Prologue

Almost a year to the day I left Brisbane to ride my BMW R1200GSA to Broome, Western Australia via Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. I was between contracts and had five weeks to prepare the bike, my gear and get there (see Brisbane to Broome on HU).

I spent ten months in Derby, north of Broome and completed my contract. During the winter months, the dry season, I was fortunate enough to get out and about in the Kimberley along the Gibb River Road, a remote and iconic 4WD destination in Australia that the modern world is slowly catching onto.

The ‘Gibb’ is 600kms long travelling through the heart of the Kimberley, displaying numerous gorges and waterfalls. The first 100kms from Derby is a narrow bitumen strip, but then becomes dirt just before the turnoff to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek. The rest is varying grades of rough, gravelly, corrugated and rocky road, punctuated with river crossings.

I used this place as a bit of a playground for a couple of reasons. I don’t have a lot of experience on dirt, and extremely little on Ziggy, my BMW 1200 GS Adventure so this was the perfect place to try out techniques and skills gained at a two-day BMW offroad course I had squeezed into my time in Brisbane.

Over the last 10mths I’ve tackled a variety of surfaces and ridden regularly between Broome and Derby, eventually clocking up another 10,000kms. I’ve put the big girl – Ziggy – well and truly through her paces and have decided without a doubt this is the right bike for me to take on a trip around the world that I’ve been planning for the last 18mths.

During my time in Derby I have completely redesigned the gear I am taking and have opted for soft luggage, a Giant Loop Great Basin – the older model 50L bag, and a 49L Ortlieb waterproof Rack Pack. I’m still looking for a suitable tankbag but it will probably be around the 15L. So 114L of space to fit everything I need for the next three years through all climates and five continents.

I’ve taken many leaves out of the ultralight cyclist and walking books and have made some spectacular weight reductions without loss of functional items. I looked very critically at what I REALLY needed, giving preference to things that had two or more uses. I reduced the weight from 55kgs to under 20kgs. Once my blog is running I’ll display the comparative lists.

Of course, doing this at the opposite end of your own continent means you have to return the heavy gear back, so I sent some post bags to Brisbane, but I am still carrying the hard panniers and a bunch of other gear, so this is not going to be a lightweight trip.

Some pictures of The Kimberley to whet your appetite.

looks good ill be heading out there next year , what's the price of fuel out that way ? is it easy to get bike repairs done and get supply's out there ?

I was chomping at the bit to leave Broome having spent two days preparing and organising Ziggy and the gear. Despite getting up at 5am I didn’t roll away until 9.30am…see if I can improve on that.


Seeya Broome, as I set along the road to Derby that had become so familiar to me in the last 12 months. Now this was to be the last time so I took special note of the landmarks that had somehow become routine. The Warlu Way turnoff south to Port Hedland, the friendly owner at the Roebuck Plains Roadhouse who had sold me the cheapest 98 octane fuel around for months.

The gnarly old boab trees, the smelly decomposing cow in a ditch on the side of the road, the swooping brown hawks feeding on wallaby carrion, the stillalmost finished new abattoirs half way to Derby, and my favourite, Nillibubbica – the rest stop with the best name in the Kimberley!



It has shelter and bbqs


Great facilities


But I always carry my own just in case.

Crossing the two single lane bridges and passing the Willare Roadhouse, I realised with a hint of sadness that this was like a farewell lap of the area I had come to temporarily call home.

The big intersection with a right turn to Fitzroy Crossing was my new direction, It’s like a gateway to my eastward journey that will continue even after Brisbane.


216kms to Fitzroy Crossing is a typical drive in this part of Australia. If you’re not doing 200kms, the engine isn’t even warmed up! For months I have ridden 220kms to visit my girlfriend for the weekend and thought nothing of it. She thought it was the perfect distance away from a boyfriend!

So on the way I dipped 30kms to the right to have a blue slushie at the tiny township of Camballin


before returning along the dirt to the main highway.



My new slow pace and regular stops finally revealed Fitzroy Crossing at 4.30pm and I stayed with my mate Andy, who I used to work with in Derby.

Always good to catch up with old friends, and even better if I remember to take a photo of them!

Hey Monkey Boy, depends on your bike. For a BMW I had two options. 2000kms to Perth or 2000kms to Darwin. Other bikes there will be services in Broome such as tyres and repairs etc.

Fuel varies, but up around the $1.80 a litre, as you get inland expect up to pay $2.20. Supplies are no problem, plenty of shops in Broome, supermarkets, 4x4 stores, and Derby has the same but smaller.

PN

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Started at 8.30, leaving Andy’s house and heading to the next town – Halls Creek. 280kms on the map so I planned it to arrive around lunchtime and then consider my options and look at going to the Bungle Bungle ranges in a national park 50kms on from Halls Creek.

The weather was beautiful, starting at 32C with blue skies and a cool breeze on my back.


Ziggy and I have already discussed the need to get into ‘cruise mode’ so our days of burning up the Kimberley roads at 120 are over and now I’m settling for a leisurely 100 – 110km/h. She begrudgingly accepted this after putting in a strong argument for cruising at 130.

Over the course of the morning I came across several rest areas. Often I would just pass them by in my life BN (before nomading), but now, just because I can, I stopped at each one.


Amazingly good amenities, but no water; some with views


and some that allowed Ziggy to ‘survey the kingdom’

One stop had a creek crossing, some inquisitive cows and like many others, tables and barbeques. I took the opportunity to brew my first coffee of the journey using the Whisperlite and my new titanium pots. All performed admirably.


As the middle of the day approached and the temperature nudged 38, the landscape changed continually from fields of termite nests,


some telling you which way to go


one with a bit of unusual attention


to denuded cattle plains, to rocky outcrops and fields of stone. A green hue carpeted the landscape with the new seasons’ growth, giving the landscape a freshness and beauty belying the harshness of this top end. Less than a week ago a cyclone had passed right through here.

I passed the infamous Tanami Road, a dirt road running for hundreds of kms through the desert directly to Alice Springs. Not for the light-hearted or the under-prepared.


After much dawdling I finally arrived at Halls Creek at around 2pm. This place is as outback and remote as you can wish for so I found it interesting to find the Chinese owners of the Shell struggling to speak English, not to mention they forgot to order unleaded petrol in time and had run out, AND told me they were the only place in town to buy petrol, much to the dismay of the Toyota dealer where I filled up.

I ate at the Poinciana run by a Chilean couple and then decided to stay at the caravan park run by a Dutch woman and a Chinese man, the shop later personned by an Irish lass; due to being informed by the Indian gentleman at the information booth that the Bungle Bungles were closed due to a recent bushfire.

“When will it be opened again?” I asked.
“Aprrril”.

I don’t think I’ll wait. I might have to re-think my round the world plans though if I can get all this cultural diversity here.

__________________
When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

BLOG: paulnomad.blogspot.com.au

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The morning light pried my left eyelid open at 4.45am and I managed to fight the inevitable until 5. I contorted my way out of the hammock that I had strung between two trees way too far apart and during the night the ropes stretched enough to have me lying on the ground. No crocodiles around fortunately. No photo either

The morning routine of breakfast and packing up and I was on my way by 6.30, a new PB! Almost immediately the landscape impacted me. As I wound through some ranges there were spectacular bluffs of impossibly old rocks that still echo the local Aboriginal folk who practice their 60,000 year old culture even today. This ancient landscape has been silent witness.





Thousands of termite mounds laying like giant dinosaur turds are as individual as fingerprints, the occupants building more ‘rooms’ each rainy season.


Their organisation and complexity matches any city; over a kilo of grass seeds spilt from this storage area.


Boabs hundreds of years old are flowering and in leaf as the carpet of green grass continues to soften the landscape after the recent rain.


As each range rose and fell they became ever more spectacular, revealing valleys and peaks like something out of a science fiction novel. This is spectacular country and worthy of being hailed as on of the great road trips in Australia, particularly from Halls Creek to Kununurra. The long sweeping bends and impeccable surface is a dream ride.

Hour after awe-filled hour I rode along, missing a hundred brilliant photos for each one I captured, but this is a place to be experienced and can’t be encapsulated by my iPhone and cheap digi. The temperature was 35C at 8am but it was not too hot at all. I could ride forever if every day was like this.

Don’t ever think that thought.

As I passed Doon Doon Roadhouse where I had my ‘Free coffee for Driver’ the landscape changed again, more wet, more standing water, the appearance of Pandanas Palms and an associated increase in humidity and temperature. Hovering between 38.5 and 39C, I came to a fork in the road and took it.


Travelling towards Wyndham I had been recommended the five rivers lookout, and arriving in the sleepy township at 11.30am it was already 42C. I stopped for some lunch at the only remaining café and after a number of people explained why I was crazy to ride in these temps, I took the steep, switch-backed road to the top of a lookout, or several lookouts.


It’s impossible to see the enormity of this place from one lookout so there are about fifteen of them at the end of various walking tracks. It is simply spectacular, even without the rivers full and flowing. Impacting on the spectacularness were the biting flies and the temperature that was now at 44C. My special order veggie Panini from Wyndham cafe was starting to repeat on me so I marched with my trusty roll to a tiny tin shed in the sun to contemplate the next few minutes of life.


Sweating like a drinking dog’s tongue, I climbed on Ziggy and switched my way back to the bottom and continued to the relative cool 41 degrees of Kununurra.

__________________
When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

BLOG: paulnomad.blogspot.com.au

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Retracing back to the fork, I looked forward to the 35kms to fuel up.

I continued on to the much anticipated Lake Argyle. After three days of blue skies I was faced with this,


which soon looked like this


and a quick look down a side road revealed these plumes of smoke.


Fortunately the road veered away from the storm to get to Kununurra.

I fuelled up and Ziggy suddenly turned 40.


I passed up a range of great photo ops along the lake as it was getting late and I had covered almost 600kms today. 35kms out of town and I turned off to Lake Argyle and once again the road was indescribable in its beauty and richness. Even the clouds were spectacular.


Everything was lush green and with each rocky outcrop and bluff, it was like a competition for the wow factor.





Of course the finale was here.


Then it rained. But not for too long…to start with.

__________________
When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

BLOG: paulnomad.blogspot.com.au

FaceBook: www.facebook.com/PaulNomadRTW

My brother and I did the Gibb River as part of 11,00km from Canberra to Perth in 2012 oin two KLRs. We had intended to do the Tanami but learnt that the servo in the middle no longer does fuel, so we didn't have the range to do it.

The Gibb River Road was probably a better option - fantastic scenery, amazing roads (apart from miles and miles of sand and corrugations) - a truly memorable part of our trip that I would recommend to anyone.

Beautiful part of the world indeed…at the right time of year!
Welcome aboard to HU Old Father Tyne!

PN

__________________
When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

BLOG: paulnomad.blogspot.com.au

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You did well to get out of town ASAP from Hall's Creek. I flew in there with my wife in a Yak52 (Russian warbird), and as I shut down the engine, the first sound that I heard was the discordant shrieking of drunks brawling in the bushes. Took me right back! That was the first sound that I heard the first time, thirty years before.
Since then, my wife and I have toured through, me on my Sportster, her on her Yamaha 650, stopped for fuel....
Same sound in the bushes as the last two times!

Rob

Too funny Rob!! Long way to go for a repeat performance lol.

__________________
When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

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The loud crack of thunder woke me suddenly at 1.30am as torrential rain pelted my new tent being tested for the first time in the rain. It leaked. Not through the material, but there is a technique to setting it up which I apparently didn’t quite master.


I dragged my riding pants out of the new pool of water and realised my trusty (well we’ll see) new MacBook Air was also in the tent with me. Fortunately it was in its plastic waterproof bag, unfortunately I had left open so I frantically wiped drops from the outer surface. Hmmm, we’ll see.

In the hot light of day the only real casualty was my box of waterproof matches…


Lake Argyle was as beautiful in the morning as the previous day. I wasn't dreaming. I wanted to stay a week but had to be in Darwin for a bike service in two days.

After riding the stunning 35kms to the highway, I noticed in passing that Darwin was 800kms away so I’d be sleeping in transit again tonight. Four hundred kilometres doesn’t seem such a big day, but I was still fighting jetlag from Europe, it was now 40 degrees with humidity rising and there were all the photos I wanted to take!

Shortly after entering the highway I was in the Northern Territory.


I began riding at 10.30am and within half an hour I was here and had to move my clocks forward one and a half hours. Now it was 1.30pm so I stopped as soon as I could for lunch so I wouldn’t get to hungry. I usually like to have lunch earlier than that.

The day became long and hot. I played imaginary stories with the clouds, then the rocks, then the termite mounds; seeing characters in the shapes. In my mind I stopped and took a hundred photos but in reality it was about five.




I felt particularly affected by the heat today, my lower back started to hurt and my bum was numb, so I pulled over at the edge of the Mitchell National Park, near the Victoria River. It was 5pm.

I decided to camp here as it was idyllic.


The humidity was climbing and perspiration was pouring from pores I didn’t know I had. The flies are particularly friendly here and they continually dive-bombed my eyes and ears just so I didn’t forget to say hello. I looked like an Arab Sheik after I had protected myself from them.

I set the tent, cooked a small meal, packed up the bike and jumped onto the tent and lay on my air mattress. The tent was still and hot, just like the outside air, and the remaining water in my body drained from my pores as I fell into a slumber.

When I woke I was much drier and I checked the time to see how long before the sun came up. It was 11pm. Bugger. This was not my best nights sleep.

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When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

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Consuming a quick breakfast, the rest of my water and at least four flies,


I wheeled out of the little camp-spot, justifiably refusing to pay my camp fees.


Despite the best intentions, the tanks were empty.



This was one of those ‘must do’ days where I had to get to Darwin in time to find a place to stay and be ready to drop Ziggy off in the morning. For her 40,000th birthday I’m giving her all new fluids, adjusting the valves and whatever her big BMW heart desires, err…requires.

Katherine was still 170kms away, and Darwin 300kms further north. The roads were again empty as they had been for most of the trip apart from the odd road-train and blue commodore. Storms again threatened and some blustery winds tried to push us around, but Ziggy had none of it and we arrived in Katherine and topped up the fuel.

Due to the rain associated with the recent cyclone and an early start to the wet season, the landscape became greener and more lush; the ‘water over road’ signs marked newly dried tarmac; the numerous floodways had pools at the side of the road inching back from the domain of tyres; all an indication of how recently the rain fell.

But for me and Ziggy it was dry skies and dry tarmac all the way. I came across my first real traffic for the trip as Darwin neared, but being a Sunday I think I was spared the worst of it.

After some spiritual consultation with My Maps, Google Maps, Booking.com, Hotels.com and Google search, I settled on a van park just four kilometres from tomorrow’s rendezvous with Ziggy’s maker…or at least their rep.

I unloaded the gear, and tucked Ziggy into her cover, while I had a well earned dip in the pool, dinner from my vast stores and some calls to worried relatives to advise that I’m still alive and they are still in the will.

A bit light on with the piccies for this leg. The next two full days I spent in Darwin getting Ziggy serviced and catching up with some old friends.

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When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

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Check out time was at 10am and that’s exactly what time I left; not the early start I wanted but I was heading for Mataranka Springs, a beautiful oasis south of Katherine. It’s my mum’s favourite place.

I decided to drop by and show the guys at Cyclone Motors ( where Ziggy was serviced) the setup of my gear as they only saw her naked. They were a bit busy so I headed back to the highway to go south. It’s pretty straightforward, a single turn-off to the right to Palmerston, and veer to the left to follow the Stuart Highway to Katherine. I veered right. Bugger.

After finding my way back to the highway and only able to turn left to go north again, I rode 15kms towards Darwin before I could turn again and head south. This time I veered left. I wonder if this will be the flavour of the day?

Never ask that question.

Along the highway a bit there was a turnoff to Kakadu that I took, not because I wanted to visit Kakadu again as I had been there several times, but the world famous Humpty Doo pub is a classic place and always has a contingency of bikers there. I stopped in for a large salad and an orange juice. Ziggy chatted with a tough looking Harley over in the shade (the Harley turned up after this photo).


Back to the highway we were on our way once again. By this time it was about midday and I felt like I was just getting going for the day. My need to get some miles under my belt stopped me from getting photos but there was not a lot to photograph in a wild landscape like this, once again it is stunning country that is easy to take in and experience but difficult to photograph.

I turned off along the Daly Tourist Drive that went a little more to the west, to break up the relative monotony of the highway. It was a bit rough in places but a traffic-less road with lots of bends and undulations was a joy to ride, particularly as I was still recovering from 12,000kms of straight road in WA.


All was going well today, Ziggy was purring after her service and seemed to be tighter with more power, pulling our load with more ease than before. The road was dry and it was apparent that it had been wet, and in many places flooded, as there were still some witches hats around the place.


Despite there being threatening storm clouds along the way I only had literally ten seconds of rain, making this a very dry trip so far.


The wet season has started early and there is almost no-one else on the road because they had all heeded the advice not to travel in the north at this time of year.

Things were going well but it was getting to around 3.30pm and I hadn’t reached Katherine yet so I decided to duck into Nitimiluk National Park and camp.


There was no-one around at the campground so I had the place to myself. Miles from anyone in this remote area, I backed Ziggy into my selected campsite, put my right foot down on the loose gravel and it continued sliding. Ziggy over-balanced and hit the dirt for the first time this trip! Bugger.


I had a bit of a giggle at the irony of it and began to put my lifting technique into practice. Maybe if I thought about it I would have unloaded some of the weight, but instead I grunted and strained my back muscles in the same place I had several weeks ago in Europe and that had put me in bed for three days. OUCCCHHH!!

Now in agony, I knew I couldn’t lift the bike by myself and thought it was a good time to use my super little block and tackle – the one I had spruked about and never practiced using! Slowly I unloaded gear and the high side pannier, then hooked up the block and tackle. So far so good but I badly needed painkillers and to rest.


Tension on and I backed up with the 5:1 ratio and succeeded in sliding the back wheel towards me half a metre. A few adjustments and away we went again, pulling, the bike moved, started to lift…CRACK!!!

The climbing rope with two and a half tonne breaking strain – broke. I took two or three steps backwards with the momentum and for a slight moment thought I could recover, before landing on my back and winding myself. To laugh or cry…no, best to breath first. GASP!

I lay there for a good minute, not knowing if I could or even wanted to get up. Slowly I manipulated my battered body to a sitting position but that was bad for my original back problem so I managed to get on all fours with the finesse of a turtle trying to right itself and I started resembling a biped once again.

I walked to the still resting Ziggy and looked at the tangle of lightweight cable and climbing rope, not impressed with the first and final performance of the latter! So at this stage it was still around 38C, I was in pain with my back and I noticed a grazed shin, it was less than an hour to sunset, I still need to pitch the tent, and discovered that after selecting a nice spot at the back of the camping area only the toilet block at the front of the camping area was open due to the wet season.

My eyes were drawn to the BMW tie-down strap I use to secure the waterproof bag, and realized I could loop it around two points and do the job of the climbing rope. Good thing I wasn’t climbing, I thought! I hooked up the strap and secured the end into the ratchet and attached the carabiner.

I clasped my hands around the light wooden dowel handle and started walking backwards. Like magic, Ziggy lifted slowly to her wheels and came to rest on the sidestand that I had fortunately remembered to put down. Ziggy was back. The lightweight, ultra-compact block and tackle has earned its place well and truly in my tool kit.




Putting up the tent with a sodden t-shirt, flies in my eyes and ears and the ever-present back spasm, seemed like a minor event in comparison. Air mattress inflated, I assembled my chair to collapse in sweaty agony before contemplating making a meal. Having a chair with a back is bliss – another well earned piece of kit.

With the stove operation now routine, I prepared a good meal and eventually climbed into my tent. I lay there thinking how important it has been to reduce the weight of my gear and have simple to remove luggage. Carrying this extra weight and hard panniers has shown me that going ultralight with gear is how I want to travel. Once I get to Brisbane I will be removing those panniers for the last time.

The overnight rain was nice, now that I’ve learnt to set up my tent correctly. I stayed dry.

__________________
When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

BLOG: paulnomad.blogspot.com.au

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Repacking the panniers and folding camping gear was slow going this morning. I had gone for a long walk to see the falls and cliffs of this part of the park, but the focus had been on stretching and freeing up the painful area in my back. The river was beautiful,


and the crocodile trap was a reminder not to swim


The front toilet block also had a shower with hot water so I aimed the nozzle at the offending part of my back, which along with the movement, helped. They were the most interesting toilets for the trip so far.



Another 10am start, I rode my way back to the highway and the 60kms to Katherine. I stopped for a nice cooked breakfast and large mug of coffee and was feeling human again.

Another 100 metres down the road was the shopping complex where I bought some breakfast things, fresh fruit and slipped into the pharmacy for some much needed pain-killers and anti-inflammatories. It was only another 100kms to Mataranka Springs where I pulled in with the mercury approaching 40C.

The springs were as I remember them. At around 33C, the springs form part of the Roper River in the Elsey Conservation Reserve. The surrounds have a walking path and stone walls, almost resembling a swimming pool. Tall palms full of thousands of red flying foxes surround the area with their calls and quarrels echoing through the dense canopy.



I relaxed in the water for a good hour and a half, reminding me why this is an oasis and a must to visit. The homestead with overpriced campsites - $24 unpowered – is at the entrance to the park.

I decided to use the hammock tonight as there were two solid straight trees and a shady spot to park Ziggy. I felt it may rain as it has for most nights since I’ve been in the Territory so I set up the parachute tarp – still unsure if it has earned it’s place in the kit yet.


I completed the camp set up, covered Ziggy and walked to the bar area for a refreshing lemon, lime and bitters. The heavens opened up and continued pouring for three hours, amongst some spectacular thunder and lightning.


I waited for the rain to stop before picking my way through the muddy ground to the hammock. My bed was dry. Bonus!

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
When you come to a fork in the road…take it!

BLOG: paulnomad.blogspot.com.au

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