Back Home in California!

I made it back to Castlemaine, turned the bike in, and headed for the airport with very mixed emotions. Happy to be headed home, a bit sad that another great adventure was coming to an end. I was NOT looking forward to that 15 hour flight back to Los Angeles but I did catch a break when for some unknown reason the Qantas computer assigned me a seat in “business class”. SCORE!! It made the flight ALMOST bearable! :=) A big smile, hug and kiss from Julia as I exited the customs area at LAX was a fitting end to the Around Oz 2008 Adventure!
I would like to thank Mark at www.bikeroundoz.com for all the help in planning the trip and referring me to Bike Tours Australia which supplied the bike. Claudia, Heinz, and Norbert at www.biketours.com.au went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that the bike was ready and in perfect shape for a long trip. They supplied extra tubes, cables and levers (which I was forced to use thanks to the Great Central Road on the way to Ayres Rock) :=) If you ever need to book a tour of Australia, I highly recommend both of these companies.
Since I had the GPS with me, it captured a “track” for the whole adventure. This is my route from Castlemaine up the east coast and across the top to meet Corey in Darwin. It is approximately 3200 miles.

This is the route Corey and I traveled together including the Tasmania Tour. It is approximately 9000 miles.






This is my route, after Corey left, up to Sydney and back to Castlemaine with two crossings of the Snowy Mountains. It is approximately 2300 miles.

Some statistics in case you are interested:
Total Distance.................................... 14,555 miles
Average Daily Mileage........................ 150
Longest Days Ride............................. 488
Shortest Days Ride ............................88
Rear Tires .........................................4
Front..................................................1 (the original, on the bike when I started)
Unplanned “get offs”............................4 (all in the sand)
Average Daily Beer Consumption..........I can’t seem to remember! :=)

I really enjoyed the tour especially the remote “outback” sections. Cape Crawford and the Heartbreak Hotel Pub in the Northern Territory would have to rank as one of my favorite stops although I enjoyed every area that I visited. Crossing the Kimberly Range on the Gibb River Road with stops at El Questro, Home Valley Station, and Mount Elizabeth Station was also a favorite and as “tough” as the Great Central Road was, seeing Ayres Rock at the end of it made it all worthwhile.

Thank You for following along with me. Stay tuned. Who knows, there may be another adventure in the future!
Rick

Snowy Mountains!

I very much enjoyed Sydney. Lots of history, nostalgia, and modern day mixing. The Rocks area was especially inviting and I spent most of my time there. But, it was time to move on and check out the Snowy Mountains. I planned to cross them twice, once North to Southeast on the Snowy Mountains Highway and then again from South to Northwest on the Great Alpine Road. There would be a little stop at the beach in between. :=) I headed out to see whether that snow had melted on the Snowy Mountains Highway.

As Julia said “they are called the Snowy Mountains for a reason”.






The roads were clear but it was COLD!!! I stumbled across this little town up there that had quite a claim to fame, “Highest Town in Australia“.



The math works out to about 4500 FEET above sea level. :=) I think my upstairs bedroom has more altitude than that. For you Aussies reading this, I WAS JOKING, for the rest of you …….. shrug! :=)
I finally made it down to the beach again and enjoyed a little “warm up” on a lake cruise.



Headed back up into the mountains via the Great Alpine Road to see if things had warmed up at all. The first part of the ride was excellent. Nice roads, great scenery, fairly sunny and the Tambo River to follow.









That was the first part. The second part was filled with RAIN and FOG so bad I was forced to follow the yellow line on the side of the road at times.



It was comforting to know that I wasn’t the ONLY fool up there! :=)



As I dropped down in altitude, the fog finally went away but the rain NEVER let up!



The Around Oz Adventure is coming to a close. :=( It is now back to Castlemaine, turn in the bike and see if I can get an earlier flight home! :=)
More pictures here starting on page 114
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/4659871_pddif/1/423391518_pmtVv

Up to Sydney via the back roads!

I got Corey and about a ton of gear (I have TWO tons to contend with later) on the airport bus and headed off for some back roads riding on the way to Sydney. I worked my way south and east of Melbourne on some really great two lane roads thru farming and ranching country and hit the coast again for some more beach riding. Stopped at the nice little town of San Remo for the night. San Remo is the “gateway” to Phillip Island. Since it was raining again I stayed on the mainland! Headed via more back roads toward Lakes Entrance. Several people had told me that this was very nice harbor area where several big lakes connect to the ocean (thus the name). I had time, so took some very minor roads that folks had told me about. They did NOT tell me about the bridges that were out and all the detours. These roads didn’t show on the map and the GPS said I hadn’t even been on a road for a long time :=) I would never say I was lost but I was “unable to confirm my position” for a couple of hours. :=)

I finally made it to Lakes Entrance and it really was as nice as they said.






Lots of seafood restaurants right on the water.






I wandered the back roads some more and found a wonderful one that followed the Snowy River






all the way to the Ocean for some more great beach riding.



Finally made it to Sydney. Decided to splurge a bit and got a very nice hotel where I could see “some” of the Sydney Harbor Bridge from my room. :=)



and within walking distance of the Opera House. It was in an area known as “The Rocks”. I booked a harbor and city tour and got a LOT of pictures of the Sydney icons






including Bondi Beach.



All the weather people on TV kept saying that we were having an “unseasonable” cold snap (it was very cold) and that it was snowing in the Snowy Mountains which was where I planned to go after Sydney. I thought it couldn’t be snowing much since it was only a week till summer (although Julia told me they were called the "Snowys" for a reason)! :=) I took these pictures off the TV weather cast.






They are exactly in the area I planned to visit. I hope it melts soon!! I’ll let you know.
More pictures here starting on page 107!
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/4659871_pddif/1/420172823_XttZD

Tasmania and Back to the Mainland!

We finished our ride from Apollo Bay south along the Great Ocean Road on the way to Melbourne to catch the ferry for a 5 day tour of Tasmania.

We were a little concerned about the weather and seas in the Bass Straights, but it was a very nice uneventful crossing.
We met some motorcyclists in Apollo Bay that gave us information and recommendations on a nice route that would take in the mountainous western shore and some nice beaches on the eastern side. We rode off the ferry to a little rain, some cold, and a lot of wind. Without giving it too much thought (yup, you KNOW what’s coming), we headed for the mountains on the way to Strahan. As the elevation rose the temperature descended and the wind increased (I told you we didn’t give it too much thought). :=) There were some great motorcycle roads but the clouds, rain, and cold made them less than enjoyable.



Not many pictures because my hands wouldn’t work the camera. We tried to make Cable Mountain Park but when it started SNOWING we “holed up” at a very posh resort (surprised they served us). When I entered the lobby, I was reminded of just how long I had been away from home (it was summer when I left). :=(



Made me a little homesick!
Strahan was another nice little beach town (but when it is on the verge of snowing …..)!
We made it to Hobart the next day via some more great roads and with just a little more warmth.



We did a little walking tour of Hobart then rode up to Mount Wellington above the town, the harbor and the Tasman Bridge for some great views (and a LOT of wind)!






We got another day of warmer weather so we rode out to Port Arthur, a very tough penal station in operation from 1833 until 1877. This place was for the very hardened types with a separate colony for boys (the first boy’s prison built in the British Empire). It was a very interesting tour.






Can’t go to Tasmania without getting a picture of a Tasmanian Devil!



We continued to enjoy some great motorcycle roads and scenery on the way from Hobart to Launceston.






Had to stop at Australia’s #1 Harley-Davidson Dealer for a t-shirt.






We headed for a little beach town named Stanley on the north coast for our last night in Tasmania. The Stanley brochures boast of its landmark called “The Nut”. It looked like the Tasmania aquatic version of Ayres Rock to me! :=)



Nice roads, nice scenery, nice town, bad RAIN and spitting SNOW!! :=) It was a miserable ride. Just how close to Antarctica are we anyway? :=)
Another easy ferry crossing of the Bass Straights and we were back in Melbourne on our way to Castlemaine (I picked up my bike there in Aug.) where Cory would turn in his bike and I would get another bike to finish my trip (the company asked if they could substitute another since they had a 7 month rental available for the one I was riding). Cory left for California and I was on my own again with this nice BMW for the last few weeks of my trip.



I am going ride up the southeast coast to Sydney, visit the Snowy Mountains, and return to Castlemaine to turn in the BMW and then it will be back to California for me also (if it hasn‘t burned down)!
It HAS been an adventure!!
More pictures here if interested starting on page 99.
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/4659871_pddif/1/412666458_Cvfq7

Koalas at Apollo Bay!

It was a rainy Saturday afternoon and we were at church -- no wait, we were visiting the museum, well, I actually don’t remember but we ran into a local resident (bartender) who told us he heard that the rain had brought out some Koalas. There were several in the trees on the road out to the Cape Otway lighthouse. I REALLY wanted a picture of a Koala in the wild so I figured a ride in the rain might be worth it. Off we went, and we were NOT disappointed!! Several Koalas, and even a mother and baby.

This guy was my hero.



He was taking a nap in the afternoon (one of my favorite pastimes)! :=)

We climbed to the top of the lighthouse where we could see that the wind was blowing at 42 knots and the Bass Straights seas (which we will cross on the ferry tomorrow) looked wild and stormy.

The ride was well worth it for the pictures and we were able to get back to town BEFORE the drugstore closed (seasickness medication). :=)
More pictures here if interested starting on page 98.
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/4659871_pddif/1/412182882_gAEje