I'm now in Alice Springs, - about 1500km south of Darwin and 1500km north of Adelaide - half way through my North to South crossing of the Australian continent. With the distance riden so far being around 26,500km and only about 3000km to go, I'm feeling quite close to home.
After problems finding vacancies in any Darwin accommodation places I found a temporary home with Ross & Sue, Ross being the brother-in-law of my best friend. That allowed me to stay a few more days in Darwin, exploring and resting.
-o- At the friends, in-laws (Darwin) David, Sue, Ross & Kaitlyn
-o- At the friends, in-laws, in-laws (Berry Creek) Jessie
From Darwin, my next stop was Berry Springs and the Territory Wildlife Park where I continued with my free accommodation courtesy of the friends and in-laws chain staying with Judy & Rocky. (This time the in-law of the in-law of the friend.) The gossip chain had worked well and Judy presented me with a tube of Vegemite - having just missed out on the last one in the supermarket in Darwin. Rocky, works at the wildlife park and he and Judy they live with daughter Jessie a few km's down the road. The wildlife park is a great place to wander around as they've very nicely reproduced a whole series of different natural habitats within the confines of the park. It was here at the wildlife park that I ran into a school group from back in Ringwood, travelling through Central Australia to Darwin. The group from Norwood Secondary College included Callum the son of friends Tim and Marie from back in my Youth Group days.
-o- Birds of Prey display - The Territory Wildlife Park. Berry Springs N.T.
-o- Termite mound vs bike
It was a few days later in Katherine that I got talking to some people whilst sitting in the shade of a tree beside the main road. It turned out that the father and son - from Melbourne - were heading to London in a car and we sat under the tree whilst they quizzed me about how I got from Dili to Darwin and then about the inter-island ferries through Indonesia and to Singapore. I was able to re-assure them that once they'd used Perkin's shipping to get to Dili, they'd be able to cross the Indonesian Archipelago through Flores, Sumbawa, Lombok, Bali, Java and Sumatra - as I had done - using roll-on, roll-off ferries. No problems for a car... I couldn't help them with info about a roll-on/off ferry to Singapore though, the one leg they are really desperate to find. After we'd (I'd) been talking for a while I began to think that the father looked vaguely familiar. Nobody I knew or had met personally before but a just little familiar. After mentioning Timor and Balibo once, it was when he mentioned Balibo a second time and said "We will go to Balibo" that I thought... "maybe he's from the media..." I asked his name to see if that sounded familiar, he responded with a cautious but polite "Jon". I pushed a bit further saying "Jon......" and waiting for him to fill in his surname. I nearly died when he the response was "Faine". For all those that are not from Melbourne, or for Melbournian's that dont listen to the ABC 774 (shame..). Jon is a presenter on the main ABC AM station in Melbourne. I think he looked vaguely familiar because of thumbnail sized photos I'd seen on printed radio program schedules. I only recognised the voice afterwards, but couldn't mistake it then. (In my defence it's not a voice I'd heard since I started the trip 15 months ago and it certainly wasn't "in-context".) It seemed incredible to meet him as I did, as he is my favorite talk show presenter, and here I was sitting on the nature strip next to the Stuart Highway in Katherine, explaining Indonesian Ferries and talking about my last 15 months, which will - in some small part - be like what he is just starting. You can read about his trip, see his photos and read his version of the encounter at www.melbournetolondon.com
-o- Me, showing Jon Faine my route - photo Jack Faine
-o- Jon & Jack Faine on their way to London by car quizing me in Katherine.
-o- Jon & Jack Faine on their way to London by car quizing me in Katherine.
I didn't stay in Katherine as I had planned, because the Katherine Gorge tours were booked out, instead I filled up my food pannier with fresh stocks from the Supermarket and headed on down the highway. Instead of taking a day's break in Katherine, I stayed for an extra day in Mataranka, visiting the various springs.
The road from Darwin to Mataranka had been tree lined and not at all like the "nothing" that you imagine for Central Australia. The wind too, although head-on (Sou-Easter) didn't - like in many countries before - get strong until 2 hours after sunrise. So by getting up at 5:30AM I could eat, pack and get on the road and have about 3 hours of wind free riding, before struggling for the rest of the day to complete however many km's I felt I wanted to complete. Once South of Mataranka things changed. The wind would blow through the night and be still blowing when I wanted to start riding. There was no longer any point in getting up really early, as the wind was there regardless. With overnight temperatures starting to drop - as I headed inland - it was better to wait until the sun had risen before setting off for the day.
My last good windless morning was my early start from Mataranka. I reached my intended destination of Larrimah for lunch and continued on wondering if - with a long day - whether I might be able to make it to Daly Waters. This became my first long day in Australia, reaching Daly Waters that evening and setting a new record for the longest "riding time" 9 hrs. At about 167km it was about equal to my longest day in km also.
It was in Elliot a couple of days after Mataranka that I met up with 5 riders from Germany that had been coming along the highway behind me. They'd pulled into Mataranka late the evening before I left. I had left pre-dawn the next morning so never saw them to speak to until they arrived at Elliot a couple of days later - just as I was about to head out of town to find a camp. Instead of heading out of town, I camped in the camping ground with them and rode the next 2 days with their group, slipstreaming them when I could and wearing myself out taking the lead in turn. In Germany they came from the small village of Borchen, which they said was about 100km east of Dortmund. I rattled off the names Soest, Erwitte, Lippstadt and got a very positive response as they realised that I had come through Germany and passed through their neighbourhood about 20km west of their village. After a couple of days of riding at the faster speeds of the group I decided to leave them to ride on at their pace whilst I would continue at my own. Yes, it's harder pushing through the wind yourself than behind somebody else, but when their speed is just a couple of kilometres per hour too fast it very quickly wears you out. I would cover the same distance myself going slower into the wind and and taking a hour or two longer, being less tired than riding fast. As we were to arrive into the town of Tennant Creek on the weekend, and I needed to be there in normal business hours to go to the Post Office, they would continue to Ayers Rock a few days ahead of me.
-o- Saying goodbye to the riders from Borchen, Germany - Attack Creek, N.T.
It was during my couple of days in Tennant Creek that I wanted to upload a few photos to the web & check emails. With the only Internet Cafe in town being closed on weekends I decided to drop into the nearby Motel to see if they had - or knew of - any intenet access. As I approached the Motel I was stunned to see Chris Newman walking across the forecourt towards me. We both echoed "What are you doing here" and then went on to explain that I was riding home from Europe and he was helping his son in the Eldorado Motel during the Tennant Creek busy season. Chris is a guy that I knew of from his work in the early 80's, when he'd worked very closely with communications group of the State Electricity Commission of Victoria -(My first employer). Since then we've got to know each other through the YHA bushwalking club in Melbourne. It was great to spend a few hours with him talking and doing odd jobs around the Motel before sitting down to do my Internet work on the motel's internet browser PC.
From Mataranka, south, the country was far more open than it had been further north. It enabled views way into the distance where previously all you could see were tree's. It also allowed the wind to howl across at you and be far more annoying than before. Vast horizons far more like the Central Australia that I was expecting. With the openness came longer straight stretches of road, 30km or 40km in length with no bends. With the land being flat the road disappears toward a vanishing point but before it gets there dissolves into a sea of nothing, a mirage that makes it appear the road in the distance is covered with water. Being able to see the road straight ahead for such a long distance is quite deceptive, as the roads perspective approaches the vanishing point it plays tricks on your eyes and you'd swear the road was cresting and you were on an upward incline. (Pushing against a head wind, your legs add to the upward incline perception).
-o- I stupidly left a battery on charge in the caravan park in Tennant Creek when I left. After hitch hiking back to get it, these guys from Thursday Island drove me more than 80km back to where 'd left my bike then returned to Tennant Creek. (I think they were amazed when I emerged from a clump of bushes, in the dark, somewhere along the stuart highway with my bike.)
-o- The Devils Marbles
-o- On the road again - near Aileron N.T.
Towards Alice Springs the trees get a little larger again, you actually do get a few (little) hills and the country feels a bit more like it did closer to Darwin. I had a couple of good days on the approach to "The Alice". Days with the wind partially behind me. It enabled me to cover better distances more easily again. From a camp near Barrow Creek I made it to Ti Tree for lunch instead of camping, and did what I'd planned as the next days ride in the afternoon. This left me about 120km north of Alice and ready to head to town the next day.
In Alice Springs I wanted to find some warm gloves (very much needed for pre-dawn riding in Central Australia), a replacement Cycle Computer (I'd lost mine in Tennant Creek), and to locate Robert & Marijke (parents of my mate David) who I knew would be camped in one of the caravan parks in Alice Springs. I managed to get a cycle computer like the one I'd lost, a set of gloves that I'll get to try out once I start riding tomorrow and to trip around in a 4WD vehicle to areas around Alice Springs that I'd never have got to if Rob & Rake hadn't been here. Travelling out to Gem Tree yesterday (140km N/E) and to Hermannsburg and Palm Valley the previous day.
-o- Alice Springs
-o- Christine, Me, Rob, Marijke, Rudi at Hermannsburg - Touring around Alice in 4WD's
-o- Stranded with two flat spare tyres, these guys were happy that Rob had a compressor.
-o- Tyres Changed and they're off.
From here I'll head south, then off on a long 300km side track to Uluru (Ayers Rock), before continuing south toward Adelaide.
Jeff
