The ‘Ends of the Earth’ ride
Cape York to Wilsons Promontory
June 2018
Part 1/4? (too many images)
INTRO
I make no apologies; this is written for friends and family that may not be familiar with ‘jargon’ or terminology used in the long-distance riding fraternity.
OVERVIEW
The completion of this ride was part of a trifecta of rides I contemplated when I purchased my first Super Tenere (S10) about two years ago. The transition from a ‘Super Tourer’ to an adventure bike was bought about by my love of riding on dirt. Many fellow Long Distance (LD) riders (riding in excess of 1,600 kilometres within 24hrs) have completed amazing distances on their S10’s, I was not totally convinced this was the bike for me.
My first ride contemplated was the IBA Dusty Butt SS1,600 (1,600 kilometres on dirt within 24hrs), a couple of fellow riders had just knocked that challenging ride off. Not at all competitive, I attempted and successfully completed the Dusty Butt SS2,000 (2,000 kilometres on dirt within 24hrs). It didn’t take me long to realise the potential of the S10 in LD riding.
My second ride was the, 'Heaven to Hell to Heaven insanity' (H2H2Hi). This ride encompassed riding from the highest accessible point in Australia being Charlotte Pass to the lowest point Lake Eyre and return within 48hrs. This was a particular challenging ride due to the demography of hundreds of kilometres of dirt, mountain passes and extensive wildlife including deer, wombats, kangaroos, goats, emus and miscellaneous little critters that play Russian roulette with motor cyclists.
A reasonable portion of this ride is completed in remote areas with often no communication if help is needed.
My third ride in this suit of rides was an attempt at riding from the most Northey to Southerly points on the mainland in Australia, 4,226 kilometres within 60hrs. Initially I considering attempting the ride within 50hrs and my initial plan reflected this.
Having countless multi day and several 10 day or more IBA rides under my belt, I understand my body’s capability and a thorough working knowledge of fatigue mitigation. Managing fatigue (and hydration) is far one of the most challenging skills to learn.
You don’t often get a second chance and need to get it right. I learned the art of power-napping and know when to stop. That’s the trick, knowing when to stop. On one occasion I was approximately a kilometre from Nullarbor roadhouse and had to pull over on the side of the road and had a power-nap as I just couldn’t make it the short distance to the roadhouse. Just as I woke 20 mins later Ziggy (a fellow LD rider) rang my mobile confirming my safety as my SPOT hadn’t moved. LD riders always keep an eye out for one another.
So why do we do it? Some run, some watch footy, some dream, one said I live for your photos. For me; I love the challenge, the planning, preparation, isolation, pushing myself to the absolute limit, the quietness of space and being in charge of the experience. I have blue tooth connectivity to GPS, iPhone, UHF radio, FM and music however rarely if ever utilise it on rides. For years I used the technology but now just zone out, meditate, savour the moment, reflect, clear my mind or just simply escape the pressures of life.
Success is not measured by successfully completing the ride, it’s about the ride, the journey and getting home safely.
Some rides require minimal planning and can literally be planned on the run during the ride. Others require days or weeks of planning due to logistical or technical challenges. Countless phone calls confirming opening hours, road conditions and accommodation are often required.
Many components are totally outside the riders control being; machinery failure, flooding, road closure, road works (we rarely ride without experiencing them) and unscheduled early closing of refuelling points subject to tourism or passing traffic on the day.
To successfully complete this ride, I needed to ride over 1,700 kilometres a day, it isn’t too much to ask when you look at the whole picture.
There is ample time to sleep, I can operate optimally on six hours sleep for extended periods. The ever-changing environmental factors are the wild card, to get the latest intel I spoke to locals and contacts in the days leading up to the ride.
This was going to be a challenging ride especially riding on the ‘clock’. The road is closed for many months of the year; is impassable to all vehicles until grading occurs reopening them to traffic.
This is the challenging part, leaving too early will cause delays due to extensive roadworks on the Peninsula Developmental Road (PDR) and leaving late will allow tourist traffic to build up impeding progress.
This was never going to be easy, I decided to use my 'sacrificial lamb' (blue S10). It had a proven history with successful completion of many challenging rides and has always bounced back when dropped. It fits me like a slipper and I am more accustomed to it compared to its newer twin.
PLANNING
As with all rides, some form of planning takes place. Preliminary planning commenced about six months ago, sourcing routes, fuelling locations and potential challenges.
Serious planning commenced about three months ago. I formulated a commencement date, applied for leave, confirmed operating times of fuelling points, ferry and other arrangements.
The route was downloaded into two GPS units. One of them is the new TomTom 550 that I had been beta testing for some time and has withstood some shocking treatment that was inflected upon it. I carried no maps but had an iPad (maps pre-loaded), iPhone and tough phone. I carry an additional phone having previously had one stolen by an Eagle in the Northern Territory (previous story).
PREPARATION
I serviced the bike with all the usual processes. New Mitas E07 tyres running 43psi all-round were fitted and balanced in my workshop. An Airhawk fitted, I find it allows greater than 20hrs continual riding relatively pain free on multi day rides. All lighting and auxiliary power sockets tested and redundancy circuits tested. I opted for soft panniers as they are more forgiving if an 'off' occurs. More accurately, when an 'off' happens, as it’s inevitable. I checked the fastening bolts of the auxiliary fuel cell, fitted a new filter, checked the breather tubes and one-way valve. All cables were lubed with excessive fluids/lubricants removed to minimise build-up of dirt. The S10 allows two seat height options, I selected the taller option allowing a more comfortable seating position.
SPARES
Due to remoteness, I carried a few additional components to my usual ‘bag of goodies’ being; gear/clutch leavers, gear change linkage tubes, and carry bag in case ‘Wicked Kate’ became unrideable and I had to fly home.
TRANSPORT LEG
I had a great sleep and woke just before sun. Another great rest, I sleep well in the swag and find it offers me flexibility of sleeping almost anywhere.
The shortest route to the Cape is over 3,100 kilometres, not a bad transport leg just to get to the start. To be honest, Australia ‘too small’, you can travel almost anywhere within two days. Google says it will take over 53hrs to get to Cape York, little does it know I thought. My initial plan was to ride up there in two days and commence the ride on the third. It had been a big month at work having worked in several cities involving a lot of travelling, I needed to refocus and unwind, I changed my plan. I decided sight-seeing was on the agenda and 'smell the roses’.
I took countless photos of ‘Big’ things on my way and stopped for some dinner at Toowoomba. My first night was just outside the Cactoblastis Memorial Hall near Brigalow. I was woken suddenly in the early hours of the morning by an unusual noise that was identified as a horse grazing nearby. The sunrise woke me, I packed up and continued collecting ‘Big’ things and stopped at Roma for a decaf coffee. I stopped, bike still idling near the big Mango and was encouraged briskly to get off the lawn.
My second rest stop was just outside Townsville at a truckie stop. These are great places to camp, they often have lighting and rest room facilities. By setting the swag on the table, you’re away from the bugs and things that tend to love on the ground and you stay warm and dry in inclement weather.
A three-star IBA Hotel
Rolling the swag as tightly as possible within a few minutes didn’t take long. After I fitted the swag to my auxiliary tank I realised that my glasses were still within the swag. I was distracted, I shrugged my shoulders and though at least they are well padded and couldn’t be bothered to retrieve them.
S10 having a rest
I did the touristy thing and checkout out some spectacular locations. I stopped to check out sugar cane plantations, kicked my side stand down and yes, the S10 lay down for a sleep. I picked it straight up with a bit of grunting, fully loaded without too much trouble and thought, I didn’t take a picture of it as it reached the centre of balance and fell over on the other side. I laughed, had a drink and took a photo. My compromised shoulder from a previous off was a little tender to say the least however I have learned to handle the discomfort.
I continued into the Kirrama National Park, what a view and challenging road conditions giving me an opportunity to hone my skills with almost every conceivable road surface included my nemesis, sand.
I had visions of continuing and coming out on the other side of the range however was turned back by firefighters, my only hint of the fire was dense smoke in the valley.
A balancing act
Majestic view
I arranged to catch-up with a mate at Mareeba who gave me some Intel on current road conditions as they can change daily. Before I left Dubbo, I ordered five litres of Penrite oil online from the Archer Supercheap Store and changed it when I arrived Mareeba. I had travelled approximately 4,000 kilometres in the last few days with an additional 8,000 plus before I return home. Dan has lived in the area for many decades and he had the contacts. He is also a real bike nutta, he has three bandits and other two wheelers in his shed with room for more. The shed is filled with tools, compressors and all the goodies to keep you on the road.
The transition in temperature during the journey Northward was noticeable. I arrived at Cook Town and booked into the ‘Top Pub’ as I had planned to do some sight-seeing. I took my time and walked the main street, found a quaint Thai restaurant that I would try later that night. I purchased a bottle of clear medicine and a couple of bottles of diet coke to keep me hydrated.
Cook Town is the commencement location for the IBA 50CC East Coast (Cook Town to Warrnambool within 50hrs) the sunset was awesome and I feasted on Thai washing it down with a few drinks with other tourists at the top pub.
My room led onto the veranda overlooking the ocean, I loved the fire escape. Next morning, I headed to the lighthouse to see the non-existent sunrise. It was overcast with slight drizzle. I returned to the Pub and packed the bike and headed off.
Next morning, I headed off towards my starting point some 850 kilometres away.
I refuelled at Lakeland and queued to pay for my fuel, the smell of deep fried chips was almost overpowering as I paid and walked out the door.
Sunset
Cook Town
Sunrise
I savoured the bitumen whilst it lasted and knew the dirt, sand and other surprises lay not far ahead.
Out of the blue multiple well signposted sharp corners appeared over a bluff posing no risk to the rider and the first dirt stretch lay not far ahead.
It was easy going, hard, corrugated, dusty and I sat easily on 90-100kph. Some kilometres further the bitumen reappeared, I returned to cruising speed and then was I in for a shocker.
The dirt looked benign as I hit the sand at 100kph, instinctively I moved my weight towards the back of the bike looked at the horizon and steered forward whilst meandering across the road saying some choice, not polite words to myself. I knew there was sand but forgot how much I detested it. For one moment when I was just floating on top I vowed if I got out of this I’d consider pulling the pin. The S10 is not ideal for sand weighting about 280kg not including the aux fuel, painters, swag and my weight making the total weight close to 400 kilos balancing on two hand sized patches. Approximately a kilometre down the road an opening appeared where I could pull out, regroup and lower my true pressure to 35psi from and rear. I later decreased the front to 28psi. I'm not debating tyre pressures but I managed the conditions confidently including beach riding.
Very few vehicles were encountered on the first stretch and one of the first was a ute, it towed a caravan, that means dust, and lots of it.
The strategy to pass them was simple, ride through the red dust until you can see them in their mirrors, flash your lights and they usually move over allowing you to pass on the right-hand shoulder. More often than not the road was more than wide enough however occasionally some caravaners believed they owned the road and different strategies were implemented.
I stopped at Coen for fuel and a bite to eat. I was directed to the local pub for a good feed and it was washed down with a cold beer.
Extensive road works is occurring in countless sections on the PDR. Short stretches of sealed sections gave short moments of reprieve from the dust and typical off-road conditions.
A gem of a pub
Lunch - $18 what a feed and an ale to wash it down
Typically, I took numerous photos and all too often almost lost my footing in the loose unstable ground. The causeways were getting progressively worse and may were not sign posted and appeared suddenly causing me to hit the ’anchors’ sliding towards them backing off just at the end allowing the suspension to work.
It was a relaxing ride so far and I previously decided to spend the night at Bramwell Station. It's located approximately 6.5 kilometres off the main road and is a 'little rural'. I paid the $12 camp fees and told happy hour starts in half an hour. I set the swag under cover in a couple of minutes, had shower and headed up to the bar for a drink.
The homestead is really geared addressing travellers needs with ample amenities capable of addressing large numbers of tourists.
IBA 3 Star accommodation