Rested up a bit at accommodation here in Brissie....just now catching up with reading.
What a beautiful country Australia is, even in the sunburnt summer season.
Friends, thank you all for the massive efforts you took in intercepting me. You're all legends in my book, and I'd quite happily return the favour.
The single regret on this ride I have is not being able to spend more time chatting with everyone who made an effort to meet me out on the road this week. Sadly, being on the clock forces me to be a bit abrupt & on the unsociable side, where otherwise I would not be!
Gus and Lindsay were waiting there in the suburbs east of Perth, where I knew they would be, as reliable as a hammers in a toolbox, engines idling, lights on waiting for me to roll past. Gus was insisting I don't muck around and get myself to sleep ASAP (and he was right). I then got myself so completely lost in the carpark in Scarborough at the Rendezvous hotel it was ridiculous - took me 20 minutes walking around to find where I parked the bike the night before.
Grey...very sorry to hear about the smash-up with the roo after you left Pt Augusta!!
Skidoo...mate what a treat to have a handshake finally. I pulled up next to you because from behind I couldn't see what you were trying to kick off your bike...haha.
OX...I look forward to meeting up with you next time! Thanks for trying to make it out.
Daisy you're a bloody good rider! Took an effort to keep up with you in the twisties on Horrocks Pass...
Having Ian, TJ and Clint sign for this ride as witnesses at 2am at the Port of Brisbane really set the tone for the ride....and I didn't want to let their generosity for that effort go to waste by mucking something up. Sincerely appreciated, guys.
My 2009 GSA (purchased from Martin Little) ran like a champ. I had it fully serviced at BMW Motorrad in Brisbane (including new tyres) just days before leaving. The bike was quite heavily loaded - much more so than I would have liked - as I had all my holiday gear packed in the panniers including 30kg of crap I absolutely had no need for on this ride (thongs, clothes, swimming trunks, etc etc)....plus enough tools to repair a 1975 Ford Mustang.
I had no auxiliary fuel (just carried a 5-litre jerry can), although I needed every last bit in my 33 litre front tank between Pt Augusta and Ceduna.
No real close calls with wildlife...a few brake checks after the rain in western NSW brought the roos out to the road well before dark, but nothing serious.
Doing IBA cert rides here in OZ is so very different than in the states, where having a credit card terminal & receipt print out right at the pump browser is available everywhere, and walking inside to pay is almost unheard of. As a result, I foolishly packed 10's of kilograms of water and food for the entire trip from the start, not thinking I would be taking a walk inside anyhow to pay for petrol. So I spent 4 days drinking hot water from my panniers rather than cold water from the fridge inside
By Goondiwindi I had a pretty good idea what overall average was going to be realistic for the next 4 days. I had a goal of 100 kph OA, and by Southern Cross I was up to 107, and was quite pleased with things, and intentionally slept in a bit into Leg 2 (and even treated myself to two beef pies at Border Village). This was another thing I had to get accustomed to here, as rides like this in the states are much easier....(just set the cruise at 130/140 for hours on the 4, 6, or 8-lane interstate, with fuel available at almost every exit). Much more challenging here.
Heat over 38-40C really wears on me - I'm just not acclimated to it, and got sleepy as a result (hence the short naps here and there). Opposite that, I had only summer mesh gear with me, and the nights across the Eyre Highway got down to 14 and it was a bit chilly!
Am here for another several weeks, and plan to do more riding in SA / WA & NT throughout Feb & March at a slower pace for now.
Brissie > Perth & return is definitely possible, albeit with a slim margin for error. Would love to see this done again...