Kings Canyon

We've taken an unscheduled day in Kings Canyon, north of Uluru, based on recommendation from a couple of other bikers whose route we are paralleling.

The road in was surreal - sinuous tarmac and wide bends through everchanging landscape. My preconceptions before doing the road trip were that central Australia was a sandy desert. Uluru and Kings Canyon were a sea of green and gold. We splurged yesterday and took a helicopter flight over the Canyon. Our Pilot said they had experienced four times the annual rainfall this Wet Season, and had a whole year's rain in one day after Christmas  - the spent centre of a tropical cyclone.

As the sun set on the Carmichael Ranges, the full Moon rose in perfect unison.

Today we walkdd the canyon rim - 6km in 3 hours. The top of the Carmichaels was seabed 400 million years ago and we were able to find fossilised worm trails and rippled lake bed in the petrified sandstone. This walk was a big workout for Bruce after his broken leg in December.

Tonight were are back at Erldunda Roadhouse after ride out of Kings Canyon. Tomorrow's target is to get north of Alice Springs. Steak, red wine and an early night to make some serious 'northing' over the next three days. Darwin is on cyclone watch and we'll have to assess the weather forecast at Tennant Creek before committing to riding north to Daly Waters. We are getting the benefit of Melbourne's winter blast with cool Southeasterly winds and 26C.

The Antipodean Mariners 

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

Gaining Territory

I'm running out of headline puns, we crossed into the Northern Territory at 15:45 yesterday after a long, straight run from Coober Pedy. The landscape changed constantly but not many reasons to stop other than for fuel and to keep up the water intake. Across into the NT, the speed limit raises to 130 km/h and we made the most of it for the 75km sprint to the Erldunda Roadhouse. Based around a servo, this is a small town itself with a population of hundreds of grey nomads (I think we qualify too) heading north, south and west.

We're off to Uluru and campsite willing will stay overnight for dawn at the Rock.

The Antipodean Mariners

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