The trip was 9,000km over 18 days in June starting in Sydney with the aim being to explore the key rivers in the Murray-Darling Basin “The third largest drainage basin in the world”. Then from the northern (Central Queensland) extent of the Basin, go on up to Townsville and follow the various roads through the Great Dividing Range back down to Sydney.
(I’d previously shipped the bike from NZ over to Oz in March and done an 11,500km East Coast, Stuart Highway and Snowy Mountains trip as part of the Toowoomba National Rally. That’s another article somewhere).
Along the way a brief stopover with Streak in Toowoomba saw the NZ OzSTOC flag shake hands across the Tasman. Sorry for turning up out of the blue, Streak.
First unfurling of the flag was beside some beached submarine at Holbrook. The Murrumbidgee River must be bigger than I first thought!
A night beside the Murray River at Echuca.
Yes, the ST is sulking as we had just slipped over in the mud crossing a bush drain beside the somewhat wet camp site.
A days’ ride further down the Murray at Mildura.
Great way to get over a river. I think there were about five of these ferry crossings on the Murray for memory.
Me and the ST sharing a cosy night together in the Stewards Box at the Burra showgrounds. Beats packing up a wet tent in the morning (and we’d made up after the slip-over incident back at Echuca).
This is either the NZ Canterbury Plains south of Christchurch or the equally riveting scenery around Broken Hill.
Next wee stop, Cobar…
Following the Darling River around Wilcannia
On to the Castlereagh River at Gilgandra and up to Coonamble then on to the Barwon River at Walgett which marks out the Qld/NSW border.
‘The Flag’ makes Lightening Ridge. This was on a Sunday and the markets were the place to be. $20 opal earrings for my wife – bargain!
Entering the gates to Queensland and trading photos of the border sign with a similarly-minded Grey Nomad
This seriously emaciated equine specimen was a good reason why never to call any sports team ‘The Brumbies’
This rather unimpressive photo is actually the top of the Great Dividing Range and marks the northern extent of the Murray-Darling Basin in Central Queensland.
Forgot to get a Townsville photo so this was the next best thing.
I picked up this road, the A3 at Rockhampton and used it primarily to follow the Great Dividing Range back down to Bathurst. A really great riding road with plenty of classic country towns (and pubs) along the way.
Yes, it was a bit cold on the fingertips when the ST turned over 123456 km. Not a bad score for four years of riding from new.
A passing tourist loaned me his baby to smarten up this classic Bathurst shot.
Aaand we’re done.
All packed up at the Mainfreight depot in Botany. Now just waiting for a ship going in the right direction.
Note the yellow battery on the ground at the back of the bike. This was kindly loaned to me from ST2UP (Chris) in Guyra. My four year old battery had decided to give up the ghost one cold morning south of Toowoomba. A passing Grey Nomad from the same camping ground where I’d stayed had the required jumper leads to get me going for the day then Chris’s spare battery got me back to Sydney.
Thanks heaps again Chris!
