Border Village, SA to Balladonia, WA - 534km (3,054km)
Running 4 kilometres out onto the Nullarbor Plain and back was one of the most surreal experiences I have ever had. It was just me and the occasional road train at 5:30 in the morning. The road was pretty much dead straight, birds were chirping in the nearby scrub, while the occasional scurrying of little feet could also be heard.
The wind was chilly but not biting, the run itself was enjoyable and got me thinking about this landscape that many say is desolate. It couldn't be further from the truth.
This was how I started day 6 of the Long Ride, while others were packing bikes, I was running on an isolated piece of highway.
Back at the Border Village motel I had a breakfast of granola and coffee while packing my own bike for the days ride. It would immediately start with a border crossing and probably the most strict in the entire country, in fact many European border crossings aren't so bad.
 |
| Border crossing, Western Australia |
They check to see if you have a multitude of foodstuffs that must be disposed of before making the crossing. For me it was an easy enough process however, the Western Australians in front of me had al sorts of items that couldn't be taken and the lady wasn't to concerned about the line of vehicles quickly forming behind her.
Once on the road it was a quick pass through Eucla and then onto Madura for a breakfast that the local roadhouse was putting on for Long Riders. This was 193km and quite a straight ride on the Eyre Highway.
Madura, is really nothing more than a roadhouse, pulling in the young bloke running the pumps was extremely efficient and quickly guided everyone to the bowser they were after. It was an impressive operation dealing with the 300 plus bikes.
 |
| The last not to pay for fuel at Madura |
While waiting for the bacon and egg roll I met a guy riding a KTM 990, a bike very much made for the conditions we were riding in. He was British and station with the military in Canberra (Australia's capital city) at the moment. Through the conversation I asked if he wanted to come and do some dirt with us the next day, he seemed keen although was quick to point out that he had $30,000 worth of camera equipment on his bike and it was weighing him down. I mentioned I had similar gear, along with tools and spares. He dismissed this but did take my number.
It was reminiscent of another adventure buke rider we had met the day before. He too was working with the military out of Canberra however, he was on a BMW 1200GS. His gear was all BMW. Every time he got on or off the bike we would spend at least 15 minutes making sure he looked right, even the aviator sunglasses were meticulously placed on his head. He quickly became dubbed Tom Cruise.
While preparing to leave Madura the pump attendant was asking riders if they hadn't paid for fuel apparently someone had filled their bike without paying. It looked likely that he was going to get the money so without hesitation I did a quick whip around and raised the $20 to cover the bill, it was here I discovered that the same thing had happened the day before so helping this small business out was well worth it. The young guy was very appreciative.
 |
| Cocklebiddy's rescued wedge tailed eagles |
The next stop was Cocklebiddy, around 90km further along the Eyre Highway. This is a pretty unassuming roadhouse but does have one claim to fame, two magnificent Wedge Tailed Eagles. These birds, Australia's largest birds of prey, were rescued after being hit by vehicles on the highway. While they are caged (in quite a large one) it does seem sad they have to live their lives this way however, the alternative would surely be death in the wild.
The eagles are magnificent creatures and to see them this close is very special, it was actually a little humbling to be so close to them.
From here on to Caiguna, around 65 kilometres down the road. It's just a road house village, unremarkable by all accounts except for the fact it's the start of Australia's longest straight stretch of road. This might be the case, although I'm sure there's longer stretches of dirt road.
Of course we stopped for the touristy type photo at he sign, here it was just funny watching the many cruisers struggle on the soft shoulder of the road. Hey ho!
 |
| 90 Mile Straight ... it really is straight |
Stopping at the halfway point for a pitstop brought some amusement when I found some bones, they didn't look like they belonged to some misfortunate cow or native animal, and so the stories of a crazy man stalking a couple of young travellers in a van began. I continued telling myself the story for around 50 kilometres, convinced it would make a great movie ... oh wait, it's been done before ...
One thing that does standout on this section of the road are the numerous runways that are built into it. These service the Royal Flying Doctor Service, they often need to land when there's an emergency and based on the number of violent skid marks that are visible it looks
like they might be needed often. Some of these landing strips and nothing more than a section of road with the threshold stripes at either end while others also have huge wide sections along the runway, it's actually quite impressive.
For a while I marvelled at how the RFDS pilots land with so much traffic on the road, I then realised that they must buzz the road to give some sort of indication that they need the roadway, this must be quite a sight.
With this thought we pushed on and eventually came to the end of the straight. I was expecting, well at least hopeful that there would be some great hairpin bend, requiring a changing down of gears and perhaps hard braking. It wasn't to be, in fact the bend that came up was barely noticeable, a slight left hand kink. Oh well, at least the bike was able to be leaned over a little.
This lead us on to Balladonia, another stop that is nothing more than a roadhouse. This time it proved to be one of the best places we have stayed overnight, so far.
It started with unpacking the bike. Sat on the step out the front of the rooms was a man, in his 60's, looking absolutely exhausted. He and his wife are riding a tandom pushbike from Perth to Melbourne, today they had covered 100km and said that this was their best day so far. I asked how long it would take to get to Melbourne, they said, "as long as it takes". Got to love that.
Later in the evening we got a chance to speak to the staff at the roadhouse, two girls from the UK, one from Belgium and another from Japan. All had great stories of why they are working in such a remote place and where they had been in Australia. All loved the outback and were hopeful of making a life out there. Got to love that.
After a few drinks and a great chat it was time for bed, tomorrow we are back on the dirt.
No comments:
Post a Comment