Le Grande National Park

A day off from the road - time to find a beach to relax... and maybe to go for a swim. It didnt happen at Hellfire Bay, but in Lucky Bay! Guess it was easy to decide the right place to get the toes wet and salty :) There was even a wedding in the Hellfire bay a little later, so the place was crowded. Actually all the camping grounds on that National Park were full. No place left even for a small tent. I wonder if I can find a place tomorrow at Cape Arid National Park?

Norseman

Yksi reissun tavoitteista on nyt täyttynyt: Kävin Pohjanmiehessä! Kullankaivajien mecca vielä nykyäänkin (1100 asukasta), mutta ei erityisen turistilähtöinen mesta. Perinnepolun maastossa näkyi siellä täällä mukavasti kellertävää santaa ja hippujakin ;) Täytyy edelleen mainostaa Fraser Rangea ja heidän keittiötäänkin: kuka sanoi ettei voi telttailla mukavasti!

Nullabor

Here's nothing! And lot's of it!!
This really is the place where I got an idea of the size of Australia. Most of the day went on riding through plains with just bushes and sometimes trees livening up the scene. It's as well the place where the Skylab crashed down in the eighties. And the 90 miles straight is here too, as an attraction. I do must admit that the warning sign for the first curve after 140km of straight road was a jolly good idea. My brain just couldn't believe that there's a bend coming up...

Fraser Range caravan and camping is without a doubt the best overnight stay so far, I even could see the Milky Way clearly from here, first time in my life. Fraser is a sheep farm that also provides travellers a place to rest, in the middle of nothing. Good service and they offer cold beer too at an affordable price.

During the day I was pondering about many UDOs that are squished onto the road (unidentified dead objects). So far I've identified foxes, rabbits, snakes, wombats, kenguroos, camels, magpies and dogs. But still there's a lot of things that I've have no idea what they have been. Nighttime driving isn't recommendable for motorcyclists as most of the animals start moving about after dark, but stay still during the day. Only the roadkills stay after dawn at sight.

Another pretty impressive sight are the roadtrains, they can be 34m long and they drive a bit over hundred. And do overtake anything that moves slower than them.

Creepycrawlies have been finally spotted too, but i have had common sense of not going closer or stopping for photos. This includes some over the road slithering snakes, snakes coiled over a bush, spider coming out of a water tap and a 10cm long locust/cricket. Locust was a very impressive imitation of a crumbled leaf, nice light brown color and unless it hadmoved, I would have taken it as an old leaf fallen out of tree.

But there was some Australian wildlife that I was brave enough to photograph!

Three travellers

When theres less travellers and not much to see, travellers start to talk to each other. I cant explain in any other way, why I met today so different personas during few hours.

There's the guy who is bicycling around Aussieland, started from Darwin. He's guzzling water 1 l per 10km, about ten times as much as I.

Then I met Dan the Canadian who quit his software job, and started a new career as a touring entertainer. Juggling chainsaws and pitchforks is the current act. Hes actually driving all around the globe, but after riding through three blizzards in Canada, prefers now warmer climates ;)

A bit later on cliffs I swapped war-stories with a 90-year-old Italian, who had joined partisans at Italuan/Yugoslavian border. Actually I just listened while he recalled how he won his medals. Ciao! Forgot to rake a pic of this vigorous old man.

Getting hot

Now it's finally getting as hot as expected 40C at Ceduna, with strong and hot wind from inland. It's a good day to rest, as I reached Ceduna at midday, just before the heat is really on! On the way there was a historical water hole, a little walk away from the highway. In this weather I dont take unnecessary steps in full riding gear though ;)

Before Cedena there was some dust clouds on the air, first I thought about bushfire, then of sandstorm, but it was just a bit of dust. Air humidity is at 4%, so I guess these clouds are normal.

Come to think of it, the Street Guard II suit that I am wearing does cope with heat pretty well. Ventilation slits at armpits work better than what you would expect and the textile has been coated with some heat reflective coating. Some of the Rukka suits are made in similar fashion, and do work equally well. My suit is now over five years old and after this journey it might be ready for retirement. The arms have some microholes in them, so in long rain water starts to seep in. Also the original black color starts to be faded into reddish-brown in places.

If I choose to try a Rukka garment next, the only problem is that extra long arm-version has to be a custom order from factory. BMW does offer special sizes off the rack. Both of them would be really good, but which one would suit me better?

Riding day, pt. 4

Eyre peninsula doesn't have too much attractions on it, except some really nice coastal line! I wondered down one road that had the scenic sign on it, but it ended into a quarry... as the road was a mixture of sharp rocks and loose sand, making an u-turn was an easy decision. Specially when bike went on reserve! Another road then again provided magnificient views from a coastal cliff. Met also a local metalhead sheepfarmer with 16000acres of land. He had problems in believing about the usual size of farms in Finland :-)

Australian Aviation Museum

In Port Adelaide resides a small museum that specialises in aeroplanes with an Australian connection-worth visiting for cultures' sake! Maybe the most interesting part was their backyard, where's their restoration workshop. It was nice chatting there about old aeroengines and their current projects. Amazing, from what sorts of remains they can restore showpieces, given that the work is done on voluntary basis!

Some lovers had written their initials "forever" at oneof the rest areas, and now they're in the Internet. And what gets to 'net, also stays there...

More kakadus at the camping site. I guess they're common :)

Riding day, pt.3

Tavoite oli ajaa Adelaiden kulmille, B101-tietä pitkin,joka myötäilee merenrantaa. Tässä onnistuttiinkin ja tietä riittää, yhtä paljon suuntiin molempiin!

12 Apostles

The biggest tourist attraction along the Great Ocean Road is the Twelve Apostles, greatrock formations standing in the sea. Well, they were nice even in the rain.

I've started to suspect that the sunny attitide of the locals might come from the Vegemite stuff. Unfortunately the paste is like concentrated "mämmi", and is totally an aquired taste. Even on a top of a toast...

Best thing today was the road itself. Fortunately most of the caravans had the sense of staying out of the f-ing road! Up to 60km of this winding road, with 80km/h top speed limit and mostly 45km/h recommended speed ;) If only without rain it would have been perfect!

Great Ocean Road

I finally found the sun! Although one of the rare Australian whisky distilleries is in Melbourne, I felt like riding past the city. On the map the easiest way past Melbourne was via south and taking ferry across the bay. Along the way there was another airstrip that offered Adventure Flights, this time with bi-plane (a Tiger Moth). Unfortunately the weather was still not good enough in the morning, but I'm convinced that there's plenty of opportunities along the way...

Only problem with the ferry was that local Harley Davidson Social Clubs had decided to do their annual endurance race through Melbourne. All the clever ones were at the terminal, basicly blocking the place. But I managed and made a mental note not to get involved with harharharleyleyleyleys.

The Great Ocean Road offers plenty of beautiful lookouts, beaches and tourist traps... but it is a truly great looking coastline.

Riding Day, pt. 2

Motorcycle driving offers plenty of time to think about ...all things and matters. Today I went to the airstrip near Jindabyne, to find out if the Green Machine would fly. Due the weather conditions it might have been possible during mid-day, if the overcast clouds would have cleared before the afternoon thunderstorms. Pilot couldn't say if flying would have been possible, so I had do decide if I wait and see or just leave. I left without much hesitation.

On my way towards Point Albert I pondered why I don't want to wait anymore, especially if the waiting is likely to be for nothing. In the past I would have waited, in hopes to be able fly a genuine warbird(to be a passenger, to be exact). This sort of waiting for nothing just puts me in a rotten frame of mind. I guess I've done my fair share of it, and I don't want to take it anymore. No, if I have a choice. There's type of persons around who just make other people to wait for them. They just don't put any value on other persons time, or just want to show their high status by making others wait for them. I've learned my lesson from them well.

Sometimes my attitude of not waiting anymore (without a reason) has hurt other's feelings, which is regrettable, but at times unavoidable with me. The waiting just makes me insufferable, it's better for everyone that I do something else instead of being there in a foul mood.

At least I've said sorry, but I have to go.

Viikon tunnelmia

Alkuperäinen suunnitelmani suorittaa reissu pää-asiassa telttaillen alkaa hieman epäilyttämään. Tätäkin kirjoitan ukkosmyrskyn pauhatessa ulkopuolella, ne ovat melko säännöllisesti alkaneet päivittäin noin neljältä. Satunnaiset ripsaukset päivisin ovat pitäneet myös kesähanskat aika turhina kapistuksina. Paikallisten mukaan tämä on ollut yksi niistä harvinaisista, sateisista kesistä. Ihan tätä en tullut täältä hakemaan, aurinkorasvaa tarvitsin vain ensimmäisenä päivänä Sydneyssä...

Ihmiset tuntuvat olevan reippaita ja ystävällisiä suurimaksi osaksi, autot ovat kuin amerikasta ja rakennukset myös. Eräänlainen amerikan moderni villi länsi tai jotain.

Mopovalinta osui aika hyvin nappiin, koska osa reiteistä on osunut melko rouheille hiekkateille, minne en katupyörällä menisi. Vuokraamo antoi mukaan myös pussillisen yleisimpiä vara-osia, mikä oli positiivinen yllätys!

Snowy Mountainsin kiertävä reitti menee suureksi osaksi palaneiden metsien lävitse, joissa on hieman aavemainen tunnelma. Molemmin puolin törröttää suuria harmaiksi palaneita runkoja, viereisten kukkuloiden rinteet ovat myös lähes harmaita. Mutta aluskasvillisuus on vihreää.

Suo-alueen lävitse ajaessani huomasin kyltin, missä kerrottiin omistajan kylväneen palstalleen 1080 myrkytettyä syöttiä ketuille ja villikoirille. Mitähän muuta siellä vaeltelee, tarina ei kerro. Alueen läpi menevä tie oli paikoitellen sen verran heikossa kunnossa, että matkaaminen oli hidasta. Hätämajoittuminen tienviereen ei kyllä tullut mieleenkään vaihtoehdoksi, koska ainoa asia mikä puutui, oli etäinen banjonsoitto. Pääsin pois ennen pimeää ja pubiinkin.

Nyt olen nutannut viikon, enkä ole tainut päästä kauaskaan Sydneystä, pitänee alkaa oikeasti ajamaan ensi viikolla. Seuraavaksi kohteekseni voisin ottaa Melbournen, siitä ohitse Great Ocean Roadille ja kohti länttä. Ensin taidan suunnistaa rannikolle ja kun pääsen Great Dividing Rangen länsipuolelle, pitäisi myös sateiden jäädä peileihin.

Snowy Mountains

Australian Alpit eivät tarjonneet Alppien tasoisia elämyksiä, ihan kivoja maisemia oli, muttei mitään henkeäsalpaavia. Toisaalta, Alpine Way tarjosi todella hyvän ajopätkän motoristille, joten plussan puolelle jäätiin. Reittinä Cooma-Cabramurra-Khancoban-Jindabyne.

Vuori kuvan keskellä oli Abbots back(?), suunilleen tuollaisia ne kaikki täällä ovat. Laskettelijoille taasen paikka voi olla paratiisi.

Riding day

After three nights at Blue Mountains it was a high time to change location. Next place to visit is the Australian Alps, little south of Oberon (300 km). The day opened at 10C, 95% humidity according to the weather station, but became sunny and nice during the mid-day and as usual, the dark clouds started to gather at afternoon... Another thunderstorm, again.

I havent seen any creepycrawlies yet, but they're closing in, I fear.

I guess the road map isnt accurate, as both roads on the pics are of same class in the map. There's a lot of farms on sale, so if someone would like to become a farmer, this would be the place!

At Cooma's Alpine Hotel they are continuing the habit of not providing any hooks for clothing, even in the shower room. Most odd.