Wilpena Pound / Nullabor / Perth / Indian-Pacific

Saturday 5/4/2003 - Churchill/Renmark

Left with Blues skies and hardly any wind. The only problem was that it was really cold on the bike and was wearing all my winter gear to keep warm. Warmed up a bit after Bendigo, but not by that much. As I was passing Bendigo I noticed people filling up water tanks carried in trailers, must be dry up here on the farm.

I had planned to stop at Bendigo for petrol, but forgot that I turn off before I reach Bendigo. No problems I'll fill up at the next town as it's about the same distance. I reached Marong and found that the only petrol station has closed down I hoped that I could reach the next town, so I set off sitting on 80 kph to conserve fuel. Since I took 17.33 litres that means I had 0.17 litres left in the tank, way too close for comfort.

Stopped at Charlton for lunch. The first shop I went to told me they didn't make sandwiches after 12:00 and recommenced a shop across the road. Odd, they weren't closed and were selling other sorts of food.

Surprised at how big Renmark was. In searching for the Motel I noticed that a youth function was being held in the park. Heaps of young people about. I also noticed that a semi-trailer tray was also parked there with a DJ playing beat heavy music. I was very glad I wasn't staying at the Motel across from the park :) In looking around the town I noticed lots of new housing estates, some with lakes behind the houses. Ah to live near a river. The police were busy too. Spotted two bikes go out from the police station wearing PBR jackets. Noticed one later near the youth concert.

Stayed at the Renmark Hotel and it was huge, occupying one whole block and set up as a gambling paradise. I was lucky to find a table. In fact the only single table left hadn't been cleaned but I wasn't complaining.

Sunday 6/4/2003 - Renmark/Wilpena Pound

The Leigh Creek excursion was a bit adventurous as by the time I reached Hawker on the way back it was already dark. Spotted quite a few kangaroos but they didn't bother me. I was going slower and gave them time to move. I went this way to check out the coal mine as I wanted to compare how they worked compared to the Latrobe Valley. Unfortunately I couldn't see anything from the road apart from the overburden dumps which went a long, long way. I gather that they use the bucket and truck method as I spotted one very large truck carting coal. Lyndhurst was, well, interesting. The bitumen stopped and only a few buildings, good place to turn around.

I found the key to my unit taped to receptions front door. They close at 7:00. Reception informed me that I was booked in for the full day four wheel tour tomorrow. I explained that I wanted to do the walk tomorrow as I was expecting rain in the following days. I was moved to Wednesday, great!

Had dinner in the restaurant with a bottle of wine. Very good. The background music had a heavy bass emphasis that permeated every nook and cranny of the restaurant, just couldn't get away from it. The air conditioner in my room was quite the beast, creating all modes of sounds. I really like my sleep and this monstrosity made sleep difficult. Maybe I just should have left it off in hindsight, I would have been better off without it.

Monday 7/4/2003 - Wilpena Pound

Up at 7:30 and had breakfast. Checked out where the walking paths were and bought two 1.5 litre bottles of water. I also took a 360 ml bottle of water as well. Set off at 8:30 for the St Mary's Peak walk. I really didn't notice at the time, but the track was labelled difficult, something I would find out about later. I walked the first 4 km in an hour and thought I was doing fine. 6 km to the Tanderra Saddle, only 2 km to go and I have an hour to do it in, easy. Well, let me tell you I was quite unprepared for the vertical section of the track where you have to pull yourself up to make progress. That last 2 km took me three hours and I was pretty well exhausted by the time I reached the saddle. Seeing I had another hour to go to reach the summit I gave the idea away, just too hard. I just couldn't face going back the way I travelled, so I opted to walk back by the interior track, about 12 km, but I figured most of it would be flat and I was right. The first few kilometres were tricky as fresh rock had been laid on the track, more of a creek bed really, and you had to be careful not to slip. I sort of half skated down. Some spots of rain along the way.

Arrived back at the resort at 5:30, I was really tired now, all over, so I went into my room and just fell in a heap on the bed and had a nap. My muscles were so sore I just couldn't find a comfortable position. I woke up at 6:30 to the sound of rain on the roof. Glad I did the walk today. I had been watching the weather bureau site before I left and knew there was some rain on the way for Wilpena.

Tuesday 8/4/2003 - Wilpena Pound

Had breakfast and found that my 30 minute aeroplane flight was set for 2:00. I asked to be picked up at Reception at 1:45, as the walk to the shop would have killed me as my muscles were still rather sore from yesterdays walk. Rode to Hawker and had look around. Bit of rain on the trip, thankfully not heavy. Bought grapes and a really yummy salad roll, took them back to Wilpena and had lunch on the veranda outside the restaurant. I could still hear the thump, thump from the music inside.

Waited at reception from 1:40 and waited for the ride to the airport. At around 1:55 a vehicle arrives and I thought it was my ride, even if it was late. Nope, not for me. I query reception as to where my ride might be. A few calls and all was arranged. On the way to the airport the driver tried radioing ahead but wasn't able to get a response. He tried every minute or so. Arrive the airport after 2:00 which wasn't a problem as the plane was still there, but the pilot decided to delay the flight due to rain. Next attempt at 4:15. The driver asked why he hadn't be able to reach the pilot on her radio. Seems the volume at her end was a little low and she missed it.

Back to the shop and I had a good look around the store and information centre.

Successfully took off at 4:15 and flew clockwise around the Pound, over the wall, across the centre, over the Tanderra Saddle, over the Bunyeroo and Brachina Gorges and then back. Maybe the flight would have been better if it hadn't been quite so dull, but somehow I was expecting better. I really think a helicopter flight is better than an aeroplane flight as you can see far more and don't have so many blind spots.

Had dinner at the restaurant and chatted to a couple that were bikers and had just recently been married. Most pleasant dinner.

Wednesday 9/4/2003 - Wilpena Pound

Up at 8:30, had breakfast and arrived with a few seconds to spare. The four wheel drive vehicle was a Toyota with a carrying capacity of 14 people. There was only 12 people on the tour so I got two seats at the back which made things a bit more comfortable. The tour went from 9:00 to 4:00 covering the area to the south East of the Pound, through the Red Range. The views were quite spectacular as the high points of the road were built on the ridges giving a very panoramic view. We also stopped at various abandoned buildings.

Our first break was held in a creek bed around 11:00 with tea/coffee and cakes. Our lunch break was in another creek bed with a choice of bread, salad, cold meats and a choice of rd or white wine. I started out on the apple juice. The most difficult part was keeping the flies out of your food.

We stopped at one site that had a brass plate dedicating a birthday party for 100 people held a few years ago. Don't quite see the historic value of this site.

The guide, Richard, was good value as he had heaps of facts and stories to keep us all happy.

As usual, I had a gripe. The windows in the vehicle were in two parts: a large rectangular window that you could open at the bottom and a small rounded window near the roof so you could look up I guess. A body panel ran between the windows which was just at eye level. I either had to slump down to look through the lower window or crane up to see out of the higher window. Guess I'm just too tall.

After the tour I filled up with petrol and rode to the Solar Power Station viewing area. Very interesting. Up to 40% of the power is generated from solar panels with the remainder coming from diesel generators. The grid hasn't reached this far.

Had dinner in the restaurant and sat in with some of the couples who were on the tour today.

Thursday 10/4/2003 - Wilpena Pound/Ceduna

Up at 6:30 and had breakfast I my room at the restaurant opens later. Loaded up the gear and headed for Port Augusta to have the engine oil changed. Lots of low black clouds and it looks blackest in the direction I'm travelling in. Half way between Quorn and Hawker I stop and put on the waterproof overpants and the Mountain Design overgloves. Great things these overgloves, dry and warm.

Arrived at Northern Motorcycles at 9:30 and apologised for being 30 minutes late. (Where does the time go?) The mechanic asks what sort of oil is in the bike. I say "I don't know, but I'll find out" Ring Southbank Motorcycles and determine that I'm using Castrol GPS. The mechanic said he didn't have any but would have some brought in. Helped out by holding up the bike while it was drained and filled.

Continued on to Whyalla (rained half of the way there) and had a good look around. Good looking town. The new end of town reminds me of Canberra, curvy streets and service centres for everything. Had lunch at Hungry Jacks.

Realising how late it was, I pushed it for the rest of the trip to Ceduna and even then it was dark from Streaky Bay. Put the jacket liner in and turned on the heated grips, getting cold.

Arrived at Ceduna too late for the restaurant so I ordered pizza and garlic bread from Bills Pizza & Pasta. Not bad.

My calf and shin muscles are very much better today thanks very much! Not stiff at all.

Friday 11/4/2003 - Ceduna/Eucla

I wasn't sure about the rain situation so I spent a good half an hour in the IGA store determining what size garbage bag would fit my bag. The problem I have is the water proof cover that comes with the bag is too small by about 10 cm, hence the whole bag isn't covered. I was explaining my situation to a lady in the store and she offered me some bags she had in her car. Pity they were too small, but the thought was appreciated.

Cool when I left Ceduna, in fact there was a bit of fog about, then warmer at Nullabor and then cooler again. I ended up keeping the liner in all day, too much trouble taking it off and then putting it on again.

When I arrived at the 'Head of the Bight', I took the turn, drove a little and pulled up at the building where you pay an entrance fee. I was expecting a person there it was all self serve. The instructions read "Put $5 in an envelope and insert it in the slot in the door." On the desk was an ice cream container full of envelopes cut in half. I did what was asked of me. I wonder how many people just turned around and went in without paying?

Another few kilometres to the parking area and then a walk to the viewing area. A walk led to a T-intersection. The left walk went to a viewing area featuring the change of beach to cliff. The right walk took you to the edge of one of the cliffs with a good view of the waves. Pretty impressive stuff.

Stopped at Nullabor for lunch. A couple of salad sandwiches. As I was eating them I noticed a sign advertising aeroplane tours of the cliffs.. Sounded good to me. I asked where I might find the place. I was directed to a small office at the end of the main building. Yup, right place, but it's all locked up. Back to the diner. "Try the caravan a bit further on." I was told. Found the caravan which looked like it had been there for years and knocked at door not really expecting a response. After about a minute the door opens and a young lady appears. "I'm looking for the aeroplane flights" I say. She responds "Oh, yes, just a minute." and shuts the door. Seems she was catching up on her beauty sleep. As I was the only passenger, we negotiated a price of $150 for a 30 minute flight. The aeroplane was parked on the other side of the building, so we walked there, I got in and put on the seat belts. Just then the lady is summoned "You have another passenger!" That's good fortune. I only have to pay $85 now. The landing strip is behind the building all very convenient. We take off and are taken over the plain and pointed out the cave entrances. On to the rather large white sand dunes at the 'Head of the Bight' and then over the ocean flying parallel to the cliffs. Good stuff.

Every 40 kilometres or so on the road to Eucla there was a side road to a viewing area. I went to all of them. Each had its own character. At one of them I met up with a group of Ulyssians from Brisbane. A couple asked me to take their picture. I replied "Sure, if you take mine!" Really hard to take your own picture. They asked me if I was "Going 'round the block?" Huh, oh yeah, around Australia, only in Australia lol.

Arrived at Eucla with the Brisbane group. They stayed in the budget accommodation area. I had booked a room before I left but sadly the lady at the desk didn't know about it. No problem as a room was found in no time at all. Dumped the gear and went for a ride to the Telegraph Station. I thought the building was being buried by desert sand, not sea sand as I found out. The Telegraph Station is located at the base of the plain and Eucla is located on the plane. Only a few hundred metres but boy did the temperature change, much warmer at Eucla by at least 5 degrees.

Had dinner in the restaurant. Pity the Brisbane riders took up all of a six seater, no room for me. :(

No CDMA or Digital coverage!

Saturday 12/4/2003 - Eucla/Kalgoolrie

Up at 7:00 and had breakfast. The owner warned me of road works near Cocklebiddy. It appears that the road when wet is very slippery. Two GoldWing riders with trailers slipped and ended under a semitrailer Hmmm, Made a note to be very careful.

Two big storms in the direction I'm travelling. One to the left and the other to the right with a gap between them. I hope the road goes between them :) The two storms was an illusion, the one on the right was 50 km further on. Best of all the road turned in such a way that I ended up on the right of both storms.

The petrol price at Madura was the highest for the trip, $1.42 for unleaded.

As I approached Cocklebiddy, the road varied between sealed and unsealed but in a pretty good state. The other side of Cocklebiddy had the major works. A long stretch of unsealed road under construction. The man holding the 'Stop' sign told me that the road is in good condition today "Just for you!".

I had noticed on the weather forecast that the Weather Bureau had declared a Strong Wind Warning and they sure weren't joking. On the '90 mile straight' I had the throttle wide open just to keep to the 100 kph speed limit. Half way through the straight the back of my neck was killing me, but I kept on going. 10 kilometres after the straight the reserve petrol light comes on, so I slowed down on the rest of the ride to Balledonia. Needless to say, the fuel economy was the worst day of the trip. When I stopped at Madura to fill up, I saw one of the Brisbane riders pull up, slump over and shake her head. She was riding a BMW F650 CS and towing a trailer, she was having a real hard time of it.

Another storm approaching Norseman. The road took me to the left and behind it thank goodness.

Had a quick look around Norseman and noticed the shutters over the shop windows and kept on riding.

Drove through Boulder first and noticed the shutters over shop windows. Thank goodness I was in Kalgoorlie which was unshuttered.

Had dinner at the Motels restaurant and had a good nights sleep.

Sunday 13/4/2003 - Kalgoorlie/Perth

Had breakfast at the Motel. On the way back to the room I noticed that the gutters don't have down pipes like I have. They have little pipes protruding from the bottom that just empty on the footpath below. Strange.

Rode around town and had a real hard time finding the 'Super Pit'. No signs and the tourist map wasn't detailed enough. I ended up using a trial and error method as I knew roughly where it should be. I'd take a street and follow it until it ran out. Backtrack and then follow the next street until I finally found it on the 3rd attempt. Yup, sure is a big hole, rather reminiscent of the coal mines here except for the big trucks f course. They sure struggle up that road.

Dark clouds above me with even a little light rain, but that cleared before I left and the way I was travelling was the brightest, great. As I left Kalgoorlie, the clouds broke up and I was in a completely blue sky.

Turned left at Southern Cross to ride to Hyden. I'd bought a very detailed map of the South-West that would put the size of 'The Age' to shame. The road I intended to take looked like a sealed road. 30 km on the road turned into dirt and stayed that way until about 20 km from Wave Rock. Travelling to '90 mile Straight' gave you no impression how straight the road was because you couldn't see all that far. This road however left me a bit in awe. From the top of a rise you could see clear to the horizon where there was a little square taken out at the very end. That's where the road went, straight as an arrow and very far away. To make matters worse farms were about 40 km apart and I only passed one vehicle the whole way. I was really hoping I wouldn't break down.

Parked at Wave Rock and couldn't get a ticket from the vending machine. The sign stated $6.50 for cars, $2.50 for motorcycles. The machine balked every time I tried but happily accepted the car rate. I gave up trying to get a ticket. Walked to 'The Wave' and realised how small it is in comparison to the rest of the rock. Walked to the top and ended up on the path to the 'Yawning Hippo'. Reminded me more of a whale.

As I waiting at the T-intersection leaving the park, I noticed that the hand brake give way and collapse to the throttle. Oh oh! A quick look in the sight glass revealed a very low level. Thank good ness the foot brake still works and the fact that I'm having the bike serviced tomorrow.

The road out of Hyden was interesting in the fact that the road kept changing width. The road would be two lanes with a centre white line then the road would change into a one lane road without a white line. This pattern continued on for ages. Guess it saves someone money.

Found the Motel after asking for directions. I was close and hadn't gone too far, very good. Onto the Tonkin Freeway and missed the exit and had to do a U-turn to get back.

Security seems higher than anywhere else. Service stations have video cameras, push buttons to open doors and some places have no self serve. I even have a safe in the wardrobe.

Had dinner at the restaurant.

Monday 14/4/2003 - Perth/Margaret River

Up at 7:00 and had a breakfast of tea and biscuits. Just not enough I found out later on. Booked the same Motel for Tuesday night.

Had the bike serviced at Auto Classics, which was 5 minutes down the road. Reminds me of Southbank Motorcycles, just across the river from the City. Introduced myself and said I had a service booked for today. A quick reveals oh no you don't! I rang up before I left on the tour and booked a service. Not really good enough. Thankfully they could fit me in. I asked them to have a look at the hand brake too. I was loaned an F650 GS to get around on while they serviced the bike.

Rode out of the city the way I came in, up to the top of the plateau and back again. Looks better at night. Stopped at Bunnings and bought some more ear plugs. Rode into the City and found an Internet Cafe and transferred some money to cover the service and the rest of the trip. Stopped by at Auto Classic and was very glad to hear that they had found a leak in a pipe and had a replacement pipe in stock, so that was under control.

Rode to Fremantle and put my hand in the Indian Ocean. Had lunch at Subway. Had trouble finding a parking spot.

The bike was supposed to have been completed by 1:00, but they were running late. I sat down with two other bikers who were in the middle of complaining about the service. They invited me in by saying "What do you have to bitch about?" The excuses sounded rather similar to what I hear at Southbank Motorcycles.

Headed for Margaret River. I was amazed at the amount of housing development I found on the way. It just seemed to be continuous until around Bunbury. Likes the feel of Bunbury but didn't have enough time to explore.

Margaret River is very well presented with accommodation, food and wine, rather up-market. Really impressed with the bed, wooden with a back board and a doona. Very comfortable. Sad that there was only one variety of Riesling to choose from though.

Tuesday 15/4/2003 - Margaret River/Perth

Up at 7:00 and had breakfast. Total bill of $200 will a bit more than I'm used to was the very best for the trip, money well spent.

Bit of fog about as I left. This part of the country seems a bit behind which is a good thing, has lots of character. The petrol station at Pemberton has the old rotating price and volume cylinders in the fuel pump, that brings back memories of long ago.

Stopped at the Tree Top Walk and did the circuit and bought a few souveniers. A sign at the car park declared "Leave it and lose it!" I took off the bag and took it with me to the ticket booth and asked where I could safely put my gear. The response was "Put them over there on that seat and I'll check on it now and then!" Not quite what I was expecting. Although the walk setup looks very similar to the one at Tasmania, this one moves! All the way through the whole structure moves which had the effect of sending quite a few people back after only a few steps, they just couldn't cope. Seeing labels declaring "No more than 10 people to a span" also had you wondering. At least the birds sang here unlike Tasmania.

Had lunch at Albany. I succumbed to McDonalds finally, just running short of time. More of that Thump Thump music from the overhead speakers. The ride back to Perth was uneventful, not much to see. I don't know where the quick roads are in Perth which is a major disadvantage. As the Albany Highway approaches Perth the speed limit plummets to 60 kph. Rather tedious.

The Motel restaurant ran out of Fillet Mignon and to my surprise, was unlicensed.

After dinner I bought a few cans of Jim Beam and some munchies to see the night through.

Wednesday 16/4/2003 - Indian Pacific

Up at 7:00 and had breakfast in the restaurant. Half last nights price.

Found the east Perth Railway Station easily and had the bike booked in. The staff did a really good job of restraining the bike. Four straps at the front, two at the back, a metal rack to lock the front tyre and a rear metal block to hold the back of the bike. The carriage was a double decker. Although the train was pulling four of them only the first and a bit of the 2nd were occupied.

Walked to the baggage check in area and had the bag and helmet tagged in.

I had a few hours to kill so I caught a taxi to the city and shopped around for some reading material. I was quite amused by the antics that students from the University were up to. Apparently each year they set aside one day as a fundraiser for charity. This involves creating a mock newspaper to hand out for a gold coin donation and get dressed up in the most radical clothes I have ever seen. Some had even painted themselves all over! Looked like fun, but the taxi driver told me that they have a street parade in the afternoon the locks up the city for an hour. I could see he wasn't happy at the prospect.

The Indian Pacific is quite a long train having 28 carriages plus the four car carriers. I'd booked a place in the Red Kangaroo/Daynighter Seat section of the train and that was a major mistake. I hadn't realised how difficult it would be to sleep in those seats. I'll know better if there is a next time. I figured I could save $600 and forgo a bed for a seat for two nights. I should have spent the extra money and got a good nights sleep. Not a great variety of food to choose from either, but I managed.

Stopped at Kalgoorlie at 10:00 and was invited to take a tour. There were two tours on offer: A tour of the town or a tour of a Bordello. I opted for the Bordello, already seen the town. $28. A lady greeted us and took us through each of the rooms in turn. Each room had a theme: Japanese, Roman Orgy, Sports, Drive In, etc. The perfume smell in one of the rooms got to me and I ended up with a small migraine.

Worst nights sleep I've ever had. There's not enough room to stretch out, the seats are hard and far from flat. To make matters worse there was a night light on the floor shining directly into my face. Oh what a night.

Thursday 17/4/2003 - Indian Pacific

Woke up at 6:30, around sunrise and spent the rest of the day in the lounge carriage.

Had Cereal and tea/toast for breakfast. Yesterday I had a pizza for lunch, but they've run out today, so I settled on a toasted sandwich. Had a lasagne and rice for dinner.

I filled in the time either reading or talking to the other passengers. Diverse bunch from a backpacker from Canada, another backpacker from England, a computer programmer traveling from the USA to Europe and various people from Australia both old and young.

Stopped at Cooke for two hours. No one knows why?

As you can see there isn't even a platform. Most of the town of about a dozen houses are vacant, vandalised or run down.

We picked up an interesting passenger at Kalgoorlie. When I first saw him at Cooke, I thought he was a bit out of place wearing Army camoflage pants and shirt. On the train later however, he out did that by wearing a bright pair of orange overalls with 'NATO' lettering and a safety helmet. He walked briskly though our carraige now doubt in search of something.

I asked for access to my bag to retrieve my Draggin' Jeans jacket, so I could use it as a pillow.

Friday 18/04/2002 - Adelaide/Home

Stopped at Port Augusta for three hours. No one knows why? I was trying to sleep, so I didn't notice the stop that much.

The Indian-Pacific arrived at Adelaide at 7:20 am, not a moment too soon. Had breakfast at the station, collected my bag and helmet and found the bike, all intact, very good. Directions to get to the city were non existent and I hadn't studied the map, so I ended up doing two circles of the city before finding the way home. I was wearing jeans, a Draggin' Jeans jacket and the BMW GS gloves and let me tell you it was cold. Even though the sun was warm and there wasn't a cloud in the sky it was cold. I finally stopped at Murray Bridge and changed into the DryRider and leather jeans, much better. Brr!, what a cold trip.

Plenty of police presence on the road from Adelaide to Nhill, then there were less, but still hiding here and there.

Clearly I didn't get enough sleep last night as I started falling asleep and even dreaming of the current ride, very dangerous. I stopped at Nhill, lay down in the shade of a palm tree in the garden strip between the divided road and fell asleep. I'm all in favour of 'Power Naps', just a bit hard to achieve riding a bike.

Stopped at Horsham for lunch at Subway.

Had to stop again at Ararat, falling asleep again. I had a nap at the tables and chairs provided by KFC.

I didn't have fatigue problems after that as the temperature dropped and I was quite cold and that kept me alert. Having just past the service stations that flank the exit at the West Gate bridge, a car toots their horn at me and manages to convey the message that my taillight bulb has blown, great. I stopped at the next service station and replaced the bulb.

So glad to finally arrive home!

Notes:
Total Distance travelled: 7,192 km
Cost of petrol: $464.78

I used various methods of payment on the trip from cash, VISA and Mobil Card. Very handy to have a choice.

The major surprise for me on the tour was how consistently cold the weather was. I was always in my winter gear and even had the heated grips on.