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Jun
02
As we were firing up the bikes to head off on our trip Glenn (our Operations Manager) came to farewell us and stood there shaking his head saying 'I can't believe it, 6 weeks'. I was thinking he was referring to the time we would be away then he continued 'that that's all the luggage you have for 6 weeks!'. I have to confess I was a bit naughty and enjoyed telling him that the actual luggage was held in the 2 pannier bags each side of the bikes but the large bags sitting on the pillion seat were other bits. This has been a familiar theme, a lot of people have been intrigued by the amount of luggage we do / don't carry so I thought while we are covering some of the same territory I'd let you know what we actually carry.
Norm's
Essentials bag (the big one in the middle) the 2 x pannier bags each side are the luggage bags. The two together have a 42 litre / kg capacity.
Norm's Essential bits bag contents:
2 x bike covers (we call them our bike ports) which keeps the rain, condensation, dust, mine outfall, birds and their waste material off them.
Also acts as a deterrent to would be thieves / vandals even as far as a random keying.
1 x tow rope.
2 x occie straps.
1 x toilet paper (and have we been glad to have that with some of the loos we've visited!).
Assorted snacks, dried fruit and snack bars.
1 x 5litre jerry can (only filled for the Camooweal to Barkly Homestead leg and there is another section south of Alice Springs where we may need it).
1 x anti fog compound (for inside of face shield - more of an issue on the coast than the interior).
1 x biro (interesting this since he lost my biro!).
1 x syphon hose if we need to transfer fuel from one tank to another or from someone else's.
2 x sets of waterproof jackets for extra waterproofing / warmth. Also Norm's waterproof pants, mine are in the little glove box on my bike.
1 x waterproofed back rug we stretch out on for an occasional nap.
1 x can of tyre pressure puncture repair.
Assorted maps.
Spare bike key.
Camera and charge leads.
1 x large water bottle.
Tropical additions:
1 x Aerogard.
1 x fly spray.
He also carries our two small bottles of water in the side pockets for easy access and puts his padded and waterproof jacket liners in the top as he sheds them.
In his little bike glove compartment on his bike he carries:
1 x can Plexus (polish).
1 x roll electrical tape.
Assorted zip ties.
1 x pair side cutters.
1 x swiss army pocket knife.
The original Yamaha tool kit.
Assorted extra allen keys.
Assorted polishing rags.
And there you have it!
Norm's Essentials bag (the big one in the middle) the 2 x pannier bags each side are the luggage bags. The two together have a 42 litre / kg capacity.
Norm's Essential bits bag contents:
2 x bike covers (we call them our bike ports) which keeps the rain, condensation, dust, mine outfall, birds and their waste material off them.
Also acts as a deterrent to would be thieves / vandals even as far as a random keying.
1 x tow rope.
2 x occie straps.
1 x toilet paper (and have we been glad to have that with some of the loos we've visited!).
Assorted snacks, dried fruit and snack bars.
1 x 5litre jerry can (only filled for the Camooweal to Barkly Homestead leg and there is another section south of Alice Springs where we may need it).
1 x anti fog compound (for inside of face shield - more of an issue on the coast than the interior).
1 x biro (interesting this since he lost my biro!).
1 x syphon hose if we need to transfer fuel from one tank to another or from someone else's.
2 x sets of waterproof jackets for extra waterproofing / warmth. Also Norm's waterproof pants, mine are in the little glove box on my bike.
1 x waterproofed back rug we stretch out on for an occasional nap.
1 x can of tyre pressure puncture repair.
Assorted maps.
Spare bike key.
Camera and charge leads.
1 x large water bottle.
Tropical additions:
1 x Aerogard.
1 x fly spray.
He also carries our two small bottles of water in the side pockets for easy access and puts his padded and waterproof jacket liners in the top as he sheds them.
In his little bike glove compartment on his bike he carries:
1 x can Plexus (polish).
1 x roll electrical tape.
Assorted zip ties.
1 x pair side cutters.
1 x swiss army pocket knife.
The original Yamaha tool kit.
Assorted extra allen keys.
Assorted polishing rags.
And there you have it!
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May
30
Basically done very little and been spoilt by our hosts.
We found a very different Darwin to the one we saw in early 1972 pre Cyclone Tracey and pre the city it has become since. The Darwin we remember was a large rambling country town around the size of Traralgon and Morwell joined together. The population when Tracey struck in 74 was only 48,000. In 72 we stayed at the Council Caravan Park on the foreshore and the hospital was a smallish thing in the city somewhere now it's a huge building in sight of the house here in Lyons (Casaurina area). There were no dual traffic roads into the city and the outer edge of the city started after the Air force Base. Again one of the biggest changes in Darwin as is the same elsewhere we visited on our original trip is the nationalising of the retail world.
Green's garage or the Bennett family grocery store have been replaced by nationally recognised brands, stores ,and expected service levels. A huge shopping centre we visit in any city here could be a mirror image of anywhere else. Quite a tribute to the difference a well-functioning Transport and Logistics Supply Chain (largely road) can make. In that vein, my favourite TV add is the Woolworth's / Safeway adds telling us what fresh fruit and veggies are available nationally which is a testament to the responsiveness and efficiency of road transport in this country.
Saturday we attended our first ever Motocross Meet (Barry competing) which took Norm back to his experiences in his early days of motorbike ownership at 17 / 18 years of age tearing around the bush and abandoned quarries and the like. The road is much safer I've decided! No injuries so it was a good meet.
Barry in full flight over the smaller of the two large jumps on a practice round. He looked spectacular over the bigger one (100 foot long) and got as much height and distance as anyone but it was too distant to do it justice on the picture side of things.
Sunday saw us head to Mindl Market and then make our selections from the myriad of food vendors and head to the sand to sit and watch the sun drop into the ocean. The reverse to what we are used to if in fact we are used to any of it. Monday saw us head to the city and check out the Museum which was interesting particularly the Cyclone Tracey exhibit which we specifically went to see. We followed that up with a yummy lunch at the museum cafe overlooking the beach between pandanas palms (don't know how to spell that- neither does the spell check). Very picturesque. Then we headed for the Military Museum at East Point which covered well the bombing of Darwin which staggeringly went on from February 1942 to November 1943! Incredible ferocity on the part of the Japanese and considering Darwin was a town of 4 X 5 streets at the time the strategic nature of the attacks was big. As time progressed the bombing extended further south to Adelaide River where the fight to hang on really was based and many air strips were hastily constructed along the Stuart Highway as aircraft progressively became available to send north. The highway works from Darwin to Alice Springs started after a cyclone before the war, was ramped up and once finished meant men and supplies were much more accessible. Must have made for interesting road construction being bombed while you tried to build the road! Many of the airstrips are still visible beside the road and many more off the road are well sign posted. We ended the day with a family dinner at the wharves with about half of Darwin. This is the wharf used in the filming of the movie 'Australia' which all the cattle were herded down (supposedly) to the waiting ship. Very pretty spot near the new convention centre.
Mindl beach approaching sunset.
Today we got the bikes serviced and yes Normie's fuel cap came in. This afternoon we were to head into the city to have a coffee with a former colleague of mine from TDT Vic who has been working her way around Australia but best laid plans and all that, just got a call to say her flight has been bumped and she now won't be leaving Cairns until 6.30 tonight so will miss her. That seems to be how it goes for remote Australia, any delays or flights taken out of the system or consolidated all impact on the area at the end of the chain, probably be hard as a resident not to be both resigned and annoyed about that.
Tonight I suspect will be a quiet night then off early in the morning to beat the heat.
Talk to you tomorrow with anything new and the completed news of Norm's Essentials bag and the following day another update and news of my Emergency bag. After that we will be in new territory for this trip.
A former Territorian (Sweetheart) you would want to give a wide berth. Now stuffed (thankfully) and in the museum. A good 18 to 20 feet long.
We found a very different Darwin to the one we saw in early 1972 pre Cyclone Tracey and pre the city it has become since. The Darwin we remember was a large rambling country town around the size of Traralgon and Morwell joined together. The population when Tracey struck in 74 was only 48,000. In 72 we stayed at the Council Caravan Park on the foreshore and the hospital was a smallish thing in the city somewhere now it's a huge building in sight of the house here in Lyons (Casaurina area). There were no dual traffic roads into the city and the outer edge of the city started after the Air force Base. Again one of the biggest changes in Darwin as is the same elsewhere we visited on our original trip is the nationalising of the retail world.
Green's garage or the Bennett family grocery store have been replaced by nationally recognised brands, stores ,and expected service levels. A huge shopping centre we visit in any city here could be a mirror image of anywhere else. Quite a tribute to the difference a well-functioning Transport and Logistics Supply Chain (largely road) can make. In that vein, my favourite TV add is the Woolworth's / Safeway adds telling us what fresh fruit and veggies are available nationally which is a testament to the responsiveness and efficiency of road transport in this country.
Saturday we attended our first ever Motocross Meet (Barry competing) which took Norm back to his experiences in his early days of motorbike ownership at 17 / 18 years of age tearing around the bush and abandoned quarries and the like. The road is much safer I've decided! No injuries so it was a good meet.
Barry in full flight over the smaller of the two large jumps on a practice round. He looked spectacular over the bigger one (100 foot long) and got as much height and distance as anyone but it was too distant to do it justice on the picture side of things.
Sunday saw us head to Mindl Market and then make our selections from the myriad of food vendors and head to the sand to sit and watch the sun drop into the ocean. The reverse to what we are used to if in fact we are used to any of it. Monday saw us head to the city and check out the Museum which was interesting particularly the Cyclone Tracey exhibit which we specifically went to see. We followed that up with a yummy lunch at the museum cafe overlooking the beach between pandanas palms (don't know how to spell that- neither does the spell check). Very picturesque. Then we headed for the Military Museum at East Point which covered well the bombing of Darwin which staggeringly went on from February 1942 to November 1943! Incredible ferocity on the part of the Japanese and considering Darwin was a town of 4 X 5 streets at the time the strategic nature of the attacks was big. As time progressed the bombing extended further south to Adelaide River where the fight to hang on really was based and many air strips were hastily constructed along the Stuart Highway as aircraft progressively became available to send north. The highway works from Darwin to Alice Springs started after a cyclone before the war, was ramped up and once finished meant men and supplies were much more accessible. Must have made for interesting road construction being bombed while you tried to build the road! Many of the airstrips are still visible beside the road and many more off the road are well sign posted. We ended the day with a family dinner at the wharves with about half of Darwin. This is the wharf used in the filming of the movie 'Australia' which all the cattle were herded down (supposedly) to the waiting ship. Very pretty spot near the new convention centre.
Mindl beach approaching sunset.
Today we got the bikes serviced and yes Normie's fuel cap came in. This afternoon we were to head into the city to have a coffee with a former colleague of mine from TDT Vic who has been working her way around Australia but best laid plans and all that, just got a call to say her flight has been bumped and she now won't be leaving Cairns until 6.30 tonight so will miss her. That seems to be how it goes for remote Australia, any delays or flights taken out of the system or consolidated all impact on the area at the end of the chain, probably be hard as a resident not to be both resigned and annoyed about that.
Tonight I suspect will be a quiet night then off early in the morning to beat the heat.
Talk to you tomorrow with anything new and the completed news of Norm's Essentials bag and the following day another update and news of my Emergency bag. After that we will be in new territory for this trip.
A former Territorian (Sweetheart) you would want to give a wide berth. Now stuffed (thankfully) and in the museum. A good 18 to 20 feet long.
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May
29
Yesterdays PS:
Forgot to say I had a bit of a glitch with the communications gear yesterday as in tried to fry my wiring on my exhaust as we headed off from the Daly Waters air strip so threw it into the bag and Norm repaired it last night. At first this morning I could hear him but he couldn't hear me which he understandably thought was pretty good! Anyway plugged it in again and working both ways again as well as it does. Still need to find a motorbike cop to enquire what brand they use so we can communicate without the aggravation of excessive noise and interference. Also yesterday saw the last of the fresh road kill. A couple of little wallabies and some sort of little rat like looking thing.
Today:
Started off humid and cool (rather than hot and humid as it had been all night). We were amazed as we had been yesterday at the amount of burnt land we travelled through. Obviously from human interference. I know some areas in Queensland where farmers burn off last season’s grasses as it is too tough for the cattle to eat and the burning promotes new growth which is easier for cattle to eat. Don't know if that is what goes on here but some of the burnt land wouldn't be too agreeable for cattle I wouldn't think. The first things to recover seem to be the palms. Interesting. The first things to come back after the Gippsland fires were the ferns. Both ancient species. (Barry and Annette have told us since our arrival that the burning off is to reduce fuel to prevent massive out of control fires).
Anyway, the ride headed off into more windy road and rugged rocky out crops and ridges. We took the turn left off the highway and headed for Batchelor and ultimately the Litchfield National Park. Batchelor was what is left of the town which used to service the Rum Jungle Uranium mine which shut down around 1970 / 71. On our way home in 72 the town was fenced and no admission was allowed. The open cut mine has now filled with water from the monsoons and is used for canoeing for school camps and other water sports. The prospect of swimming in something which is 300metres deep sounds pretty scary to me. Anyway what is left of Batchelor looks quite pretty. The trees look beautiful and sporting grounds look good but I'd say the town has it challenges. The sign on a motel heading towards Litchfield which said 'Batchelor Resort' seemed a pretty big statement we thought after getting some lunch there.
The ride out to Litchfield was a lovely gentle winding ride. Very nice after all the long straight stretches though there are nowhere near as many as previously now that the roads follow routes above floods and have both cuttings and fills and high level water crossings. The waterfalls in Litchfield were beautiful. What a contrast to see such big bodies of water in such rugged dry country. We also checked the Magnetic Termite mounds which were intriguing. Looked like a lot of tombstones. Look up magnetic termites on google to see how greatly they and their mounds differ from the usual ones.
Wangii Falls. There is a beautiful area at the base of the falls where swimming is usually allowed complete with stainless steel stair rails into the water however it is currently closed due to strong currents and crocodile sightings. Bugger!
Some of the Litchfield Magnetic Termite mounds
By the time we got back on the Stuart Highway the temperature was climbing rapidly and all possible layers had been removed. The second set of traffic lights saw me half un zipping my jacket to get some more air movement. It was a relief to get to the Yamaha dealer with ice cold air-conditioning so we could check on the progress of Norms fuel cap. Supposedly on track for Monday. We'll see. Asked if any Yamaha's come with a 6th overdrive gear (to reduce engine revs). No, but the 1300 is much slower revving. I'd need to be lifting serious weights I think to lift one of them up to start riding! Sales staff then asked 'Did you know we have a Harley ride day tomorrow and they have an overdrive would you like to book?' NO!
It was nice to get to Barry and Annette's and have a glass of cold water. Passed the Darwin hospital where Jenny worked on their working holiday (not even there on our original trip). REALLY looking forward to getting the jackets washed and especially the draggin jeans. They would just about come if we whistled them up at the moment after the last couple of hot days.
I have serious admiration for the people who live and work here in this sort of heat and humidity especially bearing in mind that it's not all that humid at the moment! Like anything I guess if I HAD to do it I would but am very happy I don't have to. This is the country kid who spent hot summer Sunday's sitting on the church porch steps because sitting in church with people tightly around me I was forever passing out so to be somewhere where I feel like I'm having a permanent hot flush is not a gig I'm likely to be volunteering for. We will be having a few days break here now so will talk to you when we get on the road again.
Florence Falls.
Forgot to say I had a bit of a glitch with the communications gear yesterday as in tried to fry my wiring on my exhaust as we headed off from the Daly Waters air strip so threw it into the bag and Norm repaired it last night. At first this morning I could hear him but he couldn't hear me which he understandably thought was pretty good! Anyway plugged it in again and working both ways again as well as it does. Still need to find a motorbike cop to enquire what brand they use so we can communicate without the aggravation of excessive noise and interference. Also yesterday saw the last of the fresh road kill. A couple of little wallabies and some sort of little rat like looking thing.
Today:
Started off humid and cool (rather than hot and humid as it had been all night). We were amazed as we had been yesterday at the amount of burnt land we travelled through. Obviously from human interference. I know some areas in Queensland where farmers burn off last season’s grasses as it is too tough for the cattle to eat and the burning promotes new growth which is easier for cattle to eat. Don't know if that is what goes on here but some of the burnt land wouldn't be too agreeable for cattle I wouldn't think. The first things to recover seem to be the palms. Interesting. The first things to come back after the Gippsland fires were the ferns. Both ancient species. (Barry and Annette have told us since our arrival that the burning off is to reduce fuel to prevent massive out of control fires).
Anyway, the ride headed off into more windy road and rugged rocky out crops and ridges. We took the turn left off the highway and headed for Batchelor and ultimately the Litchfield National Park. Batchelor was what is left of the town which used to service the Rum Jungle Uranium mine which shut down around 1970 / 71. On our way home in 72 the town was fenced and no admission was allowed. The open cut mine has now filled with water from the monsoons and is used for canoeing for school camps and other water sports. The prospect of swimming in something which is 300metres deep sounds pretty scary to me. Anyway what is left of Batchelor looks quite pretty. The trees look beautiful and sporting grounds look good but I'd say the town has it challenges. The sign on a motel heading towards Litchfield which said 'Batchelor Resort' seemed a pretty big statement we thought after getting some lunch there.
The ride out to Litchfield was a lovely gentle winding ride. Very nice after all the long straight stretches though there are nowhere near as many as previously now that the roads follow routes above floods and have both cuttings and fills and high level water crossings. The waterfalls in Litchfield were beautiful. What a contrast to see such big bodies of water in such rugged dry country. We also checked the Magnetic Termite mounds which were intriguing. Looked like a lot of tombstones. Look up magnetic termites on google to see how greatly they and their mounds differ from the usual ones.
Wangii Falls. There is a beautiful area at the base of the falls where swimming is usually allowed complete with stainless steel stair rails into the water however it is currently closed due to strong currents and crocodile sightings. Bugger!
Some of the Litchfield Magnetic Termite mounds
By the time we got back on the Stuart Highway the temperature was climbing rapidly and all possible layers had been removed. The second set of traffic lights saw me half un zipping my jacket to get some more air movement. It was a relief to get to the Yamaha dealer with ice cold air-conditioning so we could check on the progress of Norms fuel cap. Supposedly on track for Monday. We'll see. Asked if any Yamaha's come with a 6th overdrive gear (to reduce engine revs). No, but the 1300 is much slower revving. I'd need to be lifting serious weights I think to lift one of them up to start riding! Sales staff then asked 'Did you know we have a Harley ride day tomorrow and they have an overdrive would you like to book?' NO!
It was nice to get to Barry and Annette's and have a glass of cold water. Passed the Darwin hospital where Jenny worked on their working holiday (not even there on our original trip). REALLY looking forward to getting the jackets washed and especially the draggin jeans. They would just about come if we whistled them up at the moment after the last couple of hot days.
I have serious admiration for the people who live and work here in this sort of heat and humidity especially bearing in mind that it's not all that humid at the moment! Like anything I guess if I HAD to do it I would but am very happy I don't have to. This is the country kid who spent hot summer Sunday's sitting on the church porch steps because sitting in church with people tightly around me I was forever passing out so to be somewhere where I feel like I'm having a permanent hot flush is not a gig I'm likely to be volunteering for. We will be having a few days break here now so will talk to you when we get on the road again.
Florence Falls.
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May
28
Yesterday’s PS:
Yesterday I sacrificed a perfectly good handkerchief for the cause which considering the collection of grease and oil stains on all of Norm's for obvious reasons I should have used one of his. We had filled the 5 litre jerry can at Camooweal as there was no fuel till Barkly Homestead and we didn't want to get stuck in case of head winds and any other unforeseen eventuality. We got in to Barkly Homestead on reserve so hadn't needed the can. Since fuel is available between 100 and 200 km or so we wanted to empty it. Norm was having trouble getting the spout out of the tin and grabbed a handy stick to hoist it up and you guessed it, it broke off and dropped in the can. Couldn't drop on the outside of course. So the handkerchief was the filter to make sure the stick didn't transfer from the can to the fuel tank. It didn't. It stayed in the can! Anyway the sacrifices have evened up today as you will see. We got a lot of strong and gusty wind yesterday both head and cross winds. My forehead was really sore by the time we got in from the force of the wind pressing it on to my forehead.
Today:
The day started off comfortably cool and cloudy and pleasant for riding with a few layers on. That soon changed and we were rid of all the layers we could be by the time we made it in and we were uncomfortably hot. Probably the most uncomfortable was when we were stopped at some road works traffic lights north of Katherine. I was at the point of just pulling over onto the verge and stripping off the helmet gloves and jacket and lying down when they finally changed. Boy did the airflow over the sweaty skin feel good when we got going.
Our first diversion was to the Daly Waters airfield which was used heavily in WW II. It has the oldest hangar in the NT built in 1930 and heritage listed and was tidied up in1992 by a group of Duke of Edinburgh volunteers. Thankfully the display in the hangar traced the whole history, not just the WW II side of things. The airfield was the first international airfield in Australia being the staging point for the Qantas Empire Airlines flights to Singapore. The Daly Waters hotel was built on the original post office and store to cater for passengers if held over and I'd say nothing much has changed since then. We actually went on our first (probably only) ride along an airfield runway here which was pretty awesome having seen some of the pictures of the war planes on the tarmac.
Daly River airfield hangar with (you guessed it) a couple of good looking bikes.
We think the old highway went through Daly Waters because we saw the Stuart tree on our Working Holiday trip and that's off the current highway. A lot of the highway has changed both in route and surface. The surface has been a huge improvement but the route is not as interesting though there are better signs to tourist attractions now. The only signs there used to be were the various cairns and monuments to the explorers and the Overland Telegraph but there are lots of signs and commentary provided now for WW II sites and others which is good.
Soon after the airfield I was noting the grass gradually changing from the fine plain grass and the lack of undergrowth and the light to moderate tree cover (gippsland standard) probably moderate to heavy (NT standard). Anyway there we were heading north when I saw something bounce along the road behind Norm's bike towards me then onto the side of the road. I barely had time to think that Norm did well to miss it when his LH indicator and stop lights came on and we were both pulling over and stopping quickly as I thought 'bugger clearly something off his bike'.
Norm's recollection was feeling something touch his leg and looking down wondering what it was and as he looked up saw the gaping hole where his fuel cap should have been! A couple of times I'd put it on after fuelling up it locked on but felt 'wrong' and I told Norm who pushed it down harder and it locked further. I'm grateful it wasn't me who had put it on this time. Anyway despite an exhaustive search and the loss of about an hour we didn't find it. The sacrifice comes in here. Norm sacrificed one of his soft polish cloths to wrap around a small stone to plug the gap then put it in a plastic bag so it wouldn't act as a wick. It is working well with an occasional bag replacement to cater for the friction of rough roads and a new one is ordered at Yamaha in Darwin which is supposed to be in by Tuesday. The bike is still running well so clearly not an airtight fit. Anyone we've asked along the way for generic caps looks at us. Blankly!
Our next diversion was a bite to eat at Larrimah. The first choice was the hotel (not the historic one off the highway) and it was an experience. It was a ramshackle sort of house with a sign which said it was a pub. There was a sign out front about all sorts of food apart from the cold beer so I walked in and straight in front of me was a bar with a sign on the front proudly claiming it is the 'Highest bar in NT' and has the longitude and latitude displayed which apparently proves it and who am I to disagree. The barman was a scary looking individual, in fact he reminded me of the toad in the Beatrix Potter stories. We said it was a shame about the servo being burnt to which he replied 'a'course it was no accident but at least they didn't get away with it' to which we replied that was a good thing. 'Gold mine that was run the right way, a'course they didn't. The bank owns it now but they'll never get their $400,000 back'. No doubt about it the locals tell you how it is and by the way the homemade pie was delicious.
The rest of the trip has been blessedly uneventful! The trees have gotten less dense and the grasses longer and tougher with an increasing number of palms as well as we travelled north of Katherine. A nice big bridge heading over the river out of Katherine now instead of road traffic sharing the railway bridge as it did in 72. We took a bit of a detour before coming into Adelaide River over some of the old highway and other roads. It was a slightly more interesting ride but we were hot and a bit over it by then.
A view of the War Cemetery at Adelaide River.
We booked into the Inn here then went to the war cemetery. We visited this on our way home from Darwin in 72 and the memorials were white wooden crosses then but have now been replaced with brass plaques. Beautifully maintained as then but I prefer the upstanding crosses itg somehow speaks of the fact that those buried there ‘stood’ for their country and countrymen In 72 we got a photo of Danny with a tiny wallaby feeding on the lawn. This time it was pheasants who were fascinated with our bikes, we assume especially the reflections of themselves in the chrome. We then went over the low level crossing which was the only crossing in 72. Norm spotted a sign which said crocodiles have been seen recently in these waters. No walking near the river in the dark!
Talk tomorrow.
Adelaide River crossing. The road bridge with Rail Bridge in background and the original low level crossing as well. It was on this crossing where the crocodile warning sign was displayed.
Yesterday I sacrificed a perfectly good handkerchief for the cause which considering the collection of grease and oil stains on all of Norm's for obvious reasons I should have used one of his. We had filled the 5 litre jerry can at Camooweal as there was no fuel till Barkly Homestead and we didn't want to get stuck in case of head winds and any other unforeseen eventuality. We got in to Barkly Homestead on reserve so hadn't needed the can. Since fuel is available between 100 and 200 km or so we wanted to empty it. Norm was having trouble getting the spout out of the tin and grabbed a handy stick to hoist it up and you guessed it, it broke off and dropped in the can. Couldn't drop on the outside of course. So the handkerchief was the filter to make sure the stick didn't transfer from the can to the fuel tank. It didn't. It stayed in the can! Anyway the sacrifices have evened up today as you will see. We got a lot of strong and gusty wind yesterday both head and cross winds. My forehead was really sore by the time we got in from the force of the wind pressing it on to my forehead.
Today:
The day started off comfortably cool and cloudy and pleasant for riding with a few layers on. That soon changed and we were rid of all the layers we could be by the time we made it in and we were uncomfortably hot. Probably the most uncomfortable was when we were stopped at some road works traffic lights north of Katherine. I was at the point of just pulling over onto the verge and stripping off the helmet gloves and jacket and lying down when they finally changed. Boy did the airflow over the sweaty skin feel good when we got going.
Our first diversion was to the Daly Waters airfield which was used heavily in WW II. It has the oldest hangar in the NT built in 1930 and heritage listed and was tidied up in1992 by a group of Duke of Edinburgh volunteers. Thankfully the display in the hangar traced the whole history, not just the WW II side of things. The airfield was the first international airfield in Australia being the staging point for the Qantas Empire Airlines flights to Singapore. The Daly Waters hotel was built on the original post office and store to cater for passengers if held over and I'd say nothing much has changed since then. We actually went on our first (probably only) ride along an airfield runway here which was pretty awesome having seen some of the pictures of the war planes on the tarmac.
Daly River airfield hangar with (you guessed it) a couple of good looking bikes.
We think the old highway went through Daly Waters because we saw the Stuart tree on our Working Holiday trip and that's off the current highway. A lot of the highway has changed both in route and surface. The surface has been a huge improvement but the route is not as interesting though there are better signs to tourist attractions now. The only signs there used to be were the various cairns and monuments to the explorers and the Overland Telegraph but there are lots of signs and commentary provided now for WW II sites and others which is good.
Soon after the airfield I was noting the grass gradually changing from the fine plain grass and the lack of undergrowth and the light to moderate tree cover (gippsland standard) probably moderate to heavy (NT standard). Anyway there we were heading north when I saw something bounce along the road behind Norm's bike towards me then onto the side of the road. I barely had time to think that Norm did well to miss it when his LH indicator and stop lights came on and we were both pulling over and stopping quickly as I thought 'bugger clearly something off his bike'.
Norm's recollection was feeling something touch his leg and looking down wondering what it was and as he looked up saw the gaping hole where his fuel cap should have been! A couple of times I'd put it on after fuelling up it locked on but felt 'wrong' and I told Norm who pushed it down harder and it locked further. I'm grateful it wasn't me who had put it on this time. Anyway despite an exhaustive search and the loss of about an hour we didn't find it. The sacrifice comes in here. Norm sacrificed one of his soft polish cloths to wrap around a small stone to plug the gap then put it in a plastic bag so it wouldn't act as a wick. It is working well with an occasional bag replacement to cater for the friction of rough roads and a new one is ordered at Yamaha in Darwin which is supposed to be in by Tuesday. The bike is still running well so clearly not an airtight fit. Anyone we've asked along the way for generic caps looks at us. Blankly!
Our next diversion was a bite to eat at Larrimah. The first choice was the hotel (not the historic one off the highway) and it was an experience. It was a ramshackle sort of house with a sign which said it was a pub. There was a sign out front about all sorts of food apart from the cold beer so I walked in and straight in front of me was a bar with a sign on the front proudly claiming it is the 'Highest bar in NT' and has the longitude and latitude displayed which apparently proves it and who am I to disagree. The barman was a scary looking individual, in fact he reminded me of the toad in the Beatrix Potter stories. We said it was a shame about the servo being burnt to which he replied 'a'course it was no accident but at least they didn't get away with it' to which we replied that was a good thing. 'Gold mine that was run the right way, a'course they didn't. The bank owns it now but they'll never get their $400,000 back'. No doubt about it the locals tell you how it is and by the way the homemade pie was delicious.
The rest of the trip has been blessedly uneventful! The trees have gotten less dense and the grasses longer and tougher with an increasing number of palms as well as we travelled north of Katherine. A nice big bridge heading over the river out of Katherine now instead of road traffic sharing the railway bridge as it did in 72. We took a bit of a detour before coming into Adelaide River over some of the old highway and other roads. It was a slightly more interesting ride but we were hot and a bit over it by then.
A view of the War Cemetery at Adelaide River.
We booked into the Inn here then went to the war cemetery. We visited this on our way home from Darwin in 72 and the memorials were white wooden crosses then but have now been replaced with brass plaques. Beautifully maintained as then but I prefer the upstanding crosses itg somehow speaks of the fact that those buried there ‘stood’ for their country and countrymen In 72 we got a photo of Danny with a tiny wallaby feeding on the lawn. This time it was pheasants who were fascinated with our bikes, we assume especially the reflections of themselves in the chrome. We then went over the low level crossing which was the only crossing in 72. Norm spotted a sign which said crocodiles have been seen recently in these waters. No walking near the river in the dark!
Talk tomorrow.
Adelaide River crossing. The road bridge with Rail Bridge in background and the original low level crossing as well. It was on this crossing where the crocodile warning sign was displayed.
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May
27
Yesterdays PS:
Saw some helicopter mustering from a distance as we left Mt Isa and considering the trees around those people are crazy given the speed and height they fly. We are thoroughly sedate riding motorbikes We got hit by our 1st fair dinkum willy willy yesterday. Hit with at least as much force as meeting a road train which is substantial on a bikes let me tell you. The road wasn't fenced for the majority of the day (none of it today) Stayed at Barkly Homestead which we've dubbed rip off central, a view held by every incredulous customer. Our cabin only cost $80 which was the only reasonable charge. Eg small bottle of soft drink $4.20, packet of 2 panadol capsules $3.50 and that was the cheap end of town. Cafe meals were up market restaurant prices and barely cafe quality. But, we left today so they can eat our dust.
Today we started off about 8.00am to beat a bit of the heat so were all layered up in the clothes department which we have progressively shed on our journey.
The terrain has remained much the same as the last third of yesterday with just the combinations and density changing. As the afternoon wore on heading north we have travelled through more gently undulating country with greater density of trees and fewer acacia though plenty of scrub. While the grass looks dense once we walked into it or saw where it had been burnt out it was easier to see that the grass is dense where there is a reasonable amount of soil on the surface whereas a lot of areas are very rocky and while it still gives the appearance of being well grass covered are pretty sparse between the rocks and termite mounds. Nowhere near the road-kill today or eagles as a result. No doubt a reflection of the above as well as a combination of a large number of areas which have been burnt out over the last few years and in varying states of regeneration. One example of road kill we both saw and had the same reaction to was what looked like a large brahman bull on the side of the road. As we went past we realised it was a kangaroo! Easily the BIGEST we have ever seen! Man what drumsticks he had poor old fella.
An experience I had I hope not to repeat today was to have to sneeze as I met a road train. No way could I keep the eyes open but thankfully held the bike where it needed to be and was on track when I opened them. Bit unsettling.
We are staying the night at Daly Waters Pub which is a quirky corner of the NT for a whole host of reasons. The entertainment in the beer garden (immediately outside our room window) is 'Sax and the Single Girl' and can she ever play the saxophone to a very appreciative and somewhat lubricated crowd and its only 5.10pm. Might be difficult to get our customary 11 hours sleep in tonight. Dinner tonight is a Barra'N'Beef on the BBQ meal. When we booked we were told if we can still hear our name it will be called around 6.30 and if we are still sober enough to hear it we can collect our plate then load it up with salads. Interesting.
A quirky sign (one of many) which appealed to my sick sense of humour was 'Pets welcome dogs and husbands must be kept on a leash at all times'. For some reason Normie failed to see the funny side.
Talking of Normie, you will all be pleased his repair of my mudguard has held up well. No sign of any further cracking. So, not just a pretty face!
Talk to you tomorrow.
Not only do I have the tender butt to prove I've been here on my little bike but I have the picture to prove it as well. This was just around the corner from our first real coffee in about 4 days. Its a wonder I could stop the camera shaking.
3 ways Road house where we checked out this 1923 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost which we had passed earlier. Has literally travelled around dozens of countries. Great to see it out and about.
Daly Waters Pub. $60 for the night. VERY quirky. Norm had left me to the writing in the beer garden until a second ago. I didn't want to go for a refill of a cool beverage or I would lose my table under the fan and true to his nature he has just done the gallant thing and arrived to take care of things so as you can see all is right with the world. Norm just arrived with the beers. He ordered them and the barmaid said 'what do you want heads or tails?' He said 'tails' she tossed the coin and said 'you win' when he asked what that meant she told him he got the beers for free. When he said it would be his luck he'd have to pay for two lots next time she assured him he was safe as it finished in 5 minutes. Told you it was a quirky place!
Saw some helicopter mustering from a distance as we left Mt Isa and considering the trees around those people are crazy given the speed and height they fly. We are thoroughly sedate riding motorbikes We got hit by our 1st fair dinkum willy willy yesterday. Hit with at least as much force as meeting a road train which is substantial on a bikes let me tell you. The road wasn't fenced for the majority of the day (none of it today) Stayed at Barkly Homestead which we've dubbed rip off central, a view held by every incredulous customer. Our cabin only cost $80 which was the only reasonable charge. Eg small bottle of soft drink $4.20, packet of 2 panadol capsules $3.50 and that was the cheap end of town. Cafe meals were up market restaurant prices and barely cafe quality. But, we left today so they can eat our dust.
Today we started off about 8.00am to beat a bit of the heat so were all layered up in the clothes department which we have progressively shed on our journey.
The terrain has remained much the same as the last third of yesterday with just the combinations and density changing. As the afternoon wore on heading north we have travelled through more gently undulating country with greater density of trees and fewer acacia though plenty of scrub. While the grass looks dense once we walked into it or saw where it had been burnt out it was easier to see that the grass is dense where there is a reasonable amount of soil on the surface whereas a lot of areas are very rocky and while it still gives the appearance of being well grass covered are pretty sparse between the rocks and termite mounds. Nowhere near the road-kill today or eagles as a result. No doubt a reflection of the above as well as a combination of a large number of areas which have been burnt out over the last few years and in varying states of regeneration. One example of road kill we both saw and had the same reaction to was what looked like a large brahman bull on the side of the road. As we went past we realised it was a kangaroo! Easily the BIGEST we have ever seen! Man what drumsticks he had poor old fella.
An experience I had I hope not to repeat today was to have to sneeze as I met a road train. No way could I keep the eyes open but thankfully held the bike where it needed to be and was on track when I opened them. Bit unsettling.
We are staying the night at Daly Waters Pub which is a quirky corner of the NT for a whole host of reasons. The entertainment in the beer garden (immediately outside our room window) is 'Sax and the Single Girl' and can she ever play the saxophone to a very appreciative and somewhat lubricated crowd and its only 5.10pm. Might be difficult to get our customary 11 hours sleep in tonight. Dinner tonight is a Barra'N'Beef on the BBQ meal. When we booked we were told if we can still hear our name it will be called around 6.30 and if we are still sober enough to hear it we can collect our plate then load it up with salads. Interesting.
A quirky sign (one of many) which appealed to my sick sense of humour was 'Pets welcome dogs and husbands must be kept on a leash at all times'. For some reason Normie failed to see the funny side.
Talking of Normie, you will all be pleased his repair of my mudguard has held up well. No sign of any further cracking. So, not just a pretty face!
Talk to you tomorrow.
Not only do I have the tender butt to prove I've been here on my little bike but I have the picture to prove it as well. This was just around the corner from our first real coffee in about 4 days. Its a wonder I could stop the camera shaking.
3 ways Road house where we checked out this 1923 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost which we had passed earlier. Has literally travelled around dozens of countries. Great to see it out and about.
Daly Waters Pub. $60 for the night. VERY quirky. Norm had left me to the writing in the beer garden until a second ago. I didn't want to go for a refill of a cool beverage or I would lose my table under the fan and true to his nature he has just done the gallant thing and arrived to take care of things so as you can see all is right with the world. Norm just arrived with the beers. He ordered them and the barmaid said 'what do you want heads or tails?' He said 'tails' she tossed the coin and said 'you win' when he asked what that meant she told him he got the beers for free. When he said it would be his luck he'd have to pay for two lots next time she assured him he was safe as it finished in 5 minutes. Told you it was a quirky place!
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May
26
We were awoken by beautiful birdsong this morning. This has been a particular delight of mine for the whole trip as it changes slightly everywhere we go. The only 2 times that didn't happen was in Brisbane (high rise apartment) and Mt Tambourine (a shock this one surrounded by lush palm vegetation and not a bird to be heard). The bird life has been rich since before Longreach and continues here. Great numbers of little birds right through to my favourite soaring eagles. What a treat to watch them soar as I ride then see their majestic shadow cross the road in front of me!
The temperature was comfortable as we rolled out of Mt Isa so we had our padded liners out of the jackets then shed the waterproof lining at Camooweal. We didn't need the water protection just the extra warmth. Two thirds of the way from there to here I ditched the long sleeve T top as well and the ride remained comfortable but my goodness, each stop for a drink or walk and finally fuel and to get our cabin key the temperature increased. Even got a T shirt shorts and thongs on as I write this. Norm is trying to find some pop rivets and some tin to reinforce my front mudguard. Can't find the
100 mile an hour tape we thought we packed so we'll either find that when we unpack at home or we took it out to use before we left. The guard had a slight split in it when I bought it and I had it repaired and painted. About half way here this morning when I slowed to stop for a break I noticed a tinny rattle. Norm checked and found the crack had opened up again. By the time we got here after a lot more bumpy road surface (also evidenced by a headache for me) it has opened much more so needs some repairs so it doesn't get worse. And as you may have guessed once dismantled the split is much worse than initially thought. Bugger!
The bike in bits.
The roads have been largely long and straight with no overtaking lanes, not that they are needed as there is ample opportunity for passing. An awesome sight was both the approaching traffic in front and the receding traffic behind forever disappearing into a heat shimmer as if melting into glassy sheets of water, so it wasn't just us feeling hot, the road did as well.
The terrain today gradually changed from rugged red stony outcrops and hills with reasonable tree cover to rolling hilly plains with more grass and fewer trees. By the time we got to Camooweal this had opened up to vast flat (near enough) well grassed country which continued way beyond the Northern Territory border. There were vast stretches with not a tree in sight then there would be an occasional one but mostly it was empty of trees other than an often distant green line snaking the outline of creeks and watercourses. Awesome. This gradually changed to a combination and variations of grassland with low growing eucalyptus and acacia trees and other scrub and termite mounds from a few inches to a few feet in height. The density varied from then to here.
In areas which hadn't been burnt in the last year or so and where the acacia was in full bloom the fragrance was deliciously sweet. We also found a small shrub we thought was a flowering grey leafed eucalyptus but on closer inspection the leaves are like a squat holly shaped leaf complete with small spiky bits on the leaves and the flower was like a miniature drooping collection of sturt desert pea type flowers without the black bit. Quite exquisite. Also found some pretty little succulents.
Still a couple of hundred kms from the north south highway so will get to there and head north tomorrow.
Till then take care.
Our cabin at Barkly Homestead. A relief to find it clean and comfortable inside including the en suite after our experience of the old donga at Derwent Bridge in Tassie.
The temperature was comfortable as we rolled out of Mt Isa so we had our padded liners out of the jackets then shed the waterproof lining at Camooweal. We didn't need the water protection just the extra warmth. Two thirds of the way from there to here I ditched the long sleeve T top as well and the ride remained comfortable but my goodness, each stop for a drink or walk and finally fuel and to get our cabin key the temperature increased. Even got a T shirt shorts and thongs on as I write this. Norm is trying to find some pop rivets and some tin to reinforce my front mudguard. Can't find the
100 mile an hour tape we thought we packed so we'll either find that when we unpack at home or we took it out to use before we left. The guard had a slight split in it when I bought it and I had it repaired and painted. About half way here this morning when I slowed to stop for a break I noticed a tinny rattle. Norm checked and found the crack had opened up again. By the time we got here after a lot more bumpy road surface (also evidenced by a headache for me) it has opened much more so needs some repairs so it doesn't get worse. And as you may have guessed once dismantled the split is much worse than initially thought. Bugger!
The bike in bits.
The roads have been largely long and straight with no overtaking lanes, not that they are needed as there is ample opportunity for passing. An awesome sight was both the approaching traffic in front and the receding traffic behind forever disappearing into a heat shimmer as if melting into glassy sheets of water, so it wasn't just us feeling hot, the road did as well.
The terrain today gradually changed from rugged red stony outcrops and hills with reasonable tree cover to rolling hilly plains with more grass and fewer trees. By the time we got to Camooweal this had opened up to vast flat (near enough) well grassed country which continued way beyond the Northern Territory border. There were vast stretches with not a tree in sight then there would be an occasional one but mostly it was empty of trees other than an often distant green line snaking the outline of creeks and watercourses. Awesome. This gradually changed to a combination and variations of grassland with low growing eucalyptus and acacia trees and other scrub and termite mounds from a few inches to a few feet in height. The density varied from then to here.
In areas which hadn't been burnt in the last year or so and where the acacia was in full bloom the fragrance was deliciously sweet. We also found a small shrub we thought was a flowering grey leafed eucalyptus but on closer inspection the leaves are like a squat holly shaped leaf complete with small spiky bits on the leaves and the flower was like a miniature drooping collection of sturt desert pea type flowers without the black bit. Quite exquisite. Also found some pretty little succulents.
Still a couple of hundred kms from the north south highway so will get to there and head north tomorrow.
Till then take care.
Our cabin at Barkly Homestead. A relief to find it clean and comfortable inside including the en suite after our experience of the old donga at Derwent Bridge in Tassie.
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May
25
NB. 54km above was from running around town checking out old haunts.
Well here we are back in the Isa after leaving in February 1972 with our new little baby (Michael) on our way home to show him off to the family. Got a pic of a sign for him on the way into town. He is also one, just not up on a sign .....all will be revealed with the pic below.
The sign for Michael.
Well the road in from Cloncurry was good, both surface and width. The roughest and narrowest section was coming into town which would have been the first part to be sealed. When we were here on our working holiday in 1971 it was dirt from Charters Towers to Mt Isa with the exception of the main street of Cloncurry. We even saw a few glimpses of what would have been the original road with a thin seal into a creek crossing. In those days the dirt continued down into creek beds and across with warning signs each side not to park in the creek bed in case of flash flooding. Put the wind up me I can tell you with our 23ft 6in Viscount caravan behind our Holden Kingswood. See for those who thought we had only recently flipped our lids on the sanity stakes. ....we have been like that for always!
Very little road kill today except for a HUGE wild boar on the side of the road. Very different terrain of course. Pretty much rolling grass plains east of Cloncurry and these were replaced west of there to the Isa with rugged mini mountains of red rock (Selwyn Ranges)and I felt surprisingly at home. I pondered this for a bit on the ride in and put it down to 2 things. The 1st. I realised a few years ago that for me to feel 'right' I need to have access to big expanses of sky (perhaps from childhood when part of summer was laying on my back in the long grass dreaming up at the sky) and 2nd also need to be in sight of hills / mountains. Again not surprising since I grew up in the rolling green hills of Neerim South in sight of mountains. Okay the sky here is a different sky and the hills very different but wide open spaces with the two elements. I'd also like to think it has something to do with the 7.5 months we lived here, where our second child was born and we learnt that no matter how, new or scary an experience was together we could wholly rely on one another and figure it out and at the end of the day still be friends. So, not a bad thing to learn in early married years. Enough philosophising!
A taste of the terrain at Lake Moondarra.
We spent some time checking out where we lived here and the local fish'n'chip shop and Lake Moondara (the local beach / water sport centre and in our day the town water supply .....which was down river from town. Needless to say no water was used to drink or to cook without boiling first!
I still can't believe this was the setup! Also saw the 2 caravan parks we lived in. The first the Argylla on the eastern approach which had opened a couple of days before. We wheeled right in there as we had been told accommodation of any sort was difficult if not impossible to get. It was an empty red stony block with a couple of strips of tar for the streets between the power outlets. There was an amenities block, a manager with a killer unfriendly attitude and that was it. Imagine our surprise to find a park with lush tropical gardens complete with palm trees on site cabins and 'friendly staff' according to the billboard. The second one was a little closer to town the Mt Isa Caravan Park which was the pick of them. Good amenities, children's playground, allowed to put a small fence around van to contain a toddler and even had grass! It is now surrounded by lush gardens. Unbelievable.
We spent most of the afternoon on a mine tour put on by the Heritage Centre which has underground tours and is a training site. The mine no longer has underground tours. The litigation possibilities no doubt got too much for them. Norm found it a bit disconcerting that when they talked about the old days they were talking from the 80's on and he left in 72! Anyway we had a good time and saw lots of the stuff he had used and had tickets / licences for.
Mineside (so much bigger and a new chimney but this is the one we remember).
We are about to go for dinner which will be a distraction from the itch of the bites I have on my neck. We detoured around some bridge work yesterday and as I accelerated out of that I felt something on my neck just behind my ear and flicked it off I thought. Held the collar back to get some cold air on it and it kept burning and burning. I assumed it was a bee but I have 3 big lumps there today so - guess it must have been an angry wasp or something. Just as well we had quite a ride between there and our bed last night to cool it down.
We'll be heading out of the Isa tomorrow.
Well here we are back in the Isa after leaving in February 1972 with our new little baby (Michael) on our way home to show him off to the family. Got a pic of a sign for him on the way into town. He is also one, just not up on a sign .....all will be revealed with the pic below.
The sign for Michael.
Well the road in from Cloncurry was good, both surface and width. The roughest and narrowest section was coming into town which would have been the first part to be sealed. When we were here on our working holiday in 1971 it was dirt from Charters Towers to Mt Isa with the exception of the main street of Cloncurry. We even saw a few glimpses of what would have been the original road with a thin seal into a creek crossing. In those days the dirt continued down into creek beds and across with warning signs each side not to park in the creek bed in case of flash flooding. Put the wind up me I can tell you with our 23ft 6in Viscount caravan behind our Holden Kingswood. See for those who thought we had only recently flipped our lids on the sanity stakes. ....we have been like that for always!
Very little road kill today except for a HUGE wild boar on the side of the road. Very different terrain of course. Pretty much rolling grass plains east of Cloncurry and these were replaced west of there to the Isa with rugged mini mountains of red rock (Selwyn Ranges)and I felt surprisingly at home. I pondered this for a bit on the ride in and put it down to 2 things. The 1st. I realised a few years ago that for me to feel 'right' I need to have access to big expanses of sky (perhaps from childhood when part of summer was laying on my back in the long grass dreaming up at the sky) and 2nd also need to be in sight of hills / mountains. Again not surprising since I grew up in the rolling green hills of Neerim South in sight of mountains. Okay the sky here is a different sky and the hills very different but wide open spaces with the two elements. I'd also like to think it has something to do with the 7.5 months we lived here, where our second child was born and we learnt that no matter how, new or scary an experience was together we could wholly rely on one another and figure it out and at the end of the day still be friends. So, not a bad thing to learn in early married years. Enough philosophising!
A taste of the terrain at Lake Moondarra.
We spent some time checking out where we lived here and the local fish'n'chip shop and Lake Moondara (the local beach / water sport centre and in our day the town water supply .....which was down river from town. Needless to say no water was used to drink or to cook without boiling first!
I still can't believe this was the setup! Also saw the 2 caravan parks we lived in. The first the Argylla on the eastern approach which had opened a couple of days before. We wheeled right in there as we had been told accommodation of any sort was difficult if not impossible to get. It was an empty red stony block with a couple of strips of tar for the streets between the power outlets. There was an amenities block, a manager with a killer unfriendly attitude and that was it. Imagine our surprise to find a park with lush tropical gardens complete with palm trees on site cabins and 'friendly staff' according to the billboard. The second one was a little closer to town the Mt Isa Caravan Park which was the pick of them. Good amenities, children's playground, allowed to put a small fence around van to contain a toddler and even had grass! It is now surrounded by lush gardens. Unbelievable.
We spent most of the afternoon on a mine tour put on by the Heritage Centre which has underground tours and is a training site. The mine no longer has underground tours. The litigation possibilities no doubt got too much for them. Norm found it a bit disconcerting that when they talked about the old days they were talking from the 80's on and he left in 72! Anyway we had a good time and saw lots of the stuff he had used and had tickets / licences for.
Mineside (so much bigger and a new chimney but this is the one we remember).
We are about to go for dinner which will be a distraction from the itch of the bites I have on my neck. We detoured around some bridge work yesterday and as I accelerated out of that I felt something on my neck just behind my ear and flicked it off I thought. Held the collar back to get some cold air on it and it kept burning and burning. I assumed it was a bee but I have 3 big lumps there today so - guess it must have been an angry wasp or something. Just as well we had quite a ride between there and our bed last night to cool it down.
We'll be heading out of the Isa tomorrow.
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May
24
Well what an awesome day! The rolling grassy plains gave way to gradually becoming more tree'd with an occasional outcrop of rugged stony land and trees as well as rugged mini stone type mountains then back to grassy plains and back again. We've seen a few little ant hills over the last couple of days but only around 8inches high then late this arvo started coming across more substantial ones in both size and quantity. Up to a metre though most half that or less. Some were a real tease as we made our way the last few k's into town clearly pretending to look like kangaroos so some slow travel.
As the day has gone on the grass has been less dense and yellow and even a couple of green patches here and there. Good to see water in large creeks and rivers and some water holes. The fauna continues to be great. Leaving Longreach we saw 2 brolga take to flight from the side of the road, very ungainly until in the air but beautiful in flight. The eagles continue to amaze us both in number and wing span. Truly spectacular! They are a good guide to road kill which needs to be avoided. A big collection of circling eagles up ahead or over the horizon usually means a substantial bit of meat to be seriously avoided. The odd 1 or 2 eagles speaks of a smaller meal but also to be avoided. The road surface has largely not been as smooth today. Not potholes but rough and bumpy, some of it a bit of a reaction to the heat I suspect.
Came across a large lizard thing this morning. Colour was hues of gold and green. Great camouflage for the grass it was in. Not as fat a gut as the goannas I'm familiar with and overall longer. We were following a car and van 100 metres or so behind when I saw Norm's stop lights come on and he headed for the side of the road slowing quickly. I braked but initially couldn't see what was on the road then it didn't make any sense. I now realise that was because it was scampering / waddling across the road. It carried itself high off the road and was weaving in a wavy motion like a snake. I finally realised what it was when it swung its head out straight and it's nose went over the centre white line and it's tail was only just across the fog line when I passed so it must have been 6 - 8 feet at least. Thankfully it kept going across the road rather than back where it had come from under one of our bikes. We asked the girls at the BP servo in Winton what it would have been. One said they used to get a lot of them on the property she grew up on but didn't know what they were called. The other suggested we call it a gizard and who would know! The locals at Cloncurry tell us it would be a printy a goanna the colour we saw with diamond print on it so that's what it was.
Banjo Paterson's statue at the Waltzing Matilda Museum Winton.
Winton had a really pretty main street. A real credit to the council and local townsfolk. The Waltzing Matilda Museum is there but we didn't visit. Took a pic of the Banjo Pattersons statue and windmill - very outback. Had a works burger at the Kynuna road house for lunch. It was basically a mini mixed grill jammed in a monstrous bun and held together with a shaslick skewer. HUGE.
Having a break.
Stopped at McKinlay for a 20min power nap (approx 100kms SE from Cloncurry) and managed to find some shade from a picnic table. Nice breeze. Happy we didn't find any big red ants on the rug with us. Saw a few as we rolled it up! There was a pub there claiming to be Crocodile Dundee's Walkabout Creek Hotel. Passed up the opportunity to have a lemon lime and bitters because we wanted to get to Cloncurry before the kangaroos started coming out of the shade to graze. Now we're having a couple of XXXX Gold's (mid strength and very nice) in the bar of the Cloncurry Post Office Hotel.
Post Office Hotel Cloncurry
As the day has gone on the grass has been less dense and yellow and even a couple of green patches here and there. Good to see water in large creeks and rivers and some water holes. The fauna continues to be great. Leaving Longreach we saw 2 brolga take to flight from the side of the road, very ungainly until in the air but beautiful in flight. The eagles continue to amaze us both in number and wing span. Truly spectacular! They are a good guide to road kill which needs to be avoided. A big collection of circling eagles up ahead or over the horizon usually means a substantial bit of meat to be seriously avoided. The odd 1 or 2 eagles speaks of a smaller meal but also to be avoided. The road surface has largely not been as smooth today. Not potholes but rough and bumpy, some of it a bit of a reaction to the heat I suspect.
Came across a large lizard thing this morning. Colour was hues of gold and green. Great camouflage for the grass it was in. Not as fat a gut as the goannas I'm familiar with and overall longer. We were following a car and van 100 metres or so behind when I saw Norm's stop lights come on and he headed for the side of the road slowing quickly. I braked but initially couldn't see what was on the road then it didn't make any sense. I now realise that was because it was scampering / waddling across the road. It carried itself high off the road and was weaving in a wavy motion like a snake. I finally realised what it was when it swung its head out straight and it's nose went over the centre white line and it's tail was only just across the fog line when I passed so it must have been 6 - 8 feet at least. Thankfully it kept going across the road rather than back where it had come from under one of our bikes. We asked the girls at the BP servo in Winton what it would have been. One said they used to get a lot of them on the property she grew up on but didn't know what they were called. The other suggested we call it a gizard and who would know! The locals at Cloncurry tell us it would be a printy a goanna the colour we saw with diamond print on it so that's what it was.
Banjo Paterson's statue at the Waltzing Matilda Museum Winton.
Winton had a really pretty main street. A real credit to the council and local townsfolk. The Waltzing Matilda Museum is there but we didn't visit. Took a pic of the Banjo Pattersons statue and windmill - very outback. Had a works burger at the Kynuna road house for lunch. It was basically a mini mixed grill jammed in a monstrous bun and held together with a shaslick skewer. HUGE.
Having a break.
Stopped at McKinlay for a 20min power nap (approx 100kms SE from Cloncurry) and managed to find some shade from a picnic table. Nice breeze. Happy we didn't find any big red ants on the rug with us. Saw a few as we rolled it up! There was a pub there claiming to be Crocodile Dundee's Walkabout Creek Hotel. Passed up the opportunity to have a lemon lime and bitters because we wanted to get to Cloncurry before the kangaroos started coming out of the shade to graze. Now we're having a couple of XXXX Gold's (mid strength and very nice) in the bar of the Cloncurry Post Office Hotel.
Post Office Hotel Cloncurry
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May
23
Firstly a correction for yesterday. The pic from Emerald wasn't the Post Office but the Railway Station. DUH. Also neglected to say we had passed several road trains which was interesting. Thankfully no cattle trucks amongst them! We also enjoyed a spectacular cloudy outback sunset which neither the phone or camera could do justice to the colour and followed that up with dinner at the pub across the road.
So today. Sleep in, breakfast at a local cafe then off to the Qantas Founders Museum which was awesome. Will have to come back at a later date to actually tour through the retired but fully functioning Boeing 747 (the plane credited with putting international travel in reach of ordinary citizens and being the death knell for shipping travel - Qantas donated it to the museum on the 82nd birthday of Qantas in 2002 and it will never leave as the runway is too short for take-off) and the Boeing 707 (the plane which connected Australia with efficient volume travel - this one found in England and restored for flight by volunteers). Not enough time today. Next port of call was the Stockman’s Hall of Fame which again was awesome and a great tribute to the grit, determination and courage of the pioneers and current residents of the outback. Must confess it's always a bit disturbing to see so many implements and bits and pieces of supposed historic stuff that I recognise from growing up on our farm so you do have to wonder about the true authenticity of some things......or not.
Kicking back now, Norm is comparing notes with some fellow bikers and it feels like it is about beer o'clock. Off to the RSL for dinner tonight. The people in the next room yesterday had said it was a 7min walk so had decided against it then this morning we tripped over it about 1min from here! Now admittedly the man was a smoker so may have had to stop periodically to get enough wind to continue but I reckon I could push an iron lung there in 3 minutes and that's with a bit of a dodgy knee. Takes all types I guess.
Notice found in the bar last night. The publican says #3 is popular.
A couple of good looking bikes (I know a recurring theme) parked up at the Qantas Founders Museum with the Boeing 747 in the background.
Bikes again and Norm at the Stockman’s Hall of Fame where the air-conditioning was so good we were uncomfortably cold
So today. Sleep in, breakfast at a local cafe then off to the Qantas Founders Museum which was awesome. Will have to come back at a later date to actually tour through the retired but fully functioning Boeing 747 (the plane credited with putting international travel in reach of ordinary citizens and being the death knell for shipping travel - Qantas donated it to the museum on the 82nd birthday of Qantas in 2002 and it will never leave as the runway is too short for take-off) and the Boeing 707 (the plane which connected Australia with efficient volume travel - this one found in England and restored for flight by volunteers). Not enough time today. Next port of call was the Stockman’s Hall of Fame which again was awesome and a great tribute to the grit, determination and courage of the pioneers and current residents of the outback. Must confess it's always a bit disturbing to see so many implements and bits and pieces of supposed historic stuff that I recognise from growing up on our farm so you do have to wonder about the true authenticity of some things......or not.
Kicking back now, Norm is comparing notes with some fellow bikers and it feels like it is about beer o'clock. Off to the RSL for dinner tonight. The people in the next room yesterday had said it was a 7min walk so had decided against it then this morning we tripped over it about 1min from here! Now admittedly the man was a smoker so may have had to stop periodically to get enough wind to continue but I reckon I could push an iron lung there in 3 minutes and that's with a bit of a dodgy knee. Takes all types I guess.
Notice found in the bar last night. The publican says #3 is popular.
A couple of good looking bikes (I know a recurring theme) parked up at the Qantas Founders Museum with the Boeing 747 in the background.
Bikes again and Norm at the Stockman’s Hall of Fame where the air-conditioning was so good we were uncomfortably cold
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May
22
Well somewhere east of Alpha it became official, this is the longest trek we have made on the bikes! Way past the Tassie trip. The sunny skies disappeared a short time out of Emerald and we finally gave in and donned the wet weather gear east of Jericho to warm up. The sights have been spectacular changing from rugged mountainous surrounds changing from dark green to silver grey to deep blue or yellow if minimal tree cover. The mountains gave way to hills then slipped into rolling lightly treed land and now heavily grassed plains. The road kill has increased and been fresh late in the day. Have seen hundreds of eagles. Magnificent. Then lots of cattle today, a few wild goats, a couple of emus and a dingo / dog / giant cat thing??? We had lunch at Barcaldine and saw the tree of knowledge where unions and the labour party had their origins. So much to see, so little time! Intend to stay 2 nights and then head off to McKinlay. Booked a motel tonight so it won't be as noisy as a pub….we hope.
Emerald PO (Longreach also quite similar)
A couple of good looking bikes in front of the tree of knowledge newly dedicated surrounds May 2nd this year, you may have seen it on the TV.By the way, the safety barriers are those we carry from the Victorian Manufacturer all up the east coast so again the product of our work!
Twin speaker car alarm at Barcaldine or a couple of lads about town. Who knows?
Emerald PO (Longreach also quite similar)
A couple of good looking bikes in front of the tree of knowledge newly dedicated surrounds May 2nd this year, you may have seen it on the TV.By the way, the safety barriers are those we carry from the Victorian Manufacturer all up the east coast so again the product of our work!
Twin speaker car alarm at Barcaldine or a couple of lads about town. Who knows?
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