I leave the house at 9:50am, much later than I had originally planned to leave (the night before!). It takes me much longer to pack, and double check what I have packed, than I had allowed for... a lesson for next time, allow at least 10 hours for packing and getting the bike ready. Now that I have the experience though, potentially next time will be quicker. I won't have to spend hours trying to put the bag rack on, snap my socket wrench, buy a new socket wrench, still be unable to undo the bolt, take the bike to a shop to get the bolt loosened...
As I leave the house, my odometer reads 67887km.
Every hour or two I stop for fuel on my way up the coast. I stop at “the Rock”, a roadhouse disguised as a small Uluru, to take some photos, and at “The Big Prawn”, which was recently in danger of being moved. Aside from that there is not much to stop and see, as I have done the trip from Sydney to Brisbane a number of times and already seen all the tourist traps. It is dark as I cross the border from New South Wales to Queensland, which passes by with little to no fanfare.
Since I first started planning this trip, the song Topaz, by the B52's, conjured to mind a vision of riding into Melbourne at night, the city lights aglow. As I ride into Brisbane, Topaz starts playing on my iPod at just the right moment to show me the vision had been of Brisbane at night, not Melbourne. It was a bit spooky, but felt right.
The first leg of my trip is complete, and I am now in Brisbane, at Jo's place. It's fairly late, I arrive at approximately 10pm.
I'm very tired now so will rest.
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