The Trip to Middleton (In Pictures)

[Sabie]

Day 1

Left Townsville at around 9:30, through to Charters Towers for fuel and a bite to eat.

JUST WEST OF CHARTERS TOWERS


I had a couple of Truckies come up and ask about the bike and where I was heading. Original plan was to out to Hughenden and down to Winton for an overnight stay. But as I left Charlies Trousers (Charters Towers) I kept thinking about the road from Torrens Creek to Aramac. Going this way would knock over 300K's off my trip. The only downside was there was 32K's of dirt, and not good dirt either. I called into Pentlands just under 2 hours west of Chaters T and asked what the road was like at the moment. Got the "not sure" "Don't think they've had any rain.

Ok I'll take the risk, phoned Mrs Sabie to let her know the change in route, 300K's of nothing and not many people travelling that way I thought it best to let someone know where I was.

500 K's MORE OF THIS TO WINTON..MIND NUMBING


All I had to do was sneak along over the dirt even if it was 60 to 80kph I still be in front. I'd been over that road in a hilux 18 months ago.

FORGET ABOUT 80... FORGET ABOUT 60...TRY 30 TO 40 KPH


My poor Blue Baby, it was like riding on marbles, the back of the bike was like a pendulium, some places I was down to 20kph and it was still unnerving...

HEY BUT THE ROAD GOT BETTER....NOT


BELIEVE IT OR NOT I'M DOING ABOUT 35KPH HERE
http://s1262.beta.photobucket.com/user/pmdodds1/media/OzSTOC%20Middleton/MOV00234_zps5751d4e9.mp4.html

http://s1262.beta.photobucket.com/user/pmdodds1/media/OzSTOC%20Middleton/MOV00235_zps4d9f63ec.mp4.html

http://s1262.beta.photobucket.com/user/pmdodds1/media/OzSTOC%20Middleton/MOV00234_zps5751d4e9.mp4.html

AND THEN I PASS THIS TRUCK
http://s1262.beta.photobucket.com/user/pmdodds1/media/OzSTOC%20Middleton/MOV00232_zpsf6d8980f.mp4.html

I had quickly turned the camera off and in the dust I hit sand,from one side of the road to the other, put me straight into a wobble, feet out, handle bars going like a washing machine adgitator, but i held her up..phew that was close. Hundreds of K's from anywhere. I was just short of being back on the tar by less than a kilometre (if you call it tar, talk about the thin line)

AROUND 200k's NORTH OF ARAMAC


AROUND 100K's NORTH OF ARAMAC


PASSING THROUGH ARAMAC (Don't blink)
http://s1262.beta.photobucket.com/user/pmdodds1/media/OzSTOC%20Middleton/MOV00246_zps75293547.mp4.html

COMING INTO BARCALDINE
http://s1262.beta.photobucket.com/user/pmdodds1/media/OzSTOC%20Middleton/MOV00247_zps4962a596.mp4.html

[tj189]

Looks as though the change in direction added a bit of excitement for you

[Streak]

Holy crap mate 

Glad your in one piece! Great photos and vids

[Whizz]

Jeez, and they call that a road? 

[StinkyPete]

I assume you were testing the pre-production variant of the ST, to be called ST1300X Crosstourer?

Was your selection of the route a case of your GPS getting it's own back for all the times you ignored her instructions?

[Biggles]

I'm guessing you'll be giving Aramac a miss on the way home.
Maybe they'll run a grader over the road and it will be smooth.

[Yorkie]

A good thing you are on a STurdy bike, anything else would have been shaken and not stirred.
Also see you are trying out great PPE on the gravel sections.

[ST2UP]

  .........I off for a bex powder and a lay down after that !!