The Tour Resumes

 Tuesday 3 January
Wagga Wagga - Perth

Kate and the boys dropped me off at Wagga airport at 1025 for the flight to Perth via Sydney.  I arrived in Perth at 1715 local (3 hours behind Wagga) and caught the bus and train to Perth CBD station.  It was a short walk to my hotel for the night.  I telephoned John Gliddon to confirm details for the morning and he requested an earlier meeting.  I had a delicious curry in an Indian restaurant close to the hotel.

Wednesday 4 January

Perth - Busselton

I was up at the crack of dawn, well 0630.  I walked to the station and caught a train from Perth to Kwinana from where John Gliddon picked me up.  I rearranged and repacked my luggage and loaded the bike ready to leave just before 1000.  I remarked to John that perhaps I should have started the bike before loading.  Needless to say the bike wouldn’t start - flat battery!  John produced a jump start pack and having unloaded some of the luggage to access the battery terminals the bike started immediately.  We decided that I probably needed a new battery despite that fact that the current one was new in September and had been regularly used since then, stand fast the Christmas break.  He recommended Battery World in Rockingham (they stock a wide range of motorcycle batteries and are far cheaper than motorcycle shops) a distance of about 30kms.  I also needed fuel as I had been on reserve since Perth and I didn’t want to stop in case the bike wouldn’t start again without jump leads.  The guys at Battery World set about removing the battery but decided to test it first.  The battery proved to be sound if discharged.  They said that they could sell me a new battery but as it was only 3 months old they believed it just needed a good charge.  I was advised to stop at Battery World in Bunbury to have the battery tested again.  I rode the 134kms there, stopping for fuel and refreshments and the battery appeared fine.  The battery was tested again in Bunbury which confirmed that the battery was sound and one of the members of staff who was the motorcycle expert said that he wasn’t surprised that it had discharged over three weeks of inactivity.  He advised that when parking up for a considerable time in the absence of a battery tender (which I use at home) to disconnect the negative lead from the battery.  I reached Busselton and began seeking accommodation.  I stopped at the local caravan park for a camping pitch but they were full.  I telephoned a number of other caravan/camping sites in the locality all of which had no space available.  Looking for other types of accommodation on line there was nothing available at less than lottery winner prices.  I was unaware that it was peak holiday time as schools are closed for the long 6/7 weeks’ Christmas holiday, comparable to the summer holiday period in Europe.  I panicked and booked a room in a resort for a price I am ashamed to record.  It was very plush though, an apartment with 2 bedrooms and bathrooms, kitchen, dining area, lounge, balcony with sea view, 3 swimming pools, lake, 2 tennis courts etc, all of which were superfluous to my overnight needs of course.

  There appeared to be no accommodation available for at least a week all the way down the coast to beyond Denmark.  I managed to find a room in a small motel in Walpole so booked a few nights with the intention of using it as a base.

268kms travelled.

Thursday 5 January

Busselton - Walpole

I left Busselton at 0915 at 27C.  I rode to Point  Naturaliste and viewed the lighthouse built in 1903.  It is the last in Australia to be manned and became automatic in 1996.

I rode the Old Coast Road from Dunsborough to Augusta as the traffic was a little lighter than on the highway.  However, I failed to realise that Augusta was beyond Margaret River so had to backtrack to visit it, although I stayed only long enough for a coffee.  I was looking forward to seeing the town but it was very touristy and had little to commend it to me.  The ride from Margaret River was great.  My route took me across country on minor roads to join the Vosse Highway via Stewart Road (from Warner Glen Road then Wright Road and the Brockman Highway) to Pemberton.  From there to Walpole via the South Western Highway was fantastic.  The road wound its way through the  incredible Shannon State Forest and Mount Frankland  National Park with spectacular karri trees, some up to 90 metres tall and

accompanied by a beautiful musky aroma. 

 At 1700 the temperature dropped from 35C to 25C in 30 minutes.

435kms travelled.

Friday 6 January

Walpole

I awoke to a dodgy weather forecast - overcast, windy with rain after 1400.  I decided to head towards Albany visiting sights on the way.  As I left Walpole I spotted a cyclist, slowed down, and sure enough it was Petar who I had met just south of Port Hedland a number of weeks before.  We stopped for a chat and caught up on news since our meeting.  He remains positive and said he was treating the hills on this road as training for when he encounters real hills in Tasmania.  He said that the narrow road here caused him anxious moments when being overtaken by caravans in particular.  He too had experienced difficulty in finding places to stay, in his case generally campsites, and in Dunsborough he slept in the park having been quoted $90 for a pitch in the only site able to accommodate him.   He had been woken by a ranger but was permitted to stay as long as he left just after dawn.  I rode up a gravel road through the magnificent karri trees, the Tingle Forest, to the Hill Top Lookout 

and then on to the Giant Tingle tree. 

The view was compromised by poor visibility but the forest was immense.  It began to rain so I aborted the trip to Albany and stopped at the Phillipinian Cafe in Walpole and had the Phillipinian breakfast (Nasi Goreng) for brunch.  I had put my helmet and gloves on a table when I went to order.  When I returned my table was occupied by two middle aged women who had moved my gear to another table.  They apologised and I bit my tongue rather then take issue with them!  I returned to my accommodation and after a couple of hours it looked as though the weather was clearing so I ventured out again.  I rode a local scenic drive to the coast/beach/inlet but the weather deteriorated and I headed back arriving just as the heavens opened.  It’s no fun riding in the rain if it can be avoided.  I watched the final episodes of Traitor on Netflix, drank a couple of beers and had a microwave meal for dinner.

Saturday 7 January 

Walpole - Denmark - Mount Barker - Albany - Frenchman Bay - Walpole

This was a day ride to Albany via Mount Barker.  I headed out at 0910 at 20C.  I had reinstalled the thin liner to my jacket the night before and I was glad I did.  After about an hour of riding the delightful South Western Highway through forest I reached Denmark where I stopped for coffee and a toasted sandwich.  The town reminded me of Byron Bay several years ago with its hippy undertones.  Soon after leaving Denmark I turned off for the 52kms ride through the hills to Mount Barker.  The road was twisty in places with interesting hilly scenery.  I took the Albany Highway from Mount Barker and rode through Albany to the sea.  Again I didn’t stop as it appeared overly touristy.  I rode the 27kms to Frenchman Bay where there is an old whaling station.  

I had a pot of tea and apple pie, took photos, and returned to Denmark on the old coast road.  On approaching Walpole I decided to return to the Hill Top Lookout as the weather was so much better then the day before.  I almost missed the turning which was on a bend and as I braked hard a 4x4 which had been travelling behind me passed on the inside, clearly travelling too close!  The view was well worth the trip up the gravel road.

I refuelled in Walpole in preparation for the next day, and checked tyre pressures and greased the chain at my accommodation.  It had been a lovely day and the sunny evening was warm and balmy.

369kms travelled.

Sunday 8 January 

Walpole - Kondinin

I left at 0845 at 20C.  I had decided to wear my long sleeved thermal vest and that, together with the jacket liner was sufficient to keep me warmer than the day before.  I retraced my route to Denmark and Mount Barker before joining the Albany Highway.  I encountered a little drizzle on the way but after sweating over very dark clouds ahead the sky cleared with no further precipitation.  

I turned off the Highway at Cranbrook and refuelled and took onboard coffee at Tambellup.  I was stopped for a random breath test in Broomehill and continued on various minor roads via Katanning, Dumbleyung, Jitarning and Kulin before reaching Kondinin.  There was a stretch of 13kms of gravel where the tarmac had been stripped for resurfacing but I had no worries - my confidence is now high on the loose stuff.  I booked two nights in the Kondinin Hotel/Motel as I realised that the area was interesting including the famous Wave Rock and so the next day would be for touring/sightseeing.  After a shower I went into the bar and over a beer had a long chat with the barmaid, Mandy, who, although born in Kondinin, had lived in Darwin for 35 years.  Her brother owns the hotel and she was helping out for a couple of weeks apparently.  She told me sad tales of indigenous problems in Darwin and about how unsafe people feel there.  I walked around the town and found it to be quite rundown with few shops left open.

Refurbished Historic Shops

 There was an Anglican Church which was closed and derelict.

406kms travelled.

Monday 9 January 

Kondinin - Wave Rock

I set off at 0930 at 28C stopping at Hyden for fuel and breakfast.  Wave Rock is only a few kilometres farther on and on arrival I bought my $8 motorcycle parking ticket and walked to the rock which is fascinating.  Rising 15 metres from the ground and more than 100 metres long, the rock looks like a giant surf wave of multicoloured granite about to crash onto the bush below. It’s believed this amazing formation was more than 2,700 million years in the making. 

Although it was very hot I walked to the top which afforded a good view of the surrounding countryside. 

 Nearby is another attraction, Hippo’s Yawn which consists of an unusually shaped granite tor that was formerly part of the larger outcrop.

So I walked the 1.5kms through the bush to be left a little disappointed.  Another attraction nearby is Mulka’s Cave containing ancient aboriginal wall art.  The name Mulka comes from an Aboriginal legend associated with the cave.  Mulka was the illegal son of woman who fell in love with a man with whom marriage was forbidden according to their law.  It is believed that as a result of breaking these rules, she bore a son with crossed eyes.  Even though he grew to be an outstandingly strong man of colossal height, his crossed eyes prevented him from aiming a spear accurately and becoming a successful hunter.  Out of frustration it is said Mulka turned to catching and eating human children and he became the terror of the district.  He lived in Mulka's Cave, where the imprints of his hands can still be seen, much larger and higher than that of an ordinary man.  I rode the 18kms to the cave to find that to access the chambers containing the art was via a narrow, low passageway which required a torch to light the way; my phone torch was not effective.  So I didn’t venture inside

I returned to the Wave Rock cafe for a pot of tea.  On the way back I visited Kondinin Lake, a lovely, peaceful lake.

180kms travelled.

Tuesday 10 January

Kondinin - Kalgoorlie Boulder

I left at 0910 at 26C and again at 0940 at 28C.  I had ridden approximately 16kms when I realised I had left my water bottles in the fridge.  A quick about turn and an additional 30 minutes to my journey.  I refuelled in Kondinin before heading north to Meridian via Narembeen to join the Great Eastern Highway, a distance of 120kms.  I was in the Wheatbelt which covers an area of 96,226 square miles - hard to imagine.  There are wheat fields as far as the eye can see in terrain of rolling downs. 

Wheat is just one of the cereal crops grown and these broad acre crops account for 80% of the value of the region’s commodities.  Then at Southern Cross it all seems to stop and I resumed riding through dense bush.  The temperature rose by 10C in 40 minutes travelling north and from midday it hovered around the low 40s.  I encountered a couple of showers but as I could see the extent of the dark clouds I just hunkered down behind the small screen which kept me relatively dry and I knew I would dry quickly in the high temperature.  Coolgardie was an interesting small town with much evidence in the form of seemingly out of place grand buildings built in the early 20th century reflecting the early wealth of gold mining.  My Airbnb was in Boulder, a little way from town so a quick trip to the local supermarket and bottle-o set me up for the night.

488kms travelled.

Wednesday 11 January

Boulder

I awoke feeling a little odd.  I think perhaps I was concerned at crossing the Nullarbor Plain.  I walked into Boulder for a hair/beard cut.  I had breakfast and returned to the house to research accommodation for the next few days.  I was able to book accommodation in only one roadhouse on the Nullarbor and would have to camp the following day.  I visited the gold mining museum in Kalgoorlie and then the Super Pit which is simply amazing.  The Super Pit is one of Australia’s largest open pit gold mines.  The 1893 gold rush resulted in the discovery of the Golden Mile, at the centre of the Kalgoorlie Goldfield, one of the richest gold deposits in the world, producing more than 60 million ounces of gold. In 1903 there were 49 operating mines, 100 headframes and more than 3,000 kilometres of underground workings on the Golden Mile.  The enormous trucks, which take 30 minutes to travel from the bottom to the top of the pit and which cost $8M, look like toys when viewed from the top.

  I returned to Kalgoorlie and walked around the town centre buying a pie for supper.

On arriving back at the accommodation I discovered a couple, Mark and Kay from Queensland, who had booked in for the night.  This was unexpected as I had been told by the owner who was away in Perth that I had sole use of the house and my gear was spread all over the kitchen table.  I cleared all my gear and then discovered I was occupying the wrong room.  I had a long chat with Mark and Kay before they turned in at 2030.

Thursday 12 January

Boulder - Balladonia

I left at 0900 at 27C.  I rode along the Goldfields Highway before joining the Coolgardie Esperance Highway and I was immediately flanked by dense bush.  I saw a large number of “Mine Site” roadsigns along the way and evidence of a number of nickel mines in addition to gold mines.  Traffic was surprisingly light.  The temperature hovered around 28C.  I reached Norseman where I refuelled and had a sandwich and coffee before heading east.  The first 150kms of the Nullarbor road is flanked by trees which gradually thin out.  

I reached Balladonia roadhouse where I was expecting to camp having been told on the telephone the day before that they were fully booked.  The temperature had reached 36C so I asked on the off chance if there was a vacancy, and there was.  It was a short day but a good start to the Nullarbor crossing.  Again, I was surprised at the light traffic.  I was reminded of the Nullarbor golf course where there is a sequence of holes many hundreds of miles apart which are popular among travellers.

  Indeed, at each roadhouse I saw several people with one or two clubs having a go.  

365kms travelled.

Friday 13 January

Balladonia - Mundrabilla

I left at 0750 at 23C.  I had a pretty unremarkable ride across the Nullarbor Plain.  Vegetation gradually thinned with trees becoming smaller and sparser.  I stopped at Caiguna to refuel and met a guy riding a Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally from Perth to Victoria.  I saw more bikes today than at any other time (1 group of 3, 1 pair and 3 individuals).  On reaching Madura I stopped at  Madura Pass viewpoint to takes photos from the top of the escarpment of great views of the plain towards the ocean.  

I refuelled at Madura as only diesel was available at Mundrabilla.  The motel at Mundrabilla was a little rundown and the standard of food was pretty average.  I had shepherds pie with burned cheese on top and had to pay extra for a small portion of vegetables, but the accommodation charge of $120 was reasonable given its location.

Nullarbor Sunset

 I had noticed how little roadkill I had seen compared to when I crossed in 2020.

452kms travelled.

Saturday 14 January

Mundrabilla - Ceduna

I left at 0650 (local) at 22C.  It was very windy so I wore my waterproof jacket especially as showers were forecast.  The wind was strengthening.  I refuelled at Border Village just over the border with South Australia where the time moved forward 2 hours to 1000.  I had experienced three time zones in the space of two days.  I stopped several times to photograph the coast.

The wind strength increased and became southerly so hitting me at 90 degrees.  I stopped at the Nullarbor Roadhouse, which looked to have been refurbished since my last visit in 2020, where I refuelled and had lunch.  A tanker road train driver asked how I was coping with the wind.  He said he had seen me the day before and had overtaken me twice today and that my lean angles had been interesting.  He must have been driving at a relaxed pace.  The terrain became totally treeless, after which the plain is named of course.

Although there were threatening dark clouds there was no rain.  As I approached Nundroo to refuel I crested a rise and before me was farmland, clearly the edge of the plain.  The wind had stirred up much dust across the plain and both I and the bike were covered.  I stopped at a rest area and cleaned my helmet visor with glass cleaner - a revelation.  I reached Ceduna just after 1700 and booked into the hotel which was fine.  A large comfortable room but with an outside door facing the sea and the wind.  It was very noisy with the wind whistling past the door.  I spoke to the receptionist who suggested placing a rolled up towel at the bottom of the door - it worked!  I enjoyed a delicious lamb shank for dinner.