Jumping off

Sitting in Port Augusta as the light fades, we prepare for tomorrow's 'jumping off' - our last major outpost before Cairns in about two weeks time. Today's kilometres have been another easy day, just 208 km plus the two hour ferry trip from Wallaroo to Cowell. We stopped in Whyalla and took in the town and steel mill from Hummock Hill lookout. Whyalla had a thriving shipbuilding industry from WWII to the late 1970's, and both Bruce and I sailed on BHP-built ships in our seagoing careers. The Maritime Museum has the first vessel built - HMAS Whyalla - preserved as a static display 2 km from the foreshore where she was launched in 1941. Bikes are running like a dream, weather is good and temperatures bearable. Tomorrow's destination is Woomera and the rocket testing range. Another easy day and then some serious distance to Coober Pedy.

The Antipodean Mariners

Bound for South Australia

Strickly speaking we have already made South Australia, but this is my favourite sea shanty from the era of the square-rigged sailing ships.

We crossed in to South Australia passing Nelson on the Victorian border and followed the coast north through the Southern Ports precinct of Beachport, Robe and Kingston - all founded in the early 1800's, peaked in the age of coastal shipping then faded away with rail and road transportation. Most continue as tourist curiosities and fishing ports.

Beachport's 700m jetty

We ran along the Cooyong wetlands, formed as a huge brackish lake network formed from the outflow of the Murray River. Great flocks of pelicans in V formations whirled over the lake shore as if preparing for winter migration. Overnighting in Meningee on the shore of Lake Albert, we upped camp and crossed South Australia to the Yorke Peninsula to Wallaroo in a day. Coastal salt marsh transformed into wheat belt and long straight roads took us through harvested fields and the occasional stubble burnoff on the horizon.

Paddlewheeler on the Murray River - Murray Bridge

Harvest in at Kadina SA

Overnighting in Wallaroo for the Sealink Ferry to Cowell in the morning and then a short hop to Port Augusta. This will be our stepping off point for the Red Centre and last chance for last minute purchases and final checks. Distance at end of Day 3 - 1,249km.

The Antipodean Mariners

Wallaroo SA

4th April 2017

Road Trip - the bikes

I can’t think of anything that excites a great sense of childlike wonder than to be in a country where you are ignorant of almost everything. - Bill Bryson

The planning for the road trip began conceptually in January when my end date, the 31st of March 2017, first appeared in my Redundancy Letter. The original plan was to do the ride solo, as I couldn't think of any one of my friends who could take a loosely-defined, month off work (and away from families) to indulge in this folly.

Road Trip Route Plan

But two weeks ago, friend did - a call out of the blue asking if I wanted a riding mate. Solo is good, but to be able to share the experience doubles the fun.

Australia's Wet Season (also the cyclone season) ends in April, so there is a slight chance that we'll get the tail of a tropical cyclone. However, the end of the wet season is likely to give us some of the best of Australia's Red Centre, as desert is transformed by the tropical rains to millions of square kilometres of bushland.

My riding buddy has entrusted me to buy him a bike for the trip, and 'we' have bought a 2011 BMW F800ST. The bike has the F800 panniers and will be fitted with a Givi V46 Top Box for extra carrying capacity.

The bikes - Triumph Trophy and BMW F800ST

The Trophy, as Mothership, has the Garmin Zumo GPS, Personal Locator Beacon and CB UHF radio. The next installment will be the Packing List.

Antipodean Mariner
8th March 2017