Topaz

New cities by the sea
Skyscrapers are winking
Some hills are never seen
The universe expanding

    - Topaz, The B52's

Walkabout Day 17 - Melbourne - Sydney

3 of the 4 people I wanted to visit in Canberra are away, and the 4th already has plans. Additionally, there were no interesting rides to be had around Canberra, so all in all I decide to skip Canberra and ride straight to Sydney today. It's going to be a long ride. I'm heading down the driveway at 7:22am.

The bike won't start in the morning, the battery is nearly flat. I am able to push start it cold, down the road though, and it behaves from there. I'll definitely be taking out the peripherals I added, to see if they're causing the problem, or if there is some other part of the bike that is going, like the battery or alternator.

I head down the road for the long, non-scenic route... I'm tired from the long trip, and want to save the coastal route for another ride. I just want to get home. I stop at Holbrook to take some photos of the submarine display they have there, and at Gundagai, then it's straight on home.

About an hour outside of Sydney it starts raining, so I'm into my wet weather gear for the last stretch home.

I roll into the driveway at 6:30pm. The odometer reads 76,830km. 8,943km covered in the entire trip, over 17 days. The jacaranda tree out the front has flowered while I'm away, and the driveway is covered in purple jacaranda flowers. I'm home.

Walkabout Day 16 - Apollo Bay - Melbourne

I sleep in until 6 today. I have got the process of rolling out of bed to rolling down the road down to 30 minutes, though I only make it 20 metres before I stop to take photos of the trees I noticed last night, in the morning light. Then it is onwards along the Great Ocean Road. Again I am glad I stopped for the night, because I really appreciate the road and lack of traffic in the morning sun. The views and the road were so good I feel the need for a cigarette when it was over, and I don't smoke.

I detour to Werribee, and visit the hospital I was born in. As far as I am aware this is my first return trip since then. I really am hitting a number of landmarks this trip, it seems.


Then I head into the city. As I ride into the city, Topaz comes on my iPod again, something that made me grin, and wonder. I struggle to find an internet cafe so I can get in touch with people. Of course, once I find one I see many, even ones I had gone straight past earlier.

I get in touch with Pramod, who I worked with in Japan, he only lives a short distance away. I go over and meet with him and his family. We chat about old times and catch up on where people we know are at now. Then I head over to visit Lalita and Brendan, and they kindly offer me a place to stay for the night. I spend the afternoon with them, then meet up with Omega and Hong for dinner at a Balinese restaurant in town. It had been nearly 3 years since I last saw them, the time has passed very quickly!

On the way back to Lalita and Brendan's place, the bike stalled at the lights, twice. I was able to push start it each time... I suspect a short in the wiring I installed. I will need to redesign the whole system I think... I am learning a lot about rugged system design as I go. I hope that is the problem and that as long as I keep those circuits switched off I don't have any more problems. I will know tomorrow, if the bike starts or not.

Speaking with Omega and Hong I am trying to remember the projects I am considering:

electric motorbike
home hydrogen generation
swarmbots
EAP muscle bot
reprap and extensions
led controller for bike
toughened harness for bike
underwater habitat
augmented reality gargoyle harness
graphic novel
robotic limb harness

I know there are at least 5-10 more, but I can only remember a few at a time. I need to record and keep track of them a bit better, if I'm to hope to see progress on them I think.

Walkabout Day 15 - Adelaide - Apollo Bay

I farewell the Ongs and am away at 7am, and straight up into the hills and eastward, departing Adelaide. According to the thermometer, it is 9 degrees. The landscape changes gradually from rolling green hills to flatlands as I traverse the inland highways. I pause at one point to climb an outcropping dubbed Christmas Rocks, and get a good view of the countryside. I think breaking up the ride with physical exertion is better than just stretching my legs. I am finding the lack of physical exertion, bar the hiking at Uluru, to be a little frustrating in this trip... some early morning runs would be good I think. That'd settle me down some.

Riding direct from Adelaide to Melbourne should take 7-8 hours, but I am taking a non direct route, inland down to Portland then along the coast to Port Fairy. I really want to get a photo of me standing in front of the Port Fairy sign, wielding a bottle of port, a wand, and a big grin, but alas am not so equipped.

 I stop to look at a wind farm, with about 30 windmills going. I'm glad to see this kind of thing cropping up, energy is one of the biggest non-social challenges facing our ever-increasing race.

Then on to Warrnambool where the Great Ocean Road begins, or ends, depending on your perspective. To start with on the GOR, I am stopping every 500 metres to take photos of one after another spectacular limestone formation... the Bay of Islands, the Grotto, London Bridge and finally the 12 Apostles, which were quite something. Then I am fully applied to the road, with not much time left in the day and a long way to go. The road would get crowded very quickly I think, but for the most part I am able to ride alone. The Great Ocean Road fully deserves its reputation, it is truly a great and memorable ride, sweeps and curves and turns and scenery and it goes on and on and on. The sun goes down and the light starts failing, so I stop in Apollo Bay and got a room for the night in a pub, and will finish the rest of the road tomorrow. They have the most beautiful trees out the front. It feels strange to see and smell the sea once more, and yet familiar somehow.

Walkabout Day 14 - Adelaide

I am away at 7 this morning, into the chilly morning air. It is around 12 degrees and windy. I head up into the Adelaide hills, pausing to snap a photo of the Cudlee Cafe just for the name, and the world's biggest rocking horse. At an outlook over Eden valley, I chat with a friendly local old-timer. In Tanunda, about 3 hours after setting out, I find the collection of antique bikes, Ariel Square 4s, that Dad told me about. After a coffee there, I head back into town via another route for lunch at a Korean restaurant with Leo, a friend from Chevalier.

We hadn't met in person for 14 years, so it is interesting to catch up, even though we chat online. After lunch I am feeling a little down about being back in the hustle and bustle of the city, traffic, construction work and traffic lights. So I pick another route into the hills and ride back out for another couple of hours. The road up to Lobethal is magnificent, and has to be the best ride I have been on yet, road wise! Beautiful curves, scenic vistas of Adelaide, cliff faces, undulating turns and hardly any traffic. I take another route back, and stop in for a coffee at the (now open) Cudlee Cafe, where I have a chat with another rider who was chilling out there.

Once back at the Ongs' place, I ask about San and Mary's childhood years. Rose has photos, which she kindly lets me scan, and Aaron helps me get them all done. They take me out to for another delicious dinner, and I have extracted a promise they will come and visit us in Sydney. Then they take me up to see a night lookout over Adelaide. The city has grown noticeably since last I saw it laid out, 10 years ago.

Walkabout Day 13 - Coober Pedy - Adelaide

I am up early in my underground room, I pack and am out the door and down the road by 6, in the blackness of night. I am filling up at the petrol station, in preparation for the long trip out of Coober Pedy when a car pulls up behind me. I notice the sizeable dent in the front but I don't comment. The driver says to me, "got to watch for them roos". He had just hit one apparently, it jumped right in front of him from a bush. Dawn is just tingeing the horizon when I hit the highway. It is chilly... my thermometer reads 12 degrees, and wind chill helps bring it down some more.

The sun rises, and at one point I notice two emus running alongside the road. I slow to about 40 and keep pace with them for a bit, then wave farewell and speed back up to 110. I stop at the two watering points I talked about yesterday, and make sure they both have water for Yoshi and his friend... I would find someone to phone if they were dry.

The landscape is barren and flat, with low saltbush scrub and nothing else. I can see why people refer to it as a lunar landscape.

When I hit reserve, I am just past one rest stop, with 60km to town and 30km to the next rest stop. I estimate reserve will give me 28-30km more distance, and slow to 90 to conserve fuel and make it to the next stop. I do not want to be transferring fuel on the roadside, with traffic going by, I would prefer somewhere undisturbed and protected. I make it to the rest stop and siphon the fuel out of my auxiliary can and into my tank. No mouthful of petrol this time, practice makes perfect. Getting to this stage has been my biggest worry for the entire journey, and now I have plenty of fuel to get to the next roadhouse. It represents the completion of the remote section of my journey. From here, I am back into civilisation, at no risk of running dry or being stranded. I was out of the deadly heat and exposure... with the act of closing my refilled tank, I had symbolically completed the loop of my journey into the outback. A sense of elation fills me as I repacked the auxiliary can and put my gear on to ride, with my iPod on I break into the Engineers' Dance of Victory. Anyone driving by would've had a bewildering sight, this leatherclad being with a black helmet and black visor dancing away in the desert to its own internal rhythm...

The dance of victory complete, I head on. It isn't long before I see my first salt lake, then another and another, some part filled, some bone dry. The countryside gradually becomes more hilly, and before long I am in Port Augusta. It feels weird to be stopped and waiting at traffic lights. The last time I had seen some was in Alice Springs, 4 days and 2500km ago.

It seems strange but the ride goes quicker when I have the earplugs in than when I have the iPod playing. I keep myself entertained doing mental calculations of fuel efficiency, average travel speeds, and estimating arrival times by extrapolation, and seeing how close I get them. I also think over the various dramas in my life and make or revisit decisions on how to handle them when daily life resumes, and mulling over my multiplicity of projects and where to go with each. I must write them down so I don't forget them.

I make it the Ongs' place, San's aunt, uncle and cousin, in Adelaide at 6:30pm. They are very welcoming and accommodating, and it is great to meet them at last, after many years of hearing about them. They take me out to a delicious Chinese dinner, and then I retire for the evening, planning tomorrow's activities.

Walkabout Day 12 - Uluru - Coober Pedy

I manage an early start, saying farewell to Gemma and Adam and heading down the road at 5:45am. Too early, it turns out, the petrol station at Curtin Springs (originally they were going to call it Stalin Springs!) didn't open until 7 and I got there at 6:45. The emu hanging out by the petrol pump seems slightly put out by my appearance and stalks off, ruffling its wings in annoyance, when I don't leave immediately. I briefly consider pushing on, as I figure I had enough petrol, but I have learnt my lesson and instead, I go for a walk, looking at the aviaries of parrots they have down the back.

Once the shop opens, I fill up with petrol and push on to Mt. Ebenezer, the next stop where Gemma had recommended the apple turnover. I have a coffee and an apple turnover (which was good!) for morning tea.

There were articles on the wall in the store at Curtin Springs critical of Aboriginals. At Mt. Ebenezer there is a gallery of art made by Aboriginal artists employed by Mt. Ebenezer, with a biography of each artist. The difference in cultures between the two stations is striking.

As I leave Mt. Ebenezer I notice with annoyance that I have forgotten to put my earplugs in, yet again. This has been a common theme throughout the trip... get all set, hop on the bike, start riding, notice how noisy it is, pull over, take my gloves and helmet off, put my earplugs in, put my helmet and gloves back on, and start again. I pull over to the dirt on the side of the road and promptly drop the bike as it skids out from under me. I had hit the dirt while still braking, a critical error. I can't initially lift the bike, so have to unstrap the luggage and take several tries to get it upright. I wouldn't want a heavier bike.... it keeps sliding away from me on the dirt as I try lifting. Initially it won't start, but eventually it caught and all was good. The luggage rack is slightly twisted, the rear brake pedal is bent even further up, and the handlebars are now slightly off from centre.. hopefully all repairable.

The most alarming thing is that my fuel efficiency appears to have taken yet another nosedive, only getting 14 km per litre, and that is when riding carefully. I need to make sure I have enough fuel for all of the stages of tomorrow's leg. Coober Pedy to the next station is 260km, I think, which will require the fuel can to make it.

At the second last stop before Coober Pedy, I am checking over the bike when I hear a shout and see someone approaching. I stand up and see it is Yoshi, the cyclist I had chatted with on the way to Uluru! He has made it to Uluru and now down this far while I stayed with Gemma, and is taking a day off to rest. He has teamed up with another Japanese cyclist he met, who is making his way to Adelaide from Cairns, and is planning to cross the Nullarbor after that. Barking mad but I admire their guts. They seem glad of the chance to chat in Japanese. I help them out a little, showing them on my atlas where the watering spots are after Coober Pedy, which is a source of concern for them. They don't need petrol, but they do need water. Then I bid them farewell and continue on my way.

 The clouds had thickened and kept the sun at bay, so the day was pleasantly cool. Now though, they darken and the cool breeze takes on a more sinister edge. Sure enough, raindrops start falling, and I shrug into my raincoat. It doesn't come down hard or for very long, but the coat keeps me warmer in the sudden chill so I keep it on. Before long I am rolling into Coober Pedy. Cones of white sand from mines cover the landscape, like giant traffic cones gone mad. Mining equipment can be seen poking up between the piles.

The town itself is set amongst hills, and the underground dwellings are dug into these hills, like hobbit holes, rather than dug like pits.

I booked into an underground motel, browsed a couple of opal stores, then hopped on the bike and rode around town a little, explorinatoring. I found this plot decorated with sculptures of moon monsters, termite mounds, car crashes and various other bizarre and fantastic creations. It had great views of the town as well, I think whatever this place was, it is my favourite in Coober Pedy so far. I'd love to work on a collaborative piece with the artist and add some animatronics to the sculptures. I sit in an underground church, which I find peaceful. I find a life size sculpture of a vehicle inspired by Star Wars, outside a backpackers accommodation. Its an odd town.

Walkabout Day 11 - Kata Tjuta

Gemma and I are up at 4, and we head out at 5 as the moon sets and dawn tinges the sky. We drive to a lookout over Kata Tjuta, also known as The Olgas, to watch them as the sun rises. There is a layer of cloud on the horizon, and it has 2 little holes in it that the sun peeks through... for a while it looks like a demonic mask with fiery eyes.

Sunrise on Kata Tjuta is not as impressive as that on Uluru, but the formation itself is every bit as striking. Once the sun is up, we drive around to enter Kata Tjuta itself, but stop when we see a camel foraging by the roadside. Then we see another near it, and another... all up there are six wild camels munching away on bushes and trees. They watch us bemusedly for a moment, then return to their breakfast. We take some photos and then drive on, just as some tourists see us and stop and jump out, cameras poised like assault rifles. Really guys, chill out... its just a bunch of wild camels....

We park at Kata Tjuta and start on the Valley of the Winds walk, which leads a winding path between the domes of rock. Up close the scale of them becomes apparent, and that we are mere ants walking between these megaliths. This time I borrow a fly net from Gemma, and remain unmolested throughout the walk, which is much more peaceful. There is one point, standing between two of the domes, looking down a sloping gulley leading to a large area of rolling hills bounded by the domes of Kata Tjuta, that is breathtaking. The sound of the wind sighing through the trees and canyons, and the sounds of the animals.... and nothing else. No voices, no crunching gravel under footsteps, no cars, no planes.... I could well understand why the Aboriginals feel the place is sacred, and feel that way myself. No climbing is permitted on these domes, unlike Uluru.

At the base of the gully, there is a wallaby with a joey browsing through the spinifex below a tree, in the shade of the dome above. The joey occasionally pokes its head up to look at us, but they both seem otherwise unconcerned as we approach and photograph them.

We continue the walk at an easy pace, encountering again the phenomenon where tourists walk fast to catch up with us, then slow down to match our pace, tromping along a metre or two behind no matter how fast or slow we would go, until we stop completely then they move on. I think the solitude bothers them and they wish to be near others, or they feel it is too rude to overtake someone on a path... that doesn't explain them speeding up after being overtaken though. It is curious.

After completing the walk, we drive back, Gemma keeping a keen eye out for Thorny Devils, cute little spiky lizards indigenous to the region. She spots several other lizards by the roadside, and finds one on the road that she stops and moves off the road and into the grass, to keep it from becoming roadkill. They can move really fast! No Thorny Devils though, unfortunately.

We visit the resort's shopping centre... there is a bank, newsagent, supermarket, restaurant, post office, cafe and several souvenir shops. Who ever heard of all those at a resort? But then it is needed, at nearly 500km from the nearest town, the residents need to able to obtain supplies somewhere. The residents live in blocks of what they call flatettes, down an unmarked road and out of sight of tourists. Finding it was a little bit of a challenge the first time around, I ended up riding in circles looking for it!

I do a bit more washing, and will need to start packing for an early start tomorrow. The earliest I can leave is around 5:15, as the service stations won't be open before then but that is plenty early enough. I want to get as many miles as I can done early, so I get a bit of a chance to look around Coober Pedy... based on Gemma's experiences there it seems to be an interesting place.

It is now a bit past 4, and the scattered cloud cover has condensed into threatening clouds, grumbling with the promise of rain. If it comes down, we'll race out to Uluru to see the waterfalls running off it.

The rain starts lightly, then gets heavier. Gemma and Adam, even after many months and seeing Uluru near daily, are still excited by the rain and keen to see the waterfalls running off Uluru. We drive out and up close to Uluru, and saw waterfalls running off it, down into the water holes. The rain lets up and just on the horizon the clouds break and let the sun through as it sets, while the storm clouds beyond Uluru continue to unleash lightning bolts, zigzagging across the sky. It makes for a magnificent sight, one I will remember for a long time.

Tomorrow is an early start and a long ride to Coober Pedy, one of the most daunting legs of the trip....

Walkabout Day 10 - Uluru

I am up early, at 4:30am, and out by 5:15 to see the sunrise on Uluru. There is a huge crowd of people at the viewing area, with lots of tour groups... each one catering to a particular nationality. The Italians have espresso coffee... the Japanese have bento boxes and little stools.

I watch the sunrise, then ride up close to Uluru and start down one of the walking trails marked out. I note there is a guided tour on starting at 8am, so once I finish that walk I come back for the tour. It is led by Dave, who describes stories about the various caves and formations, as well as talking about the uses of some of the plants around us... it is quite entertaining and informative, and I'm glad to have come back for the tour.

Once that is done, I start on the Base Walk, which goes all the way around Uluru, skirting with a wide border the areas considered sacred by the local Aboriginal tribe. I start the Base Walk at 9:30am.

I pause and rest for a short while, looking at what they call the brain of the rock, an exposed, weathered area on the eastern face. The flies are bad out here and I forgot to put on Aerogard, although I am told it has little effect on flies. I am trying to ignore them as much as I can, and am wearing my bandanna to keep them out of my nose and mouth. How's the serenity... I have paused for a moment to let other walkers move on so I can have some solitude. They walk slowly until I overtake them, no matter how fast or slow I walk they seem to want to keep pace with me. It is strange. I don't want to hear the crunch of gravel under their feet as I think, or their loud conversations. I wait, and wait, until they have moved on sufficiently that they won't intrude any more. I walk on alone...

Uluru itself is so much more varied up close, it has waterholes, caves, rock paintings, and all sorts of features. The sheer scale of it is imposing.

It takes me several hours to complete the Base Walk, by the time I was done it was 12:30.

After the walk, the thermometer on my bike reads 52 degrees in the sun... shortly after, the LCD display blacks out, overheated. It must be close to 40 in the shade.

I get back to the flatette where I am staying thanks to Gemma, and do my washing, including the lining from my helmet. The lining usually takes 24 hours to dry... in the shade it takes an hour, the clothes are dry in 15 minutes.

After that I fall into a fitful sleep, drifting on the border of consciousness, beset by hallucinations brought on by heat exposure. I don't wake until 7pm. I spend a relaxing evening talking with Gemma and Adam, and turn in early, prepared for a 4am start. Sleep is broken frequently, due to the long nap in the day, I seem to wake every hour or so.