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

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 Log

The road trip project moved from Plan to Act. It took most of Saturday to work out whether the Packing List would actually fit on the two bikes, and on Sunday we were ready to roll. Big cities have big boring motorways and the ride out of Melbourne didn't start to get interesting until we picked up the Great Ocean Rd at Lorne through to Apollo Bay and over the Otway Ranges. Sunday was a "get the miles in" day, and we made Port Fairy with a few more km's in the bank for Monday. Crossing in to South Australia today and following the coast up to the Murray River.

KM 0 - ready to ride

Deanes Marsh

Sunrise in Port Fairy

The Antipodean Mariners

Monday 3rd April

Road trip pre-pack

Les than a week to go now, and the bikes (Triumph Trophy and BMW F800ST) are fully prepared for a month of riding. Serviced, fresh oil, new tyres and accessories fitted, there is just the pack and test ride fully loaded next weekend before we head west. Bruce, my co-rider, arrives in Melbourne on Friday evening.

Today has been an opportunity to pre-pack the camping gear which will ride behind me in a roll back. The camping kit will be the first off and last on the bike each day. Over-packing (too much kit) needs to be avoided at this stage of planning.

Camping kit: tent, stretcher, chair, gas cooker and pots, gas canister, trenching tool, collapsible fire stand, sleeping bag, pillow, micro-fibre towel, 5 litre fuel bladder and sleeping bag.

The top box and panniers will carry clothing, tools, electronics and basic rations. I have hired an EPIRB/Personal Locator Beacon which will relay a distress message and our GPS co-ordinates to RCC Canberra if we have an emergency in the Outback.

Seven more sleeps...

Antipodean Mariner
26th March 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

End of Passage

End of  Passage, the traditional end of the voyage, has arrived for me at Farstad. After two years in the Offshore Industry, I am preparing for a change of career and role. The brutal downturn in Offshore Oil and Gas has seen Farstad Shipping survive, but in a merged persona with Solstad Offshore and Deep Sea Supply. The voyage continue after I have signed off at the end of March.

In April 2017, I'll be heading west with another mariner for a one month motorcycle road trip - ''Around Australia Lite'. Our route will take us to the Red Centre of Australia to Uluru (Ayers Rock), Alice Springs, Mt Isa, Cairns in tropical Queensland and then home via whatever route is available in the time remaining.

I'll be riding my Triumph Trophy and my riding mate Bruce will be on a BMW F800ST. With tents, camping gear, tools and extra fuel we'll be tackling a planned 12,000 km trip through the extremes of Australia's diverse climate and topography. Our longest day between populated centres will be the 387 km Tablelands Highway between Cape Crawford and Barkly Homestead in the Northern Territory.

Preparations now are the purchase of the BMW, servicing and outfitting the bike for a month's reliable service, adding luggage capacity and assembling gear.

Internet coverage willing, I'll blog the trip and best of the scenery. The road trip will draw a line between what was not to be and the next leg of my personal voyage.

Stay tuned.

The Antipodean Mariner
March 2017