OZ

Discussion in 'Ride Reports' started by 3BeeJay3, May 14, 2012.

  1. DerekR

    DerekR ODSC-OFTR Member

    Messages:
    451
    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2006
    Likes:
    1
    Town:
    Etobicoke
    Amazing! Thanks for chronicling your adventures, Brian. Keep 'em coming!
  2. 3BeeJay3

    3BeeJay3 ODSC Past President

    Messages:
    5,301
    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2006
    Likes:
    52
    Town:
    Near Stratford
    On Monday May 7th Peter brought me back to Mel-bun.

    Thanks Peter! For the great hospitality & generosity :D

    May 8th was a nice day:
    (this time of year the weather around Melbourne can be a lot like Ontario: ie. 4 seasons in a day....)



    22C and Sunny. What to do........?


    Let's check this place out:


    Now let me digress a bit. I was staying on the Northwest side of Melbourne, near the Airport. Phillip Island is Southeast of the city. I had been renting a car off and on for getting around and whatnot & bought a cheap Garmin GPS when I first arrived. (a GPS is a real lifesaver for driving in Oz, as very few roads are straight & only about 1/2(or less) of the city streets even have street name signs at the intersections. The locals piss & moan about this also...). There are basically 3 ways to get across Melbourne(which is about the size of Toronto);

    1.Fly

    2.Toll road expressway(which isn't necessarily the best option for out of towners, as you have to call them afterwards, when you've used the road, in order to pay the toll....... #-o ...)

    3. Or, ask the GPS to set up a route avoiding the toll roads.

    I chose #3

    I was to find out that Option 3 means that the GPS will take you on the most crazy-assed route straight thru the city center of Melbourne during morning traffic. Part of this route includes going thru 'Haymarket' which has a oval shaped roundabout and about 4million cars per hour going thru it. I call it the Haymaker, among other things.....

    So, anyways after getting to see the best of Melbourne on a weekday morning, I finally got to Phillip Island. Phillip Island itself is basically a summertime playground/vacation spot for many Aussies & I can see why. It's a very nice place with quite a few things to do.
    The Phillip Island GP track was between major events when I got there, so was quiet with just a few visitors & a $1000/day BMW driving school going on that day. That worked in my favor as, it turned out, I got my own personal tour of the place....

    more soon.

    Attached Files:

  3. 3BeeJay3

    3BeeJay3 ODSC Past President

    Messages:
    5,301
    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2006
    Likes:
    52
    Town:
    Near Stratford
    As I mentioned, I had my own personal tour of the Phillip Island GP circuit.

    In the control tower-


    All around OZ you see this logo on trucks, armoured trucks etc:


    LinFox is a big conglomerate run by a guy named Lindsay Fox. He is something like the 10th richest guy in OZ. He also happens to own the Phillip Island GP circuit.
    His personal helipad:
    (handy when you don't want to be bothered with pesky race weekend traffic & whatnot....)


    BMW driver trying to outwit the wet skidpad;


    On May 9th I flew to Alice Springs for a 4 day tour of the outback. It was a guided tour and booked thru Intrepid travel. It turned out to be well worth the money and a lot of fun. There were 13 on this trip, a few from Switzerland, a couple from Germany, a few folks from Sydney & Melbourne & one gal from England.

    Here's a few sample pics

    Red salt lake


    Uluru at dusk


    Thorny Dragon


    You can draw your own conclusions from this:
    (law of unintended consequences.......)

    Attached Files:

  4. 3BeeJay3

    3BeeJay3 ODSC Past President

    Messages:
    5,301
    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2006
    Likes:
    52
    Town:
    Near Stratford
    Once I returned from the Outback, I again rented a car. I had been driving small Hyundai I20s to this point(small 4dr hatch). However, when I booked this car the prev. week, I told the girl at the counter that I would need something a little bigger, with a trunk, as I'll be doing a bunch of driving & have a bunch of stuff to leave in the trunk. She said- "no problem, just book something small & I'll upgrade you". Me- Umm ok.....

    Monday Afternoon (May 14), I went to pick up the car & she wasn't there. Hmmmm, oh well...
    The girl working at the counter punches my info into the computer & then says to me- "you've been upgraded"- ok sweet, the first girl did take care of things afterall. She then goes thru all the optional insurance buydown stuff etc. and this one was only 1/3 the price of the small cars I'd prev had for zero liability. Even better.



    She then gives me the keys & takes me outside to this:

    2011 Audi A4 wagon loaded up with lots of goodies. Not bad :D & all in for about $60/day, which is pretty cheap in Oz. This I could get used to.....

    The next plan was to head up towards Brisbane and meet up with a couple guys named Peter R. & Cary M. & do a bit of riding up there, among other things on the way up & way back. The first day I head out and stay part way between Melbun & Sydney. At the motel, just after checking in, I go to hoist my suitcase on the stand in the room and I hear an audible 'pop' in my lower back and feel instant pain......crap :(
    Oh well, it's been a really good trip so far, can't all be perfect.........

    So the next AM (Wednesday), I'm hobbling around in pain & hoping I can at least drive for extended periods. I think, maybe I should try and get a local chiropracter to see if they can address this. So I google and call a few & most are closed on Wednesdays & the ones that are open don't have any openings. When I go to check out, the lady working the reception desk also tries to find someone to help me, but no luck. I get her to book a room for me up in Newcastle & she then asks the folks up there to see if they can set something up for me the next morning. Down the road I go & find out that at the very least, I can drive in reasonable comfort. Having a nice car with power everything doesn't hurt..... :D

    It also turns out this car also gets really good highway mileage, as good or better than the puny Hyundai. Just set the cruise and enjoy. I usually see 4.5 - 6l/100km on the display. Good, cause gas is between 1.45 & 1.60l in the East & over $2.00 in much of the NT.
    You can't drive very fast in OZ nowadays- 110km/h tops in a few places on freeways, with most 2 lane roads being 80-100. They have speed cameras everywhere & nobody goes over the posted, as the penalties can be very steep - ie. loss of licence for 10 over. They'll even nick you for going 3 over.
    Apparently, they even have them way out in the desert;
    (although I don't know where they're hiding them, as there's nothing but sand and scrub for 100's of miles.......)

    This sign is about 1.5 hrs east of Uluru in the middle of nowhere....

    So I get to Newcastle Wed evening & check into the BestWestern BlackButt Inn. (It turns out Blackbutts are a type of tree, not ..........nevermind....) This is where I find out internet problems can be a blessing in disguise.....

    When I get there, they tell me they have a 10:30 am chiro appointment set up for me Thurs AM. Cool.
    I get up to my room & go to do a bit of stuff online and then everything goes pearshaped for a couple hours.
    I have nothing but problems with the hotel internet & my computer. I solve what I can & eventually call the desk. They call their tech guy & he calls me back. After a bit of discussion & fiddling, it turns out that they had not opened up access to .ca addresses (he didn't know they are for Canada), which was just part of the problem. OK now I can at least access the ODSC, but no email.
    When he finds out about my dirtbike background, he asks "Do you know Troy"
    me- "who's Troy?"
    Techguy- He and his dad own the motel and pub you're at & he's a big offroad rider & is doing the next Dakar.
    me- "Cool!"

    So the next AM, I go down to use the computer at the front desk to do some email (ie. give Peter R. the news about my back)& I ask the girl - "Is Troy around?" "I'm involved with the dirtbike community back in Ontario & I heard he's running the Dakar....."
    She goes, "let me check" & leaves the room. She comes back - "He'll be here in a few minutes"

    A few minutes later he comes in and we start chatting. He runs many of the big Aussie rallys & usually finishes in the top 10. I give him one of our ODSC cards and one of John Dinsmores Cord videos. He goes "hey mate, want to see my bikes?"
    Um Ok :D

    Troy and his KTM-


    His Yamaha race bike-


    Troy tells me about some of the rallies he's run & that he prefers wide open stuff to riding between trees. He mentions that he can ride a whole area from Newcastle all the way down to Gosford. He also said there are big beach dunes nearby to practice on & if you ride them really fast, the up and down makes you seasick & causes you to "spew in your helmet" :-& :-&

    After chatting, I head over to the local chiro appointment they set up for me. After filling out the intake form & getting in to see the Chiropractor, he goes “Hey, you're from Shakespeare!”, “I grew up in Waterloo” Small world!
    During the adjustment there was another audible pop in my lower back, but this time in a good way. When I stood up I could finally walk around normally, with full steps...sweet! Everything was still tender, but at least I was functional.

    Then later that day this happens:

    Attached Files:

  5. gybeman

    gybeman Limited User

    Messages:
    2,307
    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2003
    Likes:
    0
    Town:
    Somewhere
    Looks and sounds like a fantastic riding holiday BJ. Especially if you are a lover of vintage.
    As for the computer.... you are on the other side of the world.
  6. 3BeeJay3

    3BeeJay3 ODSC Past President

    Messages:
    5,301
    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2006
    Likes:
    52
    Town:
    Near Stratford
    LOL- yeah that's what went thru my mind when my display went upside down. I really have no idea what caused that or why. It happened when I loaded our site up & the only way I got it fixed was to disconnect from the broadband & reboot the machine. It then did it again, so I gave up at that location. At the next stop, in Brisbane at the Best Western, it was fine on their Wifi.

    As I mentioned, I was originally planning on meeting Peter & Cary up in the Brisbane area & doing a little riding. Both Peter & Cary work in the Oil & Gas industry and are often gone to remote locations for weeks at a time. That week Cary got called away to Papua New guinea, So he was out. It was down to me and Peter, then I hurt my back........ I had emailed Peter that I wouldn't likely be able to ride but would be up for meeting for some beers or something as a 2nd choice. He was Ok with that, so that's how things stood as of Thursday the 17th.
    On Friday evening I called Peter & we decided to meetup Sat for brunch. Sat AM I met up with Peter & his wife Maria at a cafe in Brisbane near the downtown.
    (A quick sideline)- I really didn't know what to expect when I got to Brisbane. For some reason, I had the impression that it was just a smaller city, say the size of Hamilton ON, and sort of acted as a regional center on the lower Queensland coast. Let's just say I underestimated it....... It may have been a hick town 40 years ago, but it certainly isn't today. It's now a vibrant cosmopolitan city of over 2 million with a very diversified economy and a rapidly evolving skyline & infrastucture. It's a real boomtown.
    During brunch Peter suggested we take a spin out to his place in the country that day so he could show me his 'backyard' and maybe on Sunday head up to his other house on the Sunshine coast & see the beach.......Now, how could I argue with that idea? :D
    PS- it was 24c and Sunny and calling for the same on Sunday. Perfect weather :D

    More soon

    I forgot this in an earlier post-
    When I went to the Outback, I flew into and back out of Alice Springs NT. Alice Springs is a town of about 28-30,000 close to the center of the Northern Territory. (there are only about 270,000 people total in all of the NT, with most of them in Darwin.) Everything I read, and all the locals confirmed, that you are not to walk alone at night in Alice Springs- especially in the Gap Rd. area- which is where most of the motels are located. Reason- a certain segment of the local aborigines and a few others tend to raise trouble after dark.
    Pretty much all of Gap Rd is fenced in and locked up after dark. This is the first motel I've ever been in that was surrounded by barbed wire:


    More gates:

    Attached Files:

  7. Mr. C

    Mr. C ODSC-OFTR Member

    Messages:
    297
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2009
    Likes:
    10
    Town:
    Lindsay
    I lived in Melbourne for a few years and this thread brings back lots of fine memories. Did you need to make any "hook turns" on the roads that contain tram lines? Those are REALLY fun! :shock:

    I see the picture of the barbed-wire fence and it reminded me of a debate that was going on when I was there. The idea was to build a "drinking pen" that was surrounded by tall fences and guarded by the local police. That "certain segment" of people you mentioned were to go in the pen, drink as much as they want, and stay in the pen until they sobered up. This would prevent them from getting into trouble.

    As you can well imagine, the idea sparked a pretty big controversy!

    Sorry for the hijack. It looks like you had a great time!
  8. Canadaler

    Canadaler ODSC-OFTR Member

    Messages:
    3,368
    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2004
    Likes:
    3
    Town:
    Dundas, ON
    Hey BJ...anybody accused you of being a "Pommie" yet?
  9. 3BeeJay3

    3BeeJay3 ODSC Past President

    Messages:
    5,301
    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2006
    Likes:
    52
    Town:
    Near Stratford
    Nope, get called an 'American' a bunch :lol: :lol:

    PS - was the fish you mentioned Barramundi? If so, that is the best fish I've ever tasted, by far.....
  10. 3BeeJay3

    3BeeJay3 ODSC Past President

    Messages:
    5,301
    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2006
    Likes:
    52
    Town:
    Near Stratford
    Didn't have to do any 'Hook Turns' yet, thank god :lol: . Some of the street designs in Melbun seem to defy logic- to my simple country boy eyes, anyways.....

    I'm not sure the local police in Alice Springs would be willing to guard a pen like that nowadays, as the personal risk to them could be quite high apparently. Our tour group spent some time chatting with a young fella of aboriginal descent, out there & he explained a bit about what 'the law' is in aboriginal terms. He couldn't tell us everything cause he hadn't become 'a man' yet(even if he was, he wouldn't be able to tell an outsider a lot of stuff....) However, what he did tell us was a bit of a shocker....For many things, even those which are 'accidental', the punishment is death or very severe injury by beating, stoning & whipping. If the police interfere, they are quietly hunted down & killed themselves.
    This is the real reason they (aboriginals) don't like people to climb Uluru. 'Officially', it's because it's a spiritual place. In reality, if someone falls while climbing & is hurt or dies, the local tribe feels responsible and goes thru an extremely painful ritual of beatings & whipping.
  11. Mr. C

    Mr. C ODSC-OFTR Member

    Messages:
    297
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2009
    Likes:
    10
    Town:
    Lindsay
    Yep, its a different world all together. Great experience to be able to actually talk to someone about it. The Australians use the Aboriginal art, etc. to promote their country (try to find an Australia ad without some form of Aboriginal painting or art), but the history of their treatment by the government hasn't been the best. Sorry about the political stuff. I find it interesting to hear other people's thoughts on the subject.

    Excellent ride report. keep it coming!!
  12. Canadaler

    Canadaler ODSC-OFTR Member

    Messages:
    3,368
    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2004
    Likes:
    3
    Town:
    Dundas, ON
    Yep...that's the one...best fish I've ever eaten as well. :D
  13. 3BeeJay3

    3BeeJay3 ODSC Past President

    Messages:
    5,301
    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2006
    Likes:
    52
    Town:
    Near Stratford
    During Brunch we chatted about a bunch of stuff, but mostly about dirtbikes. Both Peter and Maria ride; him on a KTM 400 And Maria on a Husaberg 390, (along with a few other bikes). After we finished brunch, we stopped by Peter & Maria's house in Brisbane. They live on a hill not too far away from the city center.
    Here is a view from their deck:


    After a short stop there, we headed out to their place in the country. That property itself is actually 150 acres that includes both the base of a valley and peaks on both sides of it. He also has access to a neighboring property that is also 150 acres & similar layout. (I can't detail where it is for privacy reasons) Peter uses it for friends/family and also has one or two guys that use it for the occasional bike tests for Aussie magazines.
    We stopped to pick up a few items and Maria mentioned that there are some pretty steep hills there and that the driveway in is dirt, long, steep and curvy.......Wonder what that means...........? I am just driving a street car with low ground clearance and pavement tires after all......
    Before we got there, Peter said- “Turn off the Electronic Stability Control, as it will just cause problems going up there”(he used to have an Audi).

    Well I made it in, but just barely. The A4 is not a quattro, so only has the front tires driving(which is the wrong end when you're going uphill). The drive to 'The secret spot', or 'the shed' as Peter calls it, is several km long, steep, uphill all the way( with the exception of one spot where you have to drop down a steep slope, cross a creekbed & go back up the other side), has loose gravel in spots, and has more than one very tight switchback. The house (what we'd call a cottage or a cabin), is basically at the top of a hill, near the highest point.
    Peter drives a 4wd Mercedes Sprinter van, so getting up is no issue for him, plus he's done it a hundred times or more. Some spots you could get a run at it, some you couldn't. Several times I just barely crested a steep part & the front tires were spinning for the last several meters. That in itself isn't a big deal, but the drive is only barely wider than a car & the side drops off to nothing........not much room for error, or? Having to back down didn't seem like a fun option.......

    Here is a pic near the top. This section was washed out last year when they had record rainfalls & flooding in the area. Some may recall the news reports of all the floods in Queensland.
    For some perspective: This area is subtropical Rainforest & Peter keeps a record of rainfall. It's not uncommon for this area to get between 150-250mm in one day during the wet season(about 6-10”). His records showed some days with over 300mm...... I think I've only seen it rain 5” in one day once in my life at my house.......
    During the floods in Queensland last year, they had some days were they received 18”(450mm) and more in some areas,.....in one day.......shite!
    Where the trees are laying off to the side here on the left, it basically drops off almost straight down to the bottom of the valley. I'd estimate it's about a 60-75 degree slope.
    Peter is a surveyor by profession & he said that it is 280 meters from the bottom of the valley to the highest point on his property. This spot is would be about 260-270 meters up from the bottom (~ 800 feet).......!


    This got me to wondering about the trails here, as Maria had mentioned that she finds them hard to ride because of the steep hills & Peter said he never takes novices in there.........


    Here is how steep the driveway is(that tree is bigger than it looks here):



    Given that this is a rainforest, the trees can grow to over 30m (~100 ft) or more. Much of the area has been logged in the past, but there are still a few good sized trees on the property.
    Here is some perspective on the size of the tree seen in the previous pic:


    Here's one of the reasons to come up here, the view. On a clear day, you can see the skyline of Brisbane. When I took this pic, you could clearly see the buildings, but they didn't show up in this pic for some reason...


    Peter took me for a walk around some his trails near the house. The ones near the house had really nice loamy soil (there's actually topsoil in this part of OZ!) and seemed like they'd be reasonably easy & good fun to ride, as they had some good flow and some nice elevation changes.
    Now, when we build trails in much of Ontario, we generally just mark them off & start riding them. Here, that may not work so well(even with a trials bike), given the steep slopes. The slopes are so steep in some spots, I don't even know if Raga or Bou could navigate across them........So, how does Peter make them?

    Simple, a mini excavator:

    It makes a trail about as wide as a quad trail, but that's just fine with me after seeing how far down it is if you fall.......having a bit more room could be nice here...
    Some trail near the top:

    Attached Files:

  14. 400 KTM Pilot

    400 KTM Pilot Limited User

    Messages:
    275
    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2003
    Likes:
    0
    Town:
    Burketon
    This is one awesome story,,, must be the trip of a lifetime!!!
    Thanks for posting!
  15. 3BeeJay3

    3BeeJay3 ODSC Past President

    Messages:
    5,301
    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2006
    Likes:
    52
    Town:
    Near Stratford
    On Sunday AM, Peter goes- “Hey mate!, want to try a ride and see how it goes?” I thought for a second or two and said “sure, why not” My back was feeling a lot better by then & the trails we walked looked fun, so a short ride shouldn't be a problem.......Peter had also been having back issues, so I was in good company.

    He goes- “you want the 250 2 stroke or the 400?” In the past few years, I've ridden a few KTM200's & 250's and liked them, so I said “I'll take the smoker.” It's an estart bike, but the battery was flat, so it was all right leg. It started easy enough, so I thought it should be ok, even though I've been pretty spoiled with electric start bikes over the past 6 years.

    After we were geared up & got the bikes ready, I hopped on the 250 and futzed around the short loops near the house to warm up. No problem, bike felt nice & had good traction in the dry loamy soil even though the tires were somewhat worn. The trails seemed more narrow when riding them though :)

    After a couple warmup loops, Peter and I set out. He mentioned that he had a bunch more trail than what I had seen already. He then said- “when you see a corner coming up, get on it, as there's probably a hill”.........
    I thought – Ok, no problem, there was a couple short hills on the loop I'd already rode and they seemed Ok.
    So, we hopped on the drive way and rode down for a km or two, then rode down onto a trail off the driveway. At first it went downhill for a bit & thru some turns & maybe a switchback or two. It seemed a bit steeper here & there wasn't as much of the loamy topsoil as there was up top. It was more of a gravelly type clay based dirt with a baseball rock here and there. After a bit of that the trail started to climb a bit. This trail was about twice as wide as the ones at the top, so there was a bit more room, albeit with a few ruts & loose marbles here and there. Then, Peter accelerated up this section & disappeared around an uphill right hander. This was about 3 seconds before I was about to be schooled in a little reality.....LOL.
    As soon as I got ½ way around the corner, I immediately realized I didn't have enough speed to get up the hill that was now in front of me.
    Granted, I was riding a bit conservative, given that; A, I'm on someone else's bike and replacement parts are expen$ive, especially in Oz. B. Unfamiliar terrain & it always takes me a while to adapt. C. Would rather not spend any part of my trip with any medical devices attached to me in any way :wink: .
    Keep in mind that much of the trail we rode, on one side was a wall where the trail was cut out of the hillside & the other side was thin air & treetops below you.
    Hillclimbs have never been my strong suit, I do them from time to time, but find them to drain my energy pretty quick especially if I have to make several attempts.

    Thru this corner things got a lot steeper in a big way & stayed that way for probably a couple hundred feet or more. Compounding my lack of speed was a few ruts and loose rocks scattered around & my relative inexperience with 2 stroke power delivery. Needless to say I didn't make it on this attempt & stalled it about 10 meters up from the corner. So, along with a curse or twenty, I worked the bike back down and around the corner, down to where it the slope leveled off somewhat. After a bit of futzing around, I got it restarted(thanks to my 'expertise' with a kick starter, LOL) & took off for attempt #2. I made it about 3-4 meters further on attempt #2 & quickly realized I may end up looking like a bit of a clown if I don't get it together here. :lol: No wonder so many Aussies are so fast, they have to learn ride the hills & stuff over here like they own it.
    After I got it back down for attempt #3, Peter came back looking for me & I think maybe took a bit of pity on me. He goes “try this one(the 400), it's like cheating! The 2 stroke can be a bit of a handful on this stuff”
    As much as I didn't want to admit defeat so soon, I wasn't about to argue, plus the 400 had a working e-start, which is always worth it's weight in gold to me. So I hopped on his 400 and, yep, easily took care of that hill and almost all of the other ones we rode. It was like a typical big 4t tractor with nice plush suspension. Sweet bike! Point it up the hill & go. Reminded me of my TXC310, but with a bit more juice.
    Now, I say almost all the other hills- We rode around for a while checking out neat trails & cool things around the property, going uphills & sliding down hills, around switchbacks & other sharp corners, me trying not to look over the edges the whole time. :shock:
    In many places, I mentally gave a potential fall off the side one of two ratings; severe injury, or funeral.......!
    A few places the insides of the corners has been eroded somewhat from rainfall, so you had to sort of shoot past that and use the side of the hill as a berm, maintain momentum around the corner for the next uphill & hope you didn't do anything dumb at that spot.
    Then, Peter said something about a hill that was a bit longer, just as he took off & blasted up it & disappeared around a corner. I waited for a few seconds then followed.
    Most of the hills we had rode so far would go up for about 50-100 meters at a time, then level off for a bit or something, giving you a break. That's what I expected this one to do more or less – except that it didn't. Each time you came to a corner, it just kept going and going and going and it seemed, maybe getting a degree or two steeper after each corner. As I came around the last corner I was down to first gear and still moving and noticed that Peter was sideways on the trail a few meters from the top(at least I thought it might be the top, but I was fooled already a few times on this run). It started to turn into loose rutted gravel and get a bit steeper, the bike was still moving but starting to get lighter & lighter on the front & a spinning back tire. As I got to within about 10-15 meters of Peter, I realized one of two things would happen; I had about a 30-40% chance of squeezing by him on the right and then about a 20-25% chance of actually cresting this thing(if it is actually the top :lol: ). The other 60-70% was that it might loop out & I'd get to watch it cartwheel back down, down, down, down, costing me a few hundred dollars in yard sale items with each bounce, or worse, going off the side somewhere----aaargh #-o . & I didn't want to damage Peter's bike or take it out of commission if I could help it. When it's not my own bike, I figured I'd better not risk it, so I put it down a few meters from Peter.
    He goes “I think you coulda made it!”(it turns out it was the top) I reply “maybe, but it was getting real iffy with traction & I'm not trying to be a hero today, :lol: ”.
    We turn around and go back down & he tries once more - unsuccessfully.
    Here is a couple pics near the top of this hill showing the grade, where it gets a bit steeper and looser. We estimated that this one is probably something like 400 to 500 meters long, or more, overall.



    We then cruise around some more trails & he shows me another climb which he said was the 2nd hardest. We skip that one and go over to the one he called the 3rd hardest. He goes – “I'm sure you can make this one, you definitely have the skills” Yep, he was right; that one was a long one also, & I passed Peter near the top on the 'cheater' bike.

    After that, we cruised back to the house and called it a day- it was a good day :)
    It's clear to me that Peter has put many, many hours of work into his trails, as most of them have to be dug thru hillsides, up & down hills with the excavator- a much more involved process than the simple methods we can often get away with.

    We then had lunch, packed up and headed for the coast.

    Here is a shot of Peter, Maria and the 'pups', Lucy(13yrs) and Rusty (6months) on Sunshine Beach(the sun was a little shy on Monday AM :lol:) ;


    It was a Great weekend with Great folks! :D

    Attached Files:

  16. 3BeeJay3

    3BeeJay3 ODSC Past President

    Messages:
    5,301
    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2006
    Likes:
    52
    Town:
    Near Stratford
    Monday about Noon I bid my farewells to Peter and Maria and started heading for Sydney. Spent a few days in Sydney near the section they call 'The Rocks'.

    An obligatory pic of part the harbour and its most famous landmark-


    The Park Hyatt Hotel- the most expensive in Sydney; $51,000/nite for the top floor & Penthouse suite-


    Pic of the bridge with some climbers-


    My last day in Sydney I stumbled onto this- Sign of home-


    On the Hume Highway back to Melbourne, I saw this at the Broadford exit- A sign Aussies maybe think a bit different-


    Time to head home- Bye OZ, it's been a Great Trip full of great folks and experiences :D -

    Attached Files:

  17. ecarnell

    ecarnell ODSC-OFTR Member

    Messages:
    640
    Joined:
    May 19, 2004
    Likes:
    34
    Town:
    Kincardine
    Awesome report Brian!
  18. Neil Edmunds

    Neil Edmunds ODSC Executive

    Messages:
    3,797
    Joined:
    May 5, 2003
    Likes:
    51
    Town:
    Gormley
    An excellent vacation!
  19. Drakie

    Drakie Limited User

    Messages:
    2
    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2011
    Likes:
    0
    Hey Brian,
    Glad you had some intersting riding on real sub tropical loam in Qld. Even we Victorians get a bit jealous of them, although I wouldn't admit on an Aussie forum. Before I forget, thanks for the Maple Syrup - it goes SO well 50/50 with whisky. The winter has really set in now and cold and bleak is the norm - just right for trailriding! Yesterday I helped organise a ride for pre 1985 trail bikes with 'RedPlate' registration ($66 gets you a 45 day logbook for the year) through a patch of forest near Blackwood. I should have taken you there asd there is a greater variety of terrain - creeks, the usual rocky bits, tight trees, twisty off camber and actual loam on the south sides of the hills. I arrowed the course with the ROKON and then rode the 24k loop twice, poor old girl. I dumped it twice (it poured rain overnight) and burried the throttle wide open which was a scary experience until I got it stopped. It rewarded me by throwing rubber teeth off the drive belt but being the fully preped ennduro rider I am (as compared to the last time tooless with the Can Am) I had a spare belt and with colourful language and some tyre levers got the new one on. Off we went again, easy.
    Oh yeah, my photos from Blackwood are here.
    http://vindurovictoria.blogspot.com.au/ ... orian.html
    I have to say Brian (pronounced Bran in Canuk)(oh what a dig, just 'cause we can't pronounce 'bourne') lved the wood fire and had it cranked up and positively glowing. I couldn't take it and had to go outside regularly to cool down. (Whats with a Canadian who can't hack the cold? (Answers on the back of a $100 bill and send to PO Box 446 Bl......sorry) He loved the old NETRA mags from the 1970s and 80s I had and I think he would have been happy reading his time away on the couch. Bacon and eggs in the morning?, oh well, I'm a museli man so I acknowledged his background and let him fry away. We did have a meal at the local Indian Resturant which is as big a surprise to me as it was to Brian that it existed in this one horse town, gawd knows how long it'll last. I tried indoctrinating him with Aussie rules football but he couldn't get past similarities with ice hokey biffo. Oops...
    The pub was civilised but lucky we weren't in the bar as it was a bit raucus, but in good humour. A bit like pissed (drunk) Newfies I believe. A Veal Parrma is a Veal Parma the world over it seems.
    Now, when the barmaid found out my guest was a Canuk she got real friendly with him and undid two buttons .......oh, sorry Brian, I said I wouldn't mention the lap dance!
    Bye for now.
  20. 3BeeJay3

    3BeeJay3 ODSC Past President

    Messages:
    5,301
    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2006
    Likes:
    52
    Town:
    Near Stratford
    LOL-

    Yep had to get the house warm for Sara.. :D

    Re the magazines; Yes that's a point I forgot to add; Peter Drakeford has a large collection of all kinds of classic dirtbike related magazines & books, including many examples of a monthly publication that Netra put out back in the 70's(I'm not sure if they still produce NorthEastern Trail Rider or not...) Reading thru some of the articles and editorials in them I noticed a few common threads;
    Noise issues
    Hooligan riding on roads & thru residential areas during events
    Noise issues
    Land issues
    Noise issues

    Some things never change it seems......

    Maple syrup and whisky? Hmmm, sounds like a new drink that could be packaged & sold in cans - like Jack & Coke etc. :D