We went into Gawler for the morning to look around then came back to Lyndoch Hill where we were picked up by a coach and taken on a winery tour.
The first stop on the tour was a lookout that allowed us to see just about the whole Barossa Valley and then onto the first winery Simpatico wines, a lot of wine was ordered when they told us they had free delivery to the door, then we went into Tununda for lunch at the CLUB restaurant and then back to another winery called Langmiel for more tasting and purchases.
The rest of the group headed out on short rides around the Barossa, some ventured to the Biggest Motor Museum which was also close by, all in all another good lay day had by all.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Day30 - Sunday 31/10/10 - Weather Overcast then clearing to a top of 19d
Leaving Port Augusta at around 6.30am we headed for Gawler taking a detour along the coast road instead of the highway then crossing to Gawler and onto Lyndoch Hill the weather had finally cleared in the afternoon.
We were all invited to lunch at Peter Cherry's place where the Goldwing club had organised a local Honda dealer to show us the latest VFR and Goldwing with a lot of accessories.
the lunch went well and then we had another auction to raise more money for the foundation, the auction went very well and one of the support crew finished up offering his time to detail a bike in the main street of Cooma this raised $800 coming from one of the trip riders.
We then went back to the rooms at the Lyndoch Hill retreat which were very nice and the meals here were good, this is the first place we found to offer us a continental breakfast in our rooms delivered the night before so we could leave early.
The owners gave us a couple of nights accommodation and some wine to auction which went off very well with the whole group throwing in to buy it for Phil Walters, Alan and families who we all agreed did a great job organising the whole trip.
Total Klm's 12,715
We were all invited to lunch at Peter Cherry's place where the Goldwing club had organised a local Honda dealer to show us the latest VFR and Goldwing with a lot of accessories.
the lunch went well and then we had another auction to raise more money for the foundation, the auction went very well and one of the support crew finished up offering his time to detail a bike in the main street of Cooma this raised $800 coming from one of the trip riders.
We then went back to the rooms at the Lyndoch Hill retreat which were very nice and the meals here were good, this is the first place we found to offer us a continental breakfast in our rooms delivered the night before so we could leave early.
The owners gave us a couple of nights accommodation and some wine to auction which went off very well with the whole group throwing in to buy it for Phil Walters, Alan and families who we all agreed did a great job organising the whole trip.
Total Klm's 12,715
Day29 - Saturday 30/10/10 - Weather, 11-17 degrees heavy rain all day
We left Ceduna at 7.00am after hoping the rain might clear for a while with no relief in sight we got into the wet weather gear again and started off for the day.
The first fuel stop was at Wudina which was the first thing I actually saw through the rain, here I had trouble giving the service station attendant the money for the fuel , I was shaking from being drenched and cold.
These conditions did not let up all day and I really did not see anything more for the rest of the trip, the couple of coffee breaks we made were welcomed and both of us agreed not to rush back onto the bikes.
When we reached Port Augusta the accommodation was reasonable and we set up all the wet clothes in front of the airconditioning units to dry, then went out and joined the veranda party the rest of the group had started, seems that even when the conditions are bad the team all have to have a drink.
This must be a tradition that most riders live by, at the end of a good or bad day the first thing required is a beer to wash the dust and dirt out of your mouth?
Total Klms 12,369
The first fuel stop was at Wudina which was the first thing I actually saw through the rain, here I had trouble giving the service station attendant the money for the fuel , I was shaking from being drenched and cold.
These conditions did not let up all day and I really did not see anything more for the rest of the trip, the couple of coffee breaks we made were welcomed and both of us agreed not to rush back onto the bikes.
When we reached Port Augusta the accommodation was reasonable and we set up all the wet clothes in front of the airconditioning units to dry, then went out and joined the veranda party the rest of the group had started, seems that even when the conditions are bad the team all have to have a drink.
This must be a tradition that most riders live by, at the end of a good or bad day the first thing required is a beer to wash the dust and dirt out of your mouth?
Total Klms 12,369
Day28 - Friday 29/10/10 - Weather Cool clear and 18 deg
We left Border Village and headed for Nullarbor the roadhouse not a town at all this proved to be another short day and we used it to look at the head of the Great Australian Bite which was around 12 klm's off the road, during the day it was interesting to see how close the Eyre Highway comes to the sea then at other points seems to be a long way away.
We stopped and took photo's of the vegetation because most people we talked to before leaving think the Nullarbor is really inhospitable and flat with little vegetation, this is very w2rong and we even got drowned with huge rain showers that came across the hills.
We arrived into Ceduna at about 3.00pm and the accommodation was good at the Ceduna Foreshore Motel.
Total Klms 12,369
We stopped and took photo's of the vegetation because most people we talked to before leaving think the Nullarbor is really inhospitable and flat with little vegetation, this is very w2rong and we even got drowned with huge rain showers that came across the hills.
We arrived into Ceduna at about 3.00pm and the accommodation was good at the Ceduna Foreshore Motel.
Total Klms 12,369
Day27 - Thursday 28/10/10 - Weather, 18-1 deg, cloudy and stormy
We left Balladonia at 7.00am and headed for the usual fuel stops which are all road houses that sell beer and all the other requirements of any truck driver.
The straight flat road continues as far as we can see and is very boring we start to look forward to a crest or a corner so we can discuss it across our bike to bike radios, this is where you really appreciate the music that we also have playing through the headsets, at least it breaks the trip up a bit.
The fuel is not badly priced here at around 161.2 a litre compared to the Northern Territory where we paid 180.5 at Barkly roadhouse, and were told if we didn't like it push the bike on to the next stop and see what they have to say.
There is an interesting point I will have to raise with some well travelled riders, this is why some roadtrains push you to the outside of the road when passing and some suck you in towards the wheels, then there are the ones that don't even make any wind what so ever???
We arrived at border village at about 2.30pm and the accommodation was unbelievably cramped, we shared the room,and when the single and double beds were set up we could not open the fridge door, like everyone we just made do with the rooms and moved on in the morning.
We ate at the roadhouse and found the meals were really good which was a bit of a surprise.
Total Klm's 11,410
The straight flat road continues as far as we can see and is very boring we start to look forward to a crest or a corner so we can discuss it across our bike to bike radios, this is where you really appreciate the music that we also have playing through the headsets, at least it breaks the trip up a bit.
The fuel is not badly priced here at around 161.2 a litre compared to the Northern Territory where we paid 180.5 at Barkly roadhouse, and were told if we didn't like it push the bike on to the next stop and see what they have to say.
There is an interesting point I will have to raise with some well travelled riders, this is why some roadtrains push you to the outside of the road when passing and some suck you in towards the wheels, then there are the ones that don't even make any wind what so ever???
We arrived at border village at about 2.30pm and the accommodation was unbelievably cramped, we shared the room,and when the single and double beds were set up we could not open the fridge door, like everyone we just made do with the rooms and moved on in the morning.
We ate at the roadhouse and found the meals were really good which was a bit of a surprise.
Total Klm's 11,410
Day26 – Wednesday 27/10/10 – Weather, Cloudy likely to rain 20 deg
We left Esperance after breakfast at the Motel and headed for our first stop for fuel at Salmon gums 108 klms away then continued on to Norseman and arriving at Balladonia at around 1.30pm.
At breakfast everyone had been talking about a 30 klm tourism drive around the headland at Esperance and they all told us it equalled the Great Ocean Road so we decided not to miss out and head over and have a look, the drive was very nice and showed off a lot of the smaller bays and beaches all around the headland but to us it did not come anywhere near the Great Ocean Road, still it was worth the detour.
Then we headed out of town and the rain started it was an interesting ride as we could see the rain the right and on the left but the bit we were riding on had no rain for a while then it all clouded over and the bucket sized rain drops started for about 30 klm’s and then stopped again, just enough to get us to put our wet weather gear on then bake when the sun came out again.
The lightning strikes across the fields were clear and direct and the wind that followed us all day was really a big hindrance because when you lean into it to compensate and then it suddenly disappears it means that the bike goes from one side of the road to the other really quickly. Battling this and the heat meant that again we appreciated the short day and when we arrived at Balladonia we were not surprised to see the basic accommodation.
The team went to work setting up a few bars on veranda's around the motel and when we found out the price of a six pack of beer was $25.00 each we asked about the whole carton only to be informed the carton would incur a cost of $60.00 each, we agreed it was up to the individual to get their own beer.
On the way into Balladonia I was following a truck which Steve had passed and I decided to pass it myself, when I went out to pass it the driver swerved off the road onto the verge and sent a plume of dust and rocks up which I could not see anything through so I had to pull up quickly on the wrong side of the road and wait until it cleared, this was the worst situation I have been in on this ride and hope this is the last time it will happen.
The ride has been really good and the group are all working very well together looking out for one another and generally being on good behaviour even when we are all really tired some days, it’s a good thing that we respect each other and have a bit of a laugh now and then.
Any body who rides and does anything wrong has to wear a frilly toto dress for 24 hrs, so everyone else knows he or she has done something wrong, this can be as easy as forgetting your false teeth and leaving then in the motel room then ringing one of the support vehicles to go and pick them up for you or dropping your bike and not being able to pick it up as some of the riders have done all in all it’s a lot of good fun.
We left Esperance after breakfast at the Motel and headed for our first stop for fuel at Salmon gums 108 klms away then continued on to Norseman and arriving at Balladonia at around 1.30pm.
At breakfast everyone had been talking about a 30 klm tourism drive around the headland at Esperance and they all told us it equalled the Great Ocean Road so we decided not to miss out and head over and have a look, the drive was very nice and showed off a lot of the smaller bays and beaches all around the headland but to us it did not come anywhere near the Great Ocean Road, still it was worth the detour.
Then we headed out of town and the rain started it was an interesting ride as we could see the rain the right and on the left but the bit we were riding on had no rain for a while then it all clouded over and the bucket sized rain drops started for about 30 klm’s and then stopped again, just enough to get us to put our wet weather gear on then bake when the sun came out again.
The lightning strikes across the fields were clear and direct and the wind that followed us all day was really a big hindrance because when you lean into it to compensate and then it suddenly disappears it means that the bike goes from one side of the road to the other really quickly. Battling this and the heat meant that again we appreciated the short day and when we arrived at Balladonia we were not surprised to see the basic accommodation.
The team went to work setting up a few bars on veranda's around the motel and when we found out the price of a six pack of beer was $25.00 each we asked about the whole carton only to be informed the carton would incur a cost of $60.00 each, we agreed it was up to the individual to get their own beer.
On the way into Balladonia I was following a truck which Steve had passed and I decided to pass it myself, when I went out to pass it the driver swerved off the road onto the verge and sent a plume of dust and rocks up which I could not see anything through so I had to pull up quickly on the wrong side of the road and wait until it cleared, this was the worst situation I have been in on this ride and hope this is the last of this kind of thing to happen.
The ride has been really good and the group are all working very well together looking out for one another and generally being on good behaviour when we are all really tired some days, it’s a good thing that we respect each other and have a bit of a laugh now and then.
Totral klm’s todate 10,884
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Day25 - Tuesday 26/10/10 - Weather Cloudy cool starting out at 14 up to 24
Leave Albany at 7.00am and head for Jerramungup for fuel and breakfast, then onto Ravensthorpe for another stop and stretch before arriving at Esperance at 1.30pm.
The country side today went from low scrub as far as you could see to Clear fields of lush deep green hay, the road was not especially good in patches and I was surprised at the size of the township of Esperance.
We stayed at the Comfort In Bay of Isles, the name is obviously taken from the bay opposite which is littered with islands. The predominant sight here is the port and wharf which we have been told is used to fill ship with Nickel from surrounding mines.
The township is clean, and again the lack of graffiti is standing out, whatever the Western Australian Government does to Graffiti artist it certainly works to deffer them.
We ate at the restaurant in the motel and are preparing to head for Balladonia in the morning, these short days seem to be easy and we believe from here the rest of the trip is all reasonably short days of only 500 klms each.
Total Klm's todate 10,456
The country side today went from low scrub as far as you could see to Clear fields of lush deep green hay, the road was not especially good in patches and I was surprised at the size of the township of Esperance.
We stayed at the Comfort In Bay of Isles, the name is obviously taken from the bay opposite which is littered with islands. The predominant sight here is the port and wharf which we have been told is used to fill ship with Nickel from surrounding mines.
The township is clean, and again the lack of graffiti is standing out, whatever the Western Australian Government does to Graffiti artist it certainly works to deffer them.
We ate at the restaurant in the motel and are preparing to head for Balladonia in the morning, these short days seem to be easy and we believe from here the rest of the trip is all reasonably short days of only 500 klms each.
Total Klm's todate 10,456
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