Uluru

We have spent a layday at Uluru, taking in the vast monolith which dominates the landscape from every angle. Plenty has been written about Uluru - when you're standing in its shadow it is truly breathtaking.

We had an easy ride from Erldunda Roadhouse via Curtin Springs (the Owner wanted to call the Station Stalin Springs - he was a big fan of Joe's - and was persuaded by his sons to go for something a little less controversial), and arrived in Yulara, the Uluru resort town, early afternoon. Peak season has yet to start but the place is packed. Bruce and I got up at 5am to get a quiet spot for the sunrise on Uluru, and were rewarded (through not following the road directions) in having a quiet layby to ourselves.

In the pre-dawn, we could identify the planets Mercury and Venus, with Mars setting in the west. The sunrise was spectacular - one more ticked off the Bucket List. We walked right around Uluru, 10.8km in the morning cool. I rode out to Kala Tjulu (The Olgas) this afternoon and walked up one of the canyons. Totally different geology from Uluru. I did a really short detour on to the dirt road to West Australia, beating a hasty retreat back to tarseal lest I end up with 310kg of road bike on its side in the bulldust.

Tomorrow we will break camp and ride to Kings Gorge for the night - the days picked up riding up from SA are coming in handy now.

The Antipodean Mariners

Uluru

Space

It's hard to decribe the sense of space of Central Australia, the change in our environment yesterday from coastal to outback has been breathtaking. Going back through my photos last night I realised that sending Snapchats to family had left me with just one usable shot.

We doubled our mileage yesterday, making it through to Coober Pedy after 550km. A relaxed ride out from Port Augusta had us in Woomera by midday. Woomera was the post-War centre for the British Empire's rocket development and testing programme, and at its peak housed thousands of scientists, military personnel and their families in what must have been one of the most locations on the planet. The museum really engages the visitor and documents when Australia was at the forefront of Cold War research and development. 

Well before Pimba and Woomera, we passed huge white salt pans. Lake Hart forms part of the Woomera Defence Area and cover thousands of square kilometres, contrasting the gently contoured bushland with a whitewashed sea. I had a 'Priscilla' moment when the Walkman played a track by Baroque opera singer Simone Kermes as I rode across the horizon-to-horizon low bushland.

We were pushing the envelope when we rolled into Coober Pedy on sunset. Speed dropped for the last hour as the local fauna became more active - we saw two emus along the roadside and a few head of cattle. Luxuriously accommodated in an underground hotel, dug into the sandstone where the temperatures are constant year round. Today's target is the Eldoundra Roadhouse, turnoff for Uluru and 463 km from Coober Pedy.

The Antipodean Mariners

Coober Pedy

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