Albany to Esperance 485 km

The morning got underway  with an 8:00am  start, although we had a fair distance to travel we were heading again into the glorious warming morning sun, so progress was a little slow due to the glare on our shields.

Traveling through some of the Largest wheat areas in the South West, where the paddocks are measured in square kilometers and the machinery sheds and storage towers are vast.

A very pleasing day of smooth clear roads, great scenery and enough turns to keep it interesting.

We arrived in Esperance with enough time to ride around the great Ocean drive, a 38km loop which revealed some pristine beaches and lush hinterland.

Margaret River to Albany 385 km

Weather forecast, showers clearing and a cool 10 degrees when we set off. This was the day to change into weatherproof, winter leathers. As we left the roads were slippery and caution was needed, add to this the morning sun and the progress was made, slow and steady.

The first stop was Pemberton for refuelling and to climb the Gloucester tree.I was bet $5 that I couldn’t climb the 60 metres. It wasn’t easy, I got up about half way and wondered wether I should turn back. After a little rest, I decided to continue on up. The steel reo was thrust into the truck of this magnificent tree in the 30’s and a platform constructed as a fire lookout, they were very solid and were reassuring to step onto.

There is not much to stop you from falling, except for your own hands. There is a mesh surrounding, but if you lost you grip you would certainly fall to a painful and probably terminal conclusion.

The view from the platform

This area is in the heart of Timber country, some of the most amazing old growth forest abound. On the roadside there are these 40 metre giants standing to mark your way.

Scarborough to Margaret River 290 kms

First Mistake, assume that getting 290ks down the road was going to be a dawdle compared to the previous days, wrong, getting out of Perth was a nightmare. Traveling via the coast, through Fremantle in peak hour traffics was the wrong move and very frustrating.

Finally escaping to a Freeway, I got 100 ks away quick smart and then tuned back into the coast. Passing through some beautiful lush countryside and a town that may have had something to do with the dairy industry, they had these model cows everywhere.

I passed through Busselton, which prided itself, that “lifestyle’ was the town theme….it was cute. It did however have the longest pier in the southern hemisphere.

The 1.8km long pier

The air was getting cooler and the surrounding greener, this is wine and dairy country, interspersed with a bit of forestry.

Geraldton to Scarborough 430 Km

Another postcard perfect day, however you can sure feel the chill in the morning air.

I started off following the coastline as long as I could before having to turn a little inland.

There were certainly some close moments as I came across a very wide load, the plan for today was to take fuel stops as you like and some of us agreed to meet up at The Pinnacles in the National Park.

Before this however there was a bit of an issue with the support trailer, having lost  a wheel and one of the other riders deciding to take punitive action against a rogue driver.

The Pinnacles were certainly a surprise, an ancient seabed structure that was revealed when the seas retreated millions of yours ago they currently sit at 290 metres above sea level. Worth a look if you are around the area.

Contemporary hieroglyphics ? or a CSI puzzle

Spot the Emu….the only one I have seen so far

Not far from the Pinnacles, the traffic started to get busier, I found it a little overwhelming and consideration for other road users was diminishing. It was good to get into Scarborough a a day off.

Sunset in Scarborough

The day off consisted of getting the bike serviced and some new Tyres, Michelin Road Pilot3’s. Hopefully these will get me home as the original Metzellers, which only made 8000 on the rear and 12,500 on the front. Oh yes I also went to see Star Trek……awesome in 3D.

Carnarvon to Geraldton 480km

We were presented with another clear dry day, although the temperature was starting to drop.

The main hazards on this road were goats…it was goat country well and truly.

A fuel stop a the Billabong roadhouse presented another interesting theme…tattoos, and the working dogs here do all kinds of jobs.

Broome to Port Headland 610km

The technical support team

A slightly threatening wet and cool start to the day, however as we headed toward Port Headland the sky was clearing.

An ominous start

220km into the days journey a fuel stop at Sandfire roadhouse gave me the opportunity to hand feed some Peacocks and found a pure white one, which I had never seen before.

He was very friendly

Having a well deserved rest at Sandfire

The sub tropical greenery was giving way to the stark red landscape of mining country. As we approached Port Headland, evidence of the mining was becoming apparent, Large Buildings, acres full of utes with big aerials and red flags, and the roadtrains were cued up at intersections, waiting to turn onto the highway.

Large Buildings and Large trucks

Arriving at the accommodation was a little surprising, it was more like an army camp than a motel. It housed over 900 rooms with more being added. OH& S was of paramount importance here, even the people at reception wore Fluro vests. We were given instructions by the reception staff and asked to sign an agreement to adhere to the standards of this establishment, we received a map of the facility and a schedule of meals.

a standard room

The Blocks went on for 2-300 metres

The mess was sparkling clean and the food, given that they were feeding nearly 900 people was really good.

This was 1/4 of the Mess

Order off the Daily menu

All the vehicles were parked in backwards, as they all made a load beeping sound when put in reverse, so they could leave quietly early in the morning.

Fitzroy Crossing to Broome – via Derby – 460km and a Lazy Day off in Broome

There was a great incentive to get to Broome, a day off the road and a day day of relief from the heat and humidity.

Some of these roads are becoming quite tedious, maximum concentration is required at all times as you never know when a flock of birds will fly into you or some stray cattle will become an instant obstacle, keeping hydrated is extremely important to maintain concentration.

A fuel stop at Wallare Bridge, pretty much in the middle of nowhere, yielded some more donations.

This road is very busy with road trains, and Boabab trees are everywhere to be seen.

The Famous Prison Tree

Baobabs are indeed a major part of this region, some were even used as a prison and some streets are lined with them.

Another milestone, the bike just turned over 10,000km.

As it was a short run today, we popped into Derby for a Quick look.

As we approached Broome the weather started to close in and the temperature was dropping fast.

The day off in Broome, ended up being very uneventful, not even the Camels were working, it just rained, very heavily, all day. however we managed to have a BBQ, at least it was a good excuse to just rest.

Kununurra to Fitzroy Crossing – 657km

Dark ominous clouds presented themselves and gradually grew into a small shower for an hour of so after which another beautiful clear blue day was on offer.

The road ahead was long, straight and a little bumpy, I dialed in “comfort” mode on the BM and sat back to enjoy what was on offer.

This day was a warm up for the long day ahead. We have an 870 km day coming up soon. This is an endurance ride, not a site seeing tour and as such things are very business like. We get to bed early and get up early in  order to make the most mileage in the cool of the day, and certainly arrive well before dark.

Horses wandered aimlessly along the highway, seemingly careless that a motorcycle was careering down on then at high speed. Although gross weight of this vehicle and myself is around 500kg, I don’t think I would want to take on these ponies, giving way was the order of the day.

Baobab Trees and stark Mars – like terrain, red rocky outcrops were the order of the day.

I had a fuel stop at Halls Creek, which presented a small problem in that they only had standard unleaded fuel. My bike uses up around 30% more of this low octane stuff in this heat, which would have meant I would have struggled to make it  to Fitzroy crossing (a further 290km) on one tank, and there is nowhere else to refuel and I was well ahead of the support vehicles.

Fortunately the shop sold octane enhancer at $35, enough to treat 60 litres. With the enhanced fuel I was able to easily make it into Fitzroy Crossing with a 100km left in the tank, that stuff really works.

The temperature was still high running at 36  and very humid. As long as you move and the air is flowing it is very tolerable. Arriving at Fitzroy Crossing a dip in the pool provided tremendous relief.

Katherine to Kununurra 520 km

Another beautiful clear (crisp 20 degree) welcomed us to todays journey.

Being on a motorbike you are made more aware of the temperature changes, dropping a few metres into a dip can reduce the temperature by 2 or 3 degrees, the sense of smell is also constantly awakened, particularly the smell of rotting animals, which in some ares are very prevalent and provide a feast for the various scavengers.

The Hawks will stay picking at a carcass until you are almost on top of them. The prudent thing to do is to sound you horn continuously as soon as you are aware they are on the road ahead, however you do risk attracting the cattle and horses

This morning, was a collection of near incidences with animals. It started with a Cattledog just out of Katherine, who appeared to sit at the one particular intersection, line up his prey and attack, a valiant effort.

A young joey bounced across my path within 20 metres, which at speed is only a split second away, somehow they always want to follow your trajectory. A small emu decided to pace alongside me in for a short while, a herd of cattle thought they should hold me up for a few minutes, while giving me a thorough look over.

 Last but not least the other birds such as Galahs and budgerigars can cause havoc by accidentally swooping into you while attempting to avoid.

Stopped at Timber Creek for fuel, where it was noticed my rear tyre had a little less tread than I had started the day with. The decision was to put it on the trailer and continue on Andrews Kawasaki Z1000 ..that was a whole lot of fun.

The gentle undulating plains gave way to more red outcrops and huge escarpments.

We passed through the  WA border and visited Lake Argyle – wow – it is like an inland sea, many time the size of Sydney Harbour.

Eventually Kununurra came into site, and  relief from the 34+ temperature. The resort (Kimberley Grande) was unexpected, more like something you would find at a seaside resort.