Sixty Days - 18,318 kms

What an adventure - If you are just thinking about it, give it a go. Australia is a big country, the trip was certainly never boring and there is so much that is different to see. The threat of animals wanting to run into you is always on your mind, but just be aware.
A few thoughts :
The Bike - My bike was a 2010 Suzuki DL 650 V Strom adventure bike and proved to be reliable and adequate for the task. We met a number of riders doing the circuit on the same bikes, without any issues.
Fuel -- I carried spare fuel and used it twice, but only for convenience. We did come across a roadhouse that had run out of fuel, but luckily we did not require any.
Tyres -- A few surprises here. Tyres wore out very quickly on the hot roads in the Kakadu for instance. You are not going to get your normal kms out of a tyre and may have to change them just because of where you are i.e. too far to the next major town or city, where they can be changed. Ring ahead to order tyres, especially for adventure bikes.
Camping -- We camped virtually everywhere including free camping in roadside camping areas, until the weather got cold and wet in Victoria. Get a good quality tent and use a groundsheet to protect your tent floor. There is no grass in the north, just sand or gravel.
Thanks to friends and family who have supported us and those who have followed this blog. Thanks to sometime fellow riders, Gordon, Terry, Ian, Trevor and the Harley boys who gave us valuable information on the best route to take in the top of Western Australia. JUST DO IT Cheers until next time. Norm

Circumnavigation Complete

Yesterday Gordon caught up with me in Mt Gambier, so today we headed for Ballarat via the small coastal town of Port Fairy. A few important milestones today. We left South Australia & crossed the border into Victoria, we went down to the beach to see the Southern Ocean & at Port Fairy we both completed a circuit of Australia by motorcycle.
While we did not start from here, we have been this far before in the opposite direction last year. From Ballarat we will take a more direct route back to our start point, as the weather is to say the least, not great on a motorcycle.

Top pic - Port Fairy
Bottom pic - Southern Ocean Port Fairy

Eyre Peninsula

Gordon & I parted company after our stop over in Minnipa on the Eyre Highway & I turned south at Kyancutta to catch the ferry at Lucky Bay just out of Cowell, across to Wallaru on the Yorke Peninsula. The Eyre Peninsula is solid wheat with another export facility at Port Lincoln. After a night at Wallaru, I had an easy ride to the very pleasant town of Mt Barker in the Adelaide Hills, to

catch up with my niece & her partner Ben. Thanks for putting me up for the night. Today it was supposed to be sun, but no such luck for the ride down to Mt Gambier via the coast road through Meningie & Kingston SE.
I took a small detour to Murray Bridge where the first bridge over the Murray was opened  in 1879. The bridge was constructed of steel, while most structures of the time were built of timber. The bridge opened up the western states of Australia to the eastern states & was important to commerce at the time. There are now 2 road bridges & the original rail bridge all in close proximity to each other.

Three Little Onions

I have carried these onions approx 3000 kms so I was not going to throw them in the bin at the border quarantine post. I left them in a rest area all on their own hoping some west bound traveller may see them & make use of them after their big trip on the back of a motorcycle.

Nullabor Treeless Plain

The bikes outside the Nullabor Roadhouse & across the road a pic of the treeless plain. That maybe a tree way off on the horizon, or it could be camels, I,m not sure !

Goodbye West Australia

West Australia is so big, it seems as though we have been there for ever. This is our last glimpse looking back from the sea cliffs at Border Village

Nullabor Camels

I was hoping to see a wild camel at some stage, could not believe my luck to find 60 of them grazing just along from our first night camped on the Nullabor.

Nullabor Crossing

It has taken us 3 days to cross The Nullabor Desert, the weather has been raw with rain squalls the whole way. Both nights we camped beside the road in our tents, hiding behind scubby bush for a little shelter. You would not want to get lost out here. From the time we left Norseman, right to the east side we did not go over one single creek or river.
As usual there is always another group of animals wanting to run into you on this road, to think about.

Wheat & More Wheat

Its obvious that the towns in the lower south coast of WA & the west of SA rely on wheat for their livelihood. The pic is of the grain handling & loading facility at Esperance.

Climate Contrast

After getting the front tyres replaced this morning on our bikes we left Albany & made it to Esperance 477 kms just on 5pm. Between Albany & Esperance there is literally wheat as far as you can see, with huge grain storage facilities along the highway. Today was bleak, with the odd skiff of a shower & so cold compared to our riding up north.Tomorrow will see us ride up to Norseman & start on the infamous Nullabor. Can,t wait.

Bike Service Albany

Tonight we are camped at Albany on the South Coast of WA & its raining. Nice in a tent. Today I had a new rear tyre fitted & oil & filter. Hopefully a new front tyre will be here in the morning. If the bike was at home I would probably get another 1000 kms out of the back tyre, but the next city with tyres available is Adelaide on the other side of The Nullabor at nearly 3000 kms, so too risky to try. So far on the trip I have travelled 14,000 kms. Its a big country !

Tree Walking

This morning we backtracked slightly to visit The Valley of The Giants at Walpole. The giants are trees known as Tingle trees & are up to 400 years old & grow to 70 metres tall. The attraction to visit these trees is to take the sky walk of 600 metres up in the tree canopy. A unique feature of these trees, is as they age the base rots on the inside & insects & sometimes fire hollow the inside of the base, however the tree is able to still stand in the sheltered enviroment.

Underground Again

Yesterday we had to spend an extra day in Margaret River because of a storm system passing through the region. It was only a lady at the service station warning us, that we new it was about to occur. As it turned out this was very good information as our trip down to Denmark today was a good oppurtunity to see the force of the storm, with trees right across the road & towns still without power. We made good use of our extra day in Margaret River with a visit to Lake Cave, which is 82 metres below ground. Well worth the extra day & a night in a motel while the storm raged on around us.

Margaret River

Today we rode down to & are camped at the small town of Margaret River in the heart of the South West wine growing area. A big change from only 3 days ago with vinyards, friesian dairy cows & green grass. The town had already had 100 mm of rain when we arrived at 1.30 pm, so there was water everywhere. Lucky for us we missed most of it & there has been no more since our arrival. Tomorrow we head on down towards the Nullabor with a day of rain in the forecast

Buying in Bulk

You have gone over the top this time Gordon. Truth is we were offered these by a vinyard pruning boss.Of course we politely refused.

Freemantle Pics

A few photos of Freemantle including Americas Cup winner Australia 11 & around the world non stop yacht Parry Endeavour

Freemantle

Yesterday we had a really interesting day down in Freemantle . First stop was the old Freemantle prison & took the oppurtunity to do the underground tour of the tunnel system below the prison that was excavated by prisoners in the limestone 18 metres below ground level to obtain a source of clean water for the prison & subsequently for the early settlers in the town. We waded through some of the shallow tunnels & others by boat. A remarkable feat of engineering all done by manual labour. Next stop was a visit to the Americas Cup waterside precinct for lunch & then of particular interest to me a visit to the Maritime Museum & to see the winning yacht of the 1983 Americas Cup Yacht Race Australia 2. Also on display is the sloop sailed around the world non stop 3 times. Great day.

  &

Animal Obstacles

The list of animals that want to commit suicide at your expense seems never ending on our trip. This is the latest warning.

 Imagine what your tyres would like if you ran over the one on the right.

Perth

Yesterday we left Geraldton & the rain behind & headed for Perth. 30 kms south of Dongara we left the main Brand Highway & took the coastal Indian Ocean Highway. Dotted along the coast are small villages, which appear to be inhabited by retired folk from the city.The highway has obviously undergone a serious upgrade & is well worth the few extra kms to get to Perth. We stopped off at the main settlement of Jurien Bay for lunch down at the newly built pier. The photo shows Terry at the pier contemplating his departure from Gordon & myself  & his imminent return to Parkes. Tomorrow Gordon & I will take the short hop down to Freemantle to visit the tourist spots. Looks like I will have to replace my tyres again in Esperance or even Albany before I cross the Nullabor. The hot roads & heavy loads take their toll on tyres here.

Down To Rain

Yesterday we stopped in the coastal town of Carnarvon for lunch & a look around. It reminded me of Nelson with its inner harbour, yachts at a marina etc. Last night we tented behind the Billabong Roadhouse & left there this morning with a few showers on the southern horizon. Well the few showers turned into thunderstorms at Geraldton where Terry & Gordon were having new tyres fitted. Its a long time ago that I have seen rain this heavy. A very short meeting & we decided it was a cabin for the night.
All the caravans on the road are heading north, makes you wonder.

Close Encounters

Over the last two days we have had to be careful to avoid cattle on the road & have also seen a number of wild horses. The adult cattle are ok but you have to watch young calves. Most of the stations dont have fencing along the roads & rely on natural boundaries between stations. 2 million acres would not be uncommon up here .Just managed to catch this big bull cross the road in front of Terry.

The Harley Boys

We first met up with Mark & Tom who are from Carnarvon on the morning of our departure from Broome. They gave us what turned out to be really good advice on the best scenic route to take down the West Coast. We camped with them in Pardoo on the first night & again in Tom Price last night. The scenery was just as they described with winding roads through some great red rock ranges. They left us to return home this morning while we travelled back out to the coast to the beautiful holiday resort at Coral Bay. Thanks Mark & Tom. By the way we were down at the boat ramp on dusk where fish were being weighed & filleted. They were big !

Southwards

This morning we left Broome behind & headed south down The Great Northern Highway. School holidays start this week in WA so lots of holiday traffic on the road. We now have to book ahead even for a tent site. Tonight we are camped behind the Pardoo Roadhouse north of Port Headland. Tomorrow we will turn inland south of Port Headland & do the loop through the National Park & visit the mining town of Mt Tom Price. Its then on down to the colder weather. No one is looking forward to that. We have not seen a cloud of any description in the last 10 days.Terry & Gordon have both had slow leaks in tyres, so they are both now running with "slime " in their tyres.

Health Food Shop -- Yeah Right

Broome Sunsets

Popular attraction here is the sun setting over the Indian Ocean. Holiday makers gather in the beach front bars & along the sand hills to get a view. Couldnt resist the tourist thing myself, plus a pic of the Sunset Bar on Cable Beach.

Indian Ocean

We finally reached the Indian Ocean & today had a swim on Cable Beach in Broome. Water temp was reported to be 23 deg, I suspect it could be more, because it felt warm.Broome is very much a tourist destination with thousands of holiday makers here & campgrounds have full signs out. Gordon has had to have a few maintenance items done here to be able to continue, but it is no hardship being stuck here for a few days while the parts turn up from Melbourne.

End of Their Journey

If you are travelling in the Outback of Australia, you need good insurance & a reliable vehicle. I suspect these poor people had neither. This abandoned vehicle was probably going to cost too much to fix out here. The guy camped beside us in Broome paid $1300.00 to have his 4 wheel drive towed out of hole. The job took 2 minutes, but it was pay up first, or we will leave you here.

Termite Mounds

Termite nests are all over Australia, but this area on the way to Broome is like someone is farming them.

Just Helping Out

Its hard to believe but as were coming into Broome I looked down this road looking for our camping ground & I saw this guy running down the road & I thought he was chasing two horses. Wrong ! Check the video.

Coast To Coast

We have finally made it to the west coast & the Indian Ocean & arrived at Cable Beach in Broome, but Robin Judkins holding a can of Speights for us was no where in sight.Yesterday was a big ride of 650 kms from Kunnunara to Fitzroy Crossing through the Kimberley Ranges, which was a great ride with great scenery. For the first time since leaving NSW it was sweat shirt & jacket inner even though we only reached an altitude of 400 metres. The locals thought it was freezing at 8 deg in the morning.

Lake Argyle Dam

Below Lake Argyle Dam. The flower is from the kapok tree. Aboriginals used the kapok tree flowering to tell them that the crocodile was in egg laying season.

Lake Argyle

Lake Argyle is 36 kms off the Victoria Highway but well worth the trip & an excellent holiday park. Just before the turn off we passed in to Western Australia with a border post & confiscation of any fresh fruit. The time difference now puts us 4 hours behind NZ. Lake Argyle was completed in 1971 & is a storage lake for hydro power & the Ord River irrigation system that irrigates the fertile plains around Kunnanara.The lake when full could fill Sydney Harbour 50 times, which gives an idea of its size. Tonight we are camped at Kunnunara, which is not far from where we were yesterday, there is just so much to see around here

Phillip O & Helens Wedding

All the best from Terry & myself , I am sure you had a great day. Congratulations to the both of you ,sorry we could not make it.

Cheers

Terry,s Pillow

Ever since we joined up with Terry he has complained about not having a pillow. Well yesterday he lashed out in a camping shop in Katherine & bought the most upmarket camping pillow I have ever seen.We are not sure if it was the pillow that attracted him or the picture of the girl on the box !

Katherine Gorge Breakfast

We lashed out in the Katherine Gorge & took the daybreak breakfast cruise up two of the 13 gorges that make up the full Katherine Gorge. It was a full sit down breakfast with tour guide & approx 30 passengers. At the half way point we disembarked, walked 600 metres & boarded another craft for the second gorge. The sheer sandstone cliffs look magnificent in the morning light. This part of the river is home to the smaller & non aggressive fresh water crocodile. If you ever get the chance I would recommend the cruise.
We left the campsite, returned to Katherine & took the road west on the Victoria Highway.
Tonight we are camped at Timber Creek & lucky to have a wedding in progress with excellent music. The Best Man told us we were welcome to join in later if we felt like it.
Tomorrow we intend to visit Lake Argyle off the highway & may end up there for the night.

West Again

Today we had a 480 km ride from Corroboree Park campground to Jabiru & back down to Katherine & out to Katherine Gorge for a trip up the gorge in the morning on a boat. Katherine Gorge is a world heritage site.Tomorrow we start to head west again on the Victoria Highway. At this stage we have not decided if we will take the Gibb River Road west. Reports are that the road is in good condition & recently graded. We will see !!

Outback Pub

You dont see a pub like this one every day. We had lunch here & it was very good.

East Then West Again

We will continue to head east into the Kakadu tomorrow then turn west again at Jabiru & spend tomorrow night in the Katherine Gorge. In camp tonight are the four V Strom riders from NZ we met in Pine Creek.

Crocs Up The Mary River

If you had trouble seeing the salt water croc in the picture at Cooktown, you should be able to see this one. There were plenty to see on our river cruise on the Mary River on our way to Jabiru in the Kakadu National Park. There were also sea eagles & large areas of lilies.

What About The Kitchen Sink

Ian, loaded up with a spare set of tyres he decided not to fit in Darwin. Thought there was still plenty of tread on the old ones to get to Perth

Together At Last

Finally after nearly 4 weeks on the road the 4 V Strom riders are all together at Mataranka Springs campground. The following day we headed off for Darwin for 2 days & also an oppurtunity to service the bikes & tyre changes for Terry & Ian. Tomorrow we head off to to the Kakadu National Park & Jabiru with another search for crocodiles up the Mary River.