East Coast Australia on a Scooter
I have a 300cc scooter and live in North Queensland.
I'll be heading south to escape the heat soon. I will set off aiming for Melbourne, and if I make it that far will then get the ferry from Geelong to Devonport in Tasmania, do a loop around Tasmania then make my way home. There's a lot of crazy weather on that route right now and it's still school holidays so I am keeping plans flexible - but thought I might take an inland route south then come back along the coast. I expect to be 6-8 weeks on the road. I take things slowly, camp when the weather permits, happy spending time in National Parks and small towns, will likely skip the big cities. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? |
My thought is that that sounds like a really nice trip :)
|
There are obviously plenty of travellers in this forum who have been inspired by Ted Simon’s “Jupiter” round-the-world trips. This little jaunt was inspired rather by his more modest Rolling Through the Isles and The Gypsy in Me trips.
Ted took a Piaggio MP3 scooter round the backroads of the UK of his childhood to reminisce and to see what’s changed. He also (mainly) walked from Hamburg Germany (where his mother was born) to his father’s birthplace in Romania. My ancestral origins are Irish - though my father was born in Sydney and my mother in Melbourne. My paternal grandparents are from Tasmania though a search of census records shows them moving around a bit with addresses in Wagga Wagga, Orange and Broken Hill through the 1930s and 40s. So I’m going to “roll” through back roads of NSW, Vic, and Tas on a three wheel scooter (a Yamaha Tricity 300) and connect up some of these places and see what I can find out. |
Sounds fabulous! If you do wind up taking an inland route, Carnarvon, Longreach and Winton (actually Lark Quarry Conservation Park, about 100k from Winton) are all worth a stop on the way to Mt Iza (and Birdsville is worth a stop on your way south just to say you've been there :-))
|
Quote:
Those places sound great - but it probably isn't the best time of year for them. I took the A1 through Townsville. I had a hot sweaty night in a tent in Mackay then stayed on the Highway to Rocky. Then turned off on the A3 into the ranges. The A3 is a great motorcycling road for someone happy to go slow - they've put 40km limit on the really curly bit at the start. |
Makes sense! Later in the year, if you're looking for out-of-the-way easy places, Currawinya NP is very nice, as is the red dirt from there to Bourke (as long as it's not raining).
|
I may not be able to help much however thought I'd post some bits of our blog for a wander around Australia. The relevant posts for the East coast and South to Tassie and back are:
Discoverthedreaming: March 2019 and the next post - Brisbane south through NSW and Victoria Discoverthedreaming: Around Daintree and subsequent posts - Daintree and southwards through NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, and back to Brisbane. |
[QUOTE=Alanymarce;640102]I may not be able to help much however thought I'd post some bits of our blog for a wander around Australia.
Thanks! Lots of natural beauty - some great photos there. |
I stayed overnight in Biloela, then kept on the A3 until Munduberra then took the lesser used B75 to Durong and then the 82 through to Dalby. The roads were a bit rough, but for a slow ramble it was very pleasant.
I spent a couple of nights in Toowoomba before heading south along the New England highway through Tenterfield stopping briefly to take in the atmosphere of the Country Music Festival in Tamworth. I took a very bumpy minor road from Mt. Thorley to Wollombi then on to Calga - obviously a popular road among motorcyclists (with a lot of warning signs that we should reduce speed). The road is very poor condition - I wonder why they are letting it go? Picked up the M1 and cruised into Sydney. First week done. |
After Sydney, back through the Blue Mountains via Katoomba.
A lap of Mt Panorama in Bathurst then down to Junee a bit late for the poker run. Wangaratta in the rain, then a night in Ballan before Geelong and the Ferry to Devonport. |
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 00:53. |