I arrived in Australia on 13 September to be met by my daughter, Kate, at Wagga airport. I uncoverd the bike a few days later, installed a new battery, added some fuel and it fired immediately. On the following Tuesday I rode the one and a half hours to the nearest Royal Enfield dealership in Albury on the New South Wales/Victoria border. A full service was undertaken and new chain and sprockets fitted. Once again I had a 16 tooth, one more then standard, front sprocket fitted to make highway travel a little more relaxed. The Sunday before last I went for a ride with a local chap most of which was on unsealed roads which reintroduced me to some of the techniques required for riding on these surfaces.
The weather over the past few weeks has been unseasonably cold and wet. My intention had always to depart today, Tuesday 4th October, and I had been monitoring the weather forecasts closely. I decided to make a start today regardless.
It was a relaxed start taking my time to ensure that the bike was loaded securely. It was overcast and at 17℃ as I departed at 1030. With a 250 miles/403kms journey today through areas I explored in 2020 I rode along main roads and arrived in Dubbo at 1650 with bright spells and a temperature of 24℃. The first couple of hours out of Wagga was almost like travelling the countryside at home, albeit with gum trees predominating. The terrain then became a little less cultivated with large swathes of flooded farmland, particularly south of Forbes, testament to the unprecedented rainfall this year. I intend to spend two nights in Dubbo as Wednesday's forecast is for heavy rain and thunderstorms. There are some interesting sights/museums in Dubbo so, rain notwithstanding, I will investigate as far as I can.
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