Road trip to Flinders Ranges. |
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GU221
Senior Member Joined: 29 Nov 2014 Location: Australia Status: Offline Points: 367 |
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Posted: 17 May 2016 at 01:21 |
When
most of Australia’s population and activity are in the east, us West
Australians have a long way to go. Meeting up with old friends gets more
difficult with age, but we try. It’s been a couple of years since I made the
crossing to a rally, but this year someone suggested a meet in South
Australia’s Flinders Ranges, which is as close to the middle of Aus as you can
be, staying on the tarmac. Thus a Griso and my Bellagio headed east across the
Nullabor’s straight outback roads.
Crossing
the Nullabor is very time consuming, but 1000+km days are easy. Traffic is
mostly caravans, RVs and road trains. Kangaroos wait for you to get close, and
then jump out in front of you, and massive wedge tailed eagles that feed off
the roo carcasses leave it until the last second to fly off as you approach.
Then there are wild camels, dingoes and wombats, according to the warning
signs. No riding after dark in these parts, when the animals all come out to
play in numbers. Warp speeds on these roads are possible if the roos aren’t
around, but its best to keep speed below 140km to conserve tyres. Petrol prices
are exorbitant in remote areas too. And the roadside food and accommodation
require the traveller to have a sense of humour.
2000kms
after leaving Perth, the land becomes agricultural again These windmills are at
Penong in South Australia.
South
Australia has lots of country towns that are almost deserted. This one was
Yacka, population 19. On the War Memorial, about 60 men were killed in 1914-18,
and only 2 in 39-45, which says something about depopulation. The retired folk
of Yacka do their best to preserve the town as it was, but are sad that no one
stops any more.
On
the fourth day out of Perth, we met up with two old friends, Tricky on his
Bellagio, and Roderick on his R90S. Rod’s had this bike since the 70’s and is
not a man that adapts to change. It’s on its fourth time round the clock. When
we set off in the morning, the rain started, and it rained on and off all day.
This photo is at Peterborough. At this stage we were about 2 hours in front of
the rest of the riders.
Not
my photo, but taken on the last bit of road to our destination, Blinman. We’d
been lucky with roos up to now, hardly seen any at all. Copious roos and the
rain made the last leg very slow. Pity, as it was very twisty and undulating.
Perfect bike road. The scenery along here was quite spectacular too, but not a
day for taking photos.
More
photos purloined off the ‘net.
Finally
we reached our destination, the Blinman pub, at the northern end of the
Flinders ranges. Blinman was a copper mining town once, and only a few diehards
remain. Tourists keep the town from dying, and several big desert tracks to the
north mean that it gets lots of 4WDers passing through. The pub was a surprise,
at it was a thriving business, and the rooms were really good. We got the news
from the landlord that the others weren’t arriving. No mobile phone reception
meant no contact with them until the next day, when we heard they’d been told
of “Flash Floods” that would make the road to Blinman impassable. There weren’t
any, but that was just bad luck, because the pub was a great venue for the
meet. Anyway, six of them had accumulated at another pub 100kms away, and we
got the message to meet the next day at Quorn.
It
poured during the night. The R90S refused to start, but a bit of methylated
spirits in one carburetor cured that.
Tricky
packs his Bellagio the next day. It rained hard all of the ride to Hawker and
Quorn. We stopped at Wilpena Pound again, but today the clouds were very low,
and nothing to see. Having re-established comms with the others, we rode on to
meet them.
The
Grisos had arrived, 4 from New South Wales.
Mal
and his cousin Mal arrived on V7s. They’d ridden from Tasmania. We’d all booked
in to the hotel/motel for 2 nights. After 5 days on the road a rest was needed.
After alchohol, of course. And food. And conversation that is not always
repeatable, when old friends meet again.
It
was good to catch up with some of these guys again, and listen to their tales.
3 of these guys I have known over 35 years. Who needs an excuse for a ride? It
was great everyone made the effort.
And
so all things must end, and farewells were made with the promise of doing it
again next year, subject to the ever growing list of aches and pains, etc. Had
to get a new front tyre in Port Augusta, and then it was the long ride home.
Did 5,330 kms in total, the last day being a marathon 1100kms. The rear tyre
looked very flat in the middle and barely touched towards the edges. I rang the
wife with an eta, and she had a hot bath ready. |
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Bellagio 940T
T3 |
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Jerry atric
Senior Member Joined: 24 Nov 2014 Location: Wiltshire Status: Offline Points: 3367 |
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Great story thanks. It brings home what a big place Oz is. I spend a day preparing to do the 100 miles to Mallory Park! Not that I would be a whinging Pom, just a bit of a p**f I suppose.
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Dave P.
Senior Member Joined: 12 Jan 2015 Location: Northants Status: Offline Points: 5573 |
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Excellent story and pictures.More of this would be good.
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TO LIVE OUTSIDE THE LAW YOU MUST BE HONEST.
1971 V7 Special. 1972 850GT. 1970 T120 Bonnie. 2009 500 Bullet. |
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Mick L
Senior Member Joined: 05 Apr 2016 Location: Derbyshire Status: Offline Points: 105 |
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Great post, enjoyed reading.
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Guztave
Senior Member Joined: 30 Nov 2014 Location: Exeter Status: Offline Points: 425 |
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Fantastic report and photos a inspirational to say the least!
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johnno
Senior Member Joined: 19 Jul 2014 Location: loughborough uk Status: Offline Points: 5582 |
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Top class pictures and report
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1100 sport corsa , Yam R1, guzzi 650tt rider
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Mike H
Senior Member Joined: 21 May 2014 Location: East Anglia Status: Offline Points: 8733 |
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Wow!
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"Chicken nuggets don't dance on a Tuesday."
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red leader one
Senior Member Joined: 07 Oct 2014 Location: Cullercoats Status: Offline Points: 4466 |
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Looking at those photos I feel right at home.
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