Long Ride 2014 - Day 3 - Bourke to Charleville

Bourke, NSW to Charleville, Qld
Distance - 593km (1615km)
Weather - Sunny 35 degrees

Day 3 of the Long Ride started in perfect conditions, it finished in anything but.

We left Bourke quite early after a biggish night at the Kidman Camp.  The riding was great as we headed towards the Queensland border and Mary's last pub in New South Wales just outside Berringun. We'd stopped here last time and with 90 year old Mary being such a character we had to stop for a beer.

Mary again gave us the history of the place and her thoughts on world affairs before we crossed the border.

The next stop was Cunnamulla, around an extra 120km further north.  The ride here was quite pleasant especially as we spread out were able to ride alone for a while.

The Charleville bridge explosion ...
it put an end to my Long Ride.

I dropped back and sat between two groups.  Quickly losing sight of those in front I felt like I was the only person here.  This became even more evident when the riders behind me disappeared.  It was actually starting to become a little worrying.

After 20 minutes or so I pulled over to wait.  Some time later they appeared, it was nothing too serious just one of the bikes had run out of fuel and needed a quick top up.

We grouped together and rode into Cunnamulla to refuel our bikes and ourselves.  A few of us to use this break to plan the next stage of the days riding, one that would see us take the original detour put in place when the bridge near Charleville was destroyed by an explosion.

This detour would see us ride an additional 50km by taking on around 70km of dirt track.  This is where the real adventure would start.

We rode 100km to Wyandra, stopped at the Gladstone Hotel for a quick cold Coke and a chat to the publican who told us the route we would be taking was in pretty good condition.

With this in mind we ventured on our way and took to the dirt.

Initially the road was a little rough and had deep patches of bulldust - very fine talcum like sand that has an almost fluid affect when pressure is applied to it.  In this stuff the bikes squirm and become very unpredictable.  We overcame the worst of it and continued on.

The remainder of the track was fine, or so I thought.  With just a few hundred metres of dust remaining before we would the bitumen, my bike ploughed into a deep patch of bulldust, it immediately twitched to the left, then the right, and finally violently to the left.  As it did this I was thrown sideways making the bike skip, bucking me up and over the handlebars.  I came down heavily on my left side as the bike rolled over the top of me.

The dust settled and a constant drone was the first thing I recalled, out the corner of my eye I could see the bike on it's side with pieces scattered all over the place. I tried to prop myself up to switch the bike off, the drone was actually the horn sounding.  Propping myself up was the first sign something was wrong, my shoulder popped, the pain was immense.  Then I noticed that my left hip was also in trouble.  Funnily I knew immediately that my shoulder was broken, I also thought I'd broken my pelvis as I was unable to stand.

The others came back for me and set about getting me and the bike off the road.  Immediately a bloke in a ute stopped, asked a few questions, but offered no help before heading off.  As I began to slip into unconsciousness another ute stopped.  Brendan, the driver immediately started loading my gear into his car, and then got me in.  The next 30km's were the hardest I have ever done as he took me to hospital.  The pain was immense.

My Long Ride finishes here.
The Long Fly or Drive is just
beginning.

The hospital staff were fantastic and set about getting me fixed.  Xrays showed no head  or neck injuries, despite my helmet suggesting otherwise - thanks Shoei.  My hip was also alright, just severely bruised. Unfortunately my left collarbone was broken in a number of places and at first surgery was suggested, thankfully this was counted out but the solution was bloody painful - a weird corset like contraption around my shoulders.  At least I can get back on the road even if it means by plane, train or automobile ... the bike is out of the question.

While the ride continues I feel remorseful in the fact that I have let down the many businesses and individuals who have helped me fund raise, they will be some that I won't be able to visit but will do my best to get to the others.  I do hope that this doesn't set me back too much in reaching the target of $20,000.

Long Ride 2014 - Day 2 - Griffith to Bourke

Griffith, NSW to Bourke, NSW

Distance - 553km (1022km)

Weather - Sunny 28 degrees

Day 2 of the Long Ride 2014 was supposedly going to be a tough one, if anything learnt from last years ride was anything to go by.

After waking up a quick walk to the local service station revealed just how much of an oasis Griffith really is, everything is so green and lush.  The morning was beautiful and still, although the dawn sun was already starting to have some sting.  The walk revealed an old abandoned winery that belonged to no other than Penfold's, I don't think any Grange was ever produced at this place.

With breakfast out of the way and the bikes packed a few of us headed off to visit a few local businesses that had shown the Long Ride some great support.  Trying to find Griffith Motorcycle Centre allowed us to soak up more of the town, I really wish we'd been able to meet these guys however, being a Sunday they weren't open.  Thanks for the support guys.

The old Penfold's winery.

We then headed out to Bilbul to visit De Bortoli wines, and to our amazement the cellar door was open at 9am.  Pulling up we were greeted by Di who quickly ushered us inside.  A real character she couldn't wait to start demonstrating the great De Bortoli range that comes from the region.  Was it too early from a wine? Never.  "Fill up a glass or two", I said.

We had a laugh, bought some wine, and then got on our way.  I was amazed at the size of the winery and the beauty of it.
These guys were also great in the support they had given us.

We set off on the 110km to Hillston, into what had developed into a pretty squally head wind, this would certainly test the road holding of the BMW F800GS, as well as its fuel range.

By this stage we had dropped well behind the others on the Long Ride, and the goal was to catch them before reaching Cobar.  The plan being to visit a local girl who has a severe heart condition and is supported by one of the riders.  She is 11 years old and is amazing doctors by her will to survive - the prognosis being that she should passed away quite some time ago.

As the temperature begun to rise quite dramatically we reached Hillston and refuelled the bikes and grabbed a bite to eat.  The next stop would mark the start of the 'world's longest pub crawl".

Mount Hope, is literally a pub on top of a hill, 90km or so up the Kidman Way from Hillston. Apparently in it's heyday it had quite a community that was fed by a copper mine, these days it has a population of just 53 and is famous for the pub, the Royal Hotel. 

Mt Hope

There were a few tourists around but otherwise the place was deserted.  The publican, a sour old bird, served us a beer without even a word.  A couple of travellers with a massive caravan told us about the wild goats further up the road.  The experiences of the last Long Ride had already warned us that this next stretch would be littered with the remains of animals on the road.  We were expected it to be quite the same and probably just as dangerous.

Royal Hotel - Mt Hope pub

It didn't eventuate.  Although a few animals were around there was really nothing to worry about as it seemed almost deserted.  The only said thing being a 'family' of emu's that had just been collected by one of the monstrous roadtrains that frequent these roads.  The remains of one of the giant birds was strewn allover the road, another lay dead just off the road, while a third, obviously in a very bad way was struggling to stand and flee the danger. We sped past, and once it had sunk in what had happened I wished we had gone back to end it's misery.

We continued on the 160 odd kilometres to Cobar, knowing that this was one of the longest stretches without fuel. It wasn't a problem, we reached the copper mining town just in time to see the other riders leaving.  We'd missed out on helping a sick little girl a little happier.

The stop in Cobar was a quick one, fuel and a quick drink, before we set off chasing the others trying to get to Bourke before the sun went down.  

It didn't take long.  The group were riding at a pace that seemed more like an economy run. It was nice to be able to ride at this pace, but by god it was boring, especially on this dead straight road.

We hit Bourke, on the edge of the 'outback' at around 5.30pm and went straight to the Kidman Camp camping park.

After unpacking the bikes it was time for a feed, a De Bortoli wine, and a little "Poetry On A Plate" as Andrew Hull, the Bard of Bourke, regales the history of the region through his beautiful poems and stories.  It's a great experience.

The wines went down a treat, and so a few more were consumed and the tales got motorcycling adventure became taller.

It was a great uneventful day that was only just a glimpse of what is to come ...

Long Ride 2014 - Day 1 - Melbourne to Griffith

Melbourne, Vic to Griffith, NSW

Distance - 469km (469km)

Weather - Sunny 24 degrees

The Long Ride 2014 got underway with a dozen or so Victorian based riders starting a few days early to be able to take on the longer route via Mt Isa and Tennant Creek.

We all met up at Kilmore, just outside of Melbourne, for a quick coffee and catch up and chat and to discuss the days activities.  With the sun already starting to warm the air the mood was good, it was going to be a good first day.

Leaving Kilmore at around 10am the aim was to reach Finley, New South Wales by 12:30pm.  The local Lions Club were waiting for us, they were supporting the Long Ride by putting on a lunch for the riders.

Lunch was very much welcomed, the 219 kilometres between Kilmore and Finley might not seem like much but when you are sat in the same position for all that time without a break it starts to get a little tender.  Arriving at the Finley Showgrounds we were greeted by a small yet very dedicated group from the Lions club.  They were excited and appreciative of what we were doing and it was great to have the local media there.  What was touching was how appreciative they were that I had their logo on my bike and shirt ... it was the least I could do for the great support.

The lunch was delicious and having a chat about what we were doing and why was even better.  I always marvel at how people of country towns get behind events like the Long Ride much better than those in the city.  We fueled ourselves and then the bikes before setting off for the final stop of the day - Griffith.

I'd been told that this regional centre was an oasis in an otherwise quite arid area - it certainly is an oasis, I couldn't get over how green it is.

Riding through a myriad of orchards, wineries and vegetable fields was just amazing.  The smell of citrus and flowering plants was just amazing.  It reminded me of the areas in Queensland that had a similar smell on the last Long Ride however, Griffith seemed to have a much nicer feel about it.

We pulled into the Caravan Village caravan park, organised our accomodation for the night, and were then asked to visit the home of the park owner.  A BBQ had been organised by the local prostate cancer support group, little did we realise just what this meant.

The hospitality was fantastic.  The group put on a brilliant meal and provided great company, they were very appreciative of what we were doing to support them and men's health through the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

A massive thank you must got to Keith and Pearl who own the caravan park and allowed us to use their home.  Keith motoring memorabilia was amazing, especially his restored '68 Corvette.  Their collection of Coca Cola, sewing and household items was just as amazing, these guys should open a museum and it was brilliant to see their passion for it too.

Although this was just the first day, it's been a great day meeting some very passionate people.  It seems that men's health is finally starting to become a talking point in regional Australia.

Tomorrow the ride would take us to Bourke, on what is probably one of the most dangerous roads in Australia for motorcyclists.

Clontarf Foundation (Alice Springs) To Meet Long Riders

The Clontarf Foundation exists to improve the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal men and by doing so equips them to participate meaningfully in society.

Since opening its first Academy for 25 boys in 2000 the Foundation has grown to cater for about 3,000 boys in 59 schools across Western Australia, Northern Territory, Victoria and New South Wales.

The Foundation believes that failure to experience achievement when young, coupled with a position of under-privilege can lead to alienation, anger and more serious consequences. As a prelude to tackling these and other issues, participants are first provided with an opportunity to succeed and in turn raise their self-esteem.

The vehicle for achieving this outcome is Australian Rules and/or Rugby League. The Foundation uses the existing passion that Aboriginal boys have for football to attract them into school and keep them there. The programmes are delivered through a network of football academies established in partnership with local schools. Any Aboriginal male enrolled at the school is eligible to participate in the Clontarf Academy.

The Clontarf Foundation Academies provide an important school-engagement mechanism for many at-risk students who would otherwise not attend or have low school attendance.

Full time, locally based Clontarf staff mentor and counsel students on a range of behavioural and lifestyle issues while the school caters for their educational needs.

Using a comprehensive approach of supportive relationships, a welcoming environment, and a diverse range of activities, the students develop improved self-esteem and confidence.

Academy activities are planned within the focus areas of education, leadership, employment, healthy lifestyles, life skills and football. In order to remain in the programme, participants must continue to work at school and embrace the objectives of the Foundation.

The Foundation’s approach has been very successful, not only in attracting young men to school and retaining them but also in having them embrace more disciplined, purposeful and healthy lifestyles.

Funding for the Foundation’s programs is received in equal parts from the Federal government, State or Territory governments and the private sector.

With this in mind the Long Ride 2014 is proud to be associated with the Clontarf Foundation as the Alice Springs region put on a breakfast for the riders who are staying in the area as we depart for Uluru.  This is a great initiative for two very worthy causes to get together and share each others experiences.

The breakfast is open to anyone who would like to attend on the morning of October 4 between 7am and 10am - the location will be announced shortly.

GBC Neopost: A Reputation Aligned With The Long Ride

Neopost Australia (GBC/Fordigraph Pty Ltd) is the recognised market leader in Business Mailing and Document Finishing Solutions with a reputation for quality, reliability and service. 

It's with this reputation that GBC Neopost has again made a commitment to the Long Ride and therefore support raising awareness of men's health and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.

Neopost Australia is a subsidiary of The Neopost Group; based in Paris, France. Neopost, the European leader and world's number two supplier of mailroom equipment and logistics solutions; supplies the most technologically advanced solutions for franking, folding/inserting, addressing, tracking and tracing of letters, parcels and of the supply chain. Neopost anticipates the needs of its sector and its customers by bringing new services and technological innovation to the market, with products and services marketed in 90 countries and subsidiaries in 29 countries.

Neopost Australia's head office is located in Regents Park, Sydney. We have branches in Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Adelaide; along with authorised dealers in Northern Territory, Tasmania and New Zealand.

Neopost Australia is highly committed to providing Business Mailing and Document Finishing Solutions that suit specific organisational needs. We look forward to being your first choice as a solutions provider. We trust you enjoy the visit to our website and we look forward to welcoming you again soon.

I look forward to proudly carrying the GBC Neopost name with me on the Long Ride, and thank them greatly for the support they have shown me and the Long Ride.

Kylie Minogue Tickets For The PCFA

"I've absolutely loved being back in Australia and now I'm even more excited to announce the dates for my Australia Kiss Me Once Tour 2015.  Bringing my show back home is always an amazing feeling so I can't wait.  Get your dancing shoes on!"

That's how Kylie Minogue, our very own pop princess describes the feeling of performing back home in Australia and it's exactly how I feel when I say that thanks to Frontier Touring and the Mushroom Group I have a pair of tickets to Kylie's Rod Laver Arena show on March 18, 2015.

The tickets in the lower section are premium and well worth the cost of a $10 raffle ticket.  Only 100 will be sold and the raffle closes on September 25, regardless of whether 100 tickets have been sold or not.

If you've never seen a Kylie show, it's well worth it.  After shooting her 2012 Anti-Tour show in Melbourne I became an instant fan of her stage performance ... you will too.

Every dollar raised through the raffle will go directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia through the Long Ride.

If you're interested in a ticket please email me at leigh.wilkins@bigpond.com. For the lucky winner I'll even throw in a photo from the show so you have something to remember it by (www.leighwilkins.com).

The runner up will win Every Poster tells A Story - 30 Years of The 
Frontier Touring Company signed by Lionel Richie

TJM Mt Isa Have Again Thrown Out A Life LIne

The good people at TJM Mt Isa have come through with not only a financial donation to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia through the Long Ride but have also donated some fantastic high quality 4x4 products.

The guys have provided two vehicle recovery kits, a must for any serious 4x4 enthusiast or off roader.  The kits include -

• Tree trunk protector 
• Snatch strap 
• 4 Bow Shackles 
• Winch extension strap 
• Heavy Duty snatch block
• Heavy duty leather gloves
• Recovery blanket 

There's no set price on this gear, although I can tell that the high quality means they're not cheap to buy, so make me an offer. The best between now and September 22 will secure you some of TJM best equipment and all thanks to the guys at TJM Mt Isa.

If you're interested email me at leigh.wilkins@bigpond.com