Castle Hill to

Port Macquarie (Via Gloucester)

Saturday 17th May

Edge Water Holiday Park

Castle Hill R.S.L. Club car Park

Hastings River Drive

Assembly:       

8.30am

Phone: (02) 6583 2799        1800 228 800

Departure:

10 am

Distance:

400 km

Day Notes:

Egg & Bacon Rolls will be on sale

Today’s ride: Castle Hill – Pennant Hills Road – follow F3 to end turn right at round about – 15 min stop at Hungry Jacks refuel/pit – over Hexham bridge – Pacific Hwy to Buckets Way turn off – turn left – a marker will be present from “Elvie” and up to the pick up truck – Bucketts Way to Gloucester – Gloucester Thunderbolts Way to Taree – Pacific Hwy to the second turn off to Port Macquarie just before the Hastings River bridge turn right, proceed 5 km to Holiday Park on left.

A meet-up with the group is planned for the Port Macquarie RSL Club, now owned by the Port Macquarie Panthers Club, You can find the club at 1 Bay Street, Port Macquarie.  

Port Macquarie to

Coolangatta

Sunday 18^th May

Kirra Beach Tourist Park

Edge Water Holiday Park

Charlotte Street off Coolangatta Road

Hastings River Drive

Phone: (07) 5581 7744        1800 444 474

Departure:

9 am

Distance:

470 km

Day Notes:

Follow the Pacific Hwy north. We will discuss the stops each morning to make sure every one is comfortable with the distances.

At Coolongatta, suggest you ride up Boundary St to Point Danger to the Centaur Remembrance Walk, the laser beam lighthouse and a good view of the coastline. Jupiter’s Casino is a 20 minute ride north of Coolongatta

Coolangatta to

Maryborough

Monday 19^th May

Wallace Motel & Caravan Park

Kirra Beach Tourist Park

22 Ferry Street

Charlotte Street

Maryborough

Departure:

10 am

Phone: (07) 4121 3970

Distance:

351 km

Day Notes:

Careful of the constabulary in Maryborough. 50 years ago, during their trip, Sassy and Graham had 2 confrontations with such gentlemen here. Maybe they will tell you about the circumstances.

Maryborough (home of Mary Poppins) has a wonderful pie shop in the main street – anyone will give you directions! Portside Centre and Heritage Museum (Open 10am to 4pm Mon-Fri) for local and maritime history. The Bond Store Museum focuses on the booze trade of the 19^th century!

Maryborough to

Rockhampton

Tuesday 20^th May

Big 4 Tropical Wanderer Resort

Wallace Motel & Caravan Park

394 Yamba Road (Bruce Hwy)

22 Ferry Street

Phone: (07) 4926 3822        1800 815 563

Departure:

10 am

Distance:

389 km

Day Notes:

Cheap fuel on the south side of Rockhampton on the left. You may be able to make it to the Capricorn Caves 23 km N of Rockhampton by 3 pm. The Dreamtime Cultural Centre 6.5 km N of the Fitzroy River closes at 3.30pm. Yeppoon is 40 km E of North Rockhampton.

Rockhampton to

Mackay

Wednesday 21^st May

Top Tourist – Tropical Caravan Park

Big 4 Tropical Wanderer Resort

Bruce Hwy

394 Yamba Road

Phone: (07) 4952 1211

Departure:

10 am

Distance:

229 km

Day Notes:

Artspace Mackay is located in the Civic Centre Precinct on Gordon Street, close to the Mackay Entertainment Centre and the Mackay City Library; open until 5pm. Harbour Beach is the best beach in Mackay for swimming, and beach play It is 6 km North of the city centre, and is patrolled. There is also a popular picnic reserve here with seating and BBQ facilities.

Mackay to

Airlie Beach

Thursday 22^nd  May

Top Tourist – Island Gateway Holiday Park    (total 2 nights)

Top Tourist – Tropical Caravan Park

Shute Harbour Road

Bruce Hwy

Phone: (07) 4946 6228        1800 466 528

Departure:

10 am

Distance:

160 km

As this is a rather short day’s ride, you should have time to line up your chosen activities for tomorrow. Some tours leave early in the morning. Some suggestions:

Conway National Park is south of Airlie Beach (take the Conway Beach Road off Shute Harbour Road W of Cannonvale). See the Cedar Creek Falls set in a beautiful and mountainous region on the edge of the Conway National Park. The falls tumble 12 metres through rainforest into a stream which is ideal for swimming. Whitsunday Islands:  Reefjet. Depart: 8:15am
Return: 5:45pm. Price: From $130 per Person. A trip to one of the world‘s best beaches in complete air conditioned comfort. Take a leisurely stroll along 6 kilometres of beautiful white silica sand, swim in the crystal clear waters, join in the beach games, or just relax and enjoy the beauty of the spectacular surrounds. Includes morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. Courtesy pick up and drop off from local holiday accommodation. Fantasea Ferries (www.fantasea .com.au) Day trip to Hamilton Is or Daydream Is ($60 return); Long Is or South Molle Is ($44 return). Ferry departs at the pier at the end of Shute Harbour Road.

Airlie Beach to

Townsville (Total 9 nights)

Saturday 24^th – Sunday 1^st June

Ulysses AGM

Top Tourist – Island Gateway Holiday Park

Only Ulysses members are able to stay at the AGM site. Prior bookings are required

Shute Harbour Road

Departure:

10 am

Distance:

304 km

Day Notes:

Program at www.ulyssesclub.org/agm/2008. Suggestions for activities in Townsville see Ulysses

Townsville to

Cairns (Total 4 nights)

Monday 2^nd  - Thursday 5^th June

Sunland Carapark Inn

Ulysses AGM total 9 nights

Crn. Pease Street & Reservior Road

Manoora

Departure:

10 am

Phone: (07) 4053 6888        1800 627 868

Distance:

349 km

www.sunlandcaraparkinn.com.au 

Suggested activities: Flecker Botanic Gardens and the Rainforest broadwalk opposite; chill out at the Cairns foreshore promenade swimming lagoon; Tjapukal Cultural Park; Cairns Museum, Cairns Regional Gallery, Day trip to Port Douglas; Day trip to Green Island; Check out details for a days diving with www.cairnsdive.com.au. Catch the Scenic railway and/or Sky Rail to Kuranda (with markets and Australian Butterfly Sanctuary); Day trip to the Lake Tinaroo Falls area (81 km SW Cairns) including visit to Tolga Woodwork Gallery; Day trip to 2 crater lakes: Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine. Scientists believe Lake Eacham, and nearby Lake Barrine, were formed approximately 12,000 years ago when molten hot magma in the centre of the earth rose to the surface and heated the water table. The intense hot steam that resulted from the boiling water table was trapped underground, until massive explosions signalled its release. Huge cracks appeared in the ground and the trees that once lathed the mountainside were levelled and burnt. Eventually, over hundreds of years, water filled the craters and the trees grew back, creating the tranquil lake used today by families and tourists for recreation. The lake is fed by underground springs so it retains a constant water level and is unaffected by drought.

Visit a 500-year old Curtain Fig at Yungaburra, 65 km SW Cairns; Check if white water rafting is an option in the Barron River at www.foamingfury.com.au; Day trip to Mareeba to see over a coffee plantation and visit the local museum.

Cairns to

Cooktown (Total 4 nights)

Friday 6^{th   _}  Monday 9^th June

Big 4 – Cooktown Holiday Park

Sunland Carapark Inn

35 – 41 Charlotte Street

Crn. Pease Street & Reservoir Road

Departure:

10 am

Phone: (07) 4069 5417        1800 255 162

Distance:

328 km

Day Notes:

Things to see include: Grassy Hill Lookout with a 1.5 km walking trail; Captain Cook Statue; Charlie Tanner Gallery;  James Cook Historical Museum (with the Endeavour’s anchor; Nature’s Powerhouse; Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery;  Charlotte Street Park; Bicentennial Park.

There is a Captain Cook re-enactment on for this weekend so book early.

Cooktown to

Atherton (via Port Douglas)

Tuesday 10^th June

Big 4 – Atherton Woodlands Tourist Park

Big 4 – Cooktown Holiday Park

141 Herberton Road

35 – 41 Charlotte Street

Phone: (07) 4091 1407        1800 041 441

Departure:

10 am

Distance:

300 km

Day Notes:

If you missed a visit to Mareeba whilst in Cairns, you might care to see over a coffee plantation and visit the local museum as you pass through on your way to Atherton. See Cairns itinerary for other suggestions as well as www.tablelands.org.

Atherton to

Undara Lava Tubes (total 2 nights)

Wednesday 11^th June

www.undara.com.au

Big 4 – Atherton Woodlands Tourist Park

Phone: (07) 4097 1900        1800 990 992

141 Herberton Road

4 Tours per day at $42.00 / head  8am ,10.30am, 1pm, 3.30pm

Departure:

9 am

Distance:

213 km

Day Notes:

You may care to stop off at the Innot Hot Springs en route. Refer to web page for details of accommodation and tour.We are speaking to the owners regarding doing a guided tour of the Lava Tubes. If interested please confirm when booking your accommodation.

Undara Lava Tubes To

 Hughenden

Friday 13^th June

Hughenden Allan Terry Caravan Park

www.undara.com.au

2 Resolution Street

Phone: (07) 4741 1190

Departure:

9 am

Distance:

350 km

Or 586 kml on all sealed road

For those who chose the short way, stop tlo view Porcupine Gorge. There is little doubt that the area's premier attraction is the exceptionally beautiful and dramatic Porcupine Gorge. Located about 45 km north of Hughenden on the unsealed Kennedy Development Road, the Porcupine Gorge, sometimes known as the 'little Grand Canyon', drops 120 metres from the surrounding countryside. If you came the long way via Charters Towers take time to drive down the main street to admire the well preserved heritage buildings including the Stock Exchange (now an arcade of shops). AT Hughenden, the Flinders Discovery Centre houses a skeletal life-size replica of the Muttaburrasaurus langdoni, a dinosaur fossil display including local fossils, and gemstones and fossils from around the world. Other displays include the Porcupine Gorge Light \and Sound Show, telling the story of the formation of the gorge over 500 million years, a bioregion exhibition, historical memorabilia and an audiovisual presentation on the development of Hughenden by early settlers. The Historic Coolabah Tree is situated past the causeway on the right as you head to the Hughenden Showgrounds. It is of immense historical importance as it is linked to two relief expeditions searching for the Burke and Wills Expedition. Both expeditions blazed the tree on the banks of what is now Station Creek.

350 km with 250 km unsealed.  OR 586 km if you choose to travel on sealed road via Charters Towers.

Hughenden To

 Cloncurry

Saturday 14^th June

Top Tourist – Gilbert Park Tourist Village

Hughenden Allan Terry Caravan Park

Matilda Hwy

2 Resolution Street

Phone:  (07) 4742 2300       1800 422 300

Departure:

9 am

Distance:

398 km

Day Notes:

Suggest a stop en route at Kronosaurus Korner, part of Richmond.Marine Fossil Museum. It is about 80 km W of Hughenden. Cloncurry owes its existence to the first discovery of copper in Western Queensland and its subsequent status as the most important transportation centre in the area. The first regular Qantas flight landed at Cloncurry and John Flynn established his first Flying Doctor Base in the town. John Flynn Place is perhaps Cloncurry's most important museum dedicated to Rev. John Flynn (Flynn of the Inland)  In 1928 Flynn chose Cloncurry for the base becasue its proximity to the mining camps and scattered pastoralists, all of whom were poorly served by any kind of medical services. The Mary Kathleen Memorial Park and Museum can be found on entering Cloncurry from the east. When the uranium mining town of Mary Kathleen (q.v.) folded and its contents auctioned off, the museum obtained a number of buildings and some important relics from the site. It contains a stunning collection of rocks, gemstones, minerals and fossils.

Some of the high lights Sassy & Graham encountered in this section were, boiling petrol in the tank, broken side box spring repaired in true bush stile & a kangaroo. 

Cloncurry To

Mount Isa via Mary Kathleen

Sunday 15^th June

Copper City Caravan Park

Top Tourist – Gilbert Park Tourist Village

Matilda Hwy

Phone: (07) 47434676

Departure:

10 am

Distance:

121 km

Day Notes:

En route visit the site of Mary Kathleen c. 60 km from Cloncurry

Mt Isa Mine tour by bus (above ground only) at 9am or 1pm (2 hours)

Visit information centre which includes Riversleigh Fossils Interpretive Centre

Visit Tent House in 4^th Avenue (9am to 4:30pm)

Visit Underground Hospital

Visit Royal Doctor Flying Service Centre

Visit Frank Astons Underground Museum

Visit School of the Air (9am to 10 am)

Visit “Hard Times” mine centre with a working pithead and underground working stations.

Mount Isa To

Camooweal

Monday 16^th June

Camoowell Roadhouse

Copper City Caravan Park

Barkly Hwy.

Departure:

10 am

Phone: (07) 47482155

Distance:

186 km

Day Notes:

In order that you may see more of Mt Isa, we suggest you spend the morning in Mt Isa and around lunch time continue on to Camooweal

Stop at Rest area 90 km from Mt Isa for the WW II historic site.

Visit Joe Freckletons Store (9am to 4pm) by arrangement.

Camooweal to

Barkly Roadhouse (via Bore 19)

Tuesday 17^th June

Barkly Roadhouse (non star rated)

Camoowell Roadhouse

Barkly Hwy.

Phone: (08) 89644549

Departure:

10 am

Distance:

265 km

Day Notes:

If you have read “Around Australia the Hard Way in 1929” you will understand the significance of Bore 19. The book is on sale from Sassy or Graham $22.00 per copy.

Barkly Roadhouse To

Cape Crawford via Brunette Downs

Wednesday 18^th June

 Heart Break Hotel

Barkly Roadhouse

Departure:

9 am

Phone: (08) 889759928

Distance:

371 km

Day Notes:

Running for almost a century, the ABC Amateur Race Club is Australia’s best kept outback secret. The races are held in June every year, on Brunette Downs; we will be arriving just after the 2008 event, however we will have a morning tea stop at the Downs.

Cape Crawford is a remote stop at the junction of the Carpentaria Highway and Tablelands Highway. Despite the first part of its name, Cape Crawford is situated a good 200 km from the sea! Lindsay Crawford was the drover who discovered a spectacular formation known as the Lost City, in the nearby Abner Ranges in 1880. The Lost City covers an area of about eight square kims and is dotted with towering sandstone formations. These natural pillars remind many observers of skyscrapers, and are well worth a visit.

Cape Crawford To

Daly Waters

Thursday 19^th June

Daly Waters Hi Way Inn Pub Caravan Park

Heart Break Hotel

Phone: (08) 89759925

Departure:

9 am

Distance:

272 km

Day Notes:

On the way into town is the Stuart Tree (the actual town of Daly Waters is located 7 km to the west of the Stuart Highway - it was built on the old stock route not the road). This remarkably dead looking tree has a plaque which reads: 'The explorer John McDouall Stuart is presumed to have carved the initial S on this tree on 23 May 1862 during his successful journey from Adelaide to Darwin 1861-62’. By 1893 the Daly Waters Hotel was built in the town. It is now one of the oldest buildings in the Northern Territory. The modern pub, although little changed, is a tourist attraction. Every night there is a steak and barra (ie. Barramundi) barbeque. On the way Daly Waters is the Daly Water Airstrip. It was constructed initially about 1930 for the Daly Waters Airmail run. It later became a major staging point for interstate and international airlines. It was declared an RAAF station on 18 March 1942 when occupied by a number of RAAF units. 

Daly Waters To

Katherine

Friday 20^th June

Red Gum Tourist Resort

Daly Waters Hi Way Inn Pub Caravan Park

42 Victoria Hwy

Katherine

Departure:

9 am

Phone: (08) 8972 2239

Distance:

275 km

Day Notes:

Visit Larrimah and Birdham (80 km) the original railroad from Darwin until 1976

Visit Repeat House used in WW2 and now a museum

Stop and visit the “Warlock Ponds” mentioned by Frank and Jack in their book

Stop at Mataranka for a swim in the thermal pool or river.

On the same site is the replica of the Elsey Homestead, the home of Jeannie Gunn who wrote the book “We of the Never Never”

In Katherine:

With time constraints you may like to have an extra day in Katherine either now or on return trip south.

Visit Katherine Gorge or take the Heli-Muster ride over the gorge

Visit Springdale Homestead, the oldest surviving homestead in the Territory .

Darwin (Total 6 Nights)

Saturday 21^st June

Big 4 Free Spirit Resort Darwin

Red Gum Tourist Resort

901 Stuart Hwy

42 Victoria Hwy

Departure:

9 am

Phone: (08) 89350888     1800 350 888

Distance:

330 km

Day Notes:

En route to Darwin you could: Visit Edith Falls (60 km N of Katherine);

Visit Pine Creek where you can visit the Station Museum (locomotive, passenger carriages, old wares and minerals: Look at the opencut mine which is now Copperfield Dam; Visit Adelaide River war cemetery.

Your sightseeing in Darwin might include:

Daytrip to Melville Island from Darwin to see the Tiwi people and their culture

You may care to organise a trip to Kakadu National Park and Litchfield National Park

Visit Museum and Art gallery

Visit East Point Military Museum and gun emplacements

Visit Pearling centre at Stoke Hill Wharf

Visit Oil Storage tunnels and picture gallery

Visit Fanny Bay Goal

Visit Aviation Heritage Museum

Visit Parliament House

Botanic Gardens and Mindil Beach (Sunset Markets)

View the display at old Qantas Hangar

It is up to the individual to organise their own activities, a lot to do & see

Darwin To

Katherine

Friday 27^th June

Red Gum Tourist Resort

Big 4 Free Spirit Resort

42 Victoria Hwy

Darwin

Katherine

Departure:

9 am

Phone: (08) 8972 2239

Distance:

330 km

Day Notes:

During their 1958 adventure, Graham and Sassy only just managed to get out of  Darwin (then a thriving town of 10,000 citizens) as they were there during the wet (January) and floods had cut nearly every exit from the town.See notes for 20 June for things to do in and around Katherine.

Katherine To

Dunmarra

Saturday 28^th June

Wayside Inn Motel

Red Gum Tourist Resort

42 Victoria Hwy

Phone: (08) 89759922

Departure:

9 am

Distance:

312 km

Day Notes:

Possible stops at Mataranka (swim) and Daly Waters. Ask Sassy and Graham about their encounter with a reptile at Dunmarra in 1958.

Dunmarra is a small settlement on the historical Overland Telegraph Line 300 km S of Katherine. Today, the town is little more than a roadhouse providing fuel, motel accommodation, and a caravan park. An interesting story is associated with the area’s name: Overland Telegraph linesman, Dan O’Mara, disappeared in the region in the early 1900s. Drover Noel Healy established a cattle station here in the 1930s and discovered O’Mara’s skeleton in the bush. The name Dunmarra was arrived at as a result of the local Aboriginal people’s inability to pronounce O’Mara’s name. A monument to the Overland Telegraph Line stands beside the Stuart Highway south of Dunmarra, dedicated to Sir Charles Todd, Postmaster, General of the Province of South Australia, 1872.

Dunmarra To

Tennant Creek

Sunday 29^th June

Outback Caravan Park

Wayside Inn Motel

Phone: (08) 8962 2459

Departure:

9 am

Distance:

375 km

Day Notes:

Note the monument at Three Ways, about 25 km N of Tennant Creek (junction of Barkly and Stuart highways) where Graham and Sassy took the first photograph on their trip in 1958.

Overland Telegraph Station
Between 1860 and 1862, McDouall Stuart made 3 expeditions through the area with the intent of mapping a path for the overland telegraph which was being extended from England to Australia. The telegraph line was completed in 1872 and a permanent repeater station was built that year, utilising local stone for the walls and corrugated iron for the roofing. This station, lies 11 km to the north of Tennant Creek, and was the first point of European settlement in the region. It closed down in 1979 and currently operates as a museum. It is generally unattended but guided tours are usually

conducted during the dry season by rangers.

Tennant Creek To

Alice Springs (total 5 nights)

Monday 30^th June - Friday 4^th July

Big 4 – Mac Donnell Range Holiday Park

Outback Caravan Park

Phone: (08) 8952 6111

Departure:

9 am

Distance:

505 km

Day Notes: 

A long, long day! About 100 km S of Tennant Creek, make a stop at the Devils Marbles (Karlu Karlu to the Aboriginal people), a collection of huge granite boulders precariously balanced on top of one another. The site is also famous as the site where Graham’s ‘infamous’ photograph was taken! Try for a stop at  Barrow Creek – close to the site where Peter Falconio and Joanne Lees were abducted. Like Alice Springs, the town came into existence with the arrival of the Overland Telegraph in 1872. The Telegraph Station has been preserved (keys are held at the Pub) and is now a monument. The pub and service station (221 km S) make the stop worthwhile. Aileron is a good rest stop132 km N of Alice Springs.  Aileron Hotel and Roadhouse houses a fine collection of aboriginal art.  A short way  S of Aileron beside the highway is Ryan Well Historical Reserve containing a well, storage tank stand and the ruins of Glen Maggie Homestead.

Suggestions for activities in and around Alice Springs (4 full days)

Alice Springs (576 m above sea level) lis the 2^nd largest town in NT with a population of c. 28,000. Recognised as the 'Centre of Australia' it has a booming tourist industry based on the beauty of 'The Centre', particularly the magnificent MacDonnell Ranges,  Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) which lie to the south-west.

Prior to European settlement, the Arrernte/Aranda people had inhabited the area for more than 10,000 years. Historically, Alice Springs was a vital link on the Overland Telegraph Line. The springs, after which the town in named, lie NE of the town, were discovered in 1871 by the team building the Overland Telegraph. Sir Charles Todd, the then Postmaster-General of South Australia, had been the driving force behind the building of the Overland Telegraph; Lady Alice Todd was his wife.  We suggest that you consult the web for the many tours or daytrips you can make from the Alice. For example. www.uluru-to-kakadu.com/alice-springs-tours.php

·        The School of the Air and the Alice Springs Royal Flying Doctors Base

·        Unoolya Station, the NT’s oldest cattle station

·        Sunrise Ballooning or the Museum of Central Australia

·        The West MacDonnells and Standley Chasm

·        Palm Valley and Hermannsburg Aboriginal Centre

·        Alice Springs Reptile Centre

·        The Old Ghan Museum and Heritage Village

·        Alice Springs Desert Park or Camel Riding

·        Araluen Centre (Art gallery with Namatjiri’s collection)

·        Kookaburra Memorial and Aviation Museum

·        The Olive Pink Botanic Gardens

·        Alice Springs Memorial Cemetery to pay respects to Namatjira,  Lasseter and Olive Pink

·        Shop for aboriginal art (e.g., Papunya Tula Centre; Gallery Gondwana; Mbantua Gallery)

Before you move on from the Alice, ask Sassy and Graham about their 2^nd encounter with the constabulary. Why weren’t they allowed to ride south? Alternate arrangements had to be made! 

Alice Springs To

Marla

Saturday 5^th July

Travellers Rest Caravan Park

Big 4 – Mac Donnell Range Holiday Park

Departure:

9 am

Phone:  (08) 86707001

Distance:

455 km

Day Notes:

Another long day.  Just 90 km S of Alice Springs is Stuart’s Well. Stuart’s Well Roadhouse is also known by the locals as Jim’s Place. It will appeal to value conscious travellers looking for a truly Central Australian experience. Meet interesting characters and browse through the photographic history of tourism in Central Australia. Camels Australia is set on 9 acres of bushland at the foot of the James Ranges. You might care to check out our own Central Australian bred Camels. Entry is free but you can organise a reasonably priced camel ride even for a few minutes. Take away food and drinks are available.

Marla is located 1082 km from Adelaide, 676 km north of Port Augusta and 159 km south of the Northern Territory border on the Stuart Highway, Marla is a stopping point which opened 1982 and boasts a comprehensive range of facilities for the traveller including a caravan park, camping facilities, hotel and motel accommodation, a restaurant, bar, service station and supermarket. Marla is located over the road from the new Ghan railway line. It is worth driving across the highway to see the railway which disappears in a straight line towards both the southern and northern horizons - in season there are wonderful displays of wildflowers beside the track.

Marla To

Coober Pedy

Travellers Rest Caravan Park

Hutchison Street

Sunday 6^th July

Big 4 – Oasis Tourist Park

Departure:

10 am

Phone: (08) 8672 5169        1800 060 541

Distance:

239 km

Day Notes:

Coober Pedy was originally known as the ‘Stuart Range Opal Field’, named after John McDouall Stuart, who in 1858 was the first European explorer in the area. n 1920 it was re-named to ‘Coober Pedy’, based on the Aboriginal words of ‘kupa piti’, which is translated as meaning ‘white man in a hole’.

Since the 1st of February, 1915, when opal was first discovered here, Coober Pedy has been supplying the world with the majority of gem quality opals. Today, the uniqueness of Coober Pedy and its surround, make it a popular tourist destination. One of the mainstay attractions in Coober Pedy is the unique style of underground accommodation, and authentic underground homes, museums, opal shops, opal mines, churches, galleries etc.

Coober Pedy is the source of 80% of the world's opals. If you want to buy opals you may get a better deal here than in the big cities, although the shops here do a roaring business with passing tourist coaches so it would be best to avoid the busy times if you want to save money. There are more than a million abandoned mine shafts around Coober Pedy so in the interests of your safety it is a good idea to avoid wandering around the outskirts of town alone.

Coober Pedy To

Port Augusta (Total 2 nights)

Monday 7^th July

Big 4 – Holiday Park

Big 4 – Oasis Tourist Park

Phone: (08) 8642 2974

Hutchison Street

Departure:

9 am

Distance:

537 km

Day Notes:

Another long day. There are no fuel stops between Coober Pedy and Glendambo (255 km). Please be prepared. A stop-off at Glendambo will be essential.

Woomera was top secret for many years and visiting the town was prohibited until 1982. It was established in 1947 as missile testing site for the British government; over 4,000 missiles were launched from the Woomera Prohibited Area over the following 30 years. Some of the rockets and missiles tested at Woomera are on display at the Woomera Missile Park in the town centre.

Although originally a British base, Woomera has played host to a number of military and aerospace organisations including ELDO (European Launcher Development Organisation), NASA and the United States Air Force.

In its heyday Woomera had a population of 6,800 but this has dropped to the 600 that live here today. The town's former importance has left it well endowed with an excellent infrastructure that is the envy of other towns of a similar size.

 Woomera has an interesting Lion’s Club Aircraft and Missile Museum if you are into that sort of stuff. There is also the Woomera Heritage Centre with an Outback Diner.

On your day in Port Augusta you might like to:

Visit the Wadlata Outback centre in Port Augusta.

Visit the Australian Arid lands Botanic Gardens in Port Augusta

You might care to ride to Whyalla, a former ship-building town; tours of steel works available.

Port Augusta To

Mount Ive (Total 2 nights)

Wednesday 9^th July

“The Range “ Station Stay

Big 4 – Holiday Park

(08) 8648 1817

$40 per night Shearer’s Quarters

Departure:

10 am

Powered sites available

Distance:

190 km

Day Notes:

There is 130 km of graded gravel road each way. Alternate activity is to ride around the Eyre Peninsular sealed road to meet up with the group at Port Augusta.

The 2004 re-enactment trip missed the visit to Mount Ive because of flooded roads

Visit Lake Gairdner salt lake where time trials are held.

Visit Kath’s Castle or Peter’s Pillars (some of the worlds largest examples of rhyolite)

Visit Historic embankment built in 1892

Mt Ive is South Australia’s best kept secret in the Gawler Ranges, a real place to relax.

It is possible to visit Iron Knob either on your way to or return from Mount Ive.

Overnight at Mt Ive (Communal Camp Kitchen, Dining Room and Recreation Rooms available)

Mount Ive To

 Port Augusta

Friday 11^th July

Big 4 – Holiday Park

Phone: (08) 8642 2974

Departure:

10 am

Distance:

190 km

Day Notes: Possible stop for morning tea/lunch at Siam Station (75 km from Mt Ive) where Frank and Jack had a major breakdown in 1929, nearly ruining their record attempt.

Port Augusta To

Adelaide (Total 2 nights)

Saturday 12^th July

Big 4 – Holiday Park

Big 4 – Holiday Park

328 Sturt Road

Bedford Park

Departure:

10 am

Phone: (08) 8642 2974        1800 063 193

Distance:

320 km

Day Notes:

You will have one full day in Adelaide so you should research what you would like to do there. You may care to:

• Visit the Adelaide Hills
• Visit the Barossa Valley
• Visit Birdwood National Motor Museum
• Visit galleries and museums in the city.

Note: It should be fairly cold by now

Adelaide To

Bordertown

Monday 14^th July

Bordertown Caravan Park

Big 4 – Holiday Park

Phone: (08) 8752 1752

328 Sturt Road

Departure:

10 am

Distance:

273 km

Day Notes:

Hahndorf. 28 km SE of Adelaide, is a little piece of Silesia, Prussia and Germany in the Adelaide Hills with many German tourists being entertained in cafes, bars and restaurants run by the descendants of the town's early German settlers – a great place for breakfast if you make an early start from Adelaide. It was settled in 1838 by Lutheran Germans escaping persecution in Europe and named after the Danish Captain of the Ship they arrived in, The Zebra.

Hahndorf’s most famous resident was Wilhelm Ernst Hans Franz Heysen (1877-1965) who came to South Australia with his family in 1884 when he was 7 years old. During school holidays he often visited friends in Hahndorf, occasions that impressed him very much. During 1908, Hans, his wife Selma and children moved to Hahndorf, where he was able to pursue his great passion, the painting of the Australian bush.It is possible to visit the former home and studio of artist Sir Hans Heysen - The Cedars. It houses a fine collection of paintings and drawings displaying Heysen's remarkable versatility in subject and medium. Also on the grounds, see Heysen's working studio, his painting materials and tools, sketches, and notes.

In Bordertown you can see Bob Hawke's Family Home and other Memorabilia. The quite pleasant sandstone house was once the home of one of Australia's longest serving Labor Prime Minister. RJL (Bob) Hawke was born here on 9 December, 1929. Located on Farquhar Street (it is just half a block away from the Westpac Bank in the main street), it is open Mon - Fri. For details contact (08) 8752 2569.There is a bronze bust of RJL Hawke outside the Council Chambers. Unfortunately it is really a travesty. It doesn't even vaguely look like the subject.

Bordertown Railway Station is a particularly impressive building indicating the importance of the town. It was completed in 1914. The railway arrived in the town in 1886.

Bordertown To

Geelong

Tuesday 15^th July

Big 4 – Geelong Riverview Tourist Park

Bordertown Caravan Park

Phone: (03) 5243 6225        1800 336 225

Departure:

9 am

Distance:

432 km

Day Notes:

If anyone would like to ride “The Great Ocean Road” this would be the spot to break off and catch up later. 

Nhill. About 80 km east of Bordertown, Nhill's Goldsworthy Park features shade trees,  BBQ-equipped picnic spots, and a memorial to the Clydesdale - the draught horse that played a pivotal role in opening up and developing the region. The main street features attractive gardens along the centre. The Lake Nhill and swamplands border the town to the south, offering boating facilities, a boardwalk and bird watching opportunities. Nhill is home to Australia's largest single-bin grain silo, located in the centre of town.

Horsham (pop. c.14,000) is on the Wimmera River and as Mark Twain noted: 'Horsham sits in a plain which is as level as a floor'. Before Europeans arrived the area was known as 'Wopetbungundilar' and was occupied by both the Jardwa and Wotjobaluk aborigines. The first Europeans belonged to the exploratory party of Thomas Mitchell that passed to the S during their voyage into 'Australia Felix' in 1836. Major developments really began when the land was opened for selection in the early 1870s and wheat farming commenced.

Stawell’s  rich gold mining history dates from the mid-1800s. Mining ceased in 1920, but the Magdala Mine opened in 1980 and is still operating as Victoria's largest gold mine. Stawell’s historic buildings includes several churches, the town hall and the 1870s post office. The Pioneers Memorial is at the Big Hill lookout. Central Park is home to the Stawell Gift - one of Australia's most famous and prestigious footraces. Ararat, established in 1857, is the only Australian town to have been founded by the Chinese. The district is renowned for quality merino wool, diverse agricultural crops and fine wines. For a glimpse of Ararat’s unique past, visit the town’s cultural experience, the Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre. Take a wander through the beautiful Alexandra Gardens featuring the famous orchid glasshouse. Australia’s largest wind farm at Challicum Hills, was completed in August 2003.  Located on private farming land E of Ararat, the project generates enough clean electricity to power 26,000 homes each year – about 1.5 per cent of Victoria's residential electricity demand – and has created significant employment, investment and tourism opportunities.
Ballarat has sufficient attractions to keep you busy for a month! As you drive through, tdetour past the Eureka Centre, one of Australia’s most important historical sites. Beneath the Eureka flag, an oath was taken by hundreds of gold diggers 1854. “We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties." The Eureka rebellion led by Peter Lalor was a short lived revolt against petty officialdom and although a military failure, led to political and personal benefits for  Australians.

In Geelong the National Wool Museum and the Ford Discovery Centre are recommended. Geelong boasts of having more than 100 historic buildings. The Wharf Shed Café is recommended for a great serving of fish and chips!

Today is a good day to ask Sassy and Graham about another encounter with the local constabulary!

!

Geelong To

Melbourne (Total 2 nights)

Wednesday 16^th July

Big 4 – Coburg

Big 4 – Geelong Riverview Tourist Park

265 Elizabeth Street

Coburg

Departure:

10 am

Phone: (03) 9354 3533        1800 802 678

Distance:

74 km

Day Notes:

En route to Melbourne you might wish to stop off at the Werribee Open Range Zoo (possible to book an overnight stay) and the Werribee Park Mansion and adjacent rose garden are worth a look.

In Melbourne, Brunswick, close to the Coburg Big 4, is David Reidies’ Harley City with its excellent museum and shop – a must!

In Melbourne itself there is a wealth of things to see and do. Have you visited: Docklands? Federation Square including the Australian Centre for the Moving Image? The Immigrations Museum? The Ian Potter Centre? The Koorie Heritage Trust Cultural Centre? The Queen Victoria Markets? Southbank’s Crown Casino? The National Art Gallery of Victoria? The Melbourne Aquarium? Or you could take a run out to Phillip Island.

Melbourne To

Albury

Friday 18^th July

All Seasons Tourist Park

Big 4 – Coburg

Hume Hwy (6 km north of PO)

265 Elizabeth Street

Phone: (02) 6025 1619

Departure:

9:30 am

Distance:

321 km

Day notes:

You might like to make an:

Optional visit to Glenrowan (Ned Kelly country – but a tourist trap!)

Optional visit to the tank museum at Puckapunyal

Optional visit to Beechworth (recommended – worth seeing the Robert Burke Museum with its Ned Kelly exhibitions and the Beechworth Bakery).  Leave Hume Highway at Wangaratta (72 km south of Albury) and rejoin at Chiltern or Wodonga.

Chiltern is a quaint old mining town. Note the rectangular lake that resulted from subsidence over a subsurface mine. Dr Richardson (father of Henry Handel Richardson, Australia’s famous female author), lived with his family on the bank of the lake.

Albury To

Mittagong

Saturday 19^th July

Mittagong Caravan Park

All Seasons Tourist Park

Phone: (02) 4871 1574

Hume Hwy

Departure:

9 am

Distance:

444 km

Day Notes:

As you pass through Holbrook, note the relic of the de-commissioned HMAS OTWAY (90 m from bow to stem), and a 115 model of a World War 1 submarine, HMS B11. Holbrook's unique link with submarines began during World War 1 when it was decided Germanton was no longer an appropriate name for the town. On 13 December 1914, Lieutenant Norman Holbrook, had taken the British submarine HMS B 11 on a hazardous journey into the Dardanelles to torpedo and sink the Turkish battleship MESSUDIYEH. After the sinking, the B 11 with a shattered compass, scraped along the bottom of the channel literally feeling its way out. B 11 was submerged for eight hours, unheard of in 1914, but all the crew survived the mission. Lieutenant Holbrook was awarded a Victoria Cross (VC) making him the first naval VC of the war and the first submariner to be awarded a VC. Back in Germanton, the suggestion that Holbrook be a fitting name for the town was greeted with enthusiasm; the first meeting of the Holbrook Council was 24 August 1915. The town of Holbrook hit world headlines for it’s association with the most daring underwater raid in the war.

As you pass through Tarcutta note the Australian Truck Drivers Memorial. This site was chosen, as the town has a long historical association with the transport industry, is situated beside the Hume Hwy. one of the busiest major highways in the world, and is infamous for the number of fatal accidents that have involved truckies.

As you pass Gundagai, look for the new garage on your left. You should pull in to fuel up. Next, walk into the dining hall behind the garage to view two giant photographic panoramas  of Gundagai. It’s a good place for a cuppa, but so is Bullocky Bill’s Café, c. 200 m down the hill towards the Dog on the Tucker Box. Line up Sassy for a photo in front of the monument and compare it to the one taken in 1958! Do you think the monument has been moved in the interim?

Possible break at historic Berrima or stick to the highway and fuel up at Yass, Goulburn or Truck Stop 31 at Marulan.

Visit the Dog on the Tuckerbox which is close to 5-Mile Creek, 8 km N of Gundagai. One version of the dog’s role in that the dog was guarded its master’s tuckerbox while he sought help as his dray was bogged in Five Mile Creek. The master, a bullocky, never returned; the dog continued to guard the tuckerbox until its death, the refrain from the supposedly original verse about the dog was:

 “Then the dog sat on the Tucker Box Nine miles from Gundagai.”

It has been said that in the original verse, it wasn’t ‘sat’ that the dog did. (Think of a one-syllable word starting with ‘s’ and rhyming with ‘sat’ and think what other misfortune occurs , in a manner of speaking, to top it off!)

Suggest we meet up at the Mittagong RSL Club for a last dinner together.

Mittagong To

Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway

Sunday 20^th July

Rotary Park Concord

Mittagong caravan Park

Hume Hwy

Departure:

9.30am

Distance:

120 km

Total Distance : 11,178 km

Day Notes:

Other motor cyclists will be meeting with us to ride up to Sydney so we should assemble outside the Mittagong Caravan Park at 9 am for the finish of the 50^th anniversary ride of John (Sassy) Sinclair and Graham Felton at the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway at Rotary Park, Concord.

The ride is also in memory of those who ‘cannot remember to remember’.  But we remind you to please remember that donations to the Ageing and Alzheimers Research Foundation (AARF) will be gratefully acknowledged. We will be welcomed at noon at Concord by representatives of the AARF. Dennis Quinlan’s jazz ensemble will entertain us during refreshments.

Back home after 11,178 km  and a great trip