21st May 2010 - Karijini Nat Park

No riding today.

We had our first night under canvas at the Eco Retreat Resort, which was cheating a bit as there was a good restaurant and bar at our disposal. There were safari tents available at $250/night but we thought $30 for a tent site more reasonable! Early in the morning we were woken by the howling of wild dingoes. We were told later that this was a mother dingo teaching her offspring how to howl in preparation for being booted out into the world on their own. Alan got up during the night for a leak and said the stars were amazing after the moon had set.

Colin decided after breakfast to start to file down his Pivot Pegs to fit onto the VFR. The Pivot Pegs were the same as Alan had on his BMW and Colin knew that the pivot pin would fit OK. After 20 mins of heavy work with the file Colin realised that this was a bigger job than he had hoped so he inquired if the Resort had a bench grinder in their workshop - they did and 30 minutes later the pegs were fitted. These pegs help to spread the pressure on the sole of the foot when you stand up on the pegs for rough road sections.

We had been told that access to Joffre Gorge was round the back of the resort so off we went in late morning and found a rather well hidden track which soon lead us down a side gorge into the floor of the main gorge just down stream of Joffre Falls, which only flows during rain storms. There was a long narrow pool of water in the base of the gorge and we decided to swim along it as we had brought our swimmers and towels. The sides were of highly layered iron stone and iron ore and stood vertically 70 m above us. The gorge was 10 - 20m wide and the water was comfortable. We could stop and stand on submerged ledges of rock along the way and decided to swim the whole 300m to the end. It was a great experience. We learned the next day that Joffre gorge leads out into the junction of the 3 gorges at Oxer lookout. The gorge was home to a large population of dragonflies of different size and colour. There were several tandems where two dragonflies latch on to each other and fly around making a relative loud buzzing noise. After our swim we had a look at the falls, which were dry.

We got back to the Eco Retreat in time for lunch and Alan ordered what he thought were 2 lunches of sandwiches and fruit. They came in neat little insulated back packs. I went to pay for them and discovered that we had ended up with 4 lunches at twice the price I was expecting. Each back pack was two lunches! Being gutsers we didn't notice. At least they came in handy for storing our rubbish which must be taken out of the Park.

We decided to take our first nana-nap of the trip and it was well worth while. A friendly camper came and offered us a couple of cold Carlsbergs after we had been amused by his attempts at squeezing a huge double inflatable matress into his van. This all recharged our batteries for a heavy game of cards after dinner, which we cooked ourselves on the Eco-Retreat barbeques. I had emu sausage, kangaroo and crocodile and Alan had a steak. I managed to peg Alan back to under 100 points in our card game saga.

Alan booked us into a guided tour for the next day to see the other gorges in the park. I called Morag on the landline public phone and heard all about her disasters with the AdventureTour through the GRR, which had been closed off due to rain.

20th May 2010 - Coral Bay to Karijini National Park

Distance Travelled: 664
Cumulative Distance: 7828

Woke up to a beautiful sunny day, then noticed big black clouds over the Indian Ocean. Luckily they stayed out there. Loaded up, had breakfast and left at 9am. We are now getting into the Pilbara region of Western Australia (iron ore country). The scenery has change and we rode through hills and valleys where the vegetation was a lot more interesting than before. Saw my first Emu of the trip ... luckily it ran away from me rather than to me. Also saw a Dingo disappearing off into the bush. We stopped to take pictures at various places on the way. One of these was a pile of rocks like a mini Olgas. we climbed to the top and could see all around the beautiful countryside. Stopped at the Nanatura roadhouse where we bought the most expensive fuel so far$1.88/litre and meat pie at $7!!! We also filled our 5 litre fuel containers in case we need them in Karajini. We get about 330kms from our fuel tanks and the 5 litres gives us an extra 80 - 90 kms. We arrived at Paraburdoo at 2.30pm and refuelled. Not as expensive as Nanatura. Paraburdoo is a small mining town and there is not much to it. We headed for Tom Price and reached the turn off for Karajini at 3.30pm. The scenery on this bit of road was quite spectacular as we rode through passes between the hills. The dirt road to the Eco Retreat we were camping at was heavily corrugated and our bikes were shaken quite a bit. Colin did well to keep his bike upright. Tomorrow We are going to set them up for dirt road riding ie low tyre pressure, off road foot pegs etc. We arrived at the Eco retreat at 5pm as we were only doing around 30kph on the dirt road. The sun was low in the sky and it was hard to see the ruts etc. Lesson one make sure you arrive at your destination in the mid-afternoon at the latest. I was still struggling to set up my tent as the sun went down. We dined at the restaurant which as very pleasant. The weather is warm and sunny and which is great. Tomorrow we are going to explore some of the gorges. There is no mobile reception only slow internet and a payphone so I am not sure when I will be able to post this entry., We have only just arrived back in civilisation so it will take a few days to get our blog up to date.

19th May 2010 - Coral Bay

Distance today zero

Total 7164 km

Today we woke with trepidation - would it continue to rain and be overcast? It turned out to be a fine sunny day with only a few clouds. We got up and after ablutions made our way to the local bakery for brekky. Afterwards we tried on our wet suits and flippers at Coral Bay Adventures in preparation for our boat trip to snorkel with the Whale Sharks. We had talked to a chap last night who told us that he had missed out on the Whale Sharks that day and that was the first day for a month they hadn't turned up.

We set off with a large party of 20 (including many from the day before). First stop was a nearby coral reef so that everyone could get their gear sorted. Alan and I soon realised that our snorkelling skills were pretty wick (the opposite of wicked). I nearly drowned by sucking water through my snorkel and had to be rescued by a nice sort and Alan was getting swept away on the current and was also rescued by another nice sort. We got ourselves readjusted and set off for a bit of coral gazing. I had to give up soon as I had a gut full of seawater and Alan continued to drift off in the current due to lack of forward propulsion.

The spotter plane went up to look for Whale Sharks and we made our way through the reef to the open sea. The swell was much greater and Elliot describe in graphic detail how we had to leap off in groups of 10, swimming like blazes to keep up with the Whale Sharks and then leap back on board while the other group went after the Whale Sharks-all in the considerably rougher open water. Alan and I were feeling a bit apprehensive at this stage.

We cruised around outside the reef waiting for the spotter plane to find a Whale Shark. These are the worlds biggest fish but unlike white pointers only eat Krill not people, like a whale. They can grow up to 18m long but are gentle giants.

No fish were spotted so we went back inside the reef for lunch. By this time many people were feeling a bit queasy due to the swell so lunch was the last thing on their mind. After lunch we did spot more snorkelling. I had sorted out my technique by this time including liberally smearing my moustache with vaseline to help seal the mask. I had a great time for over 1/2 hour watching the amazing procession for multi-coloured fish swimming around the coral. The coral was not very impressive as it was generally dull and grey, but it was like being in an aquarium. I tried to remember the colours of the fish I saw and when I got back to the boat looked them up in a book, but it was very difficult to remember them at all. I was thinking this snorkelling lark isn't too hard after all.

We continued inside the reef waiting for the call from the spotter plane, but it was pretty obvious that there weren't any to be found. We watched some pods of dolphins. Then the Captain said he could take us to a place where there were sure to be Manta Rays and we could swim with them instead. Suddenly it was all go and Group 1, which I was part of was sitting on the back of the boat ready to slip in and chase a Manta Ray. I was a bit late getting in due to having to grease up my moustache. The group shot off and try as I might I wasn't getting any closer and was starting to suffer cramp in my left leg. My new snorkelling technique went out the window and I started to suck in water again and generally get in a panic. The boat came round and they hauled me out of the water like a drowning whale!

Anyway it was a nice (if expensive) day out on the water. There was no way we could have coped with swimming with the Whale Sharks. Because none turned up we were given a free return trip valid for 3 years. Alan and I plan to come back but after we have learnt how to snorkel and swim faster!

More worrying is the weather. Rain continues to be predicted in the Kimberley, but drying up by Saturday. Hopefully this will be enough time for the GRR to be graded and reopened other wise we will be coming back to do that as well.

Tomorrow we head off to Karijini Nat Park for a bit of gorge swimming. There has been plenty of rain there too and the road into the park has been closed. I bought a pair of wet-suit bootees to help in the gorge exploring on the advice of a nice sort at the dive shop once she saw my black brogues!

We're learning a lot on this trip.

18th May 2010 - Kalbarri to Coral Bay

Distance travelled: 667

Cumulative distance: 7164

Rain welcomed us this morning at the caravan park in Kalbarri as we extracted ourselves from our bathing box. We chatted to the pool man about the weather and he assured us that it would improve the further north we went. Bloody liar!!!! It rained most of the way to Coral Bay. Travelling from the Overlander Roadhouse 240 kms north of Kalbarri we saw signs about the roads liable to flooding. There were large pools forming either side of the road so we put the hammer down before the tide came in. Every time a road train passed us in the opposite direction it was like riding through a carwash. Sunny Australia .... load of cobblers. The scenery consists of low scrub and little else. There were a lot of wild goats roaming around but at least they had the sense to keep off the road and not become road kill. We came upon a shrine to a young aboriginal who died we suppose of drink as it requested no drink be laid at it. The Gascoyne river is the main waterway in this part of the world and this is a picture of it in full flood????

We turned off the main Northwest Highway to Coral Bay and crossed the Tropic of Capricorn. It was late afternoon and kangaroos appeared on the road. I saw three and had to brake to a halt as they could jump in any direction. Kangaroos can do some serious damage to a motorcyclist. Colin saw an Emu cross the road between us. It was some distance away so there was no danger. We arrived at Coral Bay around 5pm and checked into the caravan park. We originally booked a campsite but because of the inclement weather and my advanced years we "upgraded" to a slightly bigger bathing box than Kalbarri. In the evening we went to the local pub for a quiet beer. Unfortunately it was happy hour and all the usual suspects were there getting stonkered on the cheap beer. Colin and I beat a hastie retreat to a cafe down the road for a quite meal. There we met a young couple from Fremantle. The husband wanted to join the Ulysses club but he thought he was too young at 46. We assured him that he could join as a junior member as the older members needed people like him to pick up their bikes when they dropped them. The weather up north in the Kimberleys is not looking too flash. It has been raining and the Gibb River road is closed. The forecast is not looking all that good at the moment so we'll have to just play it by ear. Tomorrow we are going to swim with the whale sharks off Ningaloo reef if the weather is OK so fingers crossed.

17th May 2010 - Jurien Bay to Kalbarri

Distance 356 kms
Cumulative distance 6497 kms

Set off this morning to have breakfast and fuel up at Greenhead 50kms north of Jurien Bay. But when we got there the petrol pump had sprung a leak and the breakfast was only take away. There was a brand new gated subdivision on the way into town so I dont know where they were getting their lattes!

We pressed on to Leeman up the road and found a nice place for brekky. Unfortunately the petrol was $1.62/L but Alan was paying so it didn't matter. Kept on going up the coast road to Dongarra which turned out to be a larger town than the others. It is difficult to predict what these coastal towns will be like. We went into Geraldton as I wanted to buy a deodorant having left mine in Melbourne. It was boom time and reminded me of Durban with new subdivisions overlooking the coast and a big shopping centre in the middle. This large church was on the outskirts and was built in grand Byzantine style. I went inside and found this bloke having a kip in the pews.

We planned to have lunch and a petrol stop in Northhampton 50kms north of Geraldton and we stopped outside town and had home made pies that were very tasty. I wanted to get some more cash so we went into town to find an ATM and were surprised at the old and well preserved buildings that were there. As I said its very hard to judge what the town will be like. The road to the coast branched off at Northampton.

We had an enjoyable 100 kms of undulating curvey roads until we got to Kalbarri our stopping point for the night. The accommodation was described as a cabin but it was more like a bathing box. At least it was beside the pool so we had a quick dip. A very quick dip as the water was much colder than we assumed. We had decided to go back up the coast to visit all the viewing points rather than go to the Murchinson River gorge given our short time available.

The cliffs were as high as the Great Australian Bight. The top levels had a steep scree slope and the bottom levels dropped vertically into the sea. We saw a natural arch and a collapsed arch and other cliff features. Then we walked down to the beach at Eagle Gorge to watch the sunset on the cliffs. the colour was reddening as it got closer to sunset. We saw a large Red Kangaroon hopping along the far side of the gorge and later a flock of goats being chased by a dog. The sunset was a fizzer because at the last moment the clouds came down.

We cooked a barbeque at the campsite and enjoyed a bottle for Red from Margaret River. Morag has texted me to tell me that all the rain up in the Kimberley has closed the Gibb River Road. We hope it is open again before we get there.

16th May 2010 - Fremantle to Jurien Bay

Distance travelled: 295 kms
Cumulative distance: 6141

Alan arrived from Sydney on time at 9 am and headed for Fremantle to check out his bike. Will it start after being dormant for nine weeks? Fired up first time no problem. Now to sort out all the the junk that has to be loaded on the bike. Colin's flight from Melbourne was also on time and he arrived at Davy Mussen's place at 11.15 am just as Alan finished sorting out his bike. We had lunch with Davy Mussen and a couple of his friends in a local Pub. The weather was fairly cool so I made sure I had the liners in my jacket and pants. We left Fremantle at 2.15pm and using Mabel (GPS) navigated our way north to the Brand Highway and thence to Jurien Bay. We had problems finding a petrol station on the highway and had to accost a local to find where they were hidden. It seems that the roadhouses are located off the highway and you had to look out for the signs. As we headed west towards Jurien Bay we were riding into the setting sun and Colin had to stop to stick a sunshade made of duct tape on his helmet so he could see where he was going. The scenery was pretty drab on the whole trip to Jurien Bay but the bay itself is very pretty. We arrrived at 5.30pm and booked into a rather crummy caravan at the caravan park. The local pub was within walking distance so we had dinner there. There is no heater in the caravan and the evening was pretty cool. I hope my sleeping bag comes to the party and keeps me warm.
A nice low key start to the second leg of our trip round Oz.

14th May 2010 - Only 2 sleeps to go

We are in the final stage of preparations for the flight over to Perth on Sunday and then we head North! I have been trying to work out how to fit my new Pivot Pegs to the VFR without it being here. I decided to bring a big file with me to make them fit. I know the main pin is the same size as I tried Alan's while we were in Margaret River.
Alan is wondering what he'll do if his battery is flat. He's been told that you cant bump start a GS1200, but I find that hard to believe. Anyway he arrives before me and can work that one out before I get to Fremantle. He's also bringing more water as he is concerned that we might run short.
I have spoken to Davy, who is storing the bikes. He rang me from King Sound off Derby in the Kimberley where he was relaxing on a barge. He assured me that he would be back in time to meet us and would have the correct drift to knock out the pin shackle with which he chained them up in his garage.
The weather up in the Kimberley is sounding a bit unsettled with thunderstorms predicted, but all the roads are open at the moment. Morag is doing a safari of her own from Darwin to Broome and she will experience the Gibb River Road before we do. We all meet up in Broome on the 24th May so we'll get the full story from her before we set off.