Murray-Darling Ride for a Kiwi

[RGardner]

Hi,
I’m one of the New Zealand OzSTOC’s. I was over your way for the Toowooba National Rally in March plus a bit of a ride afterwards.

I’m coming back over in June for another sort trip before shipping my ST back home. My plan is to ‘Ride The Rivers’ of the Murray-Darling Basin with a slight detour along the Nullabor and back. So wondering whether parts of the following (rough) itinerary fit in with any OzSTOCers who would like to tag along for a bit:

Fri 12 June 2015 - Early flight in to Sydney, pick up my ST from Springwood, get a new rear tyre fitted at the nearest Honda shop (Penrith I think).
Sat 13 June – Ride to Coonamble via Coonabarabran and the Castlereagh River.
Sun 14 Jun – To Bourke along the Barwon River.
Mon 15 Jun – To Broken Hill on the sealed roads beside the Darling River (if there are any?).
Tues 16 Jun – To Crystal Brook (SA) via the Darling & Murray Rivers.
Wed 17 Jun – To Pt Lincoln.
Thurs 18 Jun – To Border Village for a beer.
Fri 19 Jun – Back to Pt Augusta.
Sat 20 Jun – To Mildura via the Murray River.
Sun 21 Jun – To Seymour via Echuca, the Murray & Goulburn Rivers.
Mon 22 Jun – To Khancoban via the Murray Valley Highway
Tues 23 Jun – To Cann River
Wed 24 June – Don’t know
Thurs 25 June – Don’t know, maybe Canberra
Fri 26 June – Don’t know
Sat 27 June – Don’t know
Sun 28 June – Sydney. Clean bike
Mon 29 June – Sydney. Bike to Mainfreight & fly home

The latter part of the trip is a bit hazy and I’ll also probably squeeze in some down-time along the way.

Any takers for parts thereof?

[Brock]

 

Man, you are going to wear the roads out....

Sounds like a great plan.

[Diesel]

I will add more things later Rob - but you MUST stop at Wentworth just out of Mildure where these two mighty river systems converge...



https://www.google.com.au/maps/place/Junction+Park/@-34.1124169,141.910643,2539m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x0000000000000000:0xedf2b10744bfaf06

[Brookester]

Instead of Border Village go the extra 12kms to Eucla...then you done WA plus fuel is much cheaper and 98 octane available

[RGardner]

Thanks Diesel & Brookester,
Yes, on both accounts.
I plan on stopping at Wentworth and taking a photo of my recently received ‘NZ endorsed’ OzSTOC flag at the confluence of the two rivers.
And I’ll do the extra 24 km to Eucla from Border Village and decide which one has the better pub for the night.

[ST2UP]

Looking forward to the NZ Flag pics Rob 

[Gatey]

"Sun 14 Jun – To Bourke along the Barwon River.
Mon 15 Jun – To Broken Hill on the sealed roads beside the Darling River (if there are any?)."

This bit from Bourke to Broken Hill will be very interesting on an ST?

Do I understand you expect a tar/sealed road from Bourke along the Darling past Louth and Tilpa and pop out at Wilcannian & turn west to Broken Hill ?

I know the new google maps is missing lots but it does show Bourke to Wilcannia as the glorious dirt track its always been. I wont say its impossible but its not made for ST's


Will be a good look about the country side and cover lots of variable regions.

[RGardner]

Thanks Gatey,
Yes, I had a look via Google Maps and I think I'll have to skip that close-in stretch that hugs the Darling River from Bourke to Broken Hill. It will be a shame to have to take the main road to Broken Hill but the Street View of the dirt road looks awful!

[Gatey]

An alternate route so you get Bourke in your itinerary and see some of that country AND go to the hill.
 

Coonabarabran, Coonamble, Walgett ( fuel here ) go to Bourke ( good fuel at the BP? on Mitchell Hwy )

Bourke to Cobar on the sealed Kidman Way. TR onto the A32 for BH.

Emmdale Roadhouse has good fuel and food/coffee. Personally I never stop in Wilcannia...this should fire one or two up.. You do cross the Darling overflow in the Wilcannia area, Wongalara Lake comes to mind. A couple of years back this section was just the raised roadway and water as far as you could see both sides. You will have noticed that the darling in this area is a chain of lagoons and billabongs. At time you can ride across a dry river bed and other years it used to lap the bridge timbers on the old north Bourke bridge. I've seen it at both extremes fortunately.

Little Topar has fuel too.