This trip was a different take on being a grey nomad ... but the idea was to attend the Australian MotoGP with motor biking enthusiasts. A group make the pilgrimage every year and Dave was invited to go with the group. They have accommodation bookings at different hotels along the way with secure overnight storage and a house rental down on the Island.
This year at the last minute they were short of a body and so to make up costs so I was allowed along.
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| Dave and the extra body |
We travelled roughly round 600 k's daily but there was a Harley in our midst so we were hindered timewise by this bike - extra fuel stops and the like. I suspect there were a lot of fellows with lousy prostates so the frequent stops were welcomed by them as well.
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One of the frequent 'piddle stops"
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| Andrew "resting" |
Andrew was one of the young fellows in the group, however his bike over a long distance is not as comfortable as perhaps a touring bike. He also has back issues so he suffered with the long distance riding.
Our first stop was a short trip only to Toowoomba. There were 3 persons to collect for the trip, Mark and Sara and Scotty (the lone Harley rider). We overnighted with some "Wallabie" friend, John and Ellen Crimean. They were perfect hosts and we dined 'like kings' that night. Ellen is a cook of great talents.
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| JC and the chef extraordinaire, Ellen |
The second day on the road saw us make many kms to Coonabarabran, NSW. The rain started shortly before lunchtime so we donned the wet weather gear. Not very pleasant riding and it started growing colder the further south we headed ....brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. The good thing about the BMW was that David had heated handle bars and we both had heated seats!
We also lost an hour to daylight saving so it was late when we pulled in for the night. We gathered more of the crew, Glen and Ally who were travelling by ute.
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| Junee, NSW - outside one of the hotel we stayed in |
In Junee we overnighted in one of those really old fashioned hotels that used to be a popular accommodation spot before the advent of motels. Shared bathrooms and toilets, musty smells, beautiful ornate ceilings but generally pretty rickety but I believe very reasonably priced.
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| Secure, covered parking on the ground floor somewhere in the bowels of the hotel |
The third day on the road, we lost the rain but not the cold. Our communication system between our helmets worked well so the long hours were dotted with odd comments about sights and scenery. Certainly the countryside was very green - pastures and crops lush with animals looking very contented. If you didn't read the papers or see the TV news you'd swear the country was prospering.
Most of the group had road or sportie bikes except for the one Harley rider. He was a proud Harley rider who took all the pissling very well. However apart from sounding beautiful, it was a real liability as we constantly had to wait for him (hard to handle in the wind, unable to corner at any speed etc. etc.) and his tank capacity was minimal so more fuel stops slowed the trip! Fortunately he was a good bloke.
The beautiful looking and sounding Harley ....
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| Scotty's treasured Harley |
The fourth day of travelling was longggggggggggg but we took in a couple of sights. We lunched at Ben Rowan, the stomping ground of Ned Kelly. Getting closer to Melbourne we entered part of the Dandenongs and rode one of the iconic bike rides known as the Black Spur. In motobiking circles it's known as one of the fun rides - many kms of twists, turns uphill and downhill and seemingly never ending. As luck would have it we got stuck behind the Harley so we were restricted to going around at a more sedate speed, David did manage to scrape one of the side pedals much to my horror.
It was in a beautiful forest with many tree ferns and extremely steep sides that dropped to nowhere. Being a pillion I was probably the only one to see the scenery. One of the crazy younger guys had a webcam fitted to the front of his bike so he could re-live the ride over and over without actually doing it! (think that's what happened and why?)
Finally we arrived at Cowes, on Phillip Island on the Wednesday night after a long day of travel.
The house that sleeps 12 was on Seascape St and it was well situated, close to town centre and bus stops. A very spacious 2 storey house with independent living areas on each level. Dave and I were lucky to get our own room.
For the evening meal we went up to "the place to go " for an Italian meal. Apparently there were some celebrity bike riders in the same joint. I was none the wiser who they were but Sara was busily taking photos.
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| the bike parking area under the house |
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| Some of the fellows relaxing and watching Sara wash her bike. |
I thought this photo in the house was very pertinent as it seems to apply most of the time!
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| The blurred caption says "never mind the weather" |
Anyway the Thursday was a sort of rest day before the GP started the next day. Apparently it was also a buying merchandise from last years GP merchandise at discount prices. We all went up the street, nobody bought anything but it was a day spent in the pub. I had arranged to meet some old 'Darwinites" who lived in the area so had a nice catch up with them as well.
Friday, the day the MotoGP started all the diehards were up at daybreak to ride their bikes into the track! We made a leisurely trip in on the bus. At this stage the weather was deteriorating, rain definitely on the way and the temperature dropping. Anyway my lovely leather coat I bought in Italy finally got an outing and it was great against the elements, perhaps a tad too dressy but what the hell.
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| Some of the keen Friday fans in the general entry area |
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Some ominous cloud formations
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| View from the Doohan Stand |
As I was a last minute addition to the bike group I wasn't able to get tickets to the Honda club pavilion where all the group were allocated So the best seat I could get which was covered was in the Doohan Stand which is Turn 1 on the track. As I had a back seat I could also see most of the other parts of the track despite the fact the wind was blowing a gale on our backs.
So Nigel Jean was sitting all alone for three days. Fortunately there were a couple of women from Qld and some Pommy women fans who I discovered who didn't have that greater interest in all the racing so a bit of company was better than none. All the facilities were good and there was no need to watch outside if you wanted to slouch in a bean bag and watch it on the big screen then you could that as well.
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| tyre barrier to protect spectators? |
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| Gravel pit to enable a safer outcome if the riders have a spill |
Phillip Island race track stats - the circuit is 4.448 km long and 13 m wide. It has 5 right-hand corners and 7 left-hand corners. Gardner straight is 900m long.
On the Friday and Saturday were days of time trials for grid positions for the final day of the big race.
The bad weather affected this somewhat and events were abbreviated because of the inclement weather. There was a very good trackside commentary which one of the speakers was an old RAAF friend from back in the late 70's - Mark Bracks. He was kind enough to give the fellows passes to get into the pits area and other areas that would normally be out of bounds to the average race goer - so a bit of privilege arises out of old mates!
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| Dave chatting to Bracksie |
All the many garages on pit lane ...
One of the other attractions at the track was The GP Expo, an enormous pavilion which had a wide range of exhibits from all the different motorcycle manufacturers such as Honda, BMW, Yamaha and new model motorcycles, bike apparel, bike products and accessories. A big shop that men drool over especially the young girls with really long legs draped over the bikes! The Expo also featured unique bike memorabilia, not to mention all merchandise of the official event and team and rider gear.
Some of the machines ...
Some of the fellows from the group ...
Anyway it's history the race results - Cal Crutchlow , a pom from the Honda team followed by Valentino Rossi with his Yamaha and the Spanish guy, Maverick Vinales on his Suzuki. The favourite Marquez crashed out and unfortunately Jack Miller, the Aussie wasn't on the podium.
The bus system on exiting the track could have been improved upon but it's always going to be difficult moving hordes of people in those situations. Regardless of the Victorian weather, it was a great event, and the group of avid bikers were an easy lot to spend time with. An experience not to be missed if the opportunity is available.
Anyway Monday, after a general clean-up, it was homeward bound. The road out of Phillip Island was literally littered with bike riders, there were hundreds upon hundreds. It eventually thinned out but they came and were going all places. The return trip took in mainly going up the east coast to Toowoomba. The first days travel included a few getting lost along the way so there was waiting and a bit of patience required by some.
There was another really interesting and curly ride through some country known as the Kangaroo Valley ride. It was up and over a range with several corners, twists and turns that took your breath away at times. I noticed there were u-turns recommended speed at 15 kmph so pretty tight cornering in parts! Anyway the good thing is there was a lovely little township at the bottom where we had lunch.
A lot of travelling in the afternoon and into the early evening before we reached Bermegui for the nights stay. It was a particular tiring part of the trip - we were at the back keeping the Harley rider company most of the time. However the little town on the coast was quite idyllic so the ride was worth making it to there.
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| One of the several fuel and food stops along the way ... |
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| About midway along the Thunderbolt Way - stunning countryside |
The next day involved bypassing Sydney and still having to ride on the motorways so it was fairly hectic traffic for some of the time. Once past Newcastle the ride took in another one of those 'must do rides for motorbikers'. It was through the country around Scone or somewhere in NSW country but the road was called the Thunderbolt Way. The name in itself describes well the road and countryside. It was thrilling at times and views were quite breathtaking.
We finally made it to Stroud - a gorgeous old village full of crafty shops and the like, well-kept gardens and old houses, for the evening stop. Most of the fellows had left the group along the way, some to Canberra, others to Newcastle so we were reduced to 5 people.
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| Some of the group outside a special bikie cafe |
The next day we bolted as fast as the Harley could go and headed to Toowoomba where we were reduced to 3, Col from Maryborough who was our Fearless leader and ourselves were the ones remaining.
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| Rider and pillion passenger ... |
We made it back to Gympie before lunch on Thursday.
11 days after we set out and 4,500 kms on the odometer. It was a fun time.
We consumed a lot of fried takeaway food, a lot of stuff normally not in the regular diet but for a short time it was really nice.
Great to go away and great to be home!
