1974 from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Short excerpt from guided walk around Lady Musgrave Island. Southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. Contains explicit references to goats.
Ken's Blog
1974
May 15th, 2011Entering the lagoon
May 15th, 2011Lady Musgrave Island – entrance from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken describes entering Lady Musgrave Island’s lagoon. Shaking with excitement. Southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef.
Off to sea
May 15th, 2011On the Bridge from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
On the Bridge of "Spirit of 1770" with David the Master. Off to Lady Musgrave Island. Southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef.
Half way Down Under
May 15th, 2011
Half way Down Under. Bit ahead of the blog, Ken, trusty steed Emma, and mascots Skippy the Kangaroo and Wallace the Wallaby now south of Brisbane. Capital of Queensland. Mid-point of Australia’s east coast.
Sydney. Melbourne. End of another continent. In their sights. So time to think about making a donation to support the work of The Outward Bound Trust. And with it the chance to offer a home to Ken’s marsupial mascots. To find out more, visit Wallace and Skippy’s page – click here.
Baywatch Blues
May 15th, 2011As ever, I’m a little ahead of the blog. Now south of Brisbane, Queensland’s capital. Over half way down Australia’s eastern seaboard. Ploughing south towards Sydney. Making the most of the autumnal sun. Planes to catch. In the meantime, lots I hope to educate and amuse. Wrestling with city traffic, spot of snake handling, social faux pax with koalas, being spooked by dingos, French cuisine, some underwear confessions and even an impromptu visit to a village school. And the odd tame anarchist.
Just one last thing to do before hitting the road in the morning. Off to the beach. Keen geographer. Passing interest in geology. Sand quality. Research you understand. So I’ll do my very best to keep the scantily clad beach babes out of shot. Just wouldn’t be right. I’d hate to distract from the educational content. But first. Beer. Apparently you need a six pack. It was that or a bikini wax.
Family ties
May 14th, 2011
They’d spent seven years travelling around Australia. Making my eighteen months on the road look a bit, well, meagre. I’d reached Agnes Water on the central Queensland coast. Day’s ride from the highway. And home to second cousin Ken and his wife Sue.
Together with dogs Poppy, Rosie and Phantom, they’d settled here some years previously. Stones throw from "1770" where Captain Cook landed in… I’ll let you work it out. They’d emigrated from the UK before I was born. Ten Pound Poms.
Ken was an accomplished carpenter, their self-built home on a peaceful four acre plot a testament to his skill. He’d also an eye for the ball. Playing baseball for Australia in his twenties. A game he’d not taken up until he’d left the UK.
Whereas Ken had a distinct Aussie twang, Sue had pretty much kept her Lancashire accent. Greeting me with a question. What was I doing tomorrow? How about an early start? Off to sea. Lady Musgrave Island. Some sixty kilometres off the coast. Southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. Sounded good.
Amongst the gnomes
May 14th, 2011Amongst the gnomes from Ken Roberts on Vimeo.
Ken describes camping amongst the gnomes. And the fairy lights. Start of a surreal evening. Rolf Harris on the iPod. Delving amongst the books in the camp kitchen. Neatly kept in plastic bags. Mostly the sort you might actually want to read. And back copies of Readers Digest. Presumably for those with the attention span of a forgetful goldfish.
For all the teasing fun, probably one of the most pleasant spots to camp. Cared for by its owners, former travellers themselves. And, at ten bucks – about seven pounds – for the night, best value for money by far.
Remember the Gold Rush
May 14th, 2011
Few prospectors ever made their fortune actually looking for gold. Rather, the real money lay in the service industries, the infrastructure, that sprang up. Purveyors of tools and equipment. Hotels. Today, nothing has really changed in these parts. Apart from the commodity sought. No longer gold.
Message of support
May 14th, 2011
"This is a phenomenal challenge that Ken has undertaken – full credit to him – and I wish him every success on the long road and over such a long period of time. He certainly is an inspiration and it should encourage everyone to get out there and undertake their own challenge. It is a great cause that Ken is supporting which makes it all the more worthwhile so good luck Ken and don’t stop pedalling."
James Cracknell, Double Olympic Gold medallist rower, athlete and adventurer
Angel Delight
May 14th, 2011I’d replied to the e-mail. Unable to resist inserting "Obeying zee orders" into the subject line. Well, so far at least, the Germans had been a regular feature of my travels. Hadn’t seen any for a little admittedly. But there’d been some suspicious looking beach towels around Surfers Paradise.
Emma, my trusty steed, and I aren’t exactly in anyone’s Frequent Flyer programme. But we do rely on my parents for advice on the best airline deals. Mum and Dad now experts in excess baggage and the byzantine rules of putting a bicycle on a plane. They do the research. I just make the booking. And cough up.
Latest effort my flights to and from New Zealand. Alas, without my bicycle. Far too expensive. My steed obliged to spend some time with friends in Australia. Few weeks there before a return to the road and the run down to Melbourne. Following my parents recommendation to the letter. As always.
Of course, there have been moments. The hop across the Caspian Sea. A small Lufthansa subsidiary my Dad said. Not quite. An old Russian Tupulov. Probably a cast off from Aeroflot. But it worked. Got me to Kazakhstan. And gave me a new-found interest in metallurgy. Metal fatigue and failure mechanics. Of rivets.
But never any hesitation to follow their considered advice. For an adult I may be, the odd grey hair – tell myself people pay good money for such mature highlights – but my relationship with my Mum and Dad is hugely important to me. Something this venture has really brought home to me.
Their opinion, their counsel, matters. Always has. True, as a teenager, I might have been a bit reluctant to follow their advice. Just once or twice. The odd moment when the only angelic thing in the house came in a packet. Add milk, whisk and serve.
Terms & Conditions of Use | Copyright © 2009-2024 Ken Roberts