I’m a newbie to Ozstoc and reside in the cooler climates of NZ but I figure I can count as a pseudo-Ozstocker having lived over your way for 20 years during which time I picked up an Aussie wife and had 3 Aussie kids. I’ve also just completed a 27,000km ride in and about your fine land in April-May this year on my 2011 ST 1300ABS which is the reason for this post…
Shipping the bike across the Tasman under ‘carnet de passages’ was remarkable easy. I must say all praise be to Mainfreight as I was able to go from the early morning Wellington-Sydney flight straight to my waiting bike at Mainfreight's Botany depot. After a brief unpack I had the wind in my face riding south through Royal National Park by 11.00am.
I chose to camp at most of my overnighter locations but was able to stay (read sponge off) old acquaintances and relatives who just happened to live at strategic locations along the planned route. The tent I bought across with me had occasion to fall off the back of the bike on the second day and subsequently got run over by a passing truck. That required a quick stopover at the Kathmandu sales to purchase a new bigger and brighter one which, I’m happy to say, I can now put up and pack away pretty much while sleepwalking.
The first 2 weeks and 9,157km were spent doing an interior 'loop' which was basically Nowra – Canberra - Snowy Mountains Highway - Murray Valley Highway – Dandenongs – Bendigo – Adelaide - Victor Harbor - Ayres Rock - Alice Springs - Mount Isa – Longreach – Bourke - Bathurst and back to Sydney. The night before I got back to Sydney I’d spent in the Warrumbungal National Park. That following day, Saturday 14th April, as I was coming back in towards the Blue Mountains I saw a big group of you guys heading out. You all looked very impressive on your ST’s and some of you even waved back at me!
Needless to say the bike never missed a beat but that Mitchell / Lansborough Highway stretch coming back down through Queensland seriously needs road works – Down to 80km/hr for lengthy stretches and still scared I was bending my forks.
Anyway the score after this first loop was:
Kangeroos - nil, close calls - 3,
Snakes - 1,
Road trains - nil, but a few nervous overtaking moments after dark around Mt Isa,
Fastest speed in the Northern Territory – prefer not to say,
Longest days riding - 3 of over 1,000kms with one of 1,110km.
Showers and changes of sweaty clothes - probably not enough.
After a home cooked meal and a couple of nights in a real bed in the Blue Mountains thanks to my generous brother-in-law (who just happened to be on the planned route) it was on up the East Coast in the general direction of Queensland again. Torrential rain around the NSW central coast forced a couple of shorter day’s riding than planned and major roadworks for most of the rest of the way up to Rockhampton slowed progress even further. When finally in Cairns I did the Mount Molly loop up to Daintree and back down to Townsville. I used to live in Townsville and rode a GSX 1100EFE back then so know the Atherton Tablelands as some of the world’s best riding (second to our South Island West Coast on a sunny day of course).
When I left Townsville for the next stretch I was optimistically hoping my back tyre would make it to Darwin. Unfortunately by the time I got to Mt Isa with 1,600km still to go some suspicious looking lateral wear lines had appeared which indicated the wire wasn’t far below. Ended up having to pay a premium for a new one at the Honda shop in Mt Isa. Shouldn’t complain though as the worn tyre had giving me 19,290 good kilometres (hey, I’m an Engineer, numbers is what I do).
Our oldest son is working in Darwin so I spent four days there which included doing the Kakado thing. Interesting fact I learned is that Fogg Dam on the way out to Kakadu has the world’s highest biomass of rats and pythons which I found to be quite an amusing fact at the time. I couldn’t get out to the Aboriginal rock paintings due to some residual flood waters across the road that weren’t playing the game. I did try though. For the benefit of the less adventurous ST owners I can reliably inform you that your bike will safely ford a 400mm deep flooded road, albeit a bit wobbly, but don’t try it if the staff gauge is reading 600mm (especially if there’s a crocodile warning sign close by!).
In Kakadu I was also impressed that Australian’s are able to construct a huge open cast uranium mine in the middle of a World Heritage listed national park (again the Engineer in me coming out). We just have coal mines that blow up.
After Darwin the Kimberley's were great scenic riding all the way across to Broome. At one point there was even a sign warning me of 5km of winding road where I had to slow down to 110km/hr to take one of the tighter bends.
Broome I limited myself to a lunchtime stopover - Ho hum, seen one European tourist in skimpy bikini, seen 'em all...
I must say it’s a long, long way from Darwin to Perth and I still fail to see why so many Kiwis are moving to Port Hedland as there’s certainly nothing around there that caught my eye. The beauty of riding that piece of road with no sound system in my helmet is I’d solved most of the worlds’ problems in my head by the time I got to Perth. The brain had somewhat return from its zen-like state once I’d got to WA’s south-western corner around Margaret River where the riding was simply awesome.
The Nullabor was pretty cool. Two days to cross with a well deserved beer and some jovial conversation with the local truckies at the Border Village pub. Over the next bit into SA I did get somewhat ‘cliffed out’ stopping and looking at every viewing area of the Great Australian Bight from the WA border through to Port Lincoln.
Through the Adelaide Hills and Coorong I refreshed my teenage memories of riding my red 1983 CB 750 through this part of the world. (Back then didn’t we all fit the hardest, cheapest tyres the local motorbike shop would sell us and then wonder why we couldn’t get round corners in the rain?)
Around to Victoria and the Great Ocean Road. Cliffs and coastal erosion had somehow lost their novelty value by the time I got to the 12 Apostles although that road on a sunny day was brilliant.
Melbourne, Portsea, Lakes Entrance and up to Nowra was some excellent riding as it was mid-week with almost no other traffic and not a cloud in the sky. I guess it does get pretty congested along here on weekends though – you guys would know.
Then it was up to Nowra to my father-in-laws place (which just happened to be on the planned route) to give the bike a good clean before dropping it off at Mainfreight in Sydney for the return cruise. It has since been safely returned to my doorstep complete with a few green bugs stuck in the air filter which I hooked out last weekend with a toothbrush (I trust everyone else also ignores the manufacturers’ recommendation on how often the air filter should be replaced). The bike and I are now undergoing resettlement training re-learning how to safely negotiate cow poo on NZ winter roads.
All up the score was:
Distance: 27,193 km
Fuel: 1,233 litres - Ave 4.5 L/100km or 22 km/L. (Sounds a bit low so I may have not recorded a couple of fills but I wasn’t white-knuckle riding either)
Fuel stops: 76 or thereabouts.
Maintenance: 2 front & 2 rear tyres. 3 engine oil & 1 hub oil changes.
Average days riding: 735 km
Longest days riding: 11 days of between 900 & 1,110 km
Time in the country: 7 weeks
Days actually riding: 37
Nights in the flash tent: 32
Hottest temperature: 38 degrees somewhere around Pt Hedland.
Wildlife collected: Nothing bigger than a parrot
Closest call: Dingos with their suicidal tendencies chasing dinner beside the highway
My controlled experiment for the trip was to see if your Toll way number plate recognition system picks up NZ registered vehicles travelling under carnet. To date I haven’t received anything in the mail reminding me of the occasional toll I may have ‘omitted’ to pay. I hope the same holds true for any average speed cameras I may have taken liberties with.
Might see some of you at this November’s Burt Munro Challenge down in Invercargill perhaps? Always a good excuse for a lap around the South Island. Weather’s crap at that time of year though.
Cheers,
Rob
