Sunday 8 November.
After nearly 20 days riding my bike south to Victoria then Tasmania and all the way back to NSW in near perfect weather I woke up this morning for my last hour of riding to my place and my kids in the Central Coast with clouds looming and the skies about to open up....and ofcourse it did!
I could not believe it! Although lightly, it rain all the way from Sydney to Gosford....at least I can say the gear stood up to the test! Specially the "Rainoff" over gloves.
All in all, I could not have asked for a better trip though. I got to do my first ever motorcycle trip in arguably Australia's best twisting roads.
The bike? it did not miss a beat and apart from the little petrol incident (Not the bikes fault ofcourse!) all I had to do was turn the key each morning and it would be ready to go with me on my little adventure.
I am extremely lucky I can do something like this and I hope that I can continue to do it for a long time yet and into much more faraway places. It is such a beautiful thing to get up each morning, jump on a motorcycle and ride somewhere, anywhere!
I've travelled around Australia by car and campervans and although travelling is always enjoyable, when you travel by car, you're just another tourist and locals just want your money.
It didn't matter how big or small the town was where I stopped in for petrol, lunch or for the night. Every time somebody would want to start a conversation....Which way you're heading?.....where're you riding from?.....what kind of bike is that?
In Lois Pryce's book "Lois on the Loose " she quotes someone else saying something along the lines of....."Travelling by car is like watching a movie but, travelling on a motorcycle is like being in a movie"....and I think I could not have come up with that myself....
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Melbourne to Sydney
Saturday 7 November.
After the previous night of a feast of Venezuelan cuisine and the best that South America's greatest wine making countries have to offer at the "El Gran Bar" restaurant, I left Melbourne at around 10.00 am and headed straight up the Hume Hwy again.
Although my original plan was to come back through the Snowy Mountains, Ralph's invitation had put an end to that so I needed to put in a good effort to get home at a descent time on Sunday.
The weather again was perfect..... (Off course? I was riding my bike that day!).....so I made good progress and would have reached Canberra by 6.30 pm. But, being eager to get home now, I said to myself, what if I keep going to Goulbourn rather than taking the exit to Canberra?(Where I was planning to spend the last night)....what the heck? it’s almost an identical distance from here!.....so I kept going knowing that ones in Goulbourn I was only two hours from Sydney, and three and half from the Central Coast.
I could be sleeping in my own bed by 9.30 tonight I said to myself.
Now, I know for a fact, (from previous mishaps) that I can get around 250 Km out of a full tank on this bike. Actually, 247 km to be more precise.... (Shut Up Patch!!!)
My reserve kicked in at about 190 km and the signs said.....Goulbourn 15 km.......Goulbourn 12 km......Next thing, cough, cough!! Noooooooooo!!!!!
I was out of petrol in the middle of the Hume Hwy 10 Km out of Goulbourn at 7.00 pm with only 206 km on my odometer counter....
I can only put it down to the extra weight on the bike???
Anyway after an hour of cursing myself, the road service turned up with 10 ltrs of unleaded for which I had the pleasure of paying $2.00 p/litre.
This meant that I did not reach Sydney until nearly 10.00 pm and by then I was really bugged, so I dropped in my brother's house and spent the night there.
After the previous night of a feast of Venezuelan cuisine and the best that South America's greatest wine making countries have to offer at the "El Gran Bar" restaurant, I left Melbourne at around 10.00 am and headed straight up the Hume Hwy again.
Although my original plan was to come back through the Snowy Mountains, Ralph's invitation had put an end to that so I needed to put in a good effort to get home at a descent time on Sunday.
The weather again was perfect..... (Off course? I was riding my bike that day!).....so I made good progress and would have reached Canberra by 6.30 pm. But, being eager to get home now, I said to myself, what if I keep going to Goulbourn rather than taking the exit to Canberra?(Where I was planning to spend the last night)....what the heck? it’s almost an identical distance from here!.....so I kept going knowing that ones in Goulbourn I was only two hours from Sydney, and three and half from the Central Coast.
I could be sleeping in my own bed by 9.30 tonight I said to myself.
Now, I know for a fact, (from previous mishaps) that I can get around 250 Km out of a full tank on this bike. Actually, 247 km to be more precise.... (Shut Up Patch!!!)
My reserve kicked in at about 190 km and the signs said.....Goulbourn 15 km.......Goulbourn 12 km......Next thing, cough, cough!! Noooooooooo!!!!!
I was out of petrol in the middle of the Hume Hwy 10 Km out of Goulbourn at 7.00 pm with only 206 km on my odometer counter....
I can only put it down to the extra weight on the bike???
Anyway after an hour of cursing myself, the road service turned up with 10 ltrs of unleaded for which I had the pleasure of paying $2.00 p/litre.
This meant that I did not reach Sydney until nearly 10.00 pm and by then I was really bugged, so I dropped in my brother's house and spent the night there.
Back in Melbourne
Thursday 5 November.
I boarded the ferry this morning for the crossing back to Melbourne at around 8.30 am. And in contrast with my crossing into Devonport ten days earlier, where there would have been at least thirty or forty other motorcycles, I was the only one...being a weekday the boat was not as crowded.
The trip itself was a very smooth crossing and I spent the nine hour journey catching up on some reading. I disembarked in Melbourne at around 6.45 pm and made my way to Ralph & Mary Ann who had insisted I come back and stay with them on my way back before continuing the following morning on my way home.
They were organizing an architectural presentation at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and asked me to go straight there from the ferry terminal.
When I got there, Ralph came out to meet me and after asking how my Tasmanian adventure had gone he said, we’ve been invited to a "Venezuelan Night" tomorrow night in town! Why don't you stay an extra night and come with us?
I said, Mmmmm....I really want to be home by Sunday....then Ralph outed the magic words.... there'll be a selection of Argentinean & Chilean wines to try.....
What can I say....? I am human after all....!!!
I boarded the ferry this morning for the crossing back to Melbourne at around 8.30 am. And in contrast with my crossing into Devonport ten days earlier, where there would have been at least thirty or forty other motorcycles, I was the only one...being a weekday the boat was not as crowded.
The trip itself was a very smooth crossing and I spent the nine hour journey catching up on some reading. I disembarked in Melbourne at around 6.45 pm and made my way to Ralph & Mary Ann who had insisted I come back and stay with them on my way back before continuing the following morning on my way home.
They were organizing an architectural presentation at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and asked me to go straight there from the ferry terminal.
When I got there, Ralph came out to meet me and after asking how my Tasmanian adventure had gone he said, we’ve been invited to a "Venezuelan Night" tomorrow night in town! Why don't you stay an extra night and come with us?
I said, Mmmmm....I really want to be home by Sunday....then Ralph outed the magic words.... there'll be a selection of Argentinean & Chilean wines to try.....
What can I say....? I am human after all....!!!
My last day in Tasmania.
Good Bye Tassie....
Leaving Devonport for the crossing back to Melbourne..jpg)
Really bad view of Launceston!!! but it'll have to do as it's the only photo I took there..jpg)
I thought I'll keep going all the way to Perth...Wednesday 4 November.
After my forced lay off yesterday I woke up this morning feeling a hell of a lot better. The weather had done a 180 degree turn too and I was starting to think the motorcycle gods where firmly on my side.
I left Triabunna around 10.00 am and rode north along the east coast towards Swansea. The lost of a day’s riding yesterday meant I was going to have to cut my trip short and will miss out on riding all the way up to St Helens and then northwest towards Derby, Scottsdale and Launceston.
Although the sun was out and the rain was gone, the temperature had dropped considerably and the wind chill was cutting through my gloves and jacket zipper like butter. I had to stop and for the first time during this trip I pulled out my rain gear to help me shield the wind chill factor.
I've got a pair of "Rainoff" over gloves and they worked a treat. I normally wear a pair of thermal gloves under my riding gloves, but these worked better as the thermal ones tend to make my fingers and hands feel a bit stiff and tight inside the leather ones.
From Swansea, I cut across straight to Launceston where I had lunch and then off for my final leg in Tassie towards Devonport and my last night in this beautiful island before boarding the Spirit tomorrow morning.
I arrived in Devonport around 5 pm and stayed at the Argosy Motor Inn in East Devonport where I had a nice buffet dinner and watched a bit of TV until the usual pack of overweight, loud, fifty something Harley Owners Group turned up and took control of the remote control and I decided to call it a night.
These guys were everywhere in Tassie and apparently there was some Harley's meeting on, so some 2000 Harleys had made the crossing that week. And off course they would look at me on my little Japanese bike and give me no respect what so ever.
But, I got comfort in the fact that these wankers had spent $30,000 or $40,000 on a bike to do the same trip I was doing on an $8,000 Jap bike. And they're so tough that they all have to go out in packs as they're too scare of doing it on their own....
After my forced lay off yesterday I woke up this morning feeling a hell of a lot better. The weather had done a 180 degree turn too and I was starting to think the motorcycle gods where firmly on my side.
I left Triabunna around 10.00 am and rode north along the east coast towards Swansea. The lost of a day’s riding yesterday meant I was going to have to cut my trip short and will miss out on riding all the way up to St Helens and then northwest towards Derby, Scottsdale and Launceston.
Although the sun was out and the rain was gone, the temperature had dropped considerably and the wind chill was cutting through my gloves and jacket zipper like butter. I had to stop and for the first time during this trip I pulled out my rain gear to help me shield the wind chill factor.
I've got a pair of "Rainoff" over gloves and they worked a treat. I normally wear a pair of thermal gloves under my riding gloves, but these worked better as the thermal ones tend to make my fingers and hands feel a bit stiff and tight inside the leather ones.
From Swansea, I cut across straight to Launceston where I had lunch and then off for my final leg in Tassie towards Devonport and my last night in this beautiful island before boarding the Spirit tomorrow morning.
I arrived in Devonport around 5 pm and stayed at the Argosy Motor Inn in East Devonport where I had a nice buffet dinner and watched a bit of TV until the usual pack of overweight, loud, fifty something Harley Owners Group turned up and took control of the remote control and I decided to call it a night.
These guys were everywhere in Tassie and apparently there was some Harley's meeting on, so some 2000 Harleys had made the crossing that week. And off course they would look at me on my little Japanese bike and give me no respect what so ever.
But, I got comfort in the fact that these wankers had spent $30,000 or $40,000 on a bike to do the same trip I was doing on an $8,000 Jap bike. And they're so tough that they all have to go out in packs as they're too scare of doing it on their own....
Stuck in Triabunna
I spent the day drinking plenty of water and watching telie...Tuesday 3 November.
I woke up this morning and as I bent down to put my boots on, I nearly hit the deck as the whole room started spinning around....
At first I didn't think much of it but after I got up, it progressively got worst. I think all the walking around Port Arthur the previous day in my heavy motorcycle gear and not enough drinking of water had really caught up with me and I was dehydrated.
Last night when I arrived at the local caravan park and asked for a tent site, I was offered for an extra few bucks to stay in their shared backpacker's cabin, which meant not only not having to pitch the tent but also a bed and a TV in the kitchen area. As it turned out, it was Melbourne Cup Day, and outside the weather was really crap.
Rain & wind where going sideways (first day of rain in this trip) and as I looked out the window feeling really dizzy I said to myself..." Yep, I am really sick today".... and decided to stay put.
Drinking plenty of water I watched Corey Brown riding "Shocking" win the Race that stops the nation.
I woke up this morning and as I bent down to put my boots on, I nearly hit the deck as the whole room started spinning around....
At first I didn't think much of it but after I got up, it progressively got worst. I think all the walking around Port Arthur the previous day in my heavy motorcycle gear and not enough drinking of water had really caught up with me and I was dehydrated.
Last night when I arrived at the local caravan park and asked for a tent site, I was offered for an extra few bucks to stay in their shared backpacker's cabin, which meant not only not having to pitch the tent but also a bed and a TV in the kitchen area. As it turned out, it was Melbourne Cup Day, and outside the weather was really crap.
Rain & wind where going sideways (first day of rain in this trip) and as I looked out the window feeling really dizzy I said to myself..." Yep, I am really sick today".... and decided to stay put.
Drinking plenty of water I watched Corey Brown riding "Shocking" win the Race that stops the nation.
Hobart to Port Arthur.
Back in the early 1900's the house operated as a hotel and when the film crew of the movie "For the Term of his Natural Life" was in town they stayed here.
The Commandant's Residence.
The road leading to the Commandant's house with the military barracks on the right.
Convicts were buried on the lower side of the island on unmarked graves. Everybody else was buried on the high side and their head stones can still be seen.
The Island of the Dead.
The ruins of the Broad Arrow Cafe where the Memorial stands today.
The shell of the Broad Arrow Cafe where twenty people died. It is a very sad place to say the least.
The events of 1996 are still very raw.
The cross bearing the names of the victims of the Port Arthur massacre in 1996.
The year the church was built.
The ruins of the non-concecrated cathedral where catholic & protestant convicts attended services until it was destroyed in the bushfires of 1897.
The cells for convicts in isolation.
The water fountain in the central gardens.
View from the bay.
Leaving Karsten & Annisa's house in Hobart.Sunday 1 November.
Arrived in Port Arthur at around 5 pm and went straight into the visitor's centre to book my walk tour for the next morning. Because the pass is valid for two days I made the most of the time left that afternoon to walk around the site to take some photos.
After that I set up camp at the near ground where I cooked some dinner and spent the rest of the night in the tent trying to make inroads into Lois Pryce's book Lois on the Loose which I brought with me for the trip.
The following morning, Monday, I was up early and ready to take my guided tour walk through this amazing historical site. If you're ever in this part of Tasmania and are a bit of a History buff like me? Port Arthur is definitely for you.
You'll learn a lot about what was it actually like living in a penal colony in the mid 1800's and how it has shaped the country Australia is today. Port Arthur at the time of its establishment was a radical new experiment in criminal's punishment, where the first steps were being taken to change the "lock them up and throw away the key" attitude with one of trying to rehabilitate convicts by way of teaching them a trade so that they might actually be of use to society when their sentences were completed. Something that is at the heart of today's penal system in all western countries. Or at least it is supposed to be....
Arrived in Port Arthur at around 5 pm and went straight into the visitor's centre to book my walk tour for the next morning. Because the pass is valid for two days I made the most of the time left that afternoon to walk around the site to take some photos.
After that I set up camp at the near ground where I cooked some dinner and spent the rest of the night in the tent trying to make inroads into Lois Pryce's book Lois on the Loose which I brought with me for the trip.
The following morning, Monday, I was up early and ready to take my guided tour walk through this amazing historical site. If you're ever in this part of Tasmania and are a bit of a History buff like me? Port Arthur is definitely for you.
You'll learn a lot about what was it actually like living in a penal colony in the mid 1800's and how it has shaped the country Australia is today. Port Arthur at the time of its establishment was a radical new experiment in criminal's punishment, where the first steps were being taken to change the "lock them up and throw away the key" attitude with one of trying to rehabilitate convicts by way of teaching them a trade so that they might actually be of use to society when their sentences were completed. Something that is at the heart of today's penal system in all western countries. Or at least it is supposed to be....
Tarraleah to Hobart
Annisa's fav photo pose...
We rode to Southport to the southernmost point you can get to in Tassie on seal roads.
The famous Salamanca Markets.
Annisa & Karsten. Cool People!
Elizabeth St Pier.
Hobart's Waterfront.Friday 30 October.
Made it to New Norfolk, just outside Hobart, by lunch time with rain drops starting to fall on my visor for the first time since leaving the NSW Central Coast on the 19th October. I called my HU contact as agreed so that we could meet up that afternoon and after spending a few hours updating my blog at the Bridgewater McDonald's I rode to their house in Hobart.
Karsten & Anissa were my host for the following weekend showing me around the place and having cappuccinos in soup bowls. They do! Here in Hobart you can order a bowl sized cappuccino that you have to hold with two hands in order to drink it as there's no handle on it.
Kartsen, a Rock band guitarist & Ale Connoisseur, migrated from Germany about three years ago to take up a position as an Academic in Geochemistry at the University of Tasmania with Anissa, a Chemist, following him three months later and currently working at the Cadbury chocolate manufacturer. And yes, she does love chocolate, and no she did not get me any!!!
They break the mould when it comes to motorcycling as it is Anissa who is the motorcycle rider with Karsten happy to tag along as a pillion. She took me for a ride along the loop road that takes you from the City through Kingston down to Margate and Huonville then south all the way Southport, the southernmost point you can ride on seal roads in Tasmania.
It was a great afternoon of enjoyable riding with easy long sweeping bends that just kept coming one after the next, again and again and again....
Karsten & Anissa were extremely fun people to hang around with and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their hospitality and generosity in having me for the weekend.
The most enjoyable aspect of my stay with them was the long chats after dinner and breakfast over a glass of good Tasmanian wine or coffee we had at their house. As I rode away on Sunday afternoon from their house to make my way towards Port Arthur I left behind two very special new friends that I hope I'll be able to see again in the not too distant future.
Made it to New Norfolk, just outside Hobart, by lunch time with rain drops starting to fall on my visor for the first time since leaving the NSW Central Coast on the 19th October. I called my HU contact as agreed so that we could meet up that afternoon and after spending a few hours updating my blog at the Bridgewater McDonald's I rode to their house in Hobart.
Karsten & Anissa were my host for the following weekend showing me around the place and having cappuccinos in soup bowls. They do! Here in Hobart you can order a bowl sized cappuccino that you have to hold with two hands in order to drink it as there's no handle on it.
Kartsen, a Rock band guitarist & Ale Connoisseur, migrated from Germany about three years ago to take up a position as an Academic in Geochemistry at the University of Tasmania with Anissa, a Chemist, following him three months later and currently working at the Cadbury chocolate manufacturer. And yes, she does love chocolate, and no she did not get me any!!!
They break the mould when it comes to motorcycling as it is Anissa who is the motorcycle rider with Karsten happy to tag along as a pillion. She took me for a ride along the loop road that takes you from the City through Kingston down to Margate and Huonville then south all the way Southport, the southernmost point you can ride on seal roads in Tasmania.
It was a great afternoon of enjoyable riding with easy long sweeping bends that just kept coming one after the next, again and again and again....
Karsten & Anissa were extremely fun people to hang around with and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their hospitality and generosity in having me for the weekend.
The most enjoyable aspect of my stay with them was the long chats after dinner and breakfast over a glass of good Tasmanian wine or coffee we had at their house. As I rode away on Sunday afternoon from their house to make my way towards Port Arthur I left behind two very special new friends that I hope I'll be able to see again in the not too distant future.
Sunday, 1 November 2009
Cradle Mountain to Tarraleah and the West Coast.
Somewhere outside of Queenstown.
Made it to Zeehan.
The Cradle Mountain Lodge.
The Enchanted Forest Walk.
Apparently if you do this walk at night all the animals come out and that is why they call it the Enchanted Forest.
Cradle Mountain Natinal Park.
Had a few locals visiting that night.
Thursday 29 October.
I dropped the bike this morning. Fuuuck!!!
Leaving the car park at the camping ground at Cradle Mountain, there's a kind of roundabout in front of the office and instead of doing the right thing and going around it to get out, I cut across the wrong way to save me probably I'll say about 1.5 seconds... and Ranger's 4WD was coming around the corner, I stopped but because it caught me by surprise I didn't put my foot down on the ground fast enough I guess and the bike just leaned too far to the right.
As it started going I tried to hold it together but the weight of all the gear was too much and all I could do was to try to let it fall as gently as possible. The guy in the 4WD had to get out and help me lift it up again as there was no way I could pick the thing up by self again.
No major damage to the bike, although the same cannot be said for the owner's pride...
After that little incident I went and did the Enchanted Forest Walk at the National Park before leaving for Zeehan, Strahan, Queentown and finally Tarraleah where I would be spending my next night.
By far, today’s ride was the best so far. Best ride of my life come to think of it.
Think of the most winding stretch of road you've ever been on and then imagine doing it over, and over, and over for I don’t know... maybe one or two hours.
And then when you thought it was all over there's that sign again with the winding arrow that says "Next 45 Km". Unbefuckinglibable!!!!
Apparently, this is the section where they run the Tagart Rally and it's no wonder that they've chosen this part of Tasmania to do it on.
I reached Tarraleah, a quiet little community that I think makes a living from the canoeing & trout fishing tourists that visit the town, by 6.30 pm and I was happy with my progress as I can now take my time tomorrow and get to Hobart by the afternoon to meet up with my HU contact there.
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