside was unchanging. Rolling hills, farmlands, beef, sheep for Km after Km. About 30k out of Yass the trailer started to weave about quite strongly !! What the hell !! I stopped and checked the tyres on the trailer, all ok !! The back tyre was good, Checked the wheel bearings on the trailer and noticed that the tow bar was moving too much !! I checked it out and foung that one of the bolts had vanished !! Where to get another bolt ?? I found one suitable on the small wheel jack I used to lift the rear wheel. As I was finishing the temporary repairs a motorcyclist went roaring passed, braked heavily and came back to help out. I had finished and was packing everything up while I told him what had happened. He then sat on my tail  to make sure eveything was OK until I turned into Yass then he was off with a wave. Made me feel much better :-)

THEN !!! I couldn't remember Kylie's address and stopped near the bridge in Yass and called her. Went to start the bike, Nothing !! Click click click  !! Flat battery ?? Damm voltage regulator must have died !! Kylie came, then went for jumper leads. Bike started ok. I then rode up to her place with the motor sounding a Royal Enfield (a single cylinder) !!

That was it for a day !! I'd have a look at it tomorrow !!

06/02/12

I went with Kylie to drop off the kids at school and after joining her on a walk around the river we went into Canberra for a new regulator and replacement bolts.  The bloke at the bike shop said that they would have one by tomorrow, I asked the price and he went off to find out. While waiting we went next door to a bolt supply shop for a couple of replacement bolts. When we walked back into the bike shop, lo and behold !! They had one !! $105.00. Then off to Supercheap for a small charger. $50.








I was told at Peter Stevens, Melbourne, when I had problems with the electrics that the regulator had been tampered with and was flakey. When I pulled it off I could see the extra wires that had been connected by NT Motorcycles when it was being repaired, under warranty, for an electrical fault. I will have a few words to say to them about that !! The battery took over 10 hours to recharge..

The modified one is on the right

07/02/12
We took the kids to school then I joined Kylie on her river frontage walk before re-assembling the bike. Battery fully chargwd :-). I rang Classic Industries for a new towbar but they only had unpainted ones and would not sell me one !! Their policy, they said. How long ?? Two weeks !! ^%^*&% !!  I rang the other ompanies advertising motorcycle towbars and they ALL purchased their towbars, as required, from Classic Industries !!! Double $%$*$ !!

Becks and Brett gave me the name of an engineering company in Narracoorte that may able to modify my existing towbar. It's that or leave my trailer at Brett's parents place. I would rather take it back with me !!.

Tested the bike. Ran like a charm with the new regulator. I'm off tomorrow at about midday as I want to watch Liviul at the swimming carnival tomorrow morning. :-)

31/01/12 (Overcast - COLD !!)
What a great way to wake up !! No dew on the tent, no rain overnight, just the wind blowing through the trees. I was able to be breakfasted, packed up and mobile by 0830 !! Damned cold though !!

1917 Indian

I went to the Harley Davidson dealer just out of Launceston to have a look at their motorcycle museum. Wow !! what a surprise !! I was expecting a, well I don't know what I was expecting, but what a pleasant surprise !! The building was ALL TIMBER, two stories high but built entirely of recycled timbers. Some came from old warehouses that were being demolished, some came from the pylons of an old wharf in Burnie (had been in the water for over 80 years !!), some from the packing crates that the bikes were delivered in !! What a great job was done !! The building had a fantastic showroom.

More clothing, accessories (lots of chrome), oils only a few bikes spaced out on one end. No cramming !!

1918 Harley

Beautiful timber work - all recycled timber

Handrails from Harley packing crates

Memorabilia

Attached was a bar and a restaurant all decked out in beautifully finished timber of various sorts while upstairs (a gold coin donation) was the museum. I expected mostly Harley but it had a good mix of old American, Italian and British bikes. The focus was on Harley memorabilia but the other bikes shared equal floorspace.  No wonder that this place has won the best set out dealership for year after year !! I had a great coffee and a generous bacon and egg muffin in the restaurant for a reasonable price.

The art of coopering is dead as far as beer goes !!

From there I went to the Boags brewery to see if I could get onto a tour of the brewery but they were booked out for the next two days !! I did however tour through their museum. The company was started by a James Boag (1) and managed to stay in the family for James Boag (11) and the (111). Then a George Boag worked his way through the company and when he died it was run by a board of Directors. Someone told me that it is now owned by overseas interests.

What size do you want your beer in ??

An old crate for carting the first bottles.

2100 hrs sunset !!

I decided to go to Cradle Mountain but took that many back roads that went up mountainsides and down again that I only managed to get to Deloraine. (Why do all these small towns get built either on a couple of hills or on a hillside. It's hard getting parking for the bike and trailer on some sort of level ground in their CBD). The van park was alongside the Meander River and I was able to get a good spot under a massive oak tree. If I was cold when I arrived at Deloraine, I was positively freezing by the time I had camp setup !! Sam told me it was 13 degrees !!. I had the second coldest night of my trip !! I ended up with my thermals on under my 0 degrees sleeping bag. Damned if I wasn't cold. I tossed and froze all night !! Found out that It went down to 12c !!

Just before sunrise

01/02/12 (COLD, COLD, COLD !!)
When I got up it wasn't much better and I started the day with thermals on, two long sleeved shirts, two pairs of socks, my motorcycle jacket and the rain jacket over the top of that. Even the locals I spoke to over a coffee said it was bloody cold !! :-)





Again, I was heading in the general direction of Cradle Mountain but got sidetracked  by the side roads full of  'up down, riding around, those magnificent roads and my riding machine'  :-) :-) I saw a sign that said 'King Solomon Cave' and chucked a RH turn towards it. In the car park was a sign 'cave is 9c' so I grabbed an extra jacket. The walk to the cave was through thick vegetation with moss everywhere !! When I arrived at the ticket office there was a sign (yes the 3rd sign !!) that kindly informed me that my cash was no good !! Only plastic !! I offered correct money but it was not accepted. I had to go to Marakoopa cave to buy a ticket there. Off I backtracked about 18k and there I was told the same thing. When I explained what had happened at King Solomon cave I was again told that they would not accept cash. I assured them that I did not own a printing press and that cash was still legal tender in Australia, of which Tasmania is a part of. Ahh well, maybe next year.....


 I got closer to Cradle Mountain but it was getting time to look for somewhere to stay. On the map it showed a park at Sheffield but, when I arrived there was no park to be found. I spoke to a few locals and they suggested a place 18k out called Gowrie Park. So off I went. Just before I got there I saw a small 'free' park alongside a small creek. Several vans and tents were there already. The sign said "maximum of 4 days" so in I went. It was a beautiful little place. The vans were only allowed on the hardstand but there was a huge grassed area for tents. I set up the tent under a large pine and with views of a couple of mountains in front of me !! I had a glass of red while just sitting on my stool looking at those magnificent mountains :-)

View from my tent in the morning

02/02/12
Well !! What a sight as I opened up my tent !! Two mountains !!  While I was having a small bowl of hot muesli with fresh apricots cut into it, and a piping hot mug of strong black coffee standing by, I noticed that the clouds were getting a bit of fire into them... The sun was rising and put a red glow behind them. I'm not sure if the photo will do it justice but I will post it.

Date scones

After packing up I headed back to Sheffield to sample the scones Kate talked about. (just to see if they're as good am mine. Modest aren't I ??). I settled for date scones and apricot  jam and a short black. The scones were bloody good !!!! Nearly as good as mine :-) :-) No, seriously, they were lovely, just not enough dates in them.

Belly done I unhitched the trailer at the servo and headed for Cradle Mountain. Un-fettered the bike was absolutely fun as I swung from one corner into the next. I could almost live here for the roads !! For the first time I came across a set of corners where the warning sign has a motorcycle on it and not a car !!

Backtrack for a moment !! The servo where I left the trailer is owned by a motorcyclist and as I was unhitching the trailer he laid out in some detail which roads to take on my way back from Cradle Mountain. "Detour via Mole creek, go through Paradise And chuck a left at the first crossroads. It's the long way back" he said and finished his instructions with "you will have a smile as wide as your visor when you get back" He was right !!  The only servo I have ever seen with a helmet and visor cleaning station inside !!

Once I reached the highlands the road became mostly rolling hills with Harley corners. At least I could stay in one gear for a short while.  The car park at the mountain was chokkers !! I looked around but there were only three bikes (including mine). After a bit of a look around I decided to take a bus tour ( with commentary) that lasted for 2.5hrs. I know that I keep on about the beautiful countryside, but this was something else again. Most of the trees and plants up here only grow above the 800m mark. All of it is in the heart of snow country and according to the driver it can snow every month !! It's absolutely beautiful !! We got as close as you could with a vehicle to Cradle mountain and he pointed out the glacier scars on the sides of the mountain and then pointed out one not far from it that had been 'run over' by the glacier and it looked like a river washed stone. All rounded and smooth :-)

The Weindorfer Lodge - pre 1930

All split from deadfall Billy Pine

See how straight the grain on the timber is !!

The creek by the Lodge

We visited a lodge built by a Gustav Weindorfer prior to 1930 with only an axe, a saw and a hammer with no building experience. He and his wife had bought over 200 acres which he wanted to preserve as a national park and pushed for the surrounding area to be declared a national park. The start of it all !!  The lodge was built with mostly fallen Billy Pine. A tree that apparently takes over 1000 years to mature and is now a protected species. The timber was used to make shingles, floorboards, wall cladding plus all the structural work !!  When you see what he achieved you would have to be amazed at his accomplishments. Fire destroyed some of the lodge and has been repaired using the same timber and construction methods.  Mind boggling !!

Back down I headed to Devonport. Stayed at the caravan park at the point. When the lady there saw my Ulysses badge she commented that her husband was also a member and gave me the night for half price !! I had a fantastic spot on level ground halfway up the hill with a view of the ferry as it was leaving for the mainland. This is my last night it Tasmania for this trip. Lookout next year !! I'll make it mid Feb to mid Mar next time.......