Around Australia on a GSA. Three months, Two People, 26,000 Kilometers.

[obsidian]

Hi all,

Earlier this year my wife and I did an around Australia loop, with a jaunt into the middle. We filmed the entire journey and will be launching a 6 part series, just thought I'd share the trailer.





The series is due to be released late February.

I'll keep this thread going as the official ride report as well.

[JReazor]

Very cool. I'll be looking for it.

[UHOH]

nice, terrific photography compared to everyone else's video.


imagine ... a 90 mile stretch w/ not a bend.    glad you only showed  a frame shot of that

[Blunder]

Y'all speak with 'murican accents.  

[obsidian]

Y'all speak with 'murican accents.  

Canadians living in New Zealand, and traveling Australia.  

[obsidian]

nice, terrific photography compared to everyone else's video.


imagine ... a 90 mile stretch w/ not a bend.    glad you only showed  a frame shot of that

The worst part was, it was a very tiny bend and then another 60 or 70 miles of straight.  Every once in awhile you'd see tire marks on a perfectly straight road.  The spot where someone had fallen asleep, then woke up to "WTF!?!?!?"

[Blunder]

Canadians living in New Zealand, and traveling Australia.  

You hide it not so well.  

[Yakiman]

Hi-Q vid; Oz...  I'm in!  

[ride200mi]

This sounds so cool... I will be looking for the vids.... And I'm sorry I have no clue as to imbedding a video....
Oh and thanks for sharing this with us all....
I have a very good friend that lives in Australia and would love to be able to do this.

[obsidian]

This ride report will be excerpts from our travel notes... Hope y'all like it.

Sydney:Prologue

After about a year of talking, shuffling schedules and planning, we finally are at the day: our 3 month adventure in Australia.  Our route takes us around the outside of the Australian continent, with a excursion into the center, of course, to see Ayers rock.  



This trip is going to be hard, our KTM’s look so sad as we drop them off for babysitting.  Poor things, I feel bad knowing they will sit unused while we are gone.  



We get to Sydney, and our first order of business is to head to BMW to organize our New R1200GS-Adventure.  We want the first service done before we leave, so we run in 1000 kms around Sydney to get use to the bike.  We only have a few days to get everything done, our departure date is 6 days away so we have to get a move on.









We run around town picking up a few remaining items, it seems like we have a lot of luggage, here is our break down of gear:

Joe Gear
1 x Shoei Helmet
1 x earplugs
1 x Scala Rider Q2 with charger
1 x Revit Cayenne Pro Jacket & Pants
1 x Pair BMW Santiago Boots
1 x Set thermal underwear
1 x BMW airflow gloves
1 x BMW socks
1 x Musto rain jacket
1 x Arc’teryx Fleece
2 x shorts
3 x t-shirts
1 x jeans
4 x underwear
3 x socks
1 x flip-flops
1 x walking shoes
1 x toiletries
1 x prescription glasses
1 x prescription sunglasses
1 x wallet
1 x passport

Flora Gear
1x Shoei Helmet
1 x earplugs
1 x Scala Rider Q2 with charger
1 xBMW Comfort Shell Jacket & Pants
1 xPair Diadorra Ladies boots
1 xPair BMW allround gloves
1 x Glove liners
1 x Northface fleece
1 x Northface summer rain jacket
1 x jeans
1 x shorts
2 x long sleeve tops
2 x t-shirt
1 x yoga pants
1 x yoga top
1 x sports bra
4 x underwear
4 x socks
1 x flip-flops
1 x walking shoes
1 x toiletries
1 x prescription glasses
1 x prescription sunglasses
1 x wallet
1 x passport

Camping Gear
1x NorthFace large bag
Misc Summit Stuff sacks
MSR Mutha Hubba Tent
2x Mountain Design sleeping bags
2x Exped mattress
1x  MSR reactor stove
2 x sporks & bowls
1 x coffee cup
1 x utility knife
1 x headlamp
1 x cooler
1 x thermos
1 x laundry soap
1 x laundry bag
1 x Kriega R20 Backpack
1 x first aid kit
1 x Ortlieb waterproof bag with straps
1 x 5 meter 15 amp power cable
1 x power outlet spliter

Motorcycle gear
1 x BMW tank bag with maps
2 x BMW panniers
1 x Garmin GPS with Australia maps
1 x tyre repair kit
1x Tool kit
1 x portable inverter
3 x straps
2 x bungie cords
1 x plastic cleaner

Production Gear:
2 x Canon 5D MK 2
2 x 24-105mm L lens
1 x 16-35mm L Lens
1 x 70-300mm Zoom lens
2 x cleaning cloths
4 x batteries
4 x 16 gig CF cards
2 x power cables
1 x 13” MacBook Pro with cables
1 x i-phone
1 x Zoom H4N
2 x Lapel mics
6 x 320 Lace HD with USB cables
1 x Tripod with head and quick release plate
1 x notepad & pen

[obsidian]

Here's an animation showing a very generalised version of our route. Enjoy!  

[Blunder]

3 months to explore? Oh man, I'm so jealous. I'd better start on my fiendish plans to set myself up for a road trip like that.

Looking forward to your reports.  

[R Doug]

 

I look forward to seeing the installments!  I've never read or seen any video of a road trip Down Under.  This looks like it was very well done.  

[MK96xj]

Looking forward to the next installment.

I viewed your other videos and was impressed.

[obsidian]

Packing up first thing, our bags dangling from the Hotel cart as we gingerly rolled it into the hotel lobby. Joe went to get the bike from the parking garage, and we spend about a half hour loading it for the first time. It all fit, whew



I was happy to see Sydney go, staying in the middle of the city had its plus and minuses, and those being the honking and sirens in the middle of the night left something to be desired. However the location was good and convenient to everything.



Passing over the harbor bridge was like our starting line... ready, set, go.....

We found a little town to stop for lunch, Gloucester. We didn't seem to be the only ones with this town in mind for lunch; the main road was lined with cruisers and tourers out for their Sunday ride.



After lunch we headed back towards the coast, the road improving, then degrading into a mess of potholes and ruts until we reached the main highway. The sky displayed an amazing bunch of clouds that looked like a quilt.

[obsidian]

We had a nice early departure, on our way out of town we couldn't suppress the inner tourist in us, and next thing we were snapping photos of us and the giant banana at the entrance to Coffs Harbour.



We headed north, to get fuel at Grafton. We also ended up finding some breakfast there. Leaving Grafton, we took Coaldale road which was an amazing scenic backroad, offering up country pastures, bulls, cows, horses, and one kangaroo which passed in front of us in the distance.





Over an hour and a half of backroads, gravel, and no traffic and we finally spy a rest stop to pull over. It was almost 1PM by then and time for a bite to eat.





We shared an apple, and a piece of banana bread we had picked up from the cafe earlier. It was a nice spot to stop and listen to the cries of the raven in the trees above us.





The serenity of the previous road was soon lost on the new “backroad” we had selected. While it was winding its way through scenic areas, the sealed road surface was so poor that we both had wished that we were back on the gravel sections. This leg took over two hours, and really slowed us down on our overall time. There was not much chance of making the Cobb & Co. museum in Toowoomba before it closed. We ended up getting in the campground at dark.

[obsidian]

The air was still and cool as we woke up to birds creating havoc in the trees around us.  Their calls echoed around the campground each with their on unique chant, timing and tone.  
Breakfast consisted of cereal I pinched from our hotel in Sydney, and orange juice I picked up when I got the pizza last night.  



It was then off to the Cobb & Co Museum to check out the stagecoach history.  
We had a wander around checking out all the stagecoaches; large and small which transported goods and people across Australia.  







Departing our route took us down a steep 10% grade to the valley below, we passed by tens of trucks grinding their engines down the hill, struggling to maintain a suitable speed for their loads.  
Our nimble bike zooms pass them and to the gas station at the bottom of the hill.  We had no idea that Toowoomba sat so high on a plateau above the coast, it would explain the cool morning we experienced.



Off the main road, we turned left and headed towards the Esk valley.  Joe's stomach starts to rumble and we find a Mobil restaurant just off the main road to pull in and have a feed.  
He breaks down and has a burger and fries, bad, bad boy.  I know he's probably burning a few calories from riding :lol3 :lol3 , and we really don't have a choice in where to eat, so he downs the burger in no time and we head on the road.  Feeling revived, Joe feels he can make it up to Hervey bay, so we go for it.  



Up the main highway is a piece of cake.  We now see the scenery starting to change; from white fields of grasses dotted with trees to rows of sugar cane and avocados.  
The temperature drops a few degrees as we dip behind hills obscuring the sun, then returns up back in the light.  But as we approached Gympie the light starts to fade, and we ride in darkness towards our destination.  



Things seem a little strange, somehow the address for the caravan park was wrong, and we ended up 30 km in the opposite direction near river Heads.  Frustrated after a long day, we turn back towards town and find the correct address turn in and unload our gear at the campground.



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Aaand the most horrifying thing you'll ever see in this thread....

[Tyrroneous]

Excellent stuff (minus the last picture of course).  Keep it coming!!

[MK96xj]

Here is my question as I read along:

Why did you not ferry your KTM's over? Did you buy the GSA or rent it? I see you ran it in for the first service so I am a bit puzzled

[obsidian]

Here is my question as I read along:

Why did you not ferry your KTM's over? Did you buy the GSA or rent it? I see you ran it in for the first service so I am a bit puzzled

Purchased with a buy back.  Ended up being cheaper in the long run than rentals or shipping.  Well shipping the KTM with extra insurances, fuel consumption, carnet, fees, and shipping back would have been about even.  Yet I figured the BMW would serve the purpose better.  In hindsight, I missed the KTM on around Australia.