2007 Postie Bike Challenge. (or Heat, dust and an ouch.)

[Jantar]

Part 1.

Take a :scooter: that is designed for low speeds around town, on all sealed roads and attempt to ride it 3600 km through some of Australia's toughest terrain may seem like a mad idea. This year 32 riders tried to do just that from Brisbane to Cairns via the Gulf of Carpentaria through the outback.

The Postie Bike Challenge http://www.postiebikechallenge.org/ is an adventure ride for charity based on the wee Honda CT110. It has been going for 6 years and this year was to the most adventurous yet.

My trip began on Wednesday 10th October as I boarded an A320 Airbus bound for Brisbane. It was a pleasant flight all the way, but not much to see in mid Tasman. Fortunately Stromfrau gave me a present at the airport with instructions not to open it until I was airborne. It was a copy of Twisting Throttle and the story of a ride around Australia on a VStrom. A very good motorcycling book and well worth the read.

I arrived in Brisbane at 5:30 pm and collected my rental car then out onto the motorway north right in the middle of rush hour. The M1 at this point is only two lanes in each direction and it was good to see how smoothly the traffic flowed for about 11 km, then it was just like Auckland; start - stop - start again - creep forward - stop. Thumbs up to the motorcyclists splitting past on both sides of me. :ride:

Eventually the traffic thinned and I carried on to the Etamunga Pub for a $15 steak dinner (the Wednesday night special) and a schooner of VB. I finally arrived in Noosa at 8:30 pm to find Stromfrau's sister, Judy, had a few more cold beers in the fridge ready and waiting. I figured a few days on the beach in Noosa would help me acclimatise to the heat before starting the ride :whistle: and the fact that there are so many topless women on the beaches there had nothing to do with it.

The next day Judy and I went for a walk around Noosa Heads National Park and stopped for a swim at Alexandria Bay. This is a clothing optional beach, but as we are now well into middle age with nothing to skite about, we wore normal swim wear. The water was beautiful and warm with a gentle surf and just a slight current.

I repeated this trip (alone) on the following three days as well and tried another couple of isolated bays to swim at. Without Judy there I must admit that I could be less inhibited at looking at the lovely topless scenery in the area.

Sunday was the day to check all my riding gear and work out what I could carry on the bike, what I could fit in the carry bag supplied by the organisers of the ride, and what I would leave in Noosa for the next two weeks. We had been warned that opportunities to wash clothes etc. would be very limited and to pack enough to last the distance. I decided I could make 3 pairs of kevlar jeans and 6 shirts last the distance, and even without proper washing facilities I figured that I could stomp some undies in the shower if I was running out. I had bought a new Neo jacket with removable lining for the trip and it was obvious that in this heat the lining would not be needed.

On monday I drove back down to Brisbane and checked into a hotel close to the start of the ride. For anyone visiting Brisbane I would suggest that you check out the Formule1 for an inexpensive stay. It is only 3 star, yet every room has an en-suite, TV, radio etc and good off street parking for only $71 per night.

The photos are Tea Pot Bay, and one of the locals watching the swimmers.

[Jantar]

Tuesday 16th was the day we were assigned our bikes, received our camping gear and given a briefing on how to nurse the CT110 through the hot dry conditions. Most people made minor modifications to personalise their bikes, and everyone puzzled over how to fit everything into the milk crates fitted to the carriers.

We each had to carry a 5 litre fuel can, 3 water bottles, a first aid kit, maps, wet weather gear (as if it would be needed), lunch box, hat, then fit in anything else that we wished to carry. I finally thought I had it all sorted, then looked at how some of the other riders were managing. Maybe I wasn't so overloaded afterall.

At the briefing we were advised that the CT110 is designed to maintain a good airflow over the engine at low speed, and if the speed crept up that the front mudgaurd would act as an air dam and reduce the airflow. Over the previous 5 years that this event has been held they have found that the optimum cruising speed is 70 kmh with a maximum of 75 kmh. Anything over this and the engine is likely to cook. The back-up crew had three complete spare bikes and a further three spare engines along with plenty of other spare parts.

Back up would consist of a lead vehicle marking the route with surveyor's tape, a mechanic's truck and a fuel truck that would each mingle with the bikes during the ride, and a ute and trailer with the spare bikes and some other spares as tail end charlie. We were to meet at 6:30 the next morning for the days briefing and the start.

Photos are:
1. My bike as I received it.
2. Personalising the bikes
3. A typical refuelling stop
4. The fuel truck

[Hitcher]

"Twisting Throttle" is a great read. The saga of Glovie lost in the Kakadu had me chuckling for ages. Apart from the motorcycling story it is an interesting case study in how long somebody can last living solely on sausage rolls and Fanta.

Anyway, I digress. All good so far, Jantar. I'm looking forward to reading the rest!

[Blackbird]

"Twisting Throttle" is a great read. The saga of Glovie lost in the Kakadu had me chuckling for ages. Apart from the motorcycling story it is an interesting case study in how long somebody can last living solely on sausage rolls and Fanta.

Anyway, I digress. All good so far, Jantar. I'm looking forward to reading the rest!

**Embarrassed shuffle**. I had promised Malcolm a loan of this book and it still hasn't been returned to me by a slow reader. Wonderfully descriptive book (Hairgamma) and as you intimate, hilarious.

Also looking forward to your forthcoming instalments Malcolm - very well written.

Geoff

[Jantar]

Sure enough, at 6:30 am everyone was there and ready. Cameras were prepared, GPS mounted, bikes fuelled up lunch boxes collected and ........ we waited. 6:30 became 7:00 and finally at 7:15 we were told what was happening. We were to have a police escort out of Brisbane on the motorway, and a TV crew from Channel 9 was ready to film everyone departing.

It was closer to 7:50 am when we finally set out. 32 riders, all on almost identical bikes, made an impressive sight as we headed into the rush hour traffic. Mine had a kiwibiker sticker on each side while many others had sponsor's logos or some small indentifiable feature.

We went along Fortitude Valley and through the heart of Brisbane onto the motorway. For those riders on L plates who are restricted to 70 kmh in a 100 zone, the motorway in Brisbane is a 110 kmh zone, yet the motorists were generally considerate and gave us plenty of room. Almost an hour into the ride we had to cross a dual carriageway as we turned north, and here our police escort parked his BMW in the middle of a busy highway and stopped both lanes of oncoming traffic as we crossed. This was the last we would see of our escort and we were now on our own.

We stopped at ESK and topped up our tanks, and for 100 km I estimated I'd used a little over 3 litres. Not too bad fuel wise, even though these wee Hondas only have a 5 litre tank. A few Ks north of Esk we turned onto a back road that would take us past the Somerset Dam and into our first real set of twisties. This was great scenery and we were even starting to see some Australian wild life; the occassional kangaroo, a brown snake (very venemous) and a large variety of birds.

We stopped at Jimna for lunch. There is nothing here except some bush and a fire tower. Although I'd been riding fairly conservatively I was suprised to see that I was first to arrive. This was simply because I kept my stops short; a maximum of a few minutes then back on the bike again. I stretched the lunch stop out a bit as many riders headed out before me, and one of the younger riders (Steven from Adelaide) asked if he could ride with me and match my stopping times. I agreed, but pointed out that if he was after a race I wouldn't try and match him, nor would I ride any slower. He was right behind me when we hit the first gravel section of the ride, then I didn't see hima again all day. Apparently he considered 70 kmh on gravel as too fast. Most of the riders I passed were taking it quite easy yet the road was in good order with a hard surface in the wheel tracks and shrp gravel at the edges.

There was only 60 km of gravel before back onto sealed roads at Goomeri. Stromfrau and I had visited this town last year and I recalled the old pub as being a good meal stop. From here it was via Ban Ban Springs and on to Gayndah and a cold beer.


Photos:
1. The mechanics truck
2. Coping with the local scent at Gayndah

[deanohit]

Looking forward to the next instalment mate, sounds like a great time so far!

[Jantar]

Thursday morning was the first time that we experienced the rather unique alarm clock that the mechanics rigged up. 32 people, all asleep in their individual tents, woke instantly at 5:30 am when the rather loud portable air compressor burst into life in the middle of the camping area. This was also the first opportunity we had to learn to repack the camping gear supplied for the trip.

We had been supplied with a 3 man tent, a sleeping bag, a Lilo air bed and a foot pump. Naturally, it is impossible to repack anything in the same way that is received, and yet all the camping gear and all of our own personal gear (for 12 days) had to somehow fit into the 75 L canvas carry bag that had been provided. I managed somehow, but the carry bag was difficult to close.

Gayndah is the heart of the citrus fruit area in Central Queensland and we were pleased to get away from the sweet scent of rotting oranges. 32 bikes left at the same time and travelled the lovely twisty road through Mundubbera to Eidsvold. I did get some good video on this section that I'll try and edit to a size that can be made available on the net.

From Eidsvold we turned west towards the section of road I was really looking forward to. The map showed no straight sections, and the route sheet was: (numbers are kms from the start of the day)

80 Left to Cracow and Theodore
151 Gravel starts
160 Dirt
172 Cracow. Check out pub! Left to Theodore
176 Gravel starts
198 Bitumen starts.

The road to Cracow was fantastic. Next trip to Aussie, I just have to take the VStrom to ride this road again. We had a compulsory stop at the cracow pub for photos, fuel, liquid refreshment etc, and it was here I discovered my spare fuel can was leaking. So everything in my crate stunk of petrol, including my lunch!!!

From the pub, the long gravel section I was expecting was now sealed. 22 kms of gravel road had been sealed in the few months since the route had been planned. It was still a good ride though and many riders were pleased even though a few of us would have loved a nice long gravel section.

Lunch was at Theodore in a picnic area on the edge of town, and here we started to learn about the flies in outback Australia. We had to eat while walking around as the flies just swarmed if you stood still for more than a few seconds. The typical lunch consisted of a filled roll, a sandwich, a piece of cake, a piece of fruit and a box of just Juice.

After lunch we had all sealed roads through Banana, Moura and on to Rolleston. The scenery was changing all the time as moved further west and into drier areas. Kangaroos were more plentiful, especially the dead variety at the side of the road, and we started to have our first encounters with road trains. A road train passing would add an extra 5 - 10 kmh to bikes speed within seconds, while one going in the opposite direction would just about blow us off the road.

2 kms short of our overnight stop was the scene of the first accident that required medical attention. One rider turned a bit too tight onto the side road we were taking, and low sided on a patch of loose gravel. He was not wearing much protective gear, and his demin jeans lasted about half a second before his skin started sliding on the road. Gloves did their job OK, so his only injury was his right leg which was stitched up and bandaged in the local hospital. From that point on his nickname was Hoppy.

Our campsite at Rolleston was the local race course, and the ground was infested with a prickly burr that got everywhere. Most of us set up our tents on the concrete so as to avoid those nasty wee prickles. We were also warned that area was infested with brown snakes, and to keep tents zipped up at all times, and to stomp when walking to deter them.

The bar was open almost as soon as we arrived and did a great trade. :apint:

Photos are all at the Cracow Pub.

[Hitcher]

Top stuff. I'm enjoying this greatly. A map would be nice though...

[Riff Raff]

Yup it is a great read. C'mon Jantar, give us more.

[Jantar]

When I first heard the route, this was the section I was least looking forward to. 130 km north followed by 320 km west on mainly straight flat roads. As it turned out, the roads weren't quite as boring as I'd expected.

Because it was to be such a long day we started promptly at 7:00 am after the now familiar breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausages etc. From Rolleston we headed to Springsure then north towards Emerald. Steven, who wanted to ride the gravel section with me on day 1 was almost alongside as we rode in a close staggered formation. Other riders were spread out in a long line as far as we could see in both directions.

About 20km short of Emerald my bike suddenly lost power. It was still running OK, but just not pulling as well as it should have. I stopped to check everything that you can check on a postie bike, and everything seemed to be OK, so off I went again, but couldn't get more than 65 - 67 kmh out of it. Once again I stopped, and still found nothing obvious. It felt as though it just wasn't breathing properly or maybe a partially blocked exhaust. Anyway I suggested to Steven that he carry on and I'd follow at whatever speed I could manage. I figured that at 65 kmh I would only be 20 minutes behind the others at the lunch stop.

I made a brief stop at Emerald to buy a SD card for my camera. In particular the card on my video was almost full, then onwards to the west. 30 minutes or so later, without changing the throttle setting or doing anything else, the wee bike picked up and powered away as though it had a brand new engine. I never did find the cause, but the mechanics thought it may have been a bit of shit in the main jet that finally cleared all by itself.

The Drummond range lookout was to be our lunch and refuelling stop. This range of mountains is one of the world's largest sapphire fields. Although in New Zealand we wouldn't call them mountains even though they do rise 200 m above the srrounding area. Many of the tourist signs around here do tend to give the clue that gems are found locally; name like Emerald, Gemfield, Saphire etc.

Closer to Barcaldine the road did flatten and straighten as I'd expected, and the scenery became absolutely flat with no landmarks at all. I did see a few kangaroos resting in the shade of the odd tree, and chased a couple of emus out into the bush while trying to get them on video, but otherwise the road was flat straight and boring.

I arrived in Barcaldine around 3:30 pm and immediately found some shade to set up the tent. The bar wasn't yet open, but shock was soon to hit when we were told that the group running the bar wouldn't be there till 6:00 pm. Another rider and I emptied our crates and rode into town where we bought as much beer as we could carry on 2 postie bikes; 4 dozen each for $84. Straight back to the camp where we started selling them for $2 a stubby. Not only did we quench our thirst, but made a small profit at the same time. The people running the bar must have found out because they arrived a bit earlier than expected, but not before we sold our last bottle. Beer at the bar was $4 a stubby, so they did lose a bit of profit.

That night was a mayoral reception with a public BBQ and Kareoke DJ to follow. The DJ was terrible and to make up for lack of musical ability he turned the volume up till everyone left and went to the pub.


Photos:
1 Tent city
2 Mechanics mobile workshop
3 The bike line up.

[Jantar]

This was to be a shorter day with time for sightseeing and/or shopping in Longreach. This morning's departure was pretty staggered as we had plenty of time and the road was just long, straight and flat. I road with Stephanie (USA) and Greg (Tasmania) for a while as each of us tried to get the other two on video. Greg was suprised to learn that sheep prices in New Zealand were dearer than in Aussie, even if the difference was only $1 an hour. :rolleyes:

At Longreach most riders visited the Stockman's Hall of Fame, but I spent a pleasant hour at the Qantas Museum. It appears that Qantas started their operations in Longreach with a single aircraft, and Qantas actually stands for Queensland And Northern Territory Air Service.

I left Longreach around 11:30am and stopped for lunch about 60kms up the road where there was a rest area with some shade. There was a road train stopped at the same spot and each of his wheels was as big as my whole bike.

The one impression about this stretch of road that will stay with me for my whole life was the smell. There were dead kangaroos every 50 - 100 m. Some well dried out and others still very fresh, and most of them very ripe. 170 km of dead kangaroo.

I arrived in Winton around 3:00 pm to find once again that there was no bar open. However once I pitched my tent and had a refreshing shower I learned that we would shortly be picked up by mini bus and taken to a scenic spot where the bar would be waiting.

Photos:
1. The Qantus Museum
2. A long flat straight road
3. The same road looking back where I had come from.
4. An emu in the main street at Winton

[Blackbird]

Superb pictures Malcolm! Hanging on every word mate. Please stay up past midnight typing:cool:

[Jantar]

Superb pictures Malcolm! Hanging on every word mate. Please stay up past midnight typing:cool:

I probably will. I have a hospital appointment in Dunedin tomorrow afternoon, so will probably stay down there overnight. Therefore no installments after today until friday afternoon.

[ducatijim]

Great stuff Malcom, keep it coming!! Hey, you and me must both be old voyeurs you know....I was up in Noosa a couple of weeks back.....and lo & behold if I didn't visit the LOVELY Alexandria beach!!! AND....that Koala is STUFFED, I'm sure!!! I have the same pikkie on my digicam!!!

[Crisis management]

Great reading Jantar, this is one trip I would love to do myself. Looking forward to the rest of it.

[Jantar]

Sure enough two mini busses soon arrived to take us to a formation known as The Rangeland Rifts. This is a rock formation situated about 13kms north of Winton on the Hughenden Road. The Rifts consist of the most amazing rock formations caused by natural erosion, which have formed corridors and caves. Apparently, according to our guide, 75 million years ago this area was a mountain 15000 feet high. Over the years it has eroded to now form an escarpment that is only 500 feet high.

When we arrived at the top of the Rift a family of kangaroos was hopping around and just playing in the late afternoon sun. We were led through a maze of eroding rock formations where it would be quite easy to get lost.

After an amazing tour we wandered down to the cliff tops facing west, arriving just before the ute carrying the beer. Dinner consisting of a chicken curry and rice was served to us just after sunset. However the bar soon ran out of beer and it was time to head back to our camp for the night.

Photos

1 & 2 The Rifts
3 Sunset
4 Dinner after sunset

[shafty]

Bloody good read Malcolm, and sweet pics to boot, keep typing Mate!!

[Daffyd]

Brilliant writeup Malcolm. All the best for your trip to Dunedin.

[Jantar]

Sunday 21st was to be a short day in distance, but over difficult terrain. We departed Winton at 7:30 am and headed north straight into a strong head wind. As we were leaving town, my bike started making a strange noise from the rear. I stopped and put it onto the main stand, and spun the rear wheel. It sounded like the front sprocket was excessively worn and there were signs of steel filings on the chain. I flagged down the mechanics truck, and they determined that as the chain wasn't jumping the sprocket that it would get me to the nights stop, and they would change the chain and sprocket then.

It was hard going into the wind and I could only manage a top speed af around 62 kmh. No one else was much better and the 86 km to Corfield took an hour and a half. From here we turned west onto a dirt road towards Sesbania. Well, the aussies called it dirt, I would call it sand. However it was hard packed and not too difficult to maintain a good pace now that the wind was no longer right on the nose. I turned on the video camera and drifted back towards the back of the field while getting as many on camera as possible. Once at the back I powered on a bit and passed riders while still filming. I passed about twenty riders in total and was following Gus quite closely when he went down.

I have seen many crashes over the years, and experienced quite a few, but this was totally different. Normally with a high side there is a loss of traction at the rear, the tyre grips again and tosses the rider, but not this time. One second he was riding quite normally and with no warning the bike just stopped and flipped him and the bike into a single forward flop. (Later I stepped out the distance from where his front wheel hit the hidden bull dust to where he was laying on the ground. It was less than 2 meters from close to 70 kmh to dead stopped.)

I immediately stopped behind him and could see no sign of any movement at all. As I ran up to where he lay it was obvious that he wasn't breathing and was unconcious. He was still attached to his bike and both feet were still on the pegs so before I could do anything else I had to get the bike off him. As I extricated the bike, another rider, Jeff, arrived to assist. We cleared his airway and he began breathing but in gasps, and not getting much air into his lungs. There was blood coming from under the helmet which gave us the dilemma as to whether or not to remove the helmet. On closer examination the blood was from the facial area and so with care we supported his neck and gently as possible removed his helmet. By now more riders were stopping and we had additional assistance so we gently as possible rolled him into the recovery position and almost immediately his breathing became strong and steady.

The backup crew soon arrived and we were able to rig some shade for Gus and call for medical assistance via the sat phone, then about 15 minutes after the crash he started to regain consciousness. Once we were sure he was out of immediate danger and the backup crew had everything in hand Jeff and I headed out to try and catch up with everyone else.

Bull dust is terrible stuff to ride in and times I was struggling to control the bike at under 20 kmh, yet at other times I was comfortable at 70. Often it was safer to ride along side the road than to try and plow through talcum powder consistency dust that was 20 - 30 cm deep.

About 30 minutes later I came across another rider (name forgotten) who had crashed a few minutes earlier. His hand was swelling rapidly and showed all the signs of being fractured and his front forks were badly twisted. He was going no further so I just made sure he was comfortable and had food and water, and left him for the back up crew.

All along the road there were signs of numerous crashes, but as the riders and bikes were no longer there they obviously weren't serious ones. I soon caught up with Greg and slowed down to match his pace, around 50 kmh. We both passed Hoppy and a minute or two later I let my attention wander.

I saw Greg ride over a cattle stop, and then go down into a dip. I couldn't see his wheels and knew subconsciously that as a result I also couldn't see the road surface. As I crossed the cattle stop I could see Greg about 30 m ahead, but I made the mistake of looking at him rather than the road surface. Next thing I was on the ground with my bike revving away next to me. I tried to get up and realised I couldn't move my left arm, and I was in some pain. I somehow managed to struggle to my feet and get the bike upright before killing the engine, then I started to assess the damage. My crash was an almost carbon copy of Gus's one earlier. The front wheel dug into the bull dust, twisted the handlebars out of my hands and dumped me over the top. The distance from where my front wheel first hit the bull dust to where it was stopped was less than 2 meters from 50 kmh.

Hoppy came over the rise, saw me and stopped. He helped pick up my gear which had spilled from the bike, and my left glove which was somehow lying in the dirt. After getting helmet, jacket, right glove etc off, I soon determined that my left shoulder was dislocated, but I had no other obvious injury. The bike had the headlight lens pushed in, but not broken and the crate with fuel, water, lunch, etc had broken free of the bike.

Greg had stopped further up the track when he realised I was no longer behind him, and another group of six riders were not far behind, so I had plenty of support, but no-one who knew any first aid. I taught Hoppy how to make a sling out of the triangular bandage in the first aid kit, and just waited for the back up crew to arrive. Richard, one of the mechanics was next on the scene with the mobile workshop, and he waited with me while Hoppy and the other riders carried on. It wasn't long before Lang, one of the back up crew arrived with a utility and loaded my bike on the back and I climbed into the passenger seat.

As we carried on to Proa Station and our overnight stop we could see lots of marks in the bull dust where many other riders went down. I was supporting my left arm with my right hand, even though it was in the sling, and that seemed to ease the pain a bit. Lang was driving fairly fast when he hit an unexpected dip in the road; I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and a pop, after which the pain was only a dull throb. I felt around with my right hand and it appeared that my shoulder had popped back in. This was great as it meant that with a bit of massage I'd be riding again the next day.

However, when we arrived in Proa I took my arm out of the sling and still couldn't move it. That suggested something was still amiss. The rider with the injured hand was in the very next truck, and it was obvious that he also needed medical attention. Katrina, one of the organisers, rang Julia Creek to see if a doctor was available and was told to bring both of us straight in.

So at 5:30 pm, two motorcycle riders, covered in dust, arrived at Julia Creek Hospital. Julia Creek is a small outback town in the middle of no-where. It is about the size of Palmerston or perhaps Tirau yet has a hospital. The two nurses on duty did all the basics, and had the Xrays done by the time the doctor arrived. Yes, the other rider had a broken bone in his hand, but my Xray showed nothing conclusive. The doctor wasn't prepared to give me a diagnosis and gave me a referral to Mt Isa for more Xrays and an ultrasound scan. The nurses did replace my makeshift sling with a proper collar and cuff, and plastered up the other guy in such a way that he could still ride on smooth going.

We arrived back at Proa at 8:30 pm to find that dinner had been kept for us and we were sleeping in the shearers' quarters so didn't have to worry about setting up tents. Most importantly, the bar was still open.

Photos: My makeshift sling

[Jantar]

The giant air compressor alarm woke us at 5:30 am on Monday morning and I immediately had to learn a whole new set of skills. Like how to shower and then dry myself with only one arm. To put on a shirt, then to tuck it into my trousers. How to pack all my gear into the carry bag now that I was no longer wearing my riding gear. All sorts of things that I normally take for granted had to be re-learned. Other people would offer to help with things that I didn't need any help with, then other skills I would refuse help with because I knew I had to be able to do them by myself. Even now, over two weeks later, I still find the hardest thing is to dry myself after a shower.

While packing up I realised that there were two items that had been in the crate on the bike that were no longer with me: My book of maps, and my reading glasses. They were both obviously lost in the dust 70 km back down the road.

We left Proa at 7:30 am with me in the lead vehicle as we made our way back to Julia creek and the bus station. It was sad to say farewell to everyone, but I did promise to meet up with them in Cairns, or earlier, if possible. At Julia creek I unloaded my bags at 8:15 am and sat outside the News Agents so I could wave to the riders as they passed by.

Julia Creek is a small town consisting of a pub, a stock and station agent, a news agent / bus depot, a real estate agent, a general store, a clothing store, a library, a petrol station, a mini superette, a post office and a hospital. The News agent didn't open till 9:00 am and at that time I booked the first bus I could get to Mt Isa; it was due to leave at 3:20 pm. So how to fill in 6 hours in a small town? Well the library had internet, and for $6 per hour I could access kiwibiker for most of the day. The librarian did kick me out for an hour at lunch time, but then she didn't charge me for the afternoon session.

The bus arrived at 3:15 pm and had the surliest driver I've ever struck. He abused the passengers ahead of me, grunted at my ticket because it was issued after he started the run (which meant he had to enter my details by hand) and made me wait till all other luggage was loaded before I was permitted to swing my bags on one handed. I had to move other luggage to be able to do that.

We arrived in Mt Isa at 7:10 pm and I soon found a taxi. I asked the Taxi driver to take me to a hotel or motel somewhere close to the hospital. The driver asked "Are you booked?"
To which I answered "No!"

He then informed me that all hotels and motels in Mt Isa were full and that nearest would be Cloncurry 100 km back down the road. Damn, OK, I suggested then that as I had a tent and sleeping bag that he take me to the camping ground. But when he heard "sleeping bag" he suggested the back packers may have something. Sure enough, they had a double room available, so I grabbed it.

First thing next morning I made my way to the hospital and was sent straight through to Xray. As at Julia Creek the Xray showed nothing, so the Dr booked me in for a scan. The earliest scan was late thursday morning, two days away. I thought that was a bit poor, until Monday this week at Dunedin Public Hospital when I found the waiting time for an orthopaedic scan in Dunedin is 8 - 16 weeks. On the thursday I turned up for my scan and learnt that it appeared that at least one and possibly two muscles were pulled away from the bone. That diagnosis was confirmed in the afternoon, and the Senior Doctor said that surgery was needed, and within weeks, not months. He could get me into Townsville Hospital in a little over a weeks time, and I could get surgery in Australia within one to two weeks after that. My Travel Insurance wasn't prepared to pay for additional time in Australia, so it was decided that I should continue with my planned trip and present myself at Dunedin Hospital as soon as possible after I arrived back in NZ.

Meanwhile, staying at the back packers was quite good. There was a swimming pool that I used twice a day, and it was only a few minutes walk into town. I did find that I couldn't use a knife to cut any food while I held a fork in my right hand, so I lived on finger food like Pizza, Subway, or KFC. Damn, how I missed a good steak and a plate of veges.

[ducatijim]

The more I read about bull-dust, the less I am looking forward to it.....if 'looking forward' is the right term. I do hope a 21" front wheel will give more resiliance.
Great read Malcolm,hope you mend well and soon.

[Bass]

The more I read about bull-dust, the less I am looking forward to it.....if 'looking forward' is the right term. I do hope a 21" front wheel will give more resiliance.
Great read Malcolm,hope you mend well and soon.

Seconded!!

[bell]

Crikey! I was rather enjoying your journey through my old backyard until your fall. I love that area around Winton. Some of the only contour lines you'll see on a map in that part of Central Western Qld.

I'm glad to hear that you survived the Isa. It has a reputation unlike few others in Australia. It sounds like you stayed in the backpackers that was home to a dozen or so travellers at the time that the Leichardt River broke its banks some years ago....it was a dramatic rescue I can assure you.

I do hope Steam is reading this! I think there's probably a few things for him to make note of.

Rest up and heal fast. Hope you get a good looking physio when the time comes. It does wonders for helping one to keep the interest up in the (usually) bloody painful exercises they'll inflict upon you.

[Jantar]

On Friday I flew to Cairns and booked into the same hotel that the Postie Bike riders were using on Saturday night. They even gave me the same reduced rate of $100 per night. I knew Steam was in Cairns somewhere, but I had no internet access and no way of getting in touch.

Saturday morning I managed to get a ride to Mossman with the family of one of the other riders, where once again I became part of the group. Although I could ride into Cairns on the bike, I still followed in a cage and took plenty of photos of riders as we passed them.

Everyone regrouped on the outskirts of Cairns for some group photos and a bit of hilarity before riding to the finish point.

[Jantar]

1 Our lady riders
2 Some Arses on the ride
3 Team Kiwi
4 The last refuel with only 3 kms to go.

[Jantar]

The bikes arriving at Fogarty Park in Cairns. Bike 26 (last photo) is my one even though I'm not riding it. (Note the KB sticker on the side.)

Steam was at the park ready to take over ownership of the bike and pleased to see that it is going to continue its long distance travel.

[Mrs Busa Pete]

This is great reading keep it up.

Hope your shoulder is sorted real quick

[RiderInBlack]

Hope your shoulder is sorted real quickAye. Heal well Malcome:doctor:

[Virago]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=60713

[Jantar]

Thanks for all the good wishes everyone. It will be a couple of months before I get surgery, then a further 1 - 2 months before I can ride again. So far I've pulled out of all rides for November through to the end of January, but I'm still hopeful for the passes ride in february.

This final batch of photos is at the final nights dinner. The last photo is the group of injured riders who required hospital treatment and were at Cairns. Two others (including Gus) didn't get there.

Would I do it again? I would love to. Its a well organised event and a great bunch of riders all out of their comfort zone.

However, next time I go motorcycling in Aussie, I shall take my own bike over and show Stromfrau what the center of Aussie is like.

[MaxB]

Thanks for the entertaining write up. Plus the photos.

Hope it doesn't hurt too much and you get better soon.

[Xaria]

Great write up Jantar.

Hope you are all better soon. :grouphug:

If you end up back in Dunedin, give us a yell and we will go for coffee

[Blackbird]

Thanks for the excellent writings over the last few pages Malcolm, one heck of an event and a privelege to read your prose. Really sorry to hear how long the recovery is going to be mate - hope you've learned how to use the other hand:msn-wink:

It's a bugger not being able to ride through most of the summer.

Cheers,

Geoff

[chanceyy]

Fantastic read & awesome pics there Jantar :) .. hope you heal fast mate

[deanohit]

Was a great write up mate and I loved the pics.
Hard luck about the injuries, have to do another one sometime then aye?!

[Conquiztador]

Thanks for that read. Very enjoyable.

Wishing you a full recovery!

[skelstar]

Good stuff dude. Awesome read, sorry you didn't get to finish the event on the bike eh.

[Nasty]

I finally got to read the entire story ... fantastic .. well written ... and well I am sorry you didn't get to finish on two wheels ... but I think the bike is jinxed! Well done for taking on the challenge.

[scumdog]

Good luck with the 'repairs' to your shoulder Malcolm - oh, and great write-up, couldn't stop until I read it all.!!

[Lucy]

Wot they all said - great write up, a pleasure to read. Thanks! Get well soon.

[marks]

well I just wasted 3/4 of an hour that I should have been working.

It was well worth it though - great read.

thanks

Mark

[EvilUrge]

Hey Malcom
Steve from BALLARAT here :spanking: It is nice to read someones account of the trip!! and your ordeal after the crash.

Steven

[Jantar]

Thanks Steve, and welcome to the world's best motorcycle forum.

Now its your turn to add on the missing bit from Julia Creek. :scooter:

I've just arrived home from my latest visit to hospital, where the surgeon has managed to free up the joint prior to surgery. This evening I will be riding my bike for the first time since October. Its only going to a short 10 km ride to the motorbike club meeting and home again, but its a start. :ride: :ride:

[EvilUrge]

Just be careful on a Real bike after spending time on the postie bike. My first ride out once I got home I nearly put myself over the front wheel. Came into a corner and started braking like I would on the postie :eek5:

Steven