Sydney. Two thirds of Australia’s east coast complete. Final mainland stop Melbourne. About the same as riding from Calais to Istanbul. After all, it’s more than a country. It’s an entire continent.
So far there’s been the wet tropics – heavy, if warm, torrential downpours. Oppressive humidity. But now getting cooler. Low twenties in the day. Much lower at night. Frost. Cold rain. Just ten hours of daylight. Not dissimilar to an English summer… And an Australian winter.
It’s not all "Home & Away". That’s Palm Beach. Just north of Sydney. There’s quite a bit of dull, but necessary, stuff to do. Maps to consult. Visas to organise. Funds to find. Logistics. Articles to write. Website to run. All part and parcel of the project. Of life on the road. By way of illustration, some of the scribblings in my pocket book:
Monday – Timeline to Sydney – review day’s progress – on track? US visa application – consolidate and check all paperwork held – too tired – another night. No visa for New Zealand but need to satisfy other entry requirements – clarify
Tuesday – Entry into Tasmania – check leaflet – no fruit permitted – eat! Processed foods ok. New Zealand – need to borrow Bergen – and need to check travel times to airport
Wednesday – Pick up spare tyre – too expensive in Australia – cheaper in New Zealand? Or ship from UK? And to where? New Zealand exchange rate?
Thursday – Offer of free kit – choices? Shipping address? Wait until received by parents.
Friday – Progress today not good – 240 km to cover in two days – follow coast / avoid highway and use ferries for most direct route – start first light (6.44am) and aim to finish by 4pm. Sunset just before 5pm.
Sailing to Swansea from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Sailing to Swansea. Sort of. Two ferries. One from Tea Gardens to Nelsons Bay. Another from Stockton to Newcastle. Still in Australia. With about a hundred and twenty kilometres – around eighty miles – riding to link them and reach the evening’s stop in Swansea. And it’s dark by 5pm….
Makings of a cunning plan from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Unexpectedly slow progress has left Ken with over two hundred and forty kilometres – about one hundred and sixty miles – to Sydney in just two days. Which calls for another cunning plan…
Wet and dreary from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Forced off the road by gale force winds, Ken is obliged to explore the coastal town of Forster-Tuncurry. About two hundred miles north of Sydney.
Storm front from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Severe weather warning. Wind gusts of up to a hundred kilometres an hour. So Ken decides a day off the road might be good idea. With walls and a roof.
On the road snacking staple. Fruit cake. One quarter chunk per day. About four dollars – just under three pounds – so relatively cheap.
Sur-pies from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken discovers a few more varieties of pies. Endorsed, it would appear, by Marilyn Monroe.
Port Macquarie from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken reaches the coastal town of Port Macquarie – roughly half way between Brisbane and Sydney on Australia’s east coast. So. If Brisbane’s about half -way down, and Sydney two-thirds, that’d be approximately seven-twelfths along. Ok. That’s enough fractions…
Double trouble from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken ends up unexpectedly spending the night in a small motel. Two punctures as the light was fading. Shortly before they come out to play. Wallabies. And trucks. Both largely nocturnal creatures. Not where you want to be.
