Last pic was on the underside of a bridge. And:
Whoops! Not all birds fly!

Nice report, I am day-dreaming of a similar trip instead of doing work now.. :clap:

Thanks, Gixxer,
The piccy with the tank (actually an APC), was taken at Three-Ways a highway intersection in the NT.

This was not the evidence of a trenchant attitude. A sign on the fuel pumps demanded that the driver leave his drivers licence on the counter before the pumps would be switched on! Too many drive-offs, the message said...

And once inside, the same licence had to be produced before any alchohol could be purchased. Same culprits, it seemed.

The Northern Territory has a speed limit of 130kph, now. Until 2007, the NT had no speed limits. So did the road accident rate fall when the new limit came in? No, it went up!

A statistical anomaly, I am sure. But it did illustrate the point: that while high speed may cut down the available reaction time, and increase the severity of an accident, it is rarely the PRIME CAUSE of that accident.

The true cause is almost always
"Lack of Situational Awareness".

200kph on this road, the Stuart Highway, was rarely dangerous. But on the same, or any road, 50kph may cause an accident if a distracted driver reversed onto the road in front of oncoming traffic. Which driver would have been at fault, at any speed? BOTH!

Heading North again, up the Stuart Highway. This time I will try for Elliot, not stopping at Renner Springs for fuel. Sure enough, I ran out of fuel 10 km short of Elliot, so my 5ltr jerrycan was needed.

I have found that I burn about 5.9 ltr per 100km, if cruising at 120kph, and about 95kph, carrying about 60 kg of camping gear etc, most whch sits behind me so should contribute little to drag. Ah; but the panniers do! And I think that the drag from them causes the extra fuel use.

North, North, ever North, for an overnight stay at Mataranka.

Rob

• Highway doubles as an airstrip, for Royal Flying Doctor Service, for emergency evacuation.

I hear you Rob, I live in Vic so I am being brainwashed daily that speed is the devil and is the cause of all things bad in the world. And thats why there are speed camera's everywhere and Traffic cops hiding in the bushes waiting to save me from doing 63 in a 60 zone. :cursing:

Keep the info coming. Oh I think that APC is a LAV 25. They float.

This is far enough for one day: Mataranka. I'll stay the night here.
I have always been fond of wine casks, and for the first time had to go through the Banned Drinkers screening process. My licence was scanned into a computer to see if I am a banned drunk (I'm not), and then I was permitted to buy. Buy what? Cask wines are banned in Mataranka, so I had to pay $26 for a very overated bottle of Chardonay. Ah well. I'll be in Darwin tomorrow!

Meantime, I was under canvas again, with those cans of baked beans for dinner, washed down by overpriced wine.

And I should complain. In 1929, Jack Bowers and Frank Smith had passed this way in their journey around Australia with a Harley Davidson and hugely overloaded sidecar. Baked beans? Sheer Luxury! Most the time they cooked a flour and water damper, unless they were lucky enough to shoot a bush turkey. And their muddy drinking water might have to have been strained through a bandage.

Rob

And at last we are in Darwin!

But crossing the Adelaide River these days is a possible in a Winnebago, unlike young Jack in 1929, when they recklessly charged at the river crossing, bashed their way through and kept right on going, after seeing a group of angry tribemaen with 3 metre long spears.



My first bad discovery was a "pop" rivet stuck in my back tyre. What are the odds! Could have happened out of Birdsville. Or: my nemesis; Dajarra.

And at last in Darwin, I can get a new tyre fitted, and get on with what the trip was about in the first place: the fly-in at Coomalie Creek airstrip.

Coomalie was a fighter bomber base during the War, hosting Beaufighters and Mosquitos.

And each Dry Season, local fliers fly in, party overnight and fly home in the morning. After going to the chapel, that is. The chapel was rebuilt as original by the farmer, Richard Luxton, as the most amazingly cool and efficient tropical church Iv'e ever seen.

And more from Coomalie Creek

Great write up!

My trip plan takes us from Darwin down to Melbourne. A friend who lives in Melbourne is planning to fly up to meet us when we ariive, buy a bike and ride back with us, so interesting to read about your journey

Trying again! From Coomalie Creek - again...
This is Dave Sykes with a FLYING trike. Dave is a paraplegic pilot, who is flying - alone and unsupported fom the UK to Sydney (he made it).
Yes, he was a biker. A motorist did something dumb in front of him. And there but for the grace of God, my friends go we all.
Dave dismantles his wheel chair and stows ints parts around the aircraft. The wheels can be seen on the side.
Rob

Hey, Trackdayrider excellent plan!
But unless you have an adventure bike, I'd advise you to not to bother with the trip from Camooweal to Gregory Downs. Gravel's OK but that track is hard work.
Rob

hi Rob - Yeah cheers. It will be a great adventure - Although having seen the guy in the microlight - I'm feeling a little insignificant!!!

Planning on a Xt660 Tenere
http://www.chasingdreams.talktalk.ne...es/xt4_big.jpg

Does my bum look big in this?

What a way to load up a Sporty! Turning a pinto into a draught horse?

Your setup looks much neater than mine, Mark. Hope you can keep so pristine all the way.
Hard to see in this photo are my new shocks. My "Progressive" shocks were not really up to the rough roads around Birdsville and one of them blew a seal, spraying oil onto my rear brake linings and disc. I replaced with YSS, which were about twice the price but feel much better.
Rob