The Long Way Home

Normally it takes an hour to drive from Geelong to our new home just outside of daylesford. This time it took us four weeks! But what we saw along the way!

I'm sitting here now surrounded by gum trees and the beautiful song of Australian Magpies and countless other unidentified birds. The breeze is shaking the leaves and it is neither too hot nor too cold. I've been worried about moving to the country, I've only ever lived in Melbourne city in Australia before. I'm scared of bush fire and crazy insects, of being lonely and isolated. But we've now met so many people living in much more harsh, remote, hot, insect infested, beautiful, difficult, dry places that it makes me feel I can live here happily.

It was such a joy driving along our forest lined driveway. I felt very impatient all day yesterday riding the 2 and a half hours from Shepparton. We stopped off in bendigo along the way, had lunch in the art gallery and a quick look around. Then back on Norman for the last 100 or so ks home.

It's good to finish a journey glad to be home rather than longing for more. I leave you with some of the sketches from the Hay races and keep an eye out for videos we will upload soon. Now we need to organise getting more of our belongings to our new place and setting up my new studio, stock up our cupboards, get jeremy some gigs. We need to start our married life!

Jeremy: Hay Races!

It feels like a kind of peak to the whole trip to actually be here at the hay races after deciding we were going to try and make it here back when we were in alice springs. What a day! It's just after the last race, and I'm not going to lie, it's been a really hot day and beer has been easier to come by than water, if you catch my drift. So, I decided a blog post was due before it got too late for me to concentrate, although to be honest I may have left it too late!
I rode down to hay this morning in the heat, so that we could leave straight from here to shepparton in the morning. Not a great start, I was covered in sweat before we even got to the race course! It was nice to try the bike out at speed without bridget or any luggage on the back though.
We didn't do too badly with the betting, we finished 16 dollars up by my reckoning. We sweltered away in the heat, but have had a wonderful day. Lots if laughing and merryment, and I'm pretty sure bridget got a fair bit of drawing done which you might get to see tomorrow! In the meantime here's a few photos of us with our gracious hosts ed and rachael, and the field here at hay race course.

Jeremy: it's nice to take a break.

So, our tent ended smelling like incense all night, which sure beats the hell out of petrol and rancid butter. Other than 2 wee kids who were pelting around on their dirtbike this morning at 5 o'clock, we had a lovely nights sleep. The big meal of mei goreng we had at the lovely local indonesian restaurant and the couple of whiskeys we followed it up with might have helped... The campsite here has soft grass too, which none of the other campsites (bar uluru) have had in the last few weeks have had. Today the petrol smell seems to have disappeared, thank goodness.
We decided later last night that we were going to give burra another night. After our stint of covering close to 1600kms in the last three days we decided another rest day was due, and we're pretty lucky to have landed in burra for it! It's really a lovely town, still full of beautiful old stone buildings, lots of nice old antique shops to mosy around in and little coffee shops and restaurants in which to relax. It's been a very relaxing day of reading and laundry, with some poking around in the town museums this morning. In the town hall they have costume rooms up the back of the theatre for poeple to try out some period dress. Bridget got all dolled up in a ridiculous big stripy thing. She still looked quite fetching though!
We reckon we'll push on to renmark tomorrow, and see some of the national parks around so bridget can do some drawing.

Jeremy: One more day of desert to go, then corners!

I'd forgotten how nice it was for a motorcycle journey to involve corners, till later today. Granted, I still didn't have to slow down for these particular corners, but I had to actually lean the bike over a bit which is more than can be said for anywhere else we've been lately, and they reminded me how much they help you focus too. It's just been pack up, turn right onto stuart highway, get bike to 110kph, do that for 80kms, pull into rest stop (where there is just a bin and a table, if the table hasn't been burnt or the bin hasn't had a shotgun shell put through it) wait for ten minutes, pull out of rest stop, turn right onto stuart highway, get bike to 110kph, go for 80kms etc.. Most of the time on the way up into a head wind. It's tiring, and boring. Just in a straight line at 110, for as long as your head can take the wind, and your fuel lasts. Can't wait to have to slow down for a corner tomorrow!
I made a few mistakes today. I put it down to tiredness and sore hands, but I could just be a bit uncoordinated... I was filling up the jerry can with fuel for the run from coober pedy to glendambo (i didn't want to repeat our feat of running out of fuel again) and I slipped with the nozzle and poured a whole squirt of fuel over the bottle, which then ran down onto the sleeping mat and sleeping bag that it was strapped to. I rinsed it all with a bit of water as best I could, but here I am in the tent tonight writing this blog post and the tent has the rather strong aroma of petrol permeating it. Not only that, but the tent smells like stale milk for some reason. I think something must have got jammed in with it by accident 3 days ago when we slept in it last. I could go on about the food too (just truckers food everywhere (burgers, chips, dimsims, egg and bacon rolls)) but all I've done is whinge here so I better stop moaning, just get some sleep and cheer up a bit!
While we were in Alice Springs (which was roasting, as you can see from the pictures) I went and got the chain on Norman seen to. I seemed to be making a bit more noise than it had at the start, and remembering how often I used to lubricate the chain on my old bike which was every 300kms or so (i'd done 3000kms or something on Norman and hadn't even checked it) and also that new chains stretched a lot in the first couple of thousand kilometers, I thought it prudent to have someone who knew what they were about to have a look over it. I think I heard the word "floppy" a few times, so Norman got tightened up and lubed, ready to turn around and head back the way we came.
Cadney homestead was a wierd wee place, with a wierd wee cabin we stayed in, but we got a pretty good nights sleep and that's what matters really. There was an amazing rainbow after the storm we narrowly dodged, because of the really bright sunshine I think.
I'll let Bridget explain the last picture tomorrow...

Jeremy: uluru, kata tjunta and lots of heat

So, today we finally saw Uluru, and the Olgas. We saw Uluru last night but it was from quite a distance and we were on camels, which was lovely but distracting as we'd just witnessed one of the women riding with us get thrown off her camel. Apparently the ants are mental at the moment because of all the rain, and the camels were all stamping their feat as we rode along to get them off. This is normal behavior but the camel infront of us took it a little too far, and actually jumped and bucked his rider off. Lucky she was ok, because it's a long way down off a camel, but every subsequent stomp of everyone else's camels was met with a tightening of the grip on the saddle. Not as relaxing as it was supposed to be I think.
After waking up a little late, we got some stuff for breakfast and lunch, and promptly decided that we were taking a bus trip to see kata tjunta today, there was no way we were putting all our leathers on and riding there in 35 degrees. So, we got on an air conditioned bus which took us to kata tjunta (the olgas) where we walked up through a gorge and then drove around uluru before watching the sunset there. Very nice and civilised. We've decided to go on to Alice Springs tomorrow, to try and escape the heat for a night or two at a backpackers. I think we're feeling a little too guilty about all the money we've spent on camels and busses to go all out on a hotel, and everything else here is very expensive too so these past 2 days have been quite a drain on the budget. Oh well.
We nearly ran out of fuel again yesterday on the way in. after paying an absolute fortune (photo below) for fuel at ebeneezer roadhouse, I think I must've just neglected to fill the tank properly. Too busy watching the dollars mount up. We set off, and after stopping for lunch at curtin springs, we accidently set off the wrong way. After 9 ks in the wrong direction it was Bridget who pointed it out (don't know what I was doing, looking for camels or something) and we turned round, adding nearly 20kms to the trip. I still figured it would be fine, but with 50 kms to go to yulara, I had to switch to the reserve, which only has 45kms on it at absolute maximum. I was panicking, already making up stories in my head to try and explain to the racv how 2 days after I had to call them to top up the tank after we ran out I needed them to do the same again. Oh, and this time we had an empty jerry can on the bike too, just to make it even worse. Just then, we caught up to a huge coach, and I just tucked in behind it and stared at it's tail lights for the next 52kms. It actually sucked us along the road all the way to yulara where we managed to roll into shell with a shot glass of fuel left. We were so lucky that coach appeared, because the head wind was fierce and there was no way we would have made it.
The jerry can isn't empty anymore.

Getting ready for the big push...

I think we proved to ourselves today that we can just do a big hit without too much hassle, and without thinking about it too hard. We'd had a lovely day just looking at museums and Bridget had got some drawing done, but all of a sudden it was 5 o'clock and we were still hundreds of k's from clare, which was where we'd decided to stay the night so that the next day we could go to port augusta in readiness for the longer days to come after that. So, we just did it anyway. We got in a little late but we got here and the drive was beautiful. The sun setting, huge lovely golden wheat fields waving in the breeze, countless vineyards all the way. Bridget and I have decided that we really love the adelaide hills, and we'll definitely be back sometime soon, for a little more wine tasting maybe. The clare valley is especially beautiful, I've a lovely photo there of our camp with norman and the setting sun behind.
We stopped in hahndorf this morning, very interesting museum there about the first waves of german settlers to colonise the hills around mount barker, then to birdswood to the national motor museum. I don't think Bridget was as excited as I was, but she did her best and managed to find a few cars she liked, mostly Austins of various shapes and sizes (a30, a40, a50, 7...) And morris's. Morrisi? I'm not sure on the plural. I loved the motorbike section. Amazing! And what a ride through the hills, lots of twisty roads to negotiate, but all in good condition, no worrying about potholes!
Then we managed to squeeze in a visit to the giant rocking horse before it closed. I think bridget got a couple of photos of that.
Anyway, Norman chugs along, as.per usual. I think I may have to get someone to check the chain soon, I'm pretty sure they stretch quite a lot in the first little while after they're new so I'll get the tension checked out once we've done another 1000kms or so. Anywho, a quick bonus of bridget at the pink lakes from the other day too, and what also bridget posing next to a lovely fj holden ute at the motor museum, what a sight! I think she has to work on her draped across the bonnet pose a little more.

Jeremy: Pennies make pounds. Apparently.

We seem to be doing very short days at the moment, a product of having numb bottoms and there being so much to see I think. We keep telling each other about how soon we're going to be having to break into the big days, no more of this 150kms business! It seems crazy, but I guess when there's just nowhere to stop and nothing to see it will be much easier, and we won't be feeling like we're passing by things we should be seeing. It's very hard to work out what's worth seeing and what's not worth the time (or money) but you can't do it all I guess! And all your short distances add up to a big trip in the end anyway.
I've been having problems with my damn sleeping bag, it seems to drop more feathers than it holds in! It is a very nice warm bag, but it is quite old now (25 years or so I think) and I think its having trouble keeping it together. Consequently every night in the tent has been an itchy-eyed, runny-nose-sneezy-blocked-face nightmare until I relented and started taking tablets. Last night's sleep was bliss, breathing through one unblocked nostril! Maybe tonight I'll get two? It seems to be starting to irritate my skin now though too, all these little feathers poking me in the night. Beware all of you the curse of the ageing old (sleeping) bag!
We met a nice bloke at the cinema in beachport last night who gave us some tips on distances and places to stop on the way up to alice springs. It seems like the bike's fuel range should be fine for pretty well all the distances between stops except one which should be very close which is glendambo to coober pedy, a distance of 254kms. As I said, this will be close, but we got 247km out of it a few days ago and part of that was up the huge hill from skene's creek to colac so we should be fine. Good old norman! I'm finding it very hard to fault our 1997 honda shadow ace at the moment, it just hauls along wiyh no complaints. I think 2 people and all our gear is pushing it's limits, but's handling the task at the moment beautifully. 110 kph? Bring it on.
Our careful money counting goes on,  and we seem to be doing very well actually! The odd treat here and there, but mostly we've been sensible. Here's quick pictire of btidget and I on the 772 meter long pier at beachport, (the longest in south australia) what a lovely town!

Jeremy: Trucks to Port Macdonnell

We're all rugged up here for the night, and glad we managed to get the tent set up and the bike under a tarp before the rain started. I think i'm going to have to give the front of the bike another clean tomorrow morning, the insect guts coverage is substantial.
Getting used to the feeling of 100kph for an extended period of time isn't as easy as I thought, what with the very large logging trucks blowing you about like a paper plane (i've started arranging us on the road with a little more room which seems to help) and the constant splatter and pop of insects impacting the visor on your helmet (as well as you shins, your hands, the crooks of you arm etc...) It's an interesting place to be. It makes all the little stops you make for a break seem that much more restful and interesting. We stopped to see a huge windfarm today, very interesting! It was a lovely day today weather wise too, the stop at nelson was particularly sunny and scenic with lots of lovely birds for bridget to draw and lovely water for paddling in.
The bike seems to be handling the whole thing very well, although a little more range would be good. We very nearly ran out again today before we got to portland although i kept it to myself (it wasn't even as close as yesterday so no need to worry bridget with it). I think 2 people and all our stuff for camping seems to be taking it's toll on the fuel consumption a bit. it's good to have made it to south australia at least, it seems like a good milestone.
Port MacDonnell seems like a nice quiet wee spot, with lovely beaches.
So, tomorrow to kingstone? or all the way to adelaide? Of maybe we'll just wait here until the weather gets a little better? I think the best part of this decision is that it doesn't matter! Yay for holidays!

Portland

Just stopped for lunch. Look at  bridget's excellent repair job on our bag with portland in thr background!

Jeremy: First night, sorted.

All my fears about Norman the Honda Shadow 750 not being able to.take the strain appear to have been unfounded. It's a really torquey bike, and only in 5th gear up a really steep hill at less the 90kph did it struggle, and even then help was only a down-shift away. The suspension seemed to cope fine as well, with us only hitting the bottom twice and only on very bumpy stretches of road. All of that with Bridget riding pillion, me driving, a completely stuffed gear sack and roll bag on the luggage rack and two completely loaded panniers with sleeping bags strapped to them and everything else (hopefully) that we need for camping for at least 3 weeks. I even fit my pocket trumpet in there! Just having a nice cup of tea in the wye river caravan park now. So, geelong to wye river no problem. It's early days yet, and we haven't been that far really, but so far so good anyway!

Pre-Trip Packing List/Suspension Trouble

Went for a ride out to James's (my groomsman) place last night in Leopold (about 20k's) then had to ride back in the dark and drizzle at about 12am. My first night ride on the bike was all good, a little bit squirrelly around corners because of the greasy road but otherwise OK.

So, what to pack for a 2-up camping honeymoon for 3-4 weeks? The night before our australian wedding celebration and we're still trying to find time to do any real planning for the trip. I've been looking around a few touring sites to make sure i don't forget to take anything obvious, but otherwise i think there may be a few late (Very very late) additions to the pack the morning of the trip.

Nothing a quick trip to rays tent city won't fix!

So far our list goes something like this:

Stuff to take Definite list:

2X Very Compact Sleeping bags

2X Sleeping Mats

1X Compact Single Pole Twin Tent (with small annex for gear at night)

1X Trangia Meth Stove (including bowls, Cutlery)

2X Head Torches (spare Batteries)

1X Fuel Bottle for Stove

1X Ground Sheet/Tarp

2X Heavy Duty 1ltr waterbottles

2X Lots of our Clothes (that's another list altogether)

Waterproofs

Insect Repellent

Sunscreen

Toilet Paper

First Aid Kit (including pain killers and hay-fever tablets)

Thermos

Swiss Army Knife

Lighter

Maps

Mobile Phones (and chargers)

Spare Bike Key

Earplugs

Waterproof covers for bags

Wallets/Purse

Camera (and charger)

ipod

Stuff to take subject to room:

1X Picnic Rug

Containers for food

I'm still working on it, but that's a start anyway. I guess I'm mindful that we'll be mostly riding fairly well used roads and we will be staying at caravan parks and the like so we'll have electricity and running water at most places we stay. We'll also be going through a few larger towns throughout the journey so if we need more stuff for camping etc. we'll be able to get it without too much bother.

We were having terrible trouble with the bike bottoming out on the road the other day with Bridget on the back, and i was starting to wonder if the old Shadow 750 can take the 2 of us and all our stuff.

I read a few forums on the subject, and read into the suspension set-up a little more. I worked out that i can change the suspension pre-load adjustment quite simply (with just with my hands in fact) and that if i set it higher the extra stiffness will accommodate Bridget and our gear without bottoming out. When i went to change it I found that it was set to 1, which is the softest setting. No wonder we bottomed out there on the way to tim's the other day! I've set it to 4 (out of 5) and it seems to be much stiffer, although i've still got to take bridget on it to try it out. I might have to jack it up to 5 once we get it loaded up. It was quite simple really, i just twisted it till the 1 on the bottom of the shock lined up with the swingarm, and then counted the clicks around till i heard 4. Then repeated with the other side. Anyway, i'll tell you how it goes.

Right, still got stuff to organise for the wedding tomorrow, gotta go. We'll post up some pre-trip photos on sunday.

First Highway Ride

So, we've had norman for a day, and we went for a short spin yesterday evening so Bridget could try it out. I think she liked it, not so secretly... She looked good in all her gear too!

It felt really good to be on a bike again, although it took me a little while to get back into the swing of it. 'Point your face where you want to go and you'll go there.' Took me a little while to remember that, what with all the working out how the indicators work and getting a feel for the gear changes to RPMs and trying not to kill myself in the traffic. Good times! It was all sorted by the time Bridget got on though, nice and steady.

So, first test passed then! We just went to Tim's place for a cup of tea, 20 mins each way with a break in the middle. In about 20 minutes we're for our first highway ride, 30 mins each way. Should be all sweet but we'll be taking it nice and easy just in case! I'll report back on our return.