Ride Dubbo to Fremantle 4,000 Kilometres

Welcome to Cobar

Cobar was a comfortable distance and our first camp along the way. Our eski, in the camp kitchen fridge, was raided overnight by a hungry person who only took bread, cheese and the remnants of a bar of chocolate.

Can you guess how far from Cobar?
and how far to Wilcannia?

The Barrier Highway, between Cobar and Broken Hill will be remembered as the "Ride of the Goats and the Emu That Got Away." The goats presented with good road sense and mostly moved away from the road verge as we approached. Word on the street says the farmers round up the wild goats and send them to market when the price is right. At the moment this isn't happening and there are thousands of goats.

Kinchega Woolshed

From Broken Hill we rode down to the Menindee Lakes for the day. A visit to the old shearing shed was well worth the dirt road. The best view we found of Menindee Lake was from the caravan park on the edge of town.

The goats thinned out but the emus kept us on our toes as we rode westward from Broken Hill through desert country. Unfortunately Steve's delight in riding Horrocks Pass again was taken away by a slow moving tin top.

First sign of home.

I was pleased to leave Port Augusta behind with the fort knox security and the camp kitchen locked until 7:30am. With the sun still low in the sky I had the joy of riding along with my own shadow for company. A chill wind made this early morning ride uncomfortable and we stopped before our schedule to drink tea and let our black jackets warm us through.

Pre-dawn at Eucla.
Just enough time for a photo before packing up the tent.

Ceduna has always been a staging post for us on our Nullarbor crossings. We stayed two nights so we could shop, do the washing and eat home cooked meals. It was 2°C when we rode out of town. We scheduled our first stop for Penong, only 70km away, and it was with some relief that we pulled into the rest area. We were blessed with a steady tail wind all the way to Eucla. We set up our little tent in our usual place, and dined in the restaurant for who knew when we would pass this way again.

Stop taking photos & lets ride.

We had Norseman in our sights the next day, 700km away. This ride was all about the discipline of long stints in the saddle and efficient rest stops. We made this distance easily but the fat lady hadn't started to sing yet and after refuelling in Norseman my bike wouldn't start. Steve pushed my bike the 650m to the caravan park. By now the sun was settling low in the sky and any diagnosis would have to wait till morning. That night at the Norseman Hotel, instead of congratulating ourselves on an enjoyable 700km ride, we spent our time speculating on "what could be wrong now."

Sunset & moonrise coincided at Esperance.

As soon as the sun was high enough we had the F650GS stripped down. Analysis showed a short on the negative battery terminal. After all battery connections were rigorously cleaned and the assembly well tightened, my bike was ready to go again. By 11am we were on the road to Esperance for a late afternoon stroll overlooking Esperance Bay and a ten out of ten serve of fish and chips on the foreshore in town.

We chose Lake Grace for our last camp. I can report that the caravan park is clean and friendly and the pub in town does a great lamb shank and mash.

Sunrise on our last day on the road.
Lake Grace

On Friday 24th May 2024, after fifty one days on the road we arrived in Fremantle town. 

Good to be home again, until next time...

Ride Summary

Distance:         11,250km

Camp sites: Twenty-five different sites - all nights under canvas.

Southern Cross, Balladonia, Eucla, Ceduna, Port Germain, Nuriootpa, Christies Beach (Adelaide), Mildura, Hay, Forbes, Wellington, Coonabarabran, Moree, Stanthorpe, Inverell, Tamworth, Dubbo, Cobar, Broken Hill, Port Augusta, Ceduna, Eucla, Norseman, Esperance, Lake Grace.

Took a detour on the way home along
The Tin Horse Highway.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo Dubbo

Sumatran Tiger 

Meercat

We chose a quiet day in May to enjoy the Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. It is worth being briefed on what is on offer at this amazing wildlife encounter, as when we arrived we thought we were eavesdropping on a black rhino keeper talk, only to find out that the keeper talks are included in your general admission.

Black Rhinoceros

Cheetah

Taronga is "not for profit" and staff never tired of telling us how grateful they were that we came to visit this most interesting and diverse collection of animals. As you wander around the grounds you find that some of the enclosures are cleverly constructed and you think, for a moment, that you are witnessing animals in the wild. What really struck me was the great condition of the inhabitants, beautiful coats, they looked like they were well cared for. There is much to learn at the Western Plains Zoo. The zoo is heavily involved in breeding programs to help protect endangered species from extinction.

 

Hippopotamus

Asian Elephant

If you turn up at "keeper talk time" you stand a good chance of witnessing some animal behaviour, like feeding and prowling around, that you might otherwise not encounter.

 

Picnic Lunch for the hungry bikers. 

White Rhino - Mother with baby having lunch.

Giraffe

Patience is the key and my favourite memories are the joyful and personable little platypus, the baby white rhino suckling, the industrious meerkats, the cheetah sitting still and upright, and the tiger prowling around waiting to be fed. I spent some time with the Galapagos Tortoises, all seeming to enjoying each other's company.

Galapagos Tortoises

African Lions

Tasmanian Devil

Thank you, Taronga Western Plains Zoo, 

for everything you do towards animal conservation. 

Zebras

Bike Troubles and Great Rides

 

Just over the border in Queensland.

The few days waiting for parts in Moree tested our resolve and we spent time wondering where my new stator was and waiting for updates on the Australia Post tracker. Unbeknownst to us, the part was delivered late on Thursday afternoon. When we called in to the workshop on Friday morning they said "come back at 11am and you'll be back on the road."

 

We scurried back to our camp in Moree, packed up the tent and we were riding out of town by 11:30am on Friday 3rd June. Warning bells were sounding in our ears though, as when we picked up my bike the mechanic mentioned that although the battery seemed to be charging at 14.2V at idle, under revs the voltage was dropping to 13.8.

 

Stop to add more clothes, Texas Road.

It is cotton harvest time and little balls of cotton littered the road verge as if to light our way. Warialda's bakery made a comfortable lunch stop then it was onwards along some very tasty roads to Texas in Queensland.

 

Camp site #14, Stanthorpe.

The shadows were growing long when we left Texas Town for Stanthorpe and a few drops of rain tried to clean our visors. We performed a textbook assembly of the tent before the mist rolled in and our day was done.

 

Inverell has many lovely historic buildings.

Our mechanic back home, Thorsten from BM Bikes, who has had our backs during this long ride, said, "try a new Regulator Rectifier (RR) to fix the voltage drop under revs." We waited again for parts, in Inverell this time. Experts say that a motorcycle regulator is simply "plug and play" but we wanted an expert to install the RR. Tony, from Vince Strang Motorcycles, fitted the new RR at a moment's notice and we will be forever grateful for the help showed to a couple of travelling bikers. 

Loved the Roxy Theatre and Cafe in Bingara.

The new RR had my bike's charging system operating as Thorsten said it should and on Friday 10th June we were back on the road, optimistically cautious, and on our way from Inverell to Tamworth. My bike ran well and magical scenery lined our way as we trundled along back roads in New England country.

 

Through the Window by Jaq Grantford.
Archibald Prize 2023 finalist.
My favourite.

We waited in Tamworth for a day for some heavy rain to clear. We were delighted to find that the art gallery in Tamworth was hosting the Archibald Prize, just as they had been when we passed this way five years before.

 

Camp site #16, Tamworth.

Then we were on the road again. The cafe at the little town of Werris Creek surprised us with delicious scones and homemade blueberry jam. The scenery was splendid and I even caught a last glimpse of the Warrumbungle mountain range. For the last few kilometers we were back on the Newell Highway trying to stay alive amongst the road trains.

 

We took the opportunity to visit The Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. And then, with a week's fine weather on the horizon, we were homeward bound, one day at a time.

Who wouldn't want a Lego guitar.
Only in Tamworth.

On The Road Again

Paddle steamer Rothbury,
Murray River

River Camp #1 Mildura
Murray Darling Confluence

The desert does not share it’s warmth between day and night. But there is hope in the desert sun as the day warms up quickly. While we are riding along at 110km per hour, we have the sure knowledge that, by the end of the 1^st hour of riding, we'll be standing in the sun and the frosty morning will no longer seem like a possibility.

 

South Hay Hotel

The vastness of the Hay Plains, the flattest plain in the Southern Hemisphere, took my breath away and reminded me of The Nullarbor Plain far away. Hay is home to a Shearers Hall of Fame, and a pub, with a resident bearded dragon, to entertain visitors and locals alike.

 

River Camp #2 Hay
Murrumbidgee River

We continued eastwards along the plains where we came across a large herd of cattle who had been set free and were grazing on the Mid Western Highway road verge. We approached with hazard lights on and reduced speed, still one young steer decided to cross the road as I was approaching.

 

River Camp #3 Forbes
Lachlan River

Eventually the Hay Plains slipped away in our rear view mirrors and made way for a range of hills that were made for enjoyable riding. We stopped for awhile to enjoy the utes, in various guises, at Condoblin and then we were on our way to set up camp on the banks of the Lachlan River in Forbes, as far east as we were going to ride.

 

Forbes Town Hall

We stayed in Forbes awhile, wandering amongst the historic buildings in town and entertaining ourselves at The CSIRO Observatory. The observatory played a key role in the communication with the Apollo 11 Astronauts and the live TV coverage of the first moon landing in 1969.  The Australian movie, The Dish, about the observatory's role in the moon landing was the top grossing Australian movie in 2000.  Anyone considering building a “big thing” needs to visit the observatory before starting the engineering.

 

The Dish

Our ride northwards from Coonabarabran was a non starter. Only thirty kilometers down the road, in Parkes, my ABS warning light came on, then all the instruments went blank. I pulled over, stopped the bike; there was not enough battery to start the bike again.  Roadside assistance (NRMA) to the rescue. NRMA, and Rocky, a knowledgeable local, thought it was a faulty battery. NRMA found a new battery for us at a bike shop in Parkes, jump started my bike and sent us on our way.

 

River Camp #4 Wellington
Macquarie River

Steve installed the new battery, we rescheduled our overnight stop to Wellington, and rode out of town in the early afternoon. We were encouraged by a couple of motorcycle racing dudes who were also camped on the banks of the Macquarie River that night.

 

River Camp #5 Coonabarabran 
Castlereagh River

Steve navigated a scenic route from Wellington, through Gulgong, to Coonabarabran. As the miles ticked away we became more confident that my new battery had fixed the problem.

Warrumbungle National Park

Warrumbungle National Park

The beautiful Warrumbungle National Park took our minds away from motorcycle troubles for a day. Then we were back on the road again, Queensland in our sights at the end of the day.

River Camp #6 Moree
Mehi River

Unfortunately the new battery hadn't fixed my bike. In Narribri we were broken down again; same problem. Narribri, a town of 12,700 People, had no motorcycle mechanic to look at my bike.  Roadside assistance loaded my bike on a tilt tray and took her 100km up the road to Thomas Lee Motorcycles in Moree, where she awaits a new stator (part of bike's charging system) to be shipped from Western Australia and fitted; watch this space.

Very sad

 

Bike Repairs

  

Murray River

Murray River

Only three days into our very long ride and I noticed a little oil, around my rocker cover gasket, shining in the afternoon sun. There was barely enough to dirty a white tissue but it was oil all the same. A quick call to our mechanic said we should “ride on and monitor.” To add insult to injury, Steve's rocker cover gasket also started weeping. The brains trust, at the BMW National Rally, all said this should be fixed before riding into remote places.

 

Love the little ferries across the Murray,
Did many crossings.

Getting bikes fixed can lead to long wait times as everyone is busy. Josh, from McPeake Motorcycles BMW, came to our rescue, ordered the parts and had us back on the road with only a few days delay.

 

View from the top of the Corksrew

We moved our camp from Nuriootpa to Christies Beach, so we were close to Josh's place. Steve navigated a intricate route, got us lost a couple of times and purposefully included The Corkscrew where we both admitted “We were glad no-one was coming the other way.”

 

What do you do when you are holed up waiting motorcycle repairs? You visit The National Motor Museum in Birdwood, you take a ride to Mannum to admire the cliffs and the mighty Murray River, and you hustle, in Adelaide town, and get your hair cut at the same barber who cut your hair 5 years before, on our last long ride.

 

Port Noarlunga

It was with some relief that we left behind The Adelaide Hills. Those hills still had the last word and made us pass that way in a light drizzle, which tested our temperament and the grip of our tyres. But those hills were behind us soon enough and we were on the road again, heading eastwards to Mildura.

Christies Beach,
We are camped on the point with the pine trees