Mary Poppins, Groceries & Cooking in the wind.

My meeting with Mary Poppins

So did you know that the author, Pamela Lyndon Travers of Mary Poppins was born in the town of Maryborough,QLD? Neither did I.

So I'm asking the kind woman at the motel I stayed at for tips on where I nice place to have morning breakfast is.  She says or just right beside the Mary Poppins statue. My response, " Did you say Mary Poppins?" I of course had to go.  For anyone else planning to come here.  By all means take the walking tour. But I urge you strongly do not eat at the coffee shop near the statue.  Wow,  that was bad.  How can you wreck scrambled eggs?????

Moore Park Beach

So I have managed a full 200km up the coast today.  I had no intention of breaking distance records today.  The winds gusts were very strong.  So I spent the better part of the ride with a more than comfortable lean on the bike.  I did however get to have a little cruise around Hervey Bay and Bundaberg. Hervey Bay is basically one of the points where you can get on the ferry to go to Fraser island.   I decided to skip Fraser on this trip.  A few reasons, 1 The weather and 2 my skill level on sand is still horrible. I'll be back that I I'm positive of that.

Close up,  See the camera ball mount

How I carry Groceries

So I find this lovely little Caravan park, again on the water.  Moore Park is basically a sleeping town.  There are no actual services here.  So you do have to fend for your self here.  So I truck on up to get some fresh veg and other food stuffs.  Normally on these little trips I make sure I have free bag space so I can put the shopping somewhere.   I completely forgot to make room.   So I come out of the store and sit there scratching me head.  Where the hell am I going to put the food to carry back to the site?  Then I spot the camera mount point. Tada perfect bag holder.

By The way here is my cooking arrangement for the trip.  Gas bottle, Tiny little heating element.  Some backpackers cooking apparatus.  I'm using my bike as a wind break of sorts.  Also at the camp ground they have concrete pads for camper vans.   Perfect place to put the bike.  Absolutely level.

From the beach to the pasture. With a rain chaser

Kingscliff beach at night

Well I have to say that the Kingscliff north holiday park was a pretty cool place to stay in the tent.  I was basically on the water.  I exited my tent and there it was.  At night when high tide came in and started smashed on the rock retaining wall it felt like I was 2 feet from the water.   Good thing I covered the bike, as in the money there was a fine dusting of salt spray.

Great spot,  In the morning I just got up strolled across the road to a coffee shop grabbed a mug of coffee went back the site and slowly packed my gear.  Pausing to have discussions with passing neighbours.   I'm fairly certain we solved world hunger climate warming, Left un-resolved however is which is the better bike.  KTM, BMW or Harley.  So what should have taken 45 minutes took 3 hours.

Gold Coast on the main strip

So off to Brisbane I go.  General plan.  Hug the coast as close as possible. I've seen the news etc.  Man the gold coast has got a lot of investment dollars pumper into lately.   The whole place is one big development site. I'm still trying to figure out what the place looks like when the 1000's of teenagers descend on the place for schoolies week.   Great beach,   This is one of the worlds best beaches for a reason.

Only 4 Motorcycle spots?

So finally I have to head into Brisbane,  To my complete horror.  There is a broad 8 lane highway, 110 kph That feeds direct from the coast into Brisbane.  What no residential streets?  No driveways butting against the road.  Great ride in.

Seems the rain really likes me.
It's basically centred right on top of me.

A friend of mine Roman has graciously allowed me to sleep on his lawn.  Poor bugger,  Once I set up the tent it starts to rain.  I'm going to be sleeping here for at least 3 nights.  This is not helping put down miles.

Looking to put me in my place.

Roman enjoys a massive block of land 5 acres, chickens, cows, and a small pack of over happy Terriers dogs.

Yamba Day

Slow Day in Yamba

OK starting to relax.  I'm still way to city stressed.  So I decide to day is the day to bring out the camera. Starting with a little breakfast. Did you know the Vegetarian breakfast with coffee comes with, 3 fried eggs, bacon, and full cream milk in a cappuccino. Next time I check the definition of Vegi-breakfast more closely. So much for this low cholesterol diet.

After breakfast I'm soon confronted in the street by a very eager young woman. She wants to know everything about the bike. Not me of course, just the bike. This conversation quickly evolves into a little show and tell session with her and soon her partner as well. Again about the bike. Basically every detail of the bike is gone over. 2 hours pass. They are just in the early planning phase a cross Aus adventure ride.

I did however get to extract a little bit of interesting information about the local area. Some interesting spot for photos etc. I did manage to take this of a very interestinglittlepoint on the shore. Theinterestingpart of this shot is that the point is grass covered. I might just head back out there today if the rain lets up and try for another shot. The processing on this one is a little too intense. But I'm actually trying to make this a B&W shot eventually. That's the reason for the sharp contrast etc.

Hard day done time for a beer.

Note: My stolen invention. Attaching a camera mount to a board and thus using the tripod legs as table legs. Credit goes to: Mark from BikerBitsAUS. I did however change a few things. I used a cutting board as they are already water proof. They come with a handle already cut out. This comes in handy for tie downs etc. Mine is also screwed in. It doesn't leave the surface flush. But it also means it won't come off.

Cops, Sugar Cane & Fajitas

A day without surprises.

Is a bold face lie.   Today I spent 5-6 hours in the saddle.  I wanted to put some miles down.  So on the highway and shoot straight north.

It's a damn good thing I don't speed.   This has to be the most heavily policed road I have every seen.  I really did not know there were so many ways to get caught.

• Posted speed cameras.
• Averaging speed cameras.  They take two photo's X distance apart.  If your average is over you get done.
• The loan cop in a car on the other side of a rise.
• The unmarked super slow cop.  Using radar on passing cars.
• The roving team.  Cops on side of road tagging cars to be pulled over 1 km up by a group of cops.  Kinda like a breath test station.

Sugarcane

Maybe I once knew that NSW grew sugarcane.  But I found it surprising just how much.  It's not like northern QLD but still impressive.   Coffs Harbour up is cane.   My GPS took me on a short cut through some country roads.  At first I was getting worried that the GPS was leading me down one of those every deteriorating roads.  I needed miles not 40kph pot hole dodging.  At first I was annoyed and starting to debating turning around.  Then I started to pay attention to what was around me.  To the right Rain Forest to the left cane.  And everywhere water.  There is just simply so much water lying around.  I've been in Aus now I think going on 13 years.  I know Aus as dry, dusty, and brown.  But this year is the year of water.  There is just so much bloody water.

The Big surprise

Quite good Mexican style Fajitas.  Just some random little town on the Northern NSW coast and they have proper sit down Mexican food.  Granted some of it is not quite right.  For example the sizzling plate Just does not have enough onion or capsicum.   The black beans were a tad bland.   Missing was a decent jalapeño sauce.  They did however have a Habanero sauce that was very good.  Sol Cantina in Yamba NSW.

Bonus section

So last night and possibly tonight I am going to be working on a little bit of code to properly merge my GPS tracks.  All the tools I have found so far just simply don't work.  The problem boils down to and inherent issue with XML.  It's un-ordered.  So if you have a pile of saved GPS tracks from your adventures and you decide you want to merge them all and show them on the same map, you will be in for a surprise.  It's rather hard.  As the tools read the tracks and once they are merged they will actually be randomised.  It's actually more complicated than that.  But that will suffice.

There is also an issue with the GPS unit and it recording really poor data.   No time embedded on each point. They are just a random collection of points.  I know why.  If they did record that then the data could be used in court.   I'm sure Tomtom doesn't want to be there too.

Anyway as a result I will be able from time to time post a complete map of all of my travels.  You will see every road and track I have been on.  As well I hope each stop.  Trying to figure this part out tonight actually.  This is to augment my real time tracker that is currently having issues with displaying acquired data.

Banjo's, Surf Boards & a Tip Over.

Short & Interesting

Well Today started off at The Entrance and ended in Forster beach.

When I finally managaed to pack the bike and got my butt to breakfast.  Which by the way was at the superb restaurant Macaw. Which is owned and operated by a good friend of mine. Vick.  ( Now can get a free god damn coffee? ) 

Here is Vick and Alma on my bike.  Alma is really flexible.  She wiped that leg over the seat like it was nothing.  Me, 5 minutes and planning.  Not her.  Zip she's on.  She gave me that dirty look like "What of course I can do this.  Can't you????? " What a B....... She's a good 1/2 foot shorter than me too. 

Well it was good riding weather.  I took the scenic route through the country staying off the main highway as much as possible.   Ended up at Seal Rocks.  Which I have to say is stunning.  Couldn't stay there however as the caravan park was packed full of surfers.  Something clearly was going on.  I will however stay there in the future.  Beware there is some dirt to get to the spot.  But not much.

So then I turn and head of to Forster beach a few km's up the road.  I pull in for gas.  $17.45 on the dial.  Attendant goes.  "$18 bucks thanks."  I respond it's only $17.45.  He goes, "No it's not it's $18.00".  I then point out to him that I can see the total on his screen.  It's $17.45.   He then responds. "Just give me the damn $18 bucks mate."   In the end I only paid $17.45.  I have to say that took some balls to try and scam me for 55cents.  On the way out I saw the clan our back of the shop.  I got a flash back the southern USofA. "Da Da Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding.  Yee Haw!!!"   I did not expect this in such a touristy place.

Now I'm riding around looking for a place to stay.  Time to pull out the phone and look for a decent camp ground.  I have about an hour to find one before dark. I pull into a parking spot right at the beach.  Slap out the kick stand then go to lean the bike over and it just keeps going. BANG it's on the ground. I apparently still have enough cat like reflexes left to spring of the bike before being trapped underneath.  I actually thought the kickstand had failed.  It hadn't.  I simply did not do the most basic of things.  Check to see if the stand was out.  It just sprang back up into the upright position.  I was sloppy.

Well about 10 muscle bound surfers walk straight past me. Again, more incredibly rude people. Finally an old guy walking his old dog come to my aid. I know I look like a BMW wanker but not a Bikie/Biker asshole.  You still think people would come to my aid.

Well damage check.  Nothing.  There is a scuff on a rubber foot of one of the panniers.  There is the scratch on my visor.  And a small dent on the gas can mount.  That's it. There is no actually damage of any kind what so ever to the bike.  Man they make those bikes tough.  Any other bike with that much crap on it would have had $1000 bucks easy in damage.  My bike has more damage from one of my addon lights than it does from the tip over, and that's only some rubbed of paint from the light..

Sorry no photo.  I completely forgot to take one.

I'm off. For Real

photo credit Andrew Munsie

And we are Off

So I finally managed to get out of Sydney. The weather was perfect.
Managed to touch base with tons of people before I left. Sorry if I didn't get to visit everyone. I managed to hit the road at just before 4pm. Not exactly conducive to miles on the road. Hey thanks for all the encouraging comments guys. God I know too many doom and gloom people. I'm apparently going to be mugged, robbed, blown off the road, crash, poisoned by spiders/jellies/plants. However almost everyone said in the end. I'm jealous.

Getting out of Sydney is an adventure in it self. Only world city I know where the major "highway" through the city is also a residential street with bus stops driveways and beware of aged persons signs.

The parking ranger came by and simply said. "You're leaving right?" and then moved on. Made me do a double take. First sensible ranger I have ever met.

So now I have already figured out I need to make more adjustments to the equipment set. DOH.

One of the things I forgot to get before I left was tear away slips for my visor. I'll get them in Brisbane. I also have to stop and get some water bladders there.

photo credit Nathan Ollerenshaw

Here Mark Small is giving me advice on how to handle a Watermelon. Or was it how to handle a dangerous Wombat. All I remember is that what every the hell it was the warning was just don't turn it upside down.

Clearly Munsie is in total agreement.

Rain Delay

The Delay,

Been sitting here bags are packed. Waiting on the rain.

Here is just today's rain volumes. Very Frustrating.

The blue bit. AKA the heavy bit is right on top of Sydney.

Launching on the trip around Aus.

Well it's finally come. 

I'm just about to set off on the road around Australia.I have completed the preparations as best I can to this point so I'm off. 

Am I ready?  Not completely but hey can you ever be completely prepared.  NO.

I tried to leave last week.  However my sloth conspired against me.

My first port of call will be Northern NSW.  For the most part I'm skipping NSW.  NSW is something I can explore later. 

Over the course of this journey I hope to be making regular-ish postings here.  I will also be posting photo's, musings, and the occasional video.  The only real objective and agenda I have is to relax, explore and enjoy this wonderful country.

Wish me luck! 

Mark Daku