2024-07-26 Perth And The Border Run

[Bodø]

Great report sofar Bodo. I've crossed the Nullabour a few times and love every minute of it.
I was hoping to attend BR this year but .....

This is the first time I have ridden all the way across but loved every minute of it.  I've also thoroughly enjoyed all my border runs prior to this.

[Bodø]

Day Eight

With my Norseman office cleaned up it was time to load the wheelbarrow back to South Australia.



It was a barmy minus five degrees when I arrived at Balladonia and if felt colder than Yalata a few days earlier.  With the knowledge that the 5:30am opening time advertised on their website is wrong I timed my ride to arrive just on opening hours.  I needed to defrost so had a bite to eat, a cuppachino and look at the museum.  I also bought another number plate, basically because I thought it looked cool.  I didn't take a phot of until day ten though.



Usually speed limits are rounded to a 5 or a 10 but all the WA roadhouses had 8.



The 146·6km straight road was done in daylight hours this time but I didn't get a photo of it as the sun was in my eyes as I flew around the last bend and only just saw it as I flew and couldn't be a*sed u-turning.  Despite having done this a few days earlier I still stopped at every roadhouse bar Mundrabilla.  That was the only one I never actually wnet into - in either direction.  I checked out the Caiguna pub for the first time, depsite actually staying there heading west.



No sun in my eyes for this one.



Glen had told me about the eagles behind the Cocklebiddy roadhouse so I went and and had a look at Samantha and Bruce.



I completely missed the big kangaroo heading west so stopped at it here before refuelling and checking in.



Border Village was the only place I sayed two nights on this trip.  I usually request this room because I know it has a desk.  Despite that request when I assigned a room they gave me the one next door.  I went back and asked if they could change it and that I requested this one for that reason.  They did so I was content.  One advantage of arriving early I suppose.



They used to give you Nescafé Blend 33 but this time it was Cocklebiddy gravel dust (international roast).  Just as well I bring my own just in case.  It was the lack of cutlery on my very first border run which saw me start taking my own cutlery on road trips.  Eating cereal with a wooden stick was tricky on that inaugural run.  The container is a Japanese bentō bako.





I've leaned how to edit GPS tracking files now so removed the bit from Caiguna to Norseman on day two as it overlapped (affecting the color).  The blue portion was this day's ride and the also the bit I rode in both directions.

I think I am the only one from SA.  That said, I'm coming from WA this time. 

Maybe, maybe not😬

This had me thinking was someone showing up that I was unaware of.  From inside my room I heard that unique squeal of an ST and went outside for a sticky beak, saw itt from a distances and though Shillas had made the treck across.  It was actually Stroppy.  I hadn't seen that bike since the Harrow RTE of 2018.  I'm not sure what he rode to Balranald 2019, but definitely wasn't on a ST for Border Run 2019.

We talked for quite a while and two things in that conversation would haunt me two days later.  He also mentioned the SA possibility was Langers.  Eventually being in shorts and a t-shirt I was getting cold so went inside to puts some jeans and a jacket on.



I put the drone up at about 1615 local time for an areal view.  Despite having come here a few times I really only knew the motel and shop area.  I didn't know there were bigger cabins around the back.





That night I had dinner with Stroppy, Chippy and JD.  This is actually one of Chippy's photos which someone from the next table offered to take for us.



I had one pint of Guinness with dinner.  It's the only pint I had for the whole trip.  No, I tell a lie.  It was the only Guinness, but I did have a Heinekin at Norseman the previous night.  Other than that it was spearmint milk.

[West Aussie Glen]

Terry was in the room next to me at Balranald and was in his Mercedes.

[Bodø]

Terry was in the room next to me at Balranald and was in his Mercedes.

That was this year.  I only saw one ST there this year.  I meant the previous Balranald RTE in 2019.

[Bodø]

Day Nine

This was the day the the Versys didn't move an inch.  Just on surnise I put the drone up to get some photos from the eastern side of the village.



And the north.



And above



And of the pilot.



Having learned there was more village behind the motel area I then went for a walk.  I never knew Border Village had a pool.



It was also the first time I had seen the bigger cabins where the West Australian crew and Superfrog were staying.



Deeper into the bush tents were set up.  I'd see a hell of lot more of them later in the day when I went to return a usb stcik.  More on that later.



JD and Chippy set off to find the old Eucla Telegraph station.



Stroppy would do the same two hours later as I was making my way to the border sign for another drone flight.  I'd capture him coming out of the Western Australian quarantine station.  The photo in the very first photo of this thread is a crop of the second drone photo here.







That drone flight took off in Western Australia and landed in South Australia outside the iconic big kangaroo where some random punter was taking his own photos.



Late in the afternoon I put the drone up again for the Ozstoc group photo, unaware that Hoffy and Superfrog were missing.  Superfrog said he wasn't disappointed as he doesn't like drone selfies.  I didn't use it to get an areal view of everyone waving, but more to have it hover and film so we could get everyone in without someone have to take it.



Just as I landed someone from the BMW WA branch came over and asked if I wouldn't mind getting some drone footage for his group.  Why not?  He was getting the four quadrants of the BMW logo that he hoped to snap at four quadrants of the state, with Border Village being the south east quadrant.  At the time I didn't notice it but I think the quater is the wrong way around for the lower right corner and should have been rotated 180°.  Oh well, it's a bit late now.



After that I asked if he had a memory card I could copy files to and he gave me a usb stick, told me what he had done for the BMW 100 year anniversary in South Perth and suggested I look at them (two photos and one video).  I copied them to my computer and looked at them that night, which is how I came in possession of the South Perth drone shot I posted on day six (I think it was six, but don't quote me on it).

By the time I had edit my footage for him he had gone deep into tent territory to set up his 'room' for the night.  That's when it sunk in how many tents there actually were and how far into the bush they went.  I'd heard the harley davidson crew put their tens up on the other side of the highway (that was evident in drone footage).



I didn't speak to them but there was a goldwing there.  There's a good chance I'll take mine on my next border run.  It probably won't be next year.

[Bodø]

Day Ten

A rare in room breakfast for me, as this was the first time I brought breakfast cereal on a road trip in over a year.  I'd bought this in the hope of saving a bit of money not eating every meal in the roadhouse for my two day stay.



The number plate I bought in Balladonia two days earlier.  The design is simple but I quite like it, with Skylab to the west and the ninety mile straight to the east.



The wheelbarrow was loaded up and it was time to check out and head east.





Again I arrived at the Nullabor roadhouse before opening time, but only by a few minutes.  I wasn't going to stand there for an hour plus like I did heading west a week earlier.



I had three to do things for the day.  The first was to look at the new Yalata roadhouse I'd brielfy spotted in the dark heading west.  It was closed.  Google tells me they open at 10:00am (surely that's taking the piss).  They had container fuel tanks like Mundrabilla but only 91 fuel but the large undercover eating area was impressive.







On the way from BR2019 I rode into the Yalata Community and noticed the old big boomerang that was on the roof of the old roadhouse had been moved to the entrance of town.  The sun being on a bad angle that day didn't make for good photos and with it being ordinary weather this time went to go and try for some better photos.  Alas the community was closed and the road had bollards so I turned around.  That would have been fun to do on the wing.



The sign didn't give a reason.  It originally said "due to covid" on it but that part was painted out.  Either way I didn't go in.



Third planned task of the day was to check out the big wombat at Bookabie.  That too is a 'community' that could have been closed but fortunately it wasn't.  It's the first time I have seen this big thing.





Eat your heart out Kimba.  The real halfway across Australia is at Uworra/White Well Corner depending on which side of the highway you're on. (disclaimer: this is a mocked up photo of a time lapse photo heading west a few days earlier.



On the eastern half of the continent I noticed the big oyster at Ceduna had been moved heading west.  I asked the girl at the quarantine station what happened to it and she told me it got moved to Ceduna Machinery in the interest of "public safelty" and rolled her eyes.  I found it.  It's behind a closed fence/gate on weekends.





Last year I found a Japanese garden in the East Murray area school so this time deviated at both area schools along the Eyre Highway for a sticky beak.  The Mittaburra school at Nunjikompita had this old building.  I'm not sure what it is.  The one at Karcultaby had work being done and that was all I saw.





The grain train line at Carpietha, Cungena stopped seeing trains only weeks after BR2019 and the line is now a disused railway.



Twelve kilometres shy of my pitstop at Wudinna the wheelbarrow reached the 199'000km mark.  Being 500 klicks away from home that 200'000km milestone wouldn't be notched up on this trip.  I haven't worked out where/when I'll do that just yet.



Despite bing the cheapest accommodation on this trip the Gawler Ranges motel in Wudinna had the biggest room.  I also managed to put the bike undercover so I think this will be my pit stop for returns from the Border Run in the future,





The drone flight for the BMW group at Border Village the previous day may have been its last flight.  I went to fly it at Wudinna only to find the operation console non responsive.  A google search suggest it's a common occurrence for this model and is usually caused by the cable to the battery coming loose inside.  I watched a youtube video on how to open it and solder it back up,  I don't have a solder iron and am not sure if it's worth me buying one to try and fix.



I meant to remove day one's Adelaide to Napperby from this map but forgot.

[Langers]

Bodo, I have a soldering iron you are welcome to borrow (& solder you are welcome to use). I can bring it along Sunday to Caltowie if you like. Alternatively, I reckon I saw a soldering iron for sale at ALDI the other day - there may be an ALDI near you still carrying the tool.

[Bodø]

Bodo, I have a soldering iron you are welcome to borrow (& solder you are welcome to use). I can bring it along Sunday to Caltowie if you like. Alternatively, I reckon I saw a soldering iron for sale at ALDI the other day - there may be an ALDI near you still carrying the tool.

Thanks.  I'll keep that in mind.  I'll have a look at Aldi on saturday.

[Bodø]

Day Eleven

The ride home didn't have any real plans to stop anywhere except at the big galah in Kimba if it wasn't dark.  It was half dark.



Fuel stops were at Kimba, Port Augusta and Port Wakefield.  As mentioned the bike didn't quite reach the 200'000km mark, but it will next outing.





I didn't keep the stats that Glen did but the bike tells me I did 6778 kilometres.  It's the third biggest trip I have done after Tassie 2019 (10'000km) and Queensland 2017 (8'500km).





To unload the bike, dig out the two usb hard drives, boot up the home computer and correct errors for those drives (I always have to do this when I have used them in my travel computer) took me the best part of an hour, and after posting I was home safe in the Border Run thread (which along with my Alfreds thread can be unstickied now) I opened up facebook and saw the SAPOL post regarding the accident in Koongawa and my jaw dropped.  Without naming him the details pointed to Stroppy or a lot of coincidences.  The first thing I did was rang his phone.  After that it's a blur.  Even now I still don't know what to say.  As mentioned in the very first post of this thread you were the first interstate forumite I met and you'll be sorely missed.  That was at Balranald.  This photos was at Harrow in 2018.



R.I.P.
(actually if I know you you'll be bantering with the angels).

[Bodø]

Bodo, I have a soldering iron you are welcome to borrow (& solder you are welcome to use). I can bring it along Sunday to Caltowie if you like. Alternatively, I reckon I saw a soldering iron for sale at ALDI the other day - there may be an ALDI near you still carrying the tool.

Googled said item on the Aldi website which said "stock available" for the Plympton store and "likely to be sold out" for the Adelaide airport store.  If I go to Aldi it's usually at the Airport store.  Plympton is slightly closer but more of a hassle to get to, but with this knowledge went there this morning.  Not finding any and querying it with staff she looked on her computer which said they had nine in stock, went out back and still couldn't find any.  She contacted the airport store do did have one and they put it aside for me.  I now have a soldering iron (and solder).

Alas, it's butane operated.  Neither they nor Bunnings (both the airport store and Mile End South store) had butane so after enough jinning around for one day came home.

Thanks for the offer, but I now have the tool.  I shall try again for butane next week.

[Bodø]

This is probably the widest "oversize" load I've had to step aside for, Wallaroo, Western Australia.

[Shiney]

That is massive

[Bodø]

That is massive

Usually I just pull to the edge of the road and slow down.  This time I got off and stopped until in went past.

[West Aussie Glen]

That is massive

Usually I just pull to the edge of the road and slow down.  This time I got off and stopped until in went past.

Lucky that the shoulder was suitable to pull off on to.

[Brock]

One of the reasons, that I have a UHF CB on the bike. Helps prevent nasty surprises..

[Bodø]

That is massive

Usually I just pull to the edge of the road and slow down.  This time I got off and stopped until in went past.

Lucky that the shoulder was suitable to pull off on to.

It was also dry, unlike the mud I encountred in Doodlakine and Hines Hill.

[Bodø]

One of the reasons, that I have a UHF CB on the bike. Helps prevent nasty surprises..

I think if I get one it will go on the wing, not this bike.  I was expecting something out of the usual as after there pilot vehicle there was a police car with flashing lights.  The only other time I had seen that was where a wind turbine blade was being carried on the Augusta Highway a couple of years ago.  That was just long so no big deal (no pun intended) whereas this was wide.

[John g]

 .  .      Thanks Bodo,   What a great write up.its almost like I was there,

[Bodø]

.  .      Thanks Bodo,   What a great write up.its almost like I was there,

I'm still trawling through video footage so I am reliving it, hence the Wallaroo photos.  Western Australia has a Wallaroo too.