When the “Bird” and the “Bee” were shipped up to Cairns last year, we had hoped at the end of Anne’s project to ride back to Brisbane taking a couple of weeks, but this would depend on a number of factors including time of year and our future overseas travel plans. As time progressed we realised that the options had narrowed: we either ride back in five days or ship the bikes back. You guessed it, option A won out easily but we would need ride about 400km each day which is about a 100 km more than we usually do. Around Cairns, we were only doing 250km trips so how will our bodies react to an extra couple of hours in the saddle each day?
Packed and ready to go. Ignition on, engine start but it seems I have no fuel! Zero according to the dial but then I remember that I installed a new battery last week. A quick pit stop, fuel in, gauge fills up and we are good to go and off Brisbane here we come.
As we head south past Gordonvale, the Gillies Highway turnoff, Innisfail and to the Bingil Bay Cafe near Mission Beach, Anne realises that we are seeing each of these places for the last time and that her stay in Cairns is coming to an end. Quite emotional. Anne has become an FNQ’er. (Far North Queensland) person. Anything below 26 Celsius / 79 Fahrenheit is now considered cold by Anne.
We stop at the Hinchinbrook Island outlook, which was very close to where we stayed last August to celebrate 50 years since we met in 1974.
Lunch is taken at Ingham which as far south as we have ventured on the motorbikes in Anne’s time in Cairns. I have found as a coeliac that the local country pub always does a gluten free steak, mash and steamed veggies, it works every time.
It’s only just over 100km to Townsville no problem apart from a really heavy afternoon rain. Am I on a road or a river? We are still using some riding gear that dates back to 2014. We have added a new Rev’it Cyclone 4 H2O Rain Jacket over our now semi porous well loved KLIM motorcycle clothing. We are however testing current riding boots which while great in the dry are semi porous and will require us to rethink footwear for Europe.
Our walk back from the local shopping centre we get drowned again, no waterproof clothing just the Queensland wear, shorts, singlet and thongs so not much of a problem there. We have however lost one of our Sena headsets, completely dead. The driving rain has made its way past the layers of waterproof tape holding it together. Cable ties and tape can only do so much. But we have a spare old unit so onwards we go.
With still damp clothing and sodden riding boots, we set off on day two, rain foremost in our minds and yes rain is back. If i ride faster will it miss me, sadly no. I recall in the book “So long and thanks for all the fish” by Douglas Adams the existence of a minor rain god who is followed by the clouds. No not us as the weather clears as we head south. A detour up the 200 meter high Mt Inkerman south of Townsville brings me a “close encounter of the kangaroo kind” within a few meters, luckily I am only travelling at about 40km an hour but it was close enough to raise my pulse rate.
Bowen for coffee and Proserpine for lunch with interesting chats with locals allows us to avoid the passing showers. Mackay is our second stop and a chance to catch up with Mar, a motorcycling friend who lives there. A good side to social media and forums – Anne and Mar met online through common interests and we first met Mar at Brisbane airport about a year ago. Mar used to be a motorcycle racer in Spain and it was beautiful to watch Mar zoom off after our dinner together in Mackay – she is obviously just one with her bike – poetry in motion as the saying goes.
At Sarina we head west on the alternative inland route to Marlborough suggested by our friend. Yes rain again but we now have bin liners in our boots so they remain dry. A great road but after 30 minutes “Road Closed due to flooding”! We stop and Anne goes back but the first sign in a large “X”? Must be further back? We have no mobile coverage so Anne goes looking and disappears from sight. A ute pulls over and the driver offers to go and bring Anne back. Five minutes later Jacob and Anne are back. The sign has reappeared. The wind is blowing the “X” cover on and off and is not secured. How easily one can be led astray by false information and the internet was not involved. The road is not flooded and we can continue.
A somewhat lumpy road with little traffic would be wonderful to ride, apart from the many recently deceased kangaroo and wallaby carcasses that regularly dot the road. I did see one grey hopping away from the road but the number of fresh carcasses is a reminder of the risks on some roads.
A break and good coffee at “the homestead” at Lotus Creek, onward we go. We have little sign of civilisation since leaving Sarina until we come across the Clark Creek wind farm which is under construction. When completed stage 1 will bring 450MW online generated by 100 massive turbines.
After lunch in Marlborough we head towards Rockhampton, traffic is light and we make good progress apart from Anne needing the occasional 10 minute afternoon nap. I thought that was my province “afternoon naps”!
By day four we are well versed in packing and leave Rockhampton ahead of our usual 7:45 and now the rain had finally abated we make good progress south. We are heading for Hervey Bay to catch up with an old work colleague of Anne’s. The remaining Sena headsets are disconnecting, playing music and occasionally I cannot hear Anne. Only when we do not have contact with each other do we realise how much we miss the contact.
Our last day on the road, we have covered over 1600km with around 300 still to go. We are surprised at the volume of traffic heading into Hervey Bay as we make our way towards Maryborough. It has been interesting to compare the size of each town we have passed through as a dot on a map tells you nothing about the town and its facilities.
We get to use the Gympie by-pass for the first time, smooth double lane highway, 26 kilometres long which removes 53 intersections and nine traffic lights from our journey and with animal fencing down each side is much safer. Shortly after mid day we are home in Manly.
Five days on the road, 1,900 kilometres covered and we have identified what motorcycle gear still works and what does not. Our new over-jackets are great and very visible, waterproof boots need to be considered and research is needed on the next headsets to replace the Senas which have reached the end of the road after over 10 years of service. We now both head back to Cairns by air, covering the same distance in two hours 15 minutes but without all the experiences being on the road brings.
– Anthony
2slowspeeds 