I found out by accident that the GPS was logging tracks while it was on. I don't remember turning that on! But here's all the tracks laid out in Google Earth:
Each day is a different colour and there's a lot of detail in the track. I'll keep adding to it as I go along!
Two short days! Home Hill to Townsville was nothing special. The V8's are on so I cleverly avoided that part of town entirely, much like everyone else. Bought some camping supplies for the night and dropped in to visit Erin and Daisy (her new puppy) on my way though. I left later than I had intended and then got to Jourama Falls an hour before sunset where I quickly set up camp. My camp site was situated not so cleverly downwind of the toilets and next to a camp with two young kids in it who refused to go to sleep.
Next morning I got up to take photos of the falls and jump around on the rocks, photos below... Then it was packing up and heading north for the last day of riding for a week! All the hills still look bare from the cyclone. Cardwell looks very different without the huge trees along the beach and Mission Beach is still there and working as normal (now with a giant woolworths I notice).
And now I have arrived in Cairns to stay with Heidi and her housemate Cheryl. For the next week I'll be planning my trip accross to Darwin, getting my vaccines topped up and drinking my three bottles of Bundaberg Rum Royal Liqueur (which should be arriving any minute now)!
Alligator Creek, just south of Townsville
My campsite at Jourama Falls
Jourama Falls
Climbed down onto the rocks to get this one, almost couldn't get back out :D
Infrared photo, for something different!
Cardwell. All the trees on the left used to block any view of the beach and islands.
The big gumboot in Tully! There are stairs inside too!
The Big Cassowary (still haven't seen a real one)
Bingil Bay
Free tea and biscuits! They're just giving this stuff away on the side of the road!
On Wednesday I left Yepoon fairly early because I knew I had that long boring run between Rockhampton and Mackay to do. There's not much to look at. I stopped at Marlborough for fuel and food, and to watch traffic. And then I stopped again at Clairview but at least it was low tide and I could walk wayyyy out on the sand/mud. In Mackay I got myself some emergency McDonalds so I could try and plan my next move of Bunnings and Camp food shopping. In summary, I hate Mackay :D
I camped at Smalleys Beach (40km north of Mackay) for 2 nights having stayed there twice before, in 1986 and 1991... And the only thing I really remember about the last time was walking out to Wedge Island at low tide (at the nearby Cape Hillsborough) and the beach. The rest day was good and now I really think I can keep up the slow pace, I didn't want to leave...
Today I started heading north again not wanting to do more than 200km or so. I went in to Airlie beach on my way but didn't like it. There's a Bunnings, big shopping centre, McDonalds, Hungry Jacks etc. and I'm not sure why. It doesn't really look like a big place at all. Next was a run up to Bowen which is only an hour away. I had planned to stay there but every caravan park was full and every Motel was $100/night or more! The V8's in Townsville combined with school holidays are making this difficult. I figured it was best to keep going and get some more kilometers out of the way. I got to Home Hill and was going to try and find a caravan park to stay cheaply but then I saw the looonnnnnnggggg line of motorhomes and caravans by the info place. They would have all tried to get in at Bowen too. I figured it was best not to compete and just pay for a Motel room.
Now some pics:
Campsite at Smalleys Beach
Pretty much sums up my rest day...
The causeway out to Wedge Island
More of Cape Hillsborough
You can all fight over caravan sites, I'm getting a Motel... (:O you can park there for 48 hours! with free showers, and bbq, and toilets, and everything! Oh well. I did see a lot of caravans waiting on the side of the Bruce highway)
Emergency headphone repair with the help of superglue!
Sunset on Day 2
More Sunset
Playing with the GoPro in the water
Tide was coming in at Clairview... RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! Oh, I guess walking is OK.
The bike was put back together just in time to leave on the 2nd, after delaying a day from when I had told everyone I was leaving of course. It now has power in one of the pelican cases and a plastic headlight guard, and semi-working indicators (mostly the work of my dad though). I packed quickly on Saturday morning, then waved goodbye to the family and left Corindi within 15 minutes of the intended departure time of 11:15am.
I stopped at Maclean and Woodburn to get a Pot Bellied Pie that my brother and Anita recommended. But they had both sold out for the day by the time I got there. I stopped in at Byron Bay for another look (and confirmed I don't really like it) and found another Pot Bellied Pie shop, Success!
That night I stayed with June and Trevor in Ormeau. I used to work with June when I was at Waterwerks. We went to the local pub and I had a drink of XXXX Bitter, which I think I could drink more of. Thanks to June and Trevor for letting me stay and mess up their place!
The next morning I headed into West End to to have a second breakfast with Sarah at the Gun Shop Cafe. The food was good, but there was a lineup, and we did get rained on, slightly. We did score half a table for 6 with another 2 people waiting in line when we joined forces though! I missed out dropping in on a lot of other people in Brisbane cause of delays with servicing the bike. But I'll be back. Eventually. If I want another job in IT in *.au then it will probably be in Brisbane, it seems nicer there now (and it's warm).
After that it was a trip on the freeway/motorway up to my Auntys place in Nambour where I drank a lot of their grog! Thanks to my Aunty and Andy for letting me mess up their place too! And I briefly saw my cousin Jamie who was just leaving to head back into Brisbane again!
And now today. IT'S FINALLY WARM. So warm that I posted all my warm woolen layers back to Melbourne! They can stay there until next year now! I left Nambour late this morning intending to get to Agnes Waters, but by the time I got into Bundaberg (and completed the obligatory distillery visit) it was 5pm, which is sunset in these parts. I headed out to Bagara to get a motel room just meters away from the pub... Which is just out there <--- ... I should really go over there to see what they've got.
Some pictures/video:
My peeps
It rained on me just near Byron Bay
The promised land!
Plowing my brothers driveway, it was quite slippery:
Been here at my brothers place for 12 days now. Going to make it 13, then I have to leave to stick to my schedule. Just as it starts raining a bit.
I have done a lot with the bike though. It takes a long time to do anything however because it's 30 minutes away from Coffs Harbour (larger hardware/electrical shops). So if you find you're missing one part, that's an hour round trip at least, and there is usually several reasons to go so it takes half a day out. And my bike will be out of action so someone else has to take me.
What's been accomplished:
Installed battery charging indicator led
Wired in a switch on the headlight to comply with Cambodian laws
Changed running lights to LEDs to save a few watts (and then rewired some lights as the polarity is backwards)
Correctly torqued all bolts
Removed rounded upper suspension bolt (3 day task...)
Repacked spares/tools
Full service of bike
So... somewhat better. There's a couple of things left to do tomorrow before setting off on Saturday (suspension preload, wire power into pelican cases).
On the admin side I've set up a computer to remotely back up to while I'm away. I've booked several campsites up the Queensland coast, and planned some extra time in Darwin to look at Kakadu. And then I've repacked my luggage to gain some extra space.
I've also finally applied for and paid for travel insurance. I've gone the super gold mega cover from ihi bupa. I couldn't find any one else who would cover me for travel in areas where smart traveller says do not travel (that's the Thai/Malay boarder and several other places I'm going through). As a bonus if I want to take up heli skiing (where I do not exit the helicopter while it is hovering) then I'm covered!
I've also finally forgotten what work was like. Thanks Rum!
