Hello
Jun
11

Well here we are for another night in Port Augusta. The part has left Sydney but didn't make it to here. Where is a good transport company when you need one? So another night at Ian's Western Hotel. Not all bad news as we work our way through the dinner menu. Haven't had a dud yet.
Not to be beaten. I got my hair done today and let's just say I'm glad I didn't say I wanted it really short! A bit of a surprise when the glasses went back on but I certainly won't have to worry about hair in my eyes inside the visor. Norm decided to get his hair done also so he wouldn't have to worry about hair in his eyes either. That also will not be an issue.....for a considerable time!



Old Mill (now Motel) in Quorn.

And since the status of tourist had been enforced we decided to do a quick trip out to Quorn this afternoon. A really picturesque ride out through rocky red rugged valleys dusted with silver grey salt bush and beautiful white gums along the creek beds. Just beyond the valleys the land becomes more gently undulating farmland for a bit before it gets seriously into the Flinders Ranges proper.



Streetscape in Quorn

The town is really picturesque and the historic buildings beautifully preserved. Much of the town and surrounding area were used in the making of the movies 'Robbery Under Arms' and 'The Shiralee'.

Not much else to report other than to say we called in to see the patient and the doctor in charge is confident that there are no issues so once the part is fitted tomorrow we should be on our way. Let's hope so.

Talk to you tomorrow.



Norm heading back to Port Augusta under a bridge for the historic (and still functioning) Pitchi Richi Railway from Port Augusta to Quorn.

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Jun
10

Well still we wait!

Fully charged battery still no go. Electronic tech from Adelaide suggested it could be an issue with the computer worth $1,100 ouch and suggested a couple of tests to see if that was it. Should be repairable, the plan being that if so Norm would ride to Adelaide with the bit to be repaired then ride back. Did the tests and thankfully it wasn't the computer, phew! Turns out they have found a short in the pickup coil (whatever that is) I just know it means there's no spark getting to where it needs to go. So now the part is ordered from Sydney and is supposed to be here in the morning. ...all going well or if not, Friday morning. Looks like we really are tourists for a bit. Might even get the hair done so it's out of my eyes. That would be good.

Had some lunch at the Outback Visitor Centre then headed back to the hotel. Norm has a pretty sore throat so a quiet afternoon won't do him any harm.

Have attached a couple of pics from around a very cloudy Port Augusta. Much more comfortable today a balmy 15 degrees! Now that any of you in the eastern states are freezing your little butt's off perhaps you can now appreciate we haven't been kidding the last few days when we were saying how icy it's been.

Talk to you tomorrow.

]

A view across the inlet from east to west across the old wharf with the rail lines still in place though not in use obviously.



The old Court House.



More cloud reflections in the water heading back across the road bridge from east to west.

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Jun
09

More strife to start the day. My bike wouldn't start again. Norm headed to the Yamaha shop for a battery (none in stock) so they got onto the local battery supplier who had one thankfully. In the meantime Norm disconnected the headlight to see if there would be enough oomph to fire but no go. Oh well, worth a shot. Fingers crossed it is just a battery issue and not a starter or something else. Ah machinery, wonderful when working! Talk about a captive market, a car battery retails at $80 where this little number set us back $150!

So change of plan, instead of breakfast at Wilmington we had to settle for egg and bacon sandwiches at the Mobil road house on the west side of Port Augusta while we waited on the battery. The breakfast and the premises were beautifully presented and seemed 5star after a lot we've eaten at over the last few weeks.

The first photo today is a PS from yesterday and is the kids tucked up for the night with the hotels extra grog supply. Bit of a concern leaving them there but did so with the lecture that we ride 00 so we don't need to call 000 and hoped they would just appreciate being in out of the weather and be responsible. Perhaps it wasn't the battery!



Last night’s resting place for the bikes

Actually it was good to see Port Augusta looking in such good shape. There had been considerable effort made by many owners of really historic old buildings (including the pub we stayed in) to have them painted up and presented well. This was an improvement on a few years ago when Norm and I brought a load over here for one of our customers then waited for the return after the shut at the power station which was where the gear we transported was being used. The town was looking pretty tired at that time. On that weekend we actually put our spare time in by exploring more of the local area which was good.

Talking on improvements in appearance yesterday’s entrance from the north of the town was spectacular compared to 72. At that time the approach was truly ugly! There was a jumble of shacks and derelict yards and buildings and the sudden appearance of power lines and mammoth TV ariels was an assault on the senses after the remoteness and peace of the interior. Obviously been a concentrated clean-up effort and a credit to them. Now we just progressed from grassy plains beside a tidy north marching power line and just entered the town in a tidy suburb. Very nice.



A sorry sight my bike in bits at the Mobil as the black clouds approach. (That's weather type clouds I'm referring to).

Well the bike drama continued to unfold. After starting albeit using Norm's spark plugs, after fuelling up it refused to do so again. Turning over well but absolutely no spark. Norm checked all the fuses and connections and tried with and without choke. Continued to turn over but WILL NOT fire up.
Got back onto the bike shop who sent a tech up but he just confirmed what we already know, it' not going anywhere soon. At this point we would be concerned if it did go because while we don't know why it won't go, if it decided to it could just as easily let us down at a later place and time. So we waited for what seemed like forever for the bike shop people to get back with a trailer to pick it up. Told them we were RACV Total Care which arrange for collection but were told there is no-one here who does that. Norm also called the Yamaha Shop in Darwin where we had them serviced to see if they had any suggestions. To quote them 'it could be anything but just make sure they check all the connections and the coil. They're usually just so reliable and fire straight up' which has also been our experience until now.

When the trailer arrived Norm having a functioning bike was the accompanying family member to go and hear the status and prognosis of the patient while I got us settled back into the same room at the pub we had last night. So now I have an anxious wait hoping Norm can arrange whatever specialist assistance my little girl needs to return to perfect health.



The patient (my bike) on the ambulance (trailer) heading for the hospital (bike shop).

Another unsettling element was how reluctant Norm's bike was to fire up before he left. When we transferred the fuel from the jerry can to my bike yesterday it was an awful watery colour and we wondered if we'd been sold opal / opel fuel (don't know how you spell that) at Coober Pedy. This is the only fuel allowed to be sold to the indigenous population as it doesn't have the additives which maker sniffing it dangerous. We'd had this explained to us at Curtin Springs when we asked why their pumps were all padlocked. We had apparently pulled up at the opal / opel pump and were told we wouldn't want that in our bikes. The fuel we got this morning in Port Augusta looked equally pale. Who knows if it's crook or just what they can get!

Talk to you tomorrow, hopefully with good news re the bike.

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Jun
08

Well have you been looking at the news tonight? The weather report confirms our firsthand experience of the front coming through from the south west. It's freezing!

That said the day started cold. All the layers on apart from waterproof jackets and hand grip warmers on high. We were comfortable enough and were soon able to alternate from high to low and back again on the warmers. They need a middle setting because high was too high but low was too low. Proof again that the day was a smidgen less cold than yesterday. We ran into a shower Just north of Glendambo which as Murphy would dictate was just before we had to transfer the fuel from the jerry can into my bike. It has been running slightly richer since it was serviced in Darwin and I've had to go onto reserve a couple of times when my tank hadn't been topped right up where prior to arriving in Darwin we would literally have to reach for the reserve tap at the same time. Anyway we had been travelling a good 10 to 15 kilometres slower from Coober Pedy till then and cut back another 10 kilometres till Glendambo since Norm went onto reserve 10 kilometres after me. One really good outcome of the rain was that the temperature became less cold and in spite of dire predictions from north bound travellers of how much rain they had driven through right back from Port Augusta, and we saw a lot of the proof of that with wet roads, we only got a slight sprinkle a couple of times between there and Port Augusta and enjoyed some sun on our shoulders late in the afternoon.

Oh forgot to mention we had a bit of strife this morning. There we were conscious it was a long weekend and not wanting to disturb other residents at the Opal Inn with the bikes firing up and instead our day started out with both bikes refusing to start! Norm eventually got his to fire up but mine had to be pushed to start down the only hill in the main street. To quote Norm to me stating the obvious somewhat 'push it like starting the bike depends on it'. We provided a good bit of entertainment for some of the local indigenous people sitting around the roundabout at the top of the hill both the hoppity kick run with my pushing effort and the Michelin girl appearance complete with open helmet as I pushed and the gasping for breath as I walked back up the hill. Anyway the thing went. Started okay for the rest of the day at all stops including the refuelling in the rain EXCEPT after lunch when it would have been coldest at Pimba and then it was the old push routine again. Thank God it fired more quickly then because it was VERY flat.

My reference to 'Michelin girl' is a generous description of me decked out with long johns, draggin jeans and waterproof pants on the lower half with a sleeveless T, a long sleeved T, a polar fleece jacket and my Dri-rider jacket which has the outer jacket plus a waterproof lining and a quilted padded lining on the top half! Thank God it hadn't been raining when the bike didn't start this morning because when I also have to don the hip length waterproof jacket (for extra warmth and waterproofing) I go to 'Blimp girl' and then I can barely lift up my hands to undo my helmet. A very unflattering look. Normie is an equally attractive version. It' an interesting exercise if we want to give each other a hug. Likely looking to source a new battery in the morning since it's a public holiday today and the bike shop is shut. Damn, have to have a sleep in but I guess I'll cope.



Some driftwood desert style. The pic doesn't do it justice. Looks magnificent. The grain has opened up and has red stripes from the constant sand blasting of the sand.

The countryside has been less diverse than we have had. I was amazed that we had continuing gibber desert and mine workings for over 50 kilometres south of Coober Pedy. The amazement being at the extent of the mine works rather than the gibber. We continued to come across stretches of gibber from there until almost into Port Augusta. Was it not for the thin veil of silver grey of vegetation across the gibber we could be forgiven for thinking we were viewing great stretches of moonscape! In between we had stretches of sandy soil with grass and shrub and tree growth and more densely treed patches as well. Hard to imagine that people are making a living with cattle stations in these areas as the signs as we crossed another cattle grid would attest to with the name of the station we would be entering. Trust they are doing well, the lifestyle may have it's appeal but I bet their work is taxing.

A magnificent view was as we were only 10 to 15 kilometres from Port Augusta. We were travelling in under heavy cloud but looking to our left at the western slopes of the Flinders Ranges were in contrast brilliantly lit with sunlight. A spectacular sight!



A disappointing view of Lake Hart.

My blackberry is misbehaving and will no longer zoom as I take a photo. Don't know if it is locked or gotten a bit wet but will no longer function as it should and the end result is the same. Limits the options for pics which was a shame today. We'd stopped at Lake Hart to take a pic but was a bit ordinary from where we were as you can see above. Also working on the odd callous or two on the palms from hanging on so hard to the hand grips in the wind the last few days. The things we do!

Talk to you tomorrow.



The Western Hotel in Port Augusta a lovely old building and only $55 for the night.

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Jun
07

Yesterdays PS:
Norm had great fun on his climb yesterday. A couple of examples of that would be comments to a number of climbers heading down near the top of the climb of 'sorry I can't stop and talk I want to beat my walk time from this morning' to which he had a huge variety of responses from suitable laughter to incredulous responses. There are a lot of gullible people about let me tell you. ...or perhaps it's oxygen deprivation. Then to finish as he stepped down off the rock from his climb he realised he'd stepped into a camera shot a tourist had set up. He said 'now that photo will be worth a lot of money'. When asked he responded 'you caught a real live fossil coming out of the rock!'

Today:
We started out a little later but the temperature from start to finish was uncomfortably cold. I'd already donned the long johns under the draggin jeans and waterproofs and the legs were more or less comfortable but the rest of me was freezing. The heated hand grip warmers were on high and not feeling like it. You've no doubt heard the saying that the lights are on but nobody was home, well today the sun was out but someone definitely forgot to pay the heating bill!



Road trains at Cadney Park Homestead (think that's what it's called and the map is under the cover outside and not looking now) a really nice WARM and welcoming place.

About 90 kms north of Marla despite many valiant position changes and stretching exercises my right hip started to threaten that it would likely go 'twang' and end up in a very painful position not consistent with being seated on a motorbike. At the same time I started catching Norm quickly and realised he had his left hand indicator on and we thankfully turned into a pretty rudimentary wayside stop. We got off the bikes, had a drink and a creaky walk, and complained about the cold. I climbed a hill of gravel to get a bit of perspective to take a couple of pics then we both walked down the other side out of the wind and lay down on the stones which were warmer than us and told each other we were soaking up the sun. I don't know if it was warmer than we had been or just less cold or if that's even a difference. We stayed for a bit then decided we'd better suck it up and get on with it. Norm actually folded up one of his T shirts to stuff down the front of my jacket to hopefully warm me up a bit more. He is my hero! When we fuelled up and got a hot coffee at the Marla Road House which gave the appearance of being caravan central, I also had a hunt in their store and found a polar fleece top which I bought and have been wearing since. It may well have to be surgically removed when I get home! Suffice to say the rest of the trip has been much more comfortable though the hand grip warmers stayed on high for the rest of the day so seriously nastily icy. As we got closer to Coober Pedy the cloud cover increased and the temperature wasn't so low but still needed the high setting for the hand grip heaters.

Having travelled a bit though remote Australia over the years I'm always amazed by people saying all the scenery is the same and despite the cold today I still enjoyed the ever changing countryside and vegetation and the myriad of combinations which were possible. The rolling desert like plains vary from light creamy pink to rich ochre red sandy soil occasionally becoming more gravely and stony. The plains change now and again to gently rolling hills with jumbles of rocky out crops and more substantial ranges. The vegetation cover can vary from none at all to a gossamer thin veil of grasses and low growing salt bush and scrubby bushes. Tree cover varies from none at all to a sporadic scattered number to dense collections usually around watercourses. These ones are usually also the largest which is hardly surprising. I'd just get used to what seemed like a new mix of the above and think okay this must be what it is now and the next couple of kilometres would see another change. So, ever changing and always beautiful in spite of the cold.



About as close to nothing in any direction for as far as you can see approximately 50 kms north of Coober Pedy.

Around 50 kms north of Coober Pedy we came into the gibber (stony) desert lands. Very little vegetation and what is there is low growing. When we got to around 35 kms out I realised that the last two times I'd been through Coober Pedy which was on our way to and from the National Road Transport Hall of Fame Reunion in Alice Springs 4 or 5 years ago was in the night time because I was gob smacked by the lumps, bumps, hills and mountains of mine tailings from all the opal mining in the area. What a mess!

The town has certainly grown since our visit in 72. Then the road was unsealed even through the main street and we booked a room in the ONLY motel in the town which was new. The rooms were okay but not a window in the whole room to combat the incessant red dust. The only hotel had recently burnt down amid a scandal of opal theft and a big argument between the hotel owner and another local. Such intrigue! There wasn't any restaurant at the motel but we got directions to the fish'n'chip shop around the corner. We stood for a bit looking at the building wondering how we could get in when the aluminium window to our side slid open and we were asked for our order which we gave. Next thing the window slid shut and a car drove past and then as we coughed and choked in the dust we understood the reasoning.

Well things today are nowhere as rudimentary with a lot of accommodation options and supermarkets and restaurants and oodles of opal sale points, just about every second shop, as well as all sorts of tour options. The road is sealed right through and even some curb and channelling and footpaths amongst the red dirt. The underground Catholic Church instead of being on the outskirts of town is now in about the middle and has been extended somewhat. Very quirky place.



Nola outside the underground Catholic Church at Coober Pedy in the faithful polar fleece. (That's literally underground not a fanatical fringe element) I have a photo of me and Danny and Michael in 72 and there wasn't a tree in sight then to throw shade anywhere!

We've fuelled up and filled the jerry can as the next fuel stop is 270 kms away and with the head and cross winds we've had today we want to have our bases covered. Have only seen a small number of road trains again but have continued to see the never ending march of caravans and the like towards the sun. Interestingly NO large road kill today and only a couple of small wallabies and a small handful of eagles. All of this is a direct opposite to our trip to the Hall of Fame when we were blown away at both. Hardly surprising really, quite a smorgasbord for the eagles and no doubt accounting for the progressive increase in numbers at that time. Wonder how they're managing now with the change of so much freight to the rail.

Talk to you tomorrow.

PS: The feedback seems to be that yesterday’s iconic shot of Ayers Rock is the crowd favourite (ours also) and unlikely to be outdone I suspect.

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Jun
06

Yesterday's PS:
Turns out it's just as well we decided not to stay in Alice Springs yesterday. Being the long weekend they have a Finke Rally race (or something like that) a 400 kms race out through the desert in all manner of vehicle and then come back the next day so accommodation reportedly booked out.

Today:
Probably no surprise to anyone but we had another early start and headed west. Man was it COLD! Had the hand grip warmers on high until we got to The Rock / Ayers Rock / Uluru and the waterproof pants barely stayed on top of the chill factor. Thankfully we had the sun on our backs the whole way and gradually warmed up. Having said that I've worn my polar fleece neck warmer and waterproof pants all day and slowly warmed up and was comfortable by the time we got back then had the hottest shower I have EVER had and it was heavenly!!!

Our first stop this morning was at Mt Ebenezer where we had a toasted egg and bacon sandwich and juice. Yummy. A while after we headed off we became aware of a great huge something to the south which is just God teasing tourists. As you get closer the realisation is that the shape is all wrong to be THE rock. It is in fact Mt Connor. Needless to say since we have a grandson of that name we took a snap as we also did of Connor's Well yesterday.

Next stop Curtin Springs Station and we were greeted at the fuel pumps by the local resident emu. I would have liked to get a pic as he followed Norm to the pump but I wasn't quick enough to get the blackberry out and I have to confess I was a bit reluctant to have skin and especially eyes which were at his beak level exposed. He un-hurriedly checked out Norm and the bike then wandered off about his business without a backwards glance. Curtin Springs was where we stayed in 72 on our way back from the Rock and not a whole lot has changed let me tell you. The shop / bar building is basically the same and the outside dining area / beer garden under the grassy roof held up by poles is still there though probably renewed over time. The corrugated iron room we stayed in now looks to be staff quarters and has outer stone walls and the concrete block the corrugated iron outside loo and bathroom stood on is now partially covered by a laundry.

When we booked in back in 72 it was dark and well after 9.30pm. As they gave us the tour to our room they showed us where a candle and matches were and said that lights out was at 10pm. We brought our bags, the primus and food and the two boys in and were both tired and a bit grumpy thinking we'll turn our lights off when we we're good and ready but seconds later we realised there was a slight hesitation in a background noise we hadn't been previously aware of and realised that it coincided with a marginal dimming of the lights. Reality set in as we scrambled for the candle and matches before the generator turned right off and we had no lights. We thankfully got the candle lit before we were in complete darkness and then lit the primus and had our dinner by candlelight. Didn't really strike us as all that romantic at the time though we did have a good laugh as we later made our way to the outside loo in a strong wind with a candle which wanted to blow out!



Curtin Springs Station.

One of the pics today is of the shop side of Curtin Springs which just shows that while things may change they also stay the same. You can see the brush / grass roof to the left of the pic beyond the phone boxes which also weren't there. Another pic today is of the back of the staff polo tops there. Typical of a lot of the Territory humour which needless to say we enjoy and Norm especially hooks right into. Also took a pic of the front which refers to the staff being ugly but providing top hospitality and service. I asked if there was a choice about wearing it. He said no!.

We drove past the entrance to the Yulara Resort (no interest in that until we needed fuel in the afternoon) and just watched in awe as the Rock grew larger and larger. I really had forgotten just how awesomely magnificent the presence of it is. If you haven't seen it you MUST. We got the pick of the pics today from the car sunset viewing area compliments of a young couple.



The two oldies with bike in front of THE Rock!This is now the screensaver on my office PC as wellas part of the header for this blog.

Needless to say we returned the favour of taking a snap of them with their two littlies. We checked out the Cultural Centre which defiantly wasn't there in 72 (or the sealed roads so we were glad of that change) and headed to the Climb site which was open. Yes, Norm had decided to do the climb since he missed out last time. That time it was late in the afternoon and we didn't know how long it would take and I also wanted to check out the Olgas / Kata Tjuta so we had headed for them. As it turned out we didn't make it to them as it was getting dark so we turned round and headed back to Curtin Springs where we'd decided to stay.

I'd decided through the night last night that the climb might be a bit too arduous for my knee when its already working hard with all the riding so I took a pic of Normie at the climb site, kissed him goodbye and headed for the Olgas. The ride out was a lovely one and they were worth the ride. The extra riding took my daily total to 630 kms and I have no desire to beat it.

We arrived back tired but satisfied with the day’s exploits and ready for another great dinner and some planning for tomorrow. Had our dinner talking to a couple from Newborough. Small world.
Last time we took the Mulga Park Road just east of Curtin Springs which heads south for a good distance then heads back to the Stuart Highway. Staff at Curtain Springs had told us it was a similar distance and as long as we didn't mind opening and closing gates instead of crossing cattle grids it would be fine. We have a photo of the sign on one gate clearly expressing frustration of the property owner it said 'SHUT THE BLOODY GATE'. Didn't see any of them today.

Talk to you tomorrow.



Curtin Springs Station Staff shirt.

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Jun
05

Yesterdays PS:
When we called in to 3ways for lunch yesterday we spotted a couple of BMW bikes and big square panniers complete with tousle headed riders and helmet cams covered in red dust and straight away thought. 'Could this in fact be Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman of a long way round and a long way down fame?' Well as it turns out no it wasn't, just a couple of adventurers from Melbourne on a 12 week adventure up the east coast, across the gulf and now heading to Darwin and having a ball and uncertain if they should be taking home filmed evidence of their disasters and mishaps for their wives to see! We so regret we didn't take a pic and send it to everyone and say 'you'll never believe who we saw at 3ways today!' Anyway we all had an enjoyable chat comparing notes of our travels.

Today:
The day has been cloudy from start to finish with the main variation being the density of cloud from heavy and threatening to light and white with patches of blue....mainly in the distance. We have had an occasional welcome splash of sunshine which has made for greater comfort albeit briefly. Needless to say we were layered up well and even donned the waterproof pants to guard against the chill factor and left them on till a late lunch in Alice Springs.

Have enjoyed the view as we’ve ridden to the Alice through many red craggy bluffs and little mountains and canyons surrounded by grassy plains occasionally scrubby but increasingly well grassed. The mountain side of things has diminished somewhat south of Alice Springs being more distant but spectacularly blue with the humidity in the area. Particularly love the large white trunk gums which remind me of the area especially around any watercourses.

The road has been in good condition overall. The surface pretty smooth for the most part and good grade and camber. Quite an eye opener to see some of the old creek crossings in the distance considering they were in fact sealed when we travelled in 72, they really were pretty rudimentary. There has also been an almost total absence of road trains south of 3ways other than livestock and fuel. Their absence is made up by heaps of car and caravan combinations and a few cars and campers and a handful of 5th wheelers and assorted campers and Winnebago type arrangements. Clearly we are 2 of the very few people heading south!

As they say there is a fine line between pleasure and pain and I've found also between enjoyment and endurance. The cold today has made hard work of it for me. I was grateful of the heated hand grip warmers. Once we left Alice Springs we left the waterproof pants off as the temperature was comfortable (don't know what it was but 23 was forecast). As we headed south of Stuarts Well we could see a magnificent rain storm off to the east complete with some lightening as well as the continuing showers to the west as we had tracked for most of the afternoon. We (thankfully) were heading for blue sky but got some unwelcome rain on the way. We stopped and compared notes once re do we don the waterproofs or not and decided no. Thankfully we only got a couple of lightish showers with our gear drying pretty much straight away and thankfully rode into the sun. YES! God it felt good but I still haven't warmed up and have my long sleeve T on as well as my cotton jacket and have left my draggin jeans and bike boots on for warmth rather than getting into shorts and T shirt like all the holiday makers. Norm on the other hand is in a T shirt. I read somewhere years ago that women can withstand hunger better than men but men can withstand cold better. My personal research (between the two of us) supports the theory.



Alice Springs Council offices.

We called in to take a picture of the old Overland Telegraph Station at Barrow Creek this morning and then headed for the Road house / Hotel / Caravan Park which was an experience to say the least! The only reason we could tell which part of the derelict yard was the caravan park was because there was a camper parked there. The building looked like an abandoned old dump and the apron around the pumps was a combination of sand, pot holes and crumbling concrete and rocky lumps. There were a couple of locals wandering about and the accumulation of 'stuff' about was awesome to behold, but Norm really wanted to visit the little boys room if there was one so he went to investigate. I sat on my bike enjoying the heat of my exhaust pipe until he summoned me in. He'd found a hot coffee and once I moved I decided I should seek out the little girls room as well. It was quite a contract to get in.

After getting a key which finally worked I had a choice of 1 functioning loo of 4 but it did work. The coffee was hot and we warmed our fingers as we wandered around the pub which was full of notes of varying currency and countries of origin with greetings on all of them pasted to the wall as well as all manner of clothing autographed and left hanging. The publican complained that the fire brigade would 'likely be through again to say they're a fire hazard and they'll all have to come down again'. There were also inscriptions and names and verses on just about every visible surface including the pressed tin ceiling in the bar (must have been late night additions those ones). The classic (one of tonight's pics) was a T shirt with the quote 'Its tourist season why can't I shoot one?' Appealed to me! See below.



The Barrow Creek T shirt.

Another quirky visit was our lunch spot in Alice Springs. We parked the bikes in front of the Council Offices (another pic) and headed across the road to Bojangles Saloon. The decor was great. Lots of corrugated iron, cow hide seats with the hair still on and timber slab tables. They were playing great music from the 60's to the 90s and the staff were a crack up with great senses of humour and the more we looked around the more quirky bits we found. There were heaps of boots of varying sizes, styles and colours stuck to the ceiling by their soles but the loos topped the lot. The main entrance doors had a pull handle on the hinge side for a door which had to be pushed open. The toilet seats were the clear resin type and we're full of barbed wire in the ladies and razor blades in the men's. The taps turned on water in an adjoining basin rather than the one it should have and the hand dryer switch turned on the neighbouring dryer rather than the one with the switch. Should make for some funny sights late at night! Definitely worth a look if you are passing through.

We are staying at the Erldunda Roadhouse tonight south of Alice Springs which is a thriving concern and a relief after some of the places we have encountered today. Not sure if we are continuing south tomorrow or heading for the rock. Will depend a bit on the weather.

Talk to you tomorrow.



A fair dinkum NT road train. I had planned to take it more from front on so the perspective and size would be more impressive but as I headed out the driver finished his check, jumped in and started to drive off so this is it!

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Jun
05

A day or so before we left on our trip our brother in law was checking out our luggage lined up on the billiard table at home (our 2 x panniers each and the big bags for the pillion seats) and thinking he was making a joke said 'so where is your accommodation and catering supplies if you get into difficulties?' to which we pointed to my big bag and told him what was in it. I'm ashamed to say I did enjoy his shocked expression.

So, my Emergency (can the marriage survive opening it) bag, and the answer is 'probably not'.

Nola's Emergency bag contents:
1 x box matches.
1 x pack of fire lighters.
1 x 2 man tent.
2 x sleeping bags.
Assorted snacks - seeds, nuts and dried fruit.
4 x dehydrated meals (just add boiling water) and yes they do work because we did a trial before we left and then made the decision that mexican rice would not be accompanying us on our trip!
2 x LED miners lights with head bands.
1 x stainless steel cooking set comprising 1 x 1 litre saucepan 1 x 1.5 litre saucepan 1 x fry pan 2 x plastic mugs 2 x spoons.
2 x tubes coffee and condensed milk.
4 x serves muesli.
2 x large bottles of water.
1 x first aid kit.
1 x stove (burner and fuel canister).
Bike service manuals.
So as you can guess the use of just about any of this would pretty much say
things have turned to the smelly stuff!
I also carry my waterproof and padded jacket liners in the side pockets as well as my long sleeve T shirt when shedding the layers.
My bike glove box contents:
My waterproof pants.
The Yamaha tool kit.
1 x chamois.
(My spare key is on an inside pocket of my jacket).
Talk to you again tomorrow.



Nola at the Devils Marbles. Note the big Emergency bag in the middle at the back. (I had another pic but Normie reckoned this gave a more accurate perspective of size. ...I think he just like the picture!

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Jun
04

We headed off early again this morning as we had a fair trek in front of us and wanted to beat the heat of the day. The temperature when we started reminded us we're in the interior and it is basically a desert complete with very low overnight temperatures! We stopped soon after starting and added another layer to the clothing.

A fair bit of road kill evident early this morning. Many eagles large and small about. Norm came close to having an unwelcome encounter with one. There was a group off the side of the road beyond the fog line and as we approached several took to flight. Norm could see there was still a big one there standing his big fluffy leg ground and not planning on going anywhere soon so he had slowed and moved towards the middle white line. The eagle ultimately had second thoughts and started to take off in a very ungainly fashion gaining very little altitude (must have had a generous breakfast of road kill) and staggering out towards Norm who headed for the thankfully empty oncoming lane. The eagle finally got himself under control and started to wheel himself away from the road as Norm got there. What Norm saw with relief was the wings start to open up and move off to the side, his eyes were level with the eagles as he came alongside. Phew. The great view I got was the magnificent sight of the cream, tan and black plumage of the underbelly and underside of the wings and tail as it continued in an arc to climb away. The wings weren't even fully extended as it rose over Normie but had easily extended to 7 feet because it was more than twice the width of Norm sitting on his bike and the width of the handlebars. On reflection I'm also pretty relieved it didn't need to wheel back to gain height before I passed.



Nola south of Renner Springs heading south with a 'YES I'm enjoying this' salute.

Got some good pics south of Renner Springs today. On our way north we approached our first advisory speed sign after 3ways on a right hand corner with a tipping truck sign because the camber was a bit dodgy and as we rounded the corner were greeted by a WOW view of straight road disappearing into the distance and a rugged rocky out crop / butte on our right. Reminded us both of the old cowboy and indian movies we watched as kids which were filmed in the Sierra Nevada desert around the Sedona area which we saw on our 98 trip to the USA. Great memories everywhere!

We've had strong and punishing winds for long stretches throughout the day and as my neck has been screaming its of some consolation that I can also see the trees on the side of the road getting a beating so its not just me. One concern with this situation is the fact that the prospect of the helmet and occie strap to the handlebars innovation is starting to appear as if it may have some merit, even so I still won't be a test pilot.

Heading south towards 3ways today I saw the sign to the Barkly Stock Route and was reminded that on our way north we saw a cattle truck turn off onto it which is an un sealed road and the progress could be seen over the tree tops. It looked awesome and it reminded us both of the huge numbers of trucks and coaches we met on our original trip out to Mt Isa from the coast but especially from Alice Springs south on our way home in our car after leaving the van in Darwin on consignment to be sold. In those days we were guaranteed a better price selling the van there rather than dragging it home. To quote the people we bought it from when we rang them before heading off to Darwin 'It'll be worth around $600 more to you to sell it up there because it costs them a heap to ship them up there and no one will ever get the red dust out of it down here so it. Will be worth that much less if you bring it back'. He was right as it turned out. We shipped home everything we didn't need from Mt Isa before we headed for Darwin. Anyway from Darwin down we carried our gas primus burner and canned food and that was what we ate on the way most of the way. So to the dust. Whenever we saw great clouds of red dust approaching we would either pack up quick and get on the road to beat the road trains or coaches, or if we didn't have time we'd sit and wave if it was a coach or if it was a road train jump into the car before we choked.

We regretted not getting a photo of the rolling plumes of dust on the way up. The things we take for granted!



The devil and his marbles (sorry freudian slip there) Norm on top of some of the Devils Marbles. Kids in front.

We enjoyed revisiting the Devils Marbles which are magnificent. The highway no longer winds through them which is probably just as well but they are only a short distance off it.

For those who don't know Wycliffe Wells is apparently the UFO capital of Australia and who am I to disagree?

That's it for today other than to note there is no phone service so this will be sent when I get some tomorrow.

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Jun
03

Whenever we travel around either here or overseas we make it a habit to never try to see everything there is to see. Firstly because that is impossible but also to try means you can risk being saturated with 'lots' of experiences rather than having a chance to' savour' them as you go. We always leave some for the next time should we ever get the opportunity to return. This trip is no different however one experience we planned but which we missed out on was a flight over the wetlands of Kakadu. Having planned to see the majority of the waterfalls at Litchfield National Park which we achieved we figured the wetland flight over Kakadu would give us a taste of the wetlands and their vastness. But, there's always a but. Unless we wanted to charter a plane for 9 which surprisingly hadn't figured in our thinking or budget, it wasn't going to be a happening thing from Darwin. All other flights leave from and return to Kakadu. So, that one is on the next time list for now.

We travelled well today. Left 7.15 to beat the majority of the heat (which we did) and arrived at 2.45 having travelled 600 kms. The butts held up surprisingly well considering it’s been a few days since we have done much riding at all. The bit of anatomy which was the most reluctant were our necks. Apparently they had enjoyed the break from having to hold our heads and helmets on so they don't flip off and bounce down the highway behind us, mind you we did have a pretty stiff head wind most of the day as our fuel usage reflected. Anyway, about 2/3 of the way here they were very owie but we both did some stretching and flexing and they got over it. Norm has many theories about some sort of device to attach to the helmets and handlebars connected by an occie strap or zip tie to alleviate the problem and if that little number makes it from the grey matter to the production stage you can be sure I will NOT be the test pilot.

It was good to be on the road again and viewing the scenery from the opposite direction and opposite lighting. Remarkable how different things can look. We had an interesting experience with a great brahman bull this morning. We saw him from a good distance as he wandered down from the grass verge onto the other side of the road and crossed to the middle and just stood and looked at us and a car behind us approach. We slowed and slowed and slowed and he stayed and stayed and stayed. The only perceptible difference in stature was his head seemingly being raised. Dilemma. Really don't want to assume he will remain statuesque as we ride slowly by, but also don't want to be travelling slow enough to be chased if he decides we've invaded his territory. Thankfully he helped out by deciding he'd just finish crossing the road and Norm drove by and once he heard Norm's bike he started behaving in a decidedly skittish manner with head and tail in the air and making good speed away from the road. Worked for me, he was off on the grass verge and heading for the scrub as I rode by.



The Larrimah servo. Definitely no fuel there!

We checked out the burnt out Larrimah servo I told you about on the way up.A sorry sight but provided some shade to stop for a drink of water and a bit of a break. We decided against revisiting the old Daly Waters Pub, figured the inn on the highway would likely be quieter but of course that remains to be seen or to be strictly correct to be heard or not.

That's it for today.



The kids tucked up in bed in front of our room at Daly Waters.

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