Balladonio, WA to Esperance, WA - 268km (3,322km)
Today was set to be the shortest day of the Long Ride, with less than 270km to be completed. The route was a complete unknown, taking to a track that many said should not be taken. Thanks for the challenge.
'Tom Cruise' met us at the Balladonia Roadhouse stating that he wouldn't be doing the dirt with us, apparently his bike isn't setup for dirt. Hmm, I couldn't work that comment out.
We had a delicious breakfast at the roadhouse, refuelled the bikes and set off in the opposite direction to the other riders.
I can't recommend the Balladonia Roadhouse enough, the staff are extremely friendly and are willing to help in any way possible. Yes, the place is expensive, but you have to remember that it's in the middle of nowhere.
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| Part of the reason Balladonia Roadhouse is a little expensive |
Our ride to Esperance was on the Balladonia Road, people had told us that it could be extremely rough, the top section, belonging to the Dundas Shire (Norseman), was said to be terrible and gets very little maintenance while the lower section was possibly a well maintained road, almost akin to being a bitumen road.
We set off, the 'passable to 4wd only' sign gave an indication as to what we could expect. The track started as a one lane, rocky road with the occasional washout. It looked as of it would be totally inpassable with any rain at all.
Those of us out front where able to keep up a good pace while the riders at the back slowed to a pace they were comfortable with.
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| Back on the dirt. Start of the Balladonia Road |
The track continued on alternating between heavily rocky areas, good fast smooth fast sections, and the occasional washout. It was the washout that were proving to be the most tricky, after cruising at 80km they would suddenly appear give us just enough time to find a way around or through them, often the holes were quite deep.
The track continued on this way for around 35km when we reached a gate. It was adorned with many items of clothing, as usual in the Australian outback, people just seem to want to leave their clothes on any structure where it seems fit. It was a good place to have a rest and assess the riding so far, it had taken us over an hour.
As we chatted a 4wd came down the track from the direction we had come. Two young guys were heading to our destination, we spoke about what we had done so far and what we were expecting, they seemed a little apprehensive and concerned the track would be too rough. Perhaps they were a little soft.
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| The things people leave behind in the outback |
We had a laugh about some of the clothing on the gate, some of it had been there for quite some time. I love this sort of stuff, people leaving some of their personal history for other to see.
The road continued on, just as rough, but nothing too challenging, especially on a bike like a GS which is made for this sort of stuff. They are akin to being like a Landrover, not the prettiest, not overly fast, and simple however, they are strong and very capable in most conditions.
The landscape around here was beautiful, it was a type of bush I had never seen before, the trees weren't huge but looked like they certainly weren't struggling for existence. It was thick and green, yet still gave the appeal of being dry and almost desert like, the contradictions were astounding.
We also noticed animal droppings on the track but not like anything I had seen before. It didn't look like anything native, and was too small to be cow and too large to be sheep poo. With no idea what we were trying to keep an eye out for we simply get going.
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| When you're 75, and nature comes calling, you have to go, no matter where you are. |
The next stop was another gate, this time a little more 'impressive' than the first one. It too was covered with clothing however, those courageous enough to take on the track had also left other items. There was a bourbon bottle that the former owners had written a message on, two girls from Germany had stated they were having a hell of a road trip. There were car parts, obviously shaken loose by the rough track. Even a child's car seat was here. The funniest thing was a seat from a portable toilet.
Again we had a laugh and made light of the 'rubbish' left behind, it was also a chance to take on some water, the temperature was quickly starting to climb, and under these conditions it's easy to become dehydrated and then the risk of fatigue and error becomes very real.
We rode on determined to reach the Esperance Shire section of the road and hopefully something a little smoother. We eventually reached the changing point, the style of the signs gave away that it was now a different shire, the road didn't, it remained very rocky and when there were smoother sections they were littered with the washouts we had been experiencing. Eventually the road did start to improve, becoming wider and somewhat better maintained. In some places it was actually divided into three separate running lanes, and it was hard too choose which one to take.
The lanes eventually merged into one and became very smooth. This was a road now used by the road trains that service the cattle farms. It was so smooth we were able to cruise along at 100 kilometres per hour.
This continued on until the road merged with the bitumen leading on to the coastal town of Esperance.
I'd heard a lot about this place. Many had said it was the most beautiful town in Australia with extremely nice beaches, I must admit I kept thinking about the number of shark attacks that occur around here.
Esperance itself wasn't quite what I expected. I had imagined it to be quite remote, almost what Fowlers Bay had been a few days earlier. In reality, it was what I remember Torquay, in Victoria, being when I was a kid. It has a laidback, beachy, surfer sort of feel to it, and like Torquay you can see that it's laidback feel is being gradually eroded by tourism and development.
The day ended with a bike show and fundraising event at the Esperance Yacht Club, put on by a number of community groups in the region. It was great to see the community come out and support the Long Ride. The day ended with a pizza and few beers (Fat Yak) at the Pier Hotel, a great pub on the waterfront. There was more fundraising for the Long Ride here and I can away with a Jameson Whisky T-shirt. Got to be happy with that.
We rode on determined to reach the Esperance Shire section of the road and hopefully something a little smoother. We eventually reached the changing point, the style of the signs gave away that it was now a different shire, the road didn't, it remained very rocky and when there were smoother sections they were littered with the washouts we had been experiencing. Eventually the road did start to improve, becoming wider and somewhat better maintained. In some places it was actually divided into three separate running lanes, and it was hard too choose which one to take.
The lanes eventually merged into one and became very smooth. This was a road now used by the road trains that service the cattle farms. It was so smooth we were able to cruise along at 100 kilometres per hour.
This continued on until the road merged with the bitumen leading on to the coastal town of Esperance.
I'd heard a lot about this place. Many had said it was the most beautiful town in Australia with extremely nice beaches, I must admit I kept thinking about the number of shark attacks that occur around here.
Esperance itself wasn't quite what I expected. I had imagined it to be quite remote, almost what Fowlers Bay had been a few days earlier. In reality, it was what I remember Torquay, in Victoria, being when I was a kid. It has a laidback, beachy, surfer sort of feel to it, and like Torquay you can see that it's laidback feel is being gradually eroded by tourism and development.
The day ended with a bike show and fundraising event at the Esperance Yacht Club, put on by a number of community groups in the region. It was great to see the community come out and support the Long Ride. The day ended with a pizza and few beers (Fat Yak) at the Pier Hotel, a great pub on the waterfront. There was more fundraising for the Long Ride here and I can away with a Jameson Whisky T-shirt. Got to be happy with that.
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