1770 to Emu Park (near Rockhampton)

21st April
1770 to Emu Park (Near Rockhampton) 320 kms.

Bloody hell its hot today! back on the Bruce Highway, too much traffic and too many trucks! did I mention its bloody hot? The Bruce, unfortunately, is the easiest way to get to Rockhampton from here, so I motored on, stopped at the side of the road for a ciggie and a drink, looked at my thermo' 100+ degs ! back on the bike pronto and into the wind to try and cool off, too may trucks! passing little towns with even more trucks, stop for fuel, more trucks! stop whingin and get on with it! had to re tape my heat deflector sheet back on the exhaust side saddle bag, it s a bit close for comfort really.

Rockhampton, must have something to do with cattle, beef this and that and other claims about beef make this the beef capitol, how many times did I say beef? "Rocky" as its affectionately known by the locals lies right on the Tropic of Capricorn, being a goat myself, it seemed mildly significant, what is the TOC anyway? I know its kinda like the equator, an imaginary line around the earth, well I guess I should find out, I'll get back to you on that one. Not many (or any) backpackers in Rocky, not that I could find anyway, I needed a real bed tonight, my back couldn't take the punishing it did the night before. I pushed on to a place called Yepoon, on the capricorn coast, no backpackers here either, motels etc yes, but I seek meager accommodation, I spotted a packbackers about 20kms earlier at Emu Park just along the coast, so I went back and a very nice shared room and very cheap, and there is a bar here! yahoo!
I need a beer, I didn't get one the previous night. Checked in and just unpacked the essentials from the bike, no point in draggin it all off the bike is there! Well I'll prob be headin back south tomorrow, time is getting on and I dont think I really want to go any further north at this stage. I am really hoping I can ditch the saddlebags when I go back through Burpengary and drop in to see Ian & Paula again, I have just too much shit man! too many clothes and other crap I dont need, so I will see if it can be done anyway. Catch ya on the way down soon.

Torquay to Seventeen Seventy

20th April - Hervey Bay to 1770 287kms
I left the town of Torquay in Hervey Bay, after staying 2 nights at the campsite in my backpacker cabin, no-one else did arrive to share, so I had the place to myself :) With a full tank of gas I headed towards Bundaberg, where the rum guzzlin' polar bear resides. It wasn't as long a journey as the previous marathon and without too much of a hitch in the navigation either (I must be learning to read the map better) As I entered the town I headed straight for the nearest motorcycle shop, as I'd had an inclin that the steering head bearings weren't as they should be and possibly needed a tweek. The brummie spannerman had a look but all seemed fine, even after a little test ride down the road to make sure, I must be getting a wee bit paranoid, but I must admit after he put my mind to rest that its not really been an issue since. Anyway another thing I'd wanted to do was to gear the bike up a bit, no, I don't mean add more luggage! there's no more bloody room! the bike was a little too low geared, meaning that it could do with a "sixth gear" by changing the front drive sprocket to one with one more tooth would just give the bike slightly longer legs, the Honda/Suzuki dealers didn't have one but said that the Kawasaki place might, they didn't, but ordered one in for me with a plan to get it fitted on my way back down, sorted.

My plan was to ride to a little seaside place called Seventeen Seventy or 1770 as its called on the signs, so called because thats when Captain Cook set foot there. I saw my first Roo today, darting out from the side of the road, luckily he dashed straight back in again, maybe due to my "roo whistlers" I installed on the bike, little cone shape things that stick out on the front fairing that are supposed to help warn animals of your approach, I'm not trusting them alone, but maybe they did warn him?I rolled up to a campsite and pitched the tent, my first night under nylon :) I even cooked on my new stove too, instead of using the site facilities, oh and a nice cuppa tea. Tent went up a piece of cake, very sturdy, sleeping bag rolled out, but I had no sleeping mat, it was the most uncomfortable nights sleep in a very long time, must have woke up every hour to move position, not doin that again until I get a mat! I need a beer too, not had one in a few days, well off to somewhere else tomorrow.

Brisbane (Burpengary) to Torquay

Burpengary to Torquay - 18th April
So at last I set off into my full adventure, day 1 proper! Thanks to my "Queensland fixers" Paula & Ian, who put up with me for a month, feeding me and helping in many ways to get the bike roadworthy and on the road.
I set off (thats me leaving Ian & Paula's house)around 11am on Sat 18th April, heading towards a familiar place name, Torquay, in Hervey Bay, which is the step-off point for those going onto Fraser Island, the world's largest sand Island and home to many free roaming Dingos.

Heading up the Bruce Highway I had read about a rather good detour, that would keep me going in the general direction, but a great road anda break from the mundane main highway.

First turn off was onto the famous Steve Irwin road, where his famous Australia Zoo is situated. A quick stop there for a picture (and to say I'd been past it) then on my way. Now, to the detour, on up the road I sawe a sign with one of the place names I recognised from the Australian Motorcycle Atlas that I'm following and it was on this detour road, so I headed off! about an hour later I was entering a town that I didn't expect to see, as I should have gone way past it ages ago! It turns out that I had gone too far up the Croc hunters road and turned off too late, so instead off doing a clockwise detour which should have ended further on up the road, I did it in reverse and ended up further back than I started! Bugger! I kept going but the time was getting on and I had been warned, especially by people who have travelled by bike here before, not to ride at night and especially at dusk, beasties like to roam the streets! and I really dont fancy hitting a 'roo on a bike!

I did end up dashing the last 30kms or so in the dark, it was a nervous time I must say, but got to Hervey Bay and the campsite at about 6.30pm.

As it was dark I thought I'd get a backpacker cabin instead of puttin the tent up, same price too and I had the cabin to myself, which usually sleeps 4, shared kitchen, toilet & shower.

I haven't done much today, bought a few essential tools for the bike, adjusted the chain, went out for groceries and a bit of a ride around. Off to Bundaberg where they make the rum tomorrow :)

Finally - I think we have a result!

I've been here a month now...and haven't turned a wheel! Why? well in my wisdom (not) I decided to eventually buy a bike I hadn't seen before, I've done it before off New Zealand's famous Trademe auction site without a problem. So I saw a KLR650 that was a little too far away to go and see, but the description looked promising, "As new, perfect condition, you will not find a better KLR of this vintage" a few photos (which weren't that good I have to admit) a few phone calls and the deal was done. It was a good price, so I thought I was onto a winner.
Problem 1, was when it took almost 2 weeks to arrive with the guy givin me this and that excuse. Then....it arrived, loaded in the back of a furniture delivery van that had brought it the 1100 odd kms. It didn't look good! first thing the driver said was that he'd broken one of the rear indicators off moving it. Then on further inspection, the gear shifter was bent into the engine, the clutch lever was bent back on itself beyond repair and the tank had a dent/gouge in it, all this on the left side, so it had obviously had a fall on route (it wasn't strapped down either!)
The left fork seal was literally pissing out oil, the other rear indicator was nearly hanging off, he said he would reinstall the baffle on the muffler, his version of that was to "weld" on a stainless car tailpipe, it looked bloody awful!

Then there was the general condition of it! what a piece of shit, I thought! badly painted panels over the original plastic bodywork, rusty this and that, dirty and generally unloved and abused. NOT what the advert said at all, I was gutted to say the least.
I didn't really have much choice but to keep it, he had 90% of my money and what were my chances of sending it back on the truck it came in and getting my cash back? not much I thought, that way I'd have no bike AND no money.
I sent a very strong email to outline my disappointment and to ask what was he playing at, he basically just shrugged it off and even txted me a few days later to ask where the remainder of the money was!
So to cut a very long and painful story short, I decided that I was stuck with this bike, lessons were learned and I had to make the most of it.
So apart from the engine, it was pretty much stripped and sorted, even a new coat of black paint.
Fulls service, new oil and filters, new fork seals and oil, all linkages inspected and lubed, even some new mods recommended by the very wise people of the KLR.net forum, whom without I'd have been even more stuck! I had to get a second hand original muffler to replace the abomination that was there.
New parts were sourced by Ian who got them from the Kawasaki dealers near where he workd in Brisbane, thanks heaps Ian!

So now she finally stands, just a few tweaks left to do including new brake pads, final test ride, checks etc before I hit the road this weekend.

So, unless you are prepared for what may lie ahead, never buy a used bike you've never seen before! I felt really let down, but now I think I have a good bike to start this trip on.
A massive thank you goes out to Ian & Paula who have put up with me (and put me up) for the past month, especially as it was intended to only be a week or two! Thank you so much guys.

Ok, next blog will be on the road - I promise!!! :)

Brisbane city....complete with lifeguards!

Hi all, yes I know, when am I gonna get on the road I hear you scream! Well, I've been on the phone to the guy today and its being delivered in a truck getting here on tuesday :) yippee!

So, today I took myself into the city, well from the help of a rather long thing that runs on tracks, yep, got the train into the city to have another look around and see a few of the sights, takes about 45 mins from here to the central station, as it stops at every station on the way, AU$10.40 for the day, which includes all Bris public transport (trains, buses and the sea cat) so that was cheap travel!

Walked over the Victoria St Bridge to Southbank, where the parks and cafe culture take the place of busy streets and shopping malls, oh, and there's a beach! really! no sh*t! (sorry, this is a public blog so I'll censor my profanities) A man made beach just off the river front, complete with sand and lifeguards, I thought of throwin in a few clear plastic bags to see if it resembled some jelly fish too :)
There's a photo on this page too, its really cool actually, surrounded by a park and lots (and I do mean lots!) of cafes.
Takin full advantage of my daily transport pass, I then climbed aboard the Sea Cat, a passenger catamaran (obvious really wasn't it) and went up and down the Brisbane River which took around and hour and a great way to see the city and surroundings, you can of course disembark at various stops along the way, but I chose just to cruise up and down and get off on the city side.
A quick jaunt around the busy streets and malls and then back on the train to Burpengary.

A great day and didn't cost a fortune.

Ok, I promise the next blog will be me telling about my new bike and where I intend to RIDE next, until then, thanks for checkin in, ya'll come back now dya hear!

I'm still here!

Hi, not much to report yet, I've tracked down a machine that will hopefully steer me safely across this brown land.
It's a 2003 Kawasaki KLR650, its not here yet as I bought it from up north Queensland, it should be here this weekend with a bit of luck. So then I can pack the mule and head off, Fraser Island is probably my first stop, but anything can happen and I reserve the right to change my mind without notice! :)
I've just found this map thingy that plots where I am at anytime, so hopefully this will work.
It probably says "dreamer" next to the mark on the map, thats just my name on the KLR650 chat forum.

Righto, gotta go and get some tucker, catch ya soon. Oh and here's a pic of what the bike should look like too.

Red tape and Green frogs

Well, here I am, (ooh bugger, I'm no longer a prince!) in Brisbane, or a suburb call Burpengary to be exact.
Staying with my friends Ian & Paula, who moved here 15 months ago with their 2 children and dog, since living in Kaiapoi NZ for 6 years.
Apart from going out and getting beer :), of course, I'm a bass player, what did you expect? I've been doing some research as to buying a bike, stuff I should have done before I left, yes I know! anyway, there are a few hoops to jump through and a few forms to fill in once you have found a vehicle, but really, its not too bad.
I have narrowed my search down to a couple of bikes that are in reasonably close proximity, yes, its a bloody huge country and Brissie alone is pretty daunting after living in little old Nelson.
Not as much choice as I'd expected, but what is there seems pretty good, so fingers crossed!
Most of my searches have been on http://www.bikesales.com.au/, http://www.bikepoint.com.au/ and http://www.tradingpost.com.au/, not much on Ebay Australia. Motorcycle rental is not really an option as hiring for this length of time would probably buy a bike anyway!
Had a lovely home cooked roast lamb meal last night when I got here, that was awesome! and just about to walk to the town (Burpengary) to get a mobile sim card and greet the locals :)

Pictured is a green Tree Frog, which was in the garden last night with his/her mate, so I thought it rude not to immortalise him/her for my first photo, she's a beaut too! and much prettier than me (come on lets have an orderly queue for the whole host of disagreements)
Ok, signing off and thanks to all my followers too for takin the time to catch up with me, more exiting stuff coming soon!