65kms past Warburton

Today we left out Pines campsite by 8-30am having packed up and had breakfast due to Bob's diligence in building up the fire and making the first round of tea and coffee by 6am. The first stop was Tjukyrlia Roadhouse where we bought fuel and had a coffee. The couple operating the roadhouse for the Aboriginal Community were friendly people who brought us up to speed with all the local events. Last weekend they had 60 mls of rain which was about the 3rd descent fall they have had in recent weeks. It explained the couple of wrecks we saw either side of the roadhouse. This is a lake area so the road is vulnerable to flooding. There were still damp patches but in the main the road was good due to significant upgrading since we drove across it the last time.
They warned us that Warburton was not a choice stop over as even the fenced caravan park was being subjected to frequent episodes of theft from tourists.
We also had a chat to a man who was cycling  (push bike) with a mate from Perth to Alice Springs. We had seen the wheel tracks as we were approaching the roadhouse and assumed that they were probably Japanese. Hence we were surprised to find that they were Aussies and at least in their 60's. They ride about 100 kms per day on the sealed road and manage about 80 kms on this unsealed road, except when there is a head wind as there was today. They left Perth a month ago. They were having a break at the roadhouse to effect some repairs to a gear cable.
I forgot to mention our own damage yesterday. While we were driving through the road works there was a pretty loud bang but we didn't notice anything for a while. Then we saw that a stone must have deflected up off the camper and broken one of our rear windows. It is now wearing some very piraticle gaffer tape to ensure that it doesn't disintergrate on us.
We have seen bush turkeys, dingos and 9 dead camels on the road today. The camels came to grief at the hands of someone with a gun which was a rather sad sight.
We managed to drive into Warburton 15 minutes before they were due to close at 3pm given that it was Sunday. This was just time enough to fill up with diesal and have a quick shower. We were on the road again and searching for a campsite promptly because we really need to have found somewhere by 4-30 since the sun goes down at 5-30 out here. We were lucky to find a nice private borrow pit with swimming pool thanks to the recent rain. Soon had the fire going and sat around sipping Italian champagne because it is Maria and Rolands 29th wedding anniversary.
Life on the road is tough!

Warakuna to Ulura

After a comfortable night in our borrow pit we set off for Warakuna at 8 -30am, our usual starting time. Along the way we came across another push bike rider but didn't stop for a chat as our dust was blowing right across the poor man. Maria and Roland were leading so that they had the opportunity to spot any animals along the way. We saw them stopped in the road about 100 kms short of Warakuna and then saw lots of flashing lights. When we caught up we discovered that the men were being breath tested- way out in  the never never. I couldn't help it I cracked up laughing and thanked the young cop for providing us with entertainment. They said they were from Warakuna and after taking down our details warned us that although the road beyond Docker River was open it had signficant patches of water from the recent heavy rains and there were areas where the trucks had churned up the road. We realised when we thought about it that there were two young cops in one vehicle and an older cop in a following vehicle who did not join in the conversation and must have been showing the new blokes the ropes. 100 metres down the road Roland and Maria radioed the there was a camel off to the left. They told us later that it had been on the road and the police had stopped to photograph it before they drove up. Later on we saw a dingo as well so it was quite a day. At Warakuna Maria and Roland bought a very nice small dot painting from the gallery at the road house at a very reasonable price. It was at this stop we realised the our leisurely day of 460 kms had become less so because we had just lost an hour and a half by going on to Central Time.
We high tailed it to Docker River taking note of the new  camp ground set out attractively under the desert oaks at the fringe of the community. From here on our progress slowed as there was a lot of water pools on the road, some of them quite deep. Most of them had dry tracks around them where we went up the sloping verge of the road. A couple of times there was no option but to pick the driest option and hope for the best. Since we were constantly taking the best route and that wasn't necessarily on the left hand side Bob was sailing along on what seemed the smoothest route and quite frequently on the wrong side of the road. We received a radio call from Maria saying they were following a crazy European driver who was driving on the wrong side of the road! Bob ignored her teasing initially but I noticed that as the road had mostly dried out he did go back to the LHS.
Not long after we saw Kata Jura (The Olgas) for the first time and stopped for photos as we got closer. Then 50 kms forther on we could see Uluru.
We were arriving at sunset so took some good photos but just when we arrived at a good viewing spot for Uluru there was some thin cloud across the sunset which dimmed the light a bit. When we made our way to the caravan park we were in time to get into the overflow area only as this is definately tourist season. We are comfortable enough though with very near neighbours.We are making good use of the facilities and if there is WiFi here I can publish all my blogs. And now Goodnight.

The Beginning

Well it began when we left Walpole on Fri 3rd June. We loaded up the camper with everything we thought we would need except the perishables. This took us some time so we arrived at about 6pm. Fortunately for us it was Greg's flex day and he cooked dinner for all. On Saturday we looked after Eleanor and Hannah while Elise and Greg did some last minute shopping for their 8 days I  Melbourne.Then we "hung out" while they finished their packing. I took Obi for a bath at the vet's and we went to Vic Park to have dinner with Ingrid and Mario.
On Sunday morning Elise and I went to visit Jean, my aunt before we took them to the airport for their flight in the afternoon.All very family and pedestrian so far. On Monday at 1pm we collected our Swiss friends Maria and Roland from the airport with the quickest exit through customs for them that we have ever witnessed. The plane landed at 1245, we arrived at 1pm and Maria and Roland walked out at 1-05pm.
It was a quiet preparation day on Tuesday. Maria and Roland went to visit a friend in Fremantle. Bob and I did some last minute shopping. The fun began on Wed. Our friends Martin and Lorraine are loaning their Nissan to Maria  and Roland for the trip as it was impossible to hire one. M&L set off on Wed morning to drive the Nissan to Perth  and to join us for dinner at a local restaurant. As a surprise thank you to M&L Maria and Roland had booked an exclusive room at Observation City, now known as Rendezvous Hotel Scarborough. We were all looking forward to the day. At lunchtime Martin phoned to say that the water pump on the Nissan had imploded 50 kms north of Walpole and they still had to work out how to get it back to town and where to purchase and have fitted a new water pump.
Several phone calls later it was established that the local mechanic couldn't do the job for at least two days and the only water pump Martin could track down that was sure to fit was in Brunswick Junction. Martin had no way to get said pump from Brunswick to Walpole. The Nissan was now in Martin's shed and said he planned to do the work himself. It was decided that Bob and Roland would set off immediately, collect the water pump from Brunswick and take it down to Walpole. This they did arriving at 9-30pm. Our house sitter Elizabeth had a couple of extra guests that night. Lorraine cooked the men breakfast the next morning and then they set to to remove the bl---y big radiator etc and install the new pump. This was done with considerable brute strength and I understand that Roland learnt some colourful new words that morning. After Lorraine fed everyone again Bob and Roland headed back to Perth with Roland driving and Bob recuperating in the passenger seat.They arrived at 7pm on Thursday evening.
Meanwhile Maria and I had negotiated a change of date for Martin and Lorraine's night at the Rendezvous and adjusted the reservation at the restaurant. In the end there were just four of us for dinner instead of eight. Events were not over yet as my phone rang just as we were getting into the car to go to dinner. It was Sue, Elise's friend who was going to look after
Obi for us until Elise and Greg arrive home. She told me her mother had had a bad fall and broken her leg requiring surgery and hospitalisation. Consequently Sue was booking a flight home to Queensland in order to look after her father and spend time with her mother. Fortunately Ingrid and Mario nobly offered to step into the breach and have him with them. Then on Thurs when Maria and I were going to do some shopping for the unplanned extra dinner in Perth I discovered that I hadn't closed the rear door of the family Mazda properly and the battery was flat. Jumper leads are wonderful things especially when they are provided by a very competent oldest daughter.
So this morning we set off  just one day and one hour later than planned. We had a trouble free run up to Kalgoorlie and are staying in a comfortable motel for our first night as we arrived after dark and the weather looks a bit dodgy. Fortunately our plans had allowed for a few "spare" days in case of emergency.
Tomorrow the real adventure begins.

Hervey Bay

We left Brisbane in showery conditions which was a bit scary because we were in a hilly part of town and the roads had the potential to be slippery. We had breakfast at a cafe on the outskirts of the city and missed the heaviest rain. We arrived in Bribie Island at about 10-30 and explored the shopping centre while we waited for Owen to finish his contract postie round. Bob and Owen enjoyed their "do you remember -----" session and then Joanne prepared a very nice early lunch for us. We were on the road again by 1pm and enjoyed the scenery on the last stretch. We saw our first sugar cane and pinapple plantations around Maryborough.
Our accommodation at The Palms CP is a fairly recently renovated and installed cabin and is comfortable with all our basic wish list items. The only drawback is erratic WiFi which means this is my second attempt at this blog. Yesterday was the busy day of the meeting. We all had our bikes polished up for the parade through town and then parked them on the foreshore for a couple of hours for the locals to admire. After lunch it was the AGM and it proceeded smoothly. There were a few hilarious moments and lots of cameras snapping when a beautiful Rainbow Lorikete landed on the head of a man who was wearing a headscarf.  It just sat there and it's mate swung off the marquee support having a good look as well. They didn't leave until encouraged to depart by the victim.
The formal dinner last night was at The Boat Club. We had pre dinner drinks overlooking the marina. The food was delicious and  it was very tempting to eat too much. Bob and I were the winners of the longest ride and longest pillion ride again and will have to buy a post box to send them home.
Today was a free day and we went to have lunch with Brian (Kit) Carson who was our riding companion from Perth to Tasmania in 1972. He is hale and hearty and getting on with his life. His major priority is fishing and he has just snagged a part time position as  manager of a property with a long protected river frontage and plenty of fish.
Tomorrow is another quiet day before we head out across Queensland for the Northern Territory. Question for Eleanor and Hannah
How many toys on the bike and sidecar?

Moree to Brisbane

Today was really warm right from the start. It was 27C  as we walked along to breakfast. We had a good brisk walk to the Royal Hotel last night which was recommended for dinner. This morning it was shorter as we opted not to have the motel's continental breakfast and walked the 100 metres to McDonalds. It was as tasteless as ever but the coffee was good. We set off at about our usual 8-30 am and were in Goondiwindi in time for coffee. I am really enjoying the different names over here. It provides mild entertainment as we ride along. Boggabilla, Goondiwindi,  Coonabarabran and Croppa Creek. The last one must have a story behind it. Yesterday was a little less exotic. We rode through Warren Shire and Warren townsite and shortly afterwards Collie.
We had another bouncy ride today to the extent that Bob was feeling as if he had been on a rocking boat by the time we arrived at Toowoomba. We stopped off at their very nice visitors centre to take a break and plan our next move because it was only 2pm when we arrived. We needed to choose somewhere to overnight so that we are in easy reach of Bribie Island late tomorrow morning. Bob wants to visit an old army mate from his Natios time and yet we still want to make Hervey Bay by 5-30ish. It was cooler up around Toowoomba and we settled in to access their WiFi. While Bob did some checking of distances and accommodation I rewrote most of the blog for yesterday which I had accidently deleted while doing a proof read. Bob finally announced that he thought we should overnight in Brisbane which was only an hour and a half away and he had booked a really nice centrally located hotel at a discounted rate.
The views coming down the mountains from Toowoomba were beautiful and it was a novelty to approach Brisbane from the West. Of course he had forgotten that we would be approaching at peak hour but caution and the GPS got us here safely if a little frazzeled. We arrived looking somewhat travel stained but the staff were courteous and a shower soon improved our appearance. We have had a pleasant evening strolling the city centre and noting the significant changes since we were last here. We had dinner at Jaimie's Italian following a recommendation from the reception staff. It was entertaining and the food was different and tasty but not up to all the hoo ha we had heard.
And now I lay me down to sleep.

Cobar to Moree

As we were leaving The motel in Cobar we discovered why it was so comfortable. The manager explained that it is owned by the mining company who set it up for their staff complete with equiped kitchens in case they wanted to cook. The road out of Cobar went through rough sheep and cattle country. As we approached Nyngan the country became flat plains with agriculture. The name of the Shire also explained a modern slang term. It is the Bogan Shire so now we know where they all come from. The town also has a RAAF helicopter that served in Vietnam and helped to evacuate the town during the 1992 floods. As we rode on towards Narrabri we found broad acre cotton growing. This continued right into Queensland.
In the distance as we rode toward Narrabri we could see a group of blue hued rugged mountains. These were the Warrumbungles and it was a lovely change of scenery to ride through the foothills into town. We were debating whether we would call it a day at 3pm or ride on the 100kms to Moree when a car pulled up beside us. The couple on board asked if we were going to the AGM in Hervey Bay and stopped for a chat. They suggested a motel in Moree but by the time we arrived it was full. We will catch up with them at the gathering. Every other  motel in Moree seemed to be filling fast so we took the first one that had reasonable rooms ie the next one we looked at. The young receptionist explained that Moree is on the main Melbourne to Brisbane Hway. Hence it's popularity. The motel we stayed at is owned by a Chinese /Australian family who have had the foresight to buy two motels close together. The original one we attempted to check into was full and by the time we had been referred down to the sister business and checked in about four other rooms were being sought.
The roads around here have improved significantly since we were last out this way but they still aren't wonderful. They have received a new coating of hotmix but without taking out any of the existing bumps caused by the heavy truck traffic. Bob declared the Oxley Hwy to be the Oxley Motorcross with some sections of the Gibb River Road smoother than what we were riding over.
I keep forgetting to mention some riders we met in Port Augusta . They are members of a defence forces team of 420 riders raising money for Prostate Cancer. They are riding from Sydney to Margaret River via Esperence, Albany, Walpole and Pemberton/Manjimup. Thank goodness we didn't cross paths with them on the Nullabor stretch or we wouldn't have got a bed.
The countryside is gradually changing as we get closer to the coast and the trees are getting taller.

Cobar to Moree