Bid Ted's Lap for Wooli 2017

[Bodø Glimt]

If you go anywhere near Cairns you'll see some huge termite mounds.

[BigTed]

Day 6 – Derby to Halls Creek (546 km) (29/9)

My original plan was to stop at Mary Pool, but I quickly realised I’d be arriving just after midday – way too early to spend the rest of a sweltering day at a dried-up river road stop with no services other than a drop-dunny. So, I decided to make Halls Creek my destination and leave Derby ASAP.

The trip was hell – so hot - staying on 39 for most of it. I was stopping regularly to drink hot water (tea-bag hot) and dousing my shirt again… but not at the expense of drinking water.

My earlier comments about the scenery changing constantly were still relevant.



About 50km east of Derby is another boab - HUGE!



I thought I’d stop for lunch at Fitzroy Crossing, but soon changed my mind. I filled up at the skid-mark and kept going – stopping some 50km down the track on the side of the road for some fruit, muesli bars, water, etc. It was too hot to each much else.

The Fitzy river actually had water in it... I'd passed lots of dry river beds.


 

Re: the scenery – not that I was paying attention – I was more worried about my physical wellbeing. It was a struggle. I would have liked to stop mid-trip, but that would leave me stranded in worse conditions. I really had no option but to persevere.

I called into Mary Pool to see what it would be like... I imagine quite nice with a bit of water running. I think I made the right decision not to stay - very dry, but lots of shade though. Maybe some other time. The livestock seemed to like it:
http://www.nook.net.au/www/wp-content/uploads/BigLapOfOz/Day06DerbyToHallsCreek/IMG_20170929_132237.jpg


When I was a kid in primary school (at Kalgoorlie) I went on a goldfields tour. It was a LONG time ago, but Cue left itself an impression on my mind that it was the arsehole of the earth. That perception changed when I stayed overnight in Cue on the first night of my holiday… leaving a new place yet to be named that title.

It’s Halls Creek, with its skid-mark back up the road at Fitzy. I wonder why these places actually exist - I'm not sure of their purpose. I guess at the very least it's to keep a population to allow cars to be refueled so they can leave.

The local caravan park had a pool:
http://www.nook.net.au/www/wp-content/uploads/BigLapOfOz/Day06DerbyToHallsCreek/IMG_20170929_150517.jpg


… but I decided not to use it cos, well, I had another 66 days of riding ahead of me and a bout of gastro, parasitic infections, and pink-eye would not go well. So, it was a cold shower instead. I’m not sure what the temp was, but it hadn’t dropped much – there was a breeze, but kinda like the one you get with the door open on a fan-forced oven.

Let’s just say – today would the one to beat for the “worst day of the trip” award.

[Bodø Glimt]

still hoping for my body-clock to adjust to going to bed so early…

That's how I felt last night after daylight savings kicked in.  I wish they would pick a time and stick to it.

[BigTed]

Day 7 – Halls Creek to Lake Argyle (428 km) (30/9)

Thanks to the pub having a live band (being a Friday night), a lot of “locals” came out to play. Not being really aware of my surrounds, it seemed I’d pitched the tent over the fence of what seemed to the main walking thoroughfare from the pub to wherever they lived. The shouting is one thing, language another, but ghetto-blasters at 2am is hard to take… throw in country music, a hot night with no wind and you have a recipe for a poor night’s sleep.
After spending some of it outside in the chair again, I did finally get some Zs – waking at 5:30am. Knowing the next evening would be in Lake Argyle I couldn’t wait, so coffee, breaky, pack, and gone by 7… via the local IGA to stock up on water… then north I went.

Well – I didn’t expect that! As I started out of Newman a few days ago I kinda new what to expect, but this bit I’d never heard anything of before.

The road itself was kinda normal it seems for this neck of the woods – but the scenery – wow! For pretty much the whole trip I found myself winding my way through various mountain ranges, with almost non-stop sweeping bends. As a motorcyclist, it was almost perfect – again, why hadn’t I heard of this before? You'll see photos here with lots of straights - on the curvy bits ... again - not wanting to become a hood ornament for a road train. So - watch for the videos later.





   

I stopped at Warmun for another break and thought of taking the helicopter flight to the Bungle Bungles. Then, I realised I’d be skinned alive if Ellie found out, so didn’t. I mentioned before that this part of the trip through WA was really just to get to QLD. However, it’s also turning out to be a reconnaissance mission for our anniversary holiday next year. The list of things to do keeps growing.

Kunanurra was also a surprise. I’d never really had any idea as to what it would be like – but pretty, clean, and quite the holiday destination if the 4 or 5 caravan parks is anything to go by. Certainly some of the houses would not be out of place on the riverfront in Perth.





Off to Lake Argyle… only 80-ish kms to go. Again, the ride through the ranges to the lake was spectacular:



On arrival, I thought I’d treat myself to an air-conditioned cabin if available – the only one being the “deluxe” at $359/night. I thought I’d save that until Ellie was with me. So, a tent site it was. First – a swim in the “Infinity Pool”. A bit cloudy with the chlorine – but given the heat I wasn’t complaining. Actually – my complaint was that it was too friggin’ warm! Well, not cold – which is what I was after.



I set up the tent:



…then took Jesse’s Trail (about 10mins down a rough track) to the lake for dip. Absolutely glorious! The hike back up the hill ended with another dip in the pool before an early dinner.





I’ve just had a meal at the pub, sipping a few Great Northern Brewing Co. stubbies, sweating my proverbials off again as I type. I suspect I’ll be outside again, but I do fear the mozzies this time – being so close to water. As I type my tent is surround by frogs (12+), but no mozzies yet – fingers crossed.

[BigTed]

Day 8 – Lake Argyle to Katherine (513 km) (1/10)

I’d forgotten to mention – on my way from Kunanurra to Lake Argle, a little kangaroo swiped the left rear of my DIY trailer. It kept going, I barely noticed a bump, so I did too given I was just around the corner from finishing for the day.

I woke this morning and noticed one of the brackets holding the left mudguard on had broken – I can only assume the impact had done the damage. So, I got out some cable-ties, and fixed it to the frame again – it would probably do until I found a hardware store in Katherine to replace the bracket properly (I didn’t want to go back to Kunanurra).



While I was attending to that, I noticed “light” coming through the floor of the cargo-pod I used. I emptied it and checked it over and found 4 separate areas of cracks – near where the steel/alloy runners bolt on to the frame. Shite! This could be disastrous! Out came the famous 100mph tape, repaired it as best I could, and also secure tied-down straps around the pod onto the frame.



If this holds out, it’ll be annoying, but I only go into the pod when I setup camp anyway. However, if it doesn’t hold out, then I’ll need to do something drastic. Fingers crossed. I can only imagine that these things are designed for roof-racks 6’ above the ground with cushy modern car suspension underneath – not 1’ above some fairly stiff suspension.

Anyway, due to the temporary repairs, I was late to leave Lake Argyle. First, was a quick ride up to the lookout above the lake:




You’re quickly across the border and into the NT – and a time-zone adjustment. So, it would be later than normal into Katherine.

Scenery was normal – all fascinating. However, my attention was mostly on my left mirror checking to see if I still had a trailer for most of the trip (ps. my temporary right-mirror fell off in the heat  ).



 

The most notable thing on this leg of the trip though was just how crap the NT roads are. Think corrugated bitumen. Since vibrations were the likely cause of the damage to the pod it made me even more anxious.

About half-way along the trip is Timber Creek sitting alongside the Victoria River below an impressive escarpment. The town itself is rather “meh”, but the surrounds are worth a visit. (wait for the vids)

The heat and humidity set in – 39 for most of the trip, and storm clouds in the distance. So, it was ride, stop, drink, douse, rinse, repeat.

No camping tonight - I'm staying with my brother-in-law's sister just out of Katherine... and they have air-conditioning. Just as well - a thunderstorm approaches. Camping tonight would not be fun.

Tomorrow I’ll stop in to the local hardware store, grab a new bracket and screws, more magic tape (lots), cable ties, etc. I think I've not planned the next few days well. I was originally going to stay in Katherine for 2 days, allowing a nice gorge walk... but in 39c heat with thunderstorms probably isn't wise. So, I think it's best that I get the trailer fixed, head off for a shortish ride south tomorrow, perhaps Daly Waters, then shorten the riding each day to Mount Isa.

[BigTed]

Day 9 – Katherine to Daly Waters (276 km) (2/10)

Smart move to stay with family – they had an air-conditioner – a thunderstorm came through and dumped quite heavily (for Perth standards) on an off for most of the evening. The bike got a good wash, but I’m glad I wasn’t in a tent… way to humid for that. My host for the evening was the lovely Chloe – daughter of the sister of my brother-in-law. She even provided my first home-cooked meal for the trip – yum.

As I have been doing, while I have planned the trip down to the last millimeter, it is just a plan and will change. I looked again at the next few days and confirmed an earlier departure from Katherine.

I went to Mitre 10 first to grab some brackets, but they didn’t have anything that would do (small shop) – and with no Bunnings (my other family) I just stocked up on cable-ties and magic tape. It has to hold until Mount Isa where there is a Bunnings and I can perform proper repairs. It was only a short hop today, but no dramas with the trailer it seems.



On the way down I stopped in at Mataranka (100km south of Katherine) where they have their famous “Hot Springs”. I headed there first, changed from sweaty riding clothes into bathers, and took a dip. It was good to clean the sweat off, but it was a little to warm for what I was after – nice though. Unfortunately, by the time I’d donned the riding gear again I needed another swim. Back to the main townsite for a quick bite, then on I went.




   

The scenery was as usual – so I didn’t bother to stop for photos. The roads are still crap.

I’m camped in Daly Waters in an unpowered caravan park, for a total cost of $7. It’s adjacent to some farm animals: horse, birds, and a pig, with the promise of wallabies later this evening. I can’t complain about the cost, but the showers look “interesting” and there’s a similarly “interesting” odor coming from the pig-sty depending on the wind direction. I may end up eating at the pub tonight.


 

Tomorrow’s destination is Tablelands (still NT).

ps. total distance travelled (by ODO) for the trip so far is 4,504 km... 25% on distance, 10% on time.... shorter distances soon.

[Brock]

Maybe a fibre glass repair kit may come in handy.

[BigTed]

So, Mr OzFox, or Mr Fox #16 to be correct...
Uncle Rob has second cousins in the UK who have a dog called Sidney. Sidney has a Facebook page and following of over 1000 friends from around the globe.
Uncle Rob has just been promoted to MUG (Mighty Uncle Group).
Sidney has many Mr Foxes traveling the world... #16 is helping MUG Rob tour Australia on his bike.
His job is to help out for photos and have deep and meaningful conversations along the way.
Note that Sidney's relatives always talk in the 3rd person.
Check out his Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/sidney.thompson.338

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[BigTed]

Day 10 – Daly Waters to Tablelands (569 km)

The stench didn’t continue as the wind had swung around. However, the dongas/cabins were occupied by road-work crews, who seemed to have an early start… 4:00am for many of them. This included their trucks… parked about 20m away. However, the body clock seems to be adjusting a little and I could get back to the land of nod.

Quick coffee, breaky, pack up, and I was gone by 7:45. South I went.

Back to what I said before: changing scenery keeps it interesting. This was quite boring…. Long stretches of road lined with low trees… you seen them before so no photos of them. The temperature made for quite a pleasant ride though… quickly up to 27, then peaking at 34.

What got my attention is the termite mounds on the sides of the road, with occasional one dressed by passers-by. This was pretty much from Katherine to Three Springs turnoff, and then to Tablelands. Cute. Maybe I should make a shirt deposit before I leave .



Mr. OzFox was trying to communicate.

The Barkly Homestead Inn is good – a bit old, but clean and tidy. I’m in the bar sipping my new friend: Great Northern Brewing Co.

The trailer is still holding up, but still a concern. I hope to be in Cloncurry tomorrow evening, after stopping in at Mount Isa for some proper repairs. I have a feeling that might take too long and I’ll end up staying the night in Mount Isa instead.

[BigTed]

Big Ted may I suggest when in the Cairns area ride the Gillies range between Atherton and Gordonvale
19km from top to bottom 800m in elevation and 263 corners there are 4 crossing of the range down to the coast from the Tablelands but Navgirl said it took a week before I stopped smiling after riding the Gillies

PC, I'm looking forward to the Gillies tomorrow... if the last 50km into Atherton are anything to go by. Wow.
Thanks for the advice.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[Gadget]

All 4 ranges to the Atherton Tablelands between Cairns and Innisfail are good.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Wild Rose]

Big Ted may I suggest when in the Cairns area ride the Gillies range between Atherton and Gordonvale
19km from top to bottom 800m in elevation and 263 corners there are 4 crossing of the range down to the coast from the Tablelands but Navgirl said it took a week before I stopped smiling after riding the Gillies

PC, I'm looking forward to the Gillies tomorrow... if the last 50km into Atherton are anything to go by. Wow.
Thanks for the advice.

I was in Cairns earlier this year every time we went to ride the Gillies it started raining
Not a good ride in the wet
But we did get a ride to Port Douglas, and did the train trip to Kuranda

[PC]

Big Ted may I suggest when in the Cairns area ride the Gillies range between Atherton and Gordonvale
19km from top to bottom 800m in elevation and 263 corners there are 4 crossing of the range down to the coast from the Tablelands but Navgirl said it took a week before I stopped smiling after riding the Gillies

PC, I'm looking forward to the Gillies tomorrow... if the last 50km into Atherton are anything to go by. Wow.
Thanks for the advice.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

No wurries Big Ted I spent 2 weeks in Atherton and I think it might have been about 2 months to short

[BigTed]

Day 11 – Tablelands to Cloncurry (571 km)

Today was going to be just another long day on the bike – not much to see out here really. The same longs roads, the same mud-people waiting to strike, the same high temps. I have to keep telling myself that I’m just on my way to the Daintree. Don’t get me wrong – it’s still interesting, but 1000s of kilometres of it does get a bit tiring.




That said, approaching Moutn Isa the scenery started to change, with a lot of hill/ranges appearing. The last stretch was quite nice.




On arrival at Mount Isa I immediately located their Bunnings – the place that had the DIY steel I’d used to make the brackets for the mudguard. In I went. Crap! They’d run out  . Nevermind, I just grabbed one twice the width it needed to be, but with added strength – so good result in the end. I’d discovered one of the screws I’d used had snapped off at the head, leaving the the shaft still in the hole. I didn’t want to buy a drill (a. cos I have 2 already, and b. I didn’t want to lug it around with me) so again I asked nicely, and they brought their own out for me to use.

One broken drill bit and a bit of lost skin and I was done. Kinda good as new. Luckily there was shade nearby:



With the trailer fixed, I could have a scout around Mount Isa and still make it to Cloncurry. Mount Isa really is a mining town, or rather – it’s almost a town within the mine.



The road to Cloncurry (only 100-ish km) continued the nice scenery as before. Arriving at around 5, I quickly setup camp, cooked an early dinner, showered, and got inside the tent before the mozzies carried me away. The appearance of more work crews drew my attention – so I took a sedative.

[BigTed]

Day 12 – Cloncurry to Karumba (454 km)

When I was first planning this trip I had a goal to minimize the amount of travel on the same roads. So, I’d always been keen on traveling to Karumba then east, rather than up and down the cost to the Daintree. I’d done my research and while I was concerned at first for the road between Karumba and Cairns, I had satisfied myself that the road was sealed (although possibly only 1 lane for a bit) from end to end. I had not expected what I experienced on the Cloncurry-Kurumba road.

There were about 10 stretches, totaling around 40km that were single lane. Most of them had a nice hard and flat gravel edge, but some were like the Gibb River Road if I veered off the black stuff. I was lucky that I’d only had to negotiate passing just 1 other vehicle (4WD) on one of these sections – we both slowed to a crawl to pass, then we were fine. I did pass 2 road-trains on a double-lane section in the middle – lucky me.




Adding to the excitement was another encounter with a kangaroo – much larger this time. I didn’t notice it until it was on the road but it was far enough away that I was pretty safe. I’d noticed a lot of road kill on this road. While most likely caused during dawn/dusk, this was a reminder that it can happen anytime:



Here’s the YouTube video of the event: here

Not much further down the road I noticed this thing crossing the road… I’m thinking WTF Is a crocodile doing this far inland and so far from water?!?!?!? As I got closer it turned out to be a Monitor Lizard (I think) around 4’ long. There was no other traffic so I could park the bike on the road right next to it:



Again, here’s YouTube video: here

I arrived at the caravan park in the early afternoon and decided to treat myself to a cabin… it had air conditioning (good for some heat rash I’ve now got on my right foot), wads of electricity to charge the devices, and was insect free throughout the evening.

A couple of dips in the pool, a tour around Karumba for a look, and then back to the park for another swim and dinner:



No swimming here though!   





Tomorrow – I head east, stopping just short of Cairns for the night.

[BigTed]

Day 13 – Karumba to Atherton (684 km)

Plans are just plans, right? I took a cabin to get out of the humidity, charge the devices, do a bit of blogging, get a good night sleep, and then I’d be able to head out early as I’d have less packing to do. D’oh! I still couldn’t get going until about 8am… however – I was ready for the long ride. I wanted to make to Atherton today.

The reason I was late was to take the regulation photo of me dipping my toe into the Gulf of Capenteria (literally)… who can say they’ve done that!?




As mentioned before, I expected single-lane sections of this road… I’d ridden this on Google Streetview as part of my planning and knew what to expect, but I’d hoped the QLD government would continue their upgrades. They hadn’t. The good roads were, well, good roads. The single-lane stuff were absolutely shocking. It’s old bitumen that’s been repaired and repaired, broken edges, rocks everywhere, and horrible loose gravel off the sides. It was lucky, again, no road train cam by.





Other than that, the roads/towns were quite typical country towns. Croydon was especially nice, with a bit of history to it that they’re certainly proud of. (sorry - no photos – camera malfunction).

It was a long hot slog until around 50km west of Atherton then the scenery changed dramatically. Large gum-tree (I think) forests, and then a magnificent windy ride through the hills. I didn’t expect that at all. Making it especially pleasing to end the trip was a drop in temperature from 34 down to 22 in about 100km.





Tomorrow, it’s the Gillies Ranges as recommend by PC from OzSToc…. Can’t wait!

ps. people have noticed that it didn't take me long to cover this distance (6500km in 2wks)... the purpose of the earlier rides was really just to get to the Daintree (or here) hence the longer rides. Now they'll be shorter and I get to spend more time in each location.

[BigTed]

Day 14 – Atherton to Daintree (189 km)

Today didn’t disappoint… Off I went heading for the Gillies Range Rd as suggested by a club member. It didn’t take long to hit the twisties.

The speed limit was only 60 kph, but with many 40 corners. It’s 19km of road with an elevation change from top to bottom of 800m, with 263 corners. Motorcycle bliss.

I’m not sure I even hit the 60 limit much… being the one who drives like an old granddad, on a big bike, on a road never ridden before, towing a trailer… I wasn’t going to take risks.




I spotted these Porsche guys lurking on the side… I wonder what they were about to do?



While the scenery looked like it was impressive, I’ll never know. As a motorcyclist on these roads you’re forever looking for and setting up for the next turn. If you choose to glance anywhere else for some sight-seeing then you’re likely to miss a turn and become a stain on a Porsche’s windscreen.

Back in 2014 (I think) I went to Atlanta for a work conference. I managed to get there a day early and rent a Kawasaki 1400GTR to ride a road between North Carolina and Tennessee, commonly called the Tail of the Dragon. It was 11.5mi long with 318 turns in it (similar speed limit of 35mph). While it had more turns over a shorter distance, many were only slight kinks in a straight section. Comparing both for fun-factor… Gillies wins! I’m told there are many others around here that are similar… so I need to keep looking.



Although trying to avoid population centres, I went through Cairns on the way to the Daintree. It was the most direct route from the bottom of Gillies Range Rd, but it also passed a Supercheap Auto where I could buy, change, and dispose of oil. I figured 7,000+ km of hot temperatures and poor roads while towing a trailer that the old girl needed a refresh.



After that, on to the Daintree for 3-4 days (probably only 3) of R&R. I settled in at this quaint old caravan park in Daintree Village. A hot humid night, but it was a time to relax.




I even had a late-night visit from a wild but not-too-timid Bandicoot:



Tomorrow is a day for washing (my m/c pants are walking around on their own), a long walk, some blogging. Then perhaps the day after I’ll take one of the river cruises to have a look-see.

[Gadget]

Great reads


Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[StinkyPete]

I'm loving your photos and stories.   

[BigTed]

playing catchup....

Day 15 – Daintree (0 km)

Ahhhh, my pants are washed. I know it’s gross, but I can’t resist showing a before and after:




I warned Ellie that when I return to Perth I’ll soon after need to buy new gear. This trip is like an additional 1.5 years of riding for me. New pants (!) and new helmet… I must say, it’s pretty sad when you don’t like your own sweat smell in the helmet. When I rode to Adelaide and back a few years ago I dunked the helmet in a tub of shampoo – I don’t think that will suffice this time.

I actually started the day catching up on some blogging – Daintree had some rain come through around 8am so I sat under the kitchen area and typed away while she dumped down. On and off, it lasted around an hour. Washing was done after that – there seemed little point hanging it out with the rain coming.

After that, just wandered around a little. The caravan park had a kind of “old 60s” kinda theme… almost a museum.



Unfortunately, the designated walking tracks were quite a distance from where I stayed – not wanting to get on the bike for the day, I decided to just hoof it up the road (advice from the local info centre)… cupla Ks in the humidity had the sweat pouring out. It was good to spend some energy.




I was waiting on a few others to return from their river cruise as I’d heard a few disappointing whispers. It seemed it was the wrong time of the year – most of the crocs were hiding (not needing to come out for heat), so it was just birdlife. In the end, none of them were that enthusiastic, so I decided to save my petrol money. Ellie & I will return at the right time for this one.

I’d noticed my rear tyre was developing the typical square shape you get when you ride in a straight line for 7,000+ km. This was quite disappointing as I’d got closer to 30,000 for the rear – and this didn’t look like it would make 10,000. Clearly, the weight on the rear of the bike (extra fuel/payload) and the trailer was the culprit. I didn’t think it would be that bad as others in the club has suggested, but I live and learn. I’d made a few phone calls to source a new tyre, and Townsville seemed the goer.



My schedule had me here at Daintree for a total of 4 days. Given the limitations here, I decided to head off tomorrow and use the extra days for some additional layover further down the track (with probably 1 extra at Wooli).

[BigTed]

Day 16 – Daintree to Mission Beach (296km)

Since my way into the Daintree had changed, I took my original in-ward track south… only to avoid riding the same roads twice if I could. I’m glad I took that Gillies Ranges Rd before as while this one was good – it wasn’t anywhere near as spectacular as the Gillies.





It took me back to Atherton where I stopped for lunch. Then, I took a slight detour to Yungaburra where they have a platypus viewing platform (never seen one – even in a zoo I think). Unfortunately, I heard lots of noises, saw lots of moving reeds, and saw lots of bubbles in the water, but no platypi (sp?). I waited for around 20mins but figured that was enough.

The scenery was similar all the way to Mission Beach. It’s quite interesting with a hills/ranges/mountains almost right to the sea for pretty much the whole trip.

The caravan park was great (council run)… I was setup about 20m from the beach. So, park the bike, setup tent, go for a swim (quite warm as it’s shallow for quite a distance), shower, cook, sleep.



 

[BigTed]

Day 17 – Mission Beach to Townsville (235 km)

Keen to get my rear tyre replaced, I scarpered early from Mission Beach.

I was half expecting to stay 2 nights in Townsville. Halfway there I’d stopped for a coffee and noticed some emails returned from some bike shops. One didn’t have the tyre I wanted, and the other wasn’t prepared to touch the bike with the towbar on it (something about liability). I had another look at the tyre and decided screw it – it can wait – I hadn’t quite reached the wear bars so I should be OK for a while.



Since I’d left Mission Beach quite early, my arrival in Townsville was also early. I checked myself into the park and immediately started calling around. The local Honda shop in Rockhampton (720+ km away) had my tyre of choice and were OK to change it. So, I figured that’ll do. I’ll keep monitoring my tyre’s wear, but that should do nicely.

I jumped back on the bike (without the trailer) and had a bit of a tour around. I must say, Townsville is a pretty nice place. It’s clean, modern, and has pretty much everything you’ll ever need. It’s just too friggin’ hot for me.





I also checked out a few camera shops while I was there just to see if they had that USB cable I’d forgotten. No chance. I’ll get Ellie to post it to Wooli for me as I definitely want it for Tassie.

[BigTed]

Day 18 – Townsville to Airlie Beach (275 km)

I’d made a few phone calls yesterday and one was to Novus Glass – they said they could custom-make a mirror for my bike for only $40. So, that was first stop today. It took 30 mins so I rode around a little while they did it. I picked it up, fitted it, and took off. What a piece of crap! Where some mirrors are curved to provide a slight fish-eye/wider view, this was the opposite… things were magnified (around x2). It’s better than what I had, but not good. Worst thing is I think he glued it in so I’m now worried I won’t be able to easily replace it (and will now have to buy another part – grrrrr). Oh, well. Live & learn.

Townsville is surrounded by quite a few very steep-faced hills. I thought as I leave I’ll take a drive up to the top of Mount Stuart for the panorama. Crap – they’d closed the road up to the top for maintenance. Typical! Anyway, I gave it a shot.

Onwards to Arlie Beach. The mountains started to peter out (still there, but just not as numerous). Although these photos don't show it, traffic was a pain – quite a few roadworks going on, camper vans in the way, etc.




Bruce Hwy is pretty much the only way down the coast. I could have headed inland, but that meant more heat and I was keen to stay away from it. It was still a good drive though.

Arlie Beach is the gateway to the Whitesundays. That means, things are expen$ive, especially accommodation. I’d not had a problem just rocking up to caravan parks before – it’s never been hard for them to find 1 campsite for me. However, not here. I ended up in a Big4 park which are often a little pricey… but to pay $42 to pitch a tent is a bit rude methinks.

After setting up, I had a quick swim and headed into the town for a pub dinner. I’d been warned about the mozzies here, so wanted some a/c for a few hours.



Arlie Beach is very popular with backpackers… full of 20-something beach-goers. Lots of pubs, surf shops, tattoo parlours, etc… a fun place to be.

[BigTed]

Day 19 – Arlie Beach to Yepoon (499 km)

Another quick ride through Arlie Beach in the morning before I head further south:




Today was only going to be another short ride of 200-ish kms. However, when I got to Carmila I wasn’t too impressed, so bugger it – on I went.

One of the sugar-cane trains that cross the main road:



The main run down the east coast of QLD is the Bruce Hwy. This is one lane in each direction with the occasional overtaking lane, and seemingly poorly maintained. Traffic today was bad – I don’t know how this compares with “normal”, but lots of road-trains, caravans, etc. It’s nice to know that QLD has the same people as WA that do just under the speed limit, accelerate in overtaking lanes to hold their position, and fail to consider anyone else on the road. It’s no wonder Bruce Hwy is considered so dangerous.




I’d been chatting to some folks in the caravan park a few days ago in Townsville and they mentioned Yeppoon as a good alternative to Rockhampton… so that was my destination.

Using “wikicamps” I headed to a recommended caravan park to setup and cook dinner. Fish & Chips across the road so that’s where the cooking finished.

I’m booked into the bike shop for my new rear tyre at 8am in the morning, so I’ll go there, have a look-see at Rockhampton, then return to Yeppoon for a look. I’m here for 2 nights so some washing today too.

[West Aussie Glen]

Rob for $40 for 2 years you can become a member of Big4 and get 10% off.