We had a strong headwind and really buggy ride from Ongarup to Esperance as our oil cooler showed, fortunately the screen kept them off of us. Every now and again one would hit me on the leg which hurt so I tucked my legs in tighter, then I heard “Ow ! What was that? Ow !!!” through the intercom. It’s good to share. They were some sort of damselfly that was hatching out on mass that day.

Esperance would be a fairly unremarkable country town were it not for the fact that it is surrounded by some of the most stunning beaches on earth. The sand was like flour, it was so so soft that it squeaked under your feet as you walked through it.

It was still holiday season and the camps in the national park were full so we found a campsite on the edge of town. We struck lucky as it was definitely motorcycle friendly and we were soon chatting to our new neighbours. Over the course of the next day we caught up with Heather and Ted the couple we met a long time back at Lake Argyle when we were just entering western Australia and Pierre and Ruth a kiwi motorcycling couple we met in Perth.

We also rode around the scenic coastal drive. This is Twilight cove one of the beaches on the circuit where we stopped for an ice cream to watch the wind surfers.

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On the route round the scenic drive we passed the pink lake, the water level was way down and it had left salt pans behind which made for a good picture. I could see tyre tracks on it so I knew it was hard enough to ride on. The lake itself was not very pink at that time, the pink colour comes from Dunaliella Salina a green algae and Halobacterium Cutirubrum a bacteria that is pink in colour and grows within the salt crust on the bottom of the lake. The Dunaliella accumulates the red pigment beta carotene (also found in carrots) to protect itself from high light and heat. The colour of the water depends on the balance between these two substances. We saw a similar lake at Hutt Lagoon where they farmed the beta carotene for use in food supplements and colouring.

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While we were in town we visited Mermaid leather, they made leather from fish skin which was previously discarded as a waste product. The finished leather was incredibly strong and feels and smells just like normal leather except of course it has scales. Karen is holding up some examples of treated fish skins including Barramundi and shark which had a really rough feel and was ideal for grips for sports equipment etc. The other pictures show some of the beautiful products that can be made from this amazing material.

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After a few days camping in town we chanced our luck on the Sunday and headed to the National park where we managed to squeeze in at Cape Le Grand campground. This was a stones throw from the beach and was just beautiful so we stayed for a few days. We were allowed to ride on the beach there so we did just because we could. The water was turquoise and the sand snow white. When we visited the other end of the park at Rossiter bay we were just in time to see a pod of about twelve dolphins swim around a while before they headed out to sea.

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One of our day trips took us to Thistle Bay named after John Thistle the master of HMS Investigator the British ship captained by Matthew Flinders tasked with mapping the notoriously dangerous Australian coast (and the first ship to circumnavigate the continent). Thistle himself was later killed along with six other men in a shore party at a spot in the Spencer gulf that was later named Cape Catastrophe.  

The bay had some interesting rock formations including the aptly named whispering rock which acted like a parabola and reflected the sound of the sea back at you.

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Our other expedition was to the top of Frenchmans peak so called because the top looks similar to a frenchmans beret. A lot of the places in this area were either named by Flinders and his crew or a french expedition of about the same time led by Bruni d’Entrecasteaux who named Esperance which is french for hope. Frenchmans peak is 262metres high and was a steep climb, it was cloudy and blustery that day which made climbing more comfortable but the view murkier. There was a large cave near the summit which was so big it was visible from the ground.The thing that made my head spin once we had puffed and panted our way to the top was that this cave was formed by the pounding of waves from when the sea level lapped up against it.

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On our way back into Esperence we stopped off at Stonehenge, yes you did read that right  Esperance has the worlds only full size complete granite replica of Stonehenge. We have both seen the original many times (it was on route to Karen’s mum and dad from our old home) but this was a unique experience to see what it would have looked like when it was new.

We were not sure how it would feel to step inside the circle, would it feel fake and gimmicky?. Well we are pleased to report it felt really special and definitely had some of the magic of the real thing. Also unlike the real thing we had it entirely to ourselves and could touch the stones and go where ever we liked. The builder a local farmer was not the original instigator of the project, someone else commissioned the nearby granite quarry to produce it but went bankrupt before it was finished. This left the quarry with a pile of useless stones which otherwise might have been cut up for other things. The manager of the quarry was keen to see the project through to completion and a nearby farmer took it on and made it happen. The stones are all fitted into reinforced concrete foundations so in theory it should last a very very long time. The structure is aligned with the southern hemisphere’s summer solstice and sunset on the winter solstice. (longest and shortest days of the year).

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Our time in Esperance had come to an end and it was time to cross the Nullarbor Plain on the Eyre highway. Heading through Grass Patch we traveled on to Norseman where we stopped to fill up with fuel. Then we came to 90 mile straight the longest dead straight piece of road in Australia and second longest straight in the world only topped by one other in Saudi Arabia. This one runs from the outskirts of Balladonia to Caiguna where we stopped for lunch and a break from all that straightness.

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Also at Caiguna only 10 metres from the road was a strange blowhole from a huge cave network. All caves breathe and there was a significant breeze coming from the hole that was enough to blow Karen’s hair around when she was stood six feet back from it. Caves breathe out as outside air pressure falls and in when it rises, it is more noticeable when the underground chamber is large and the openings to the atmosphere are small as in this case. What made it even more noticeable was that it was a fairly still warm day and the cool breeze from the cave was most refreshing.

As we were not in a rush we took our time to cross the Nullarbor, we stopped for lunch at Eucla. After lunch we rode down to the remains of the old telegraph station now half buried by the encroaching sand dunes. Opened in 1877 it was a very important repeater and conversion station on the Albany to Adelaide line as South Australia and Victoria used American Morse code at that time while Western Australia used the international Morse that is still used today. This line was also Western Australia’s only means of communication with the rest of the world. The township itself was abandoned and moved in the 1890′s when a rabbit plague ate much of dune vegetation destabilizing it to such a degree that the sand started burying the town. The station remained until 1929 when the new railway was put through and the line was moved north alongside it. The invention of automatic repeaters a couple of years earlier also sealed its fate. The telegraph station was completely buried in sand by the 1950′s but changing winds have partially uncovered it again in recent years. The family of Emu’s in the last picture were very curious and came for a look at us as we got back on the bike.

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We crossed from Western Australia into South Australia passing through yet another timezone. The fruit and veg quarantine checkpoint wasn’t until Ceduna another 300kms away. The timezones were even stranger going back this way, one jump of 3/4 of an hour and another 1 and1/2 hour difference at the border partly because south Australia has daylight saving and western Australia doesn’t. Then we crossed the Nullarbor plain itself stopping a few times to go and look at the great Australian bight where the Bunda cliffs stretch in an unbroken natural rampart for over 200kms and drop 90metres down to the sea.

Karen was stumped why she couldn’t get any water out of the tap at the Nullarbor roadhouse (see pic). And the last picture shows some of the vegetation of the Nullarbor itself. It is the driest largest Karst (limestone) area in the world which is partly why there are not many trees as it doesn’t retain water. It was once a shallow seabed and the limestone is 1’100km across at its widest point and covers 200’000 square km. Nullabor comes from the latin Nullus Arbor meaning no trees, although this isn’t strictly true as there are some small trees in certain areas.

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Nundroo was a marked change, the start of the agricultural land and the end of the Nullabor. We passed through the quarantine checkpoint at Ceduna with no problems and headed south.

Next Up Streaky Bay, Haslam and Port Lincoln

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Before we left Albany we took advantage of the January sales to replace our broken on bike video camera and on our way out we paused at dog rock for a photo.

Our next stop was Kel and Judy’s in the Porongurup hills. Here are some pictures of their farm, Karen with Kel and Judy and their Kelpie dog Chico in his chair. The last picture is a blue wren, these are a brilliant flash of colour when they are darting about around the garden, we had our first glimpse of these colourful birds when staying in Bussleton with Tina and Barry.

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Whilst in the Porongurups we climbed up Castle Rock a viewpoint with a balustrade attached to the side of the rock. Sadly the day was overcast so the view was not at it’s best but we enjoyed it none the less. It was a scramble to get up and the last section involved climbing a ladder, one of the pictures shows Karen going back down it. The last picture is of the apply named balancing rock.

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We rode the 40km back into Albany the next day to join the vintage motorcycle club for their bike run. They were a really friendly bunch and the idea of the run was to bring your oldest bike so there was an interesting cross section of machinery. There were also plenty of coffee stops for everyone to re-gather. The first picture is me with Bob on his BMW, then a selection of the bikes and Karen busy signing calendars (we sold five that day thanks guys). The last shows the picnic spot under the trees at the runs end. We had a thoroughly enjoyable day riding with everyone.

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During the coffee stop on the run I got talking to Jack who was riding an ST1100 outfit that he had built. He is 83 and quite an inspiration as not only is he regularly riding but he still builds his own bikes and trikes too. After the run we went back to his house for a look at his trikes. The Honda one looks great and causes lots of double takes I am sure. It is the front of an old Honda civic car grafted to a bike and uses the transverse mounted front wheel drive car engine and running gear to push it along. As a finishing touch Jack also cut the back off the car and fitted it to the back of the bulkhead. The other trike is a BMW K100 with Rover V8 suspension and axle and a neat alloy body.

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Whilst we were in the petrol station filling up we had an impromtu travellers meeting on the forecourt with this beast, Karen got chatting to the guys whilst I was filling the bike and it turned out one of the passengers was from Horsham our home town although we had never met. The body was demountable and was at their camp.

We finally dragged ourselves away from Albany and headed for the Stirling Ranges. Veronica had another brother in Ongarup not too far away and he had also offered to put us up and show us around. Our route there passed through the Stirling ranges and we paused to take some pictures, we had planned to climb Bluff Knoll one of the highest peaks on the range but it was a bit too late in the day and sun was now too fierce to start a walk of this nature.The windmill is a replica of a dutch mill which is now a guest house.

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Tim and Vicki made us very welcome in Ongarup which is a small farming town off the tourist trail. Tim is a semi retired farmer who was helping his son as it was harvest time. They took us to his farm and showed us the whole process including riding up in the headers (combine harvesters). I went in Tim’s which was positioned by GPS, it was strange to watch it steering itself. The crop is cut and transfered to the chaser bin tractor whilst still on the move. The tractor then takes his load to temporary field bins postitioned near the road. These are emptied by a road train and taken to the grain depot which acts as a temporary storage before it is trucked down to the grain ships in Albany. It hasn’t been the best year for the farmers weather wise and the grain is just going for animal feed this year but at least they got the harvest in sucessfully.

The pictures in order are: harvesting the crop and transfering it into the chaser bin, a drivers eye view from the header, the field bins, a road train , the grain being sampled by hydraulic spear to test it’s moisture content and quality and the temporary store at Ongarup which was almost full.

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We rode back to the Stirling ranges on a clear day to climb Bluff Knoll which was a hard climb but well worth the effort. There was a small waterfall about a third of the way up so we could cooled our faces there. Once at the top we had a 360deg vista and the perfect weather meant we had a stunning view for many kilometres. We had jelly legs but big smiles by the time we got down again.

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Continuing our crustacean education Tim turned up with a bucket full of live yabbies from one of the dams on the farm one evening, some of them were intent in climbing out of the bucket and making a break for it much to the cats amusement. After a quick swim in some boiling water we set to peeling them as the pictures show.

They were delicous, a little bit like prawns but with a meatier texture.

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Lastly we couldn’t leave without visiting the Ongurup Maleefowl centre. Kel, Judy, Tim and Vicki have all played a part in making this happen. Maleefowl are an indigenous ground dwelling bird of this area, their numbers were in serious decline and a group of locals got together to try and help them recover. Mallee is an Aboriginal word for the type of stunted red eucalypt that is their preferred habitat. They build a huge domed mound for a nest to bury their eggs in and incubate them by uncovering or burying them to adjust the temperature. Being ground dwelling they have suffered predation from introduced foxes and feral cats. The Maleefowl protection group provides habitat and vermin control along with a breeding program to help boost their numbers.

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Next up Esperance and the Nullabor plain.

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Ken got in touch and invited us to stay nearly a year ago and now we had finally caught up with him. He and his wife Veronica were spending the Christmas break in their Albany home perched high on the hillside overlooking the Porongurup hills and the coast. It took us a while to drag our vision away from this spectacular vista which was one of the reasons they bought this place. They instantly made us welcome and introduced us to their other guests, Veronica’s boss Gavin and his sister Shirley who was on holiday from South Africa.

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We met Rick their neighbour, he kept us all supplied with fresh Marron and Coonaks (freshwater crustations similar to crayfish) caught in the local dams (personal water storage) along with strawberries, potatoes and anything else fresh…he also came to dinner one evening and was entertaining company. Here is us with Veronica, Ken and Rick. We helped Rick peel the Coonaks hence why Kev is wearing them like finger puppets.

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We headed to a lookout at Shelley beach with Gavin, Shirley, Veronica and Ken and then went for a snorkel at Cosy Corner the local beach. The waves were a bit rough and swept Gavin and I off the rocks, I ended up with a few scapes from the coral but nothing too serious. It was a beautiful day and a nice swim. Here is us with Ken and Veronica.

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That afternoon Kev took a run into town to source a new battery as we needed reliable starting if we were to cross the Nullabor plain safely, there would be no hills there to bump from. The mission was successful and he returned triumphant.

On another day trip into Albany with Ken and Veronica we headed to the harbour and had a look at the museum and a full scale replica of the brig Amity one of the ships which bought the first settlers out here. The lighthouse reflector was part of the exhibits, they were lit by kerosene lamps and turned by clockwork in the early days, some feat considering the glass reflector alone weighs four tonnes.The housing floated on a bath of mercury which was dense enough to hold the weight and made an almost frictionless bearing.  There were some stilts and walking planks to have a go on so we made fools of ourselves with those too. We also stopped at the local organic market on the way back to get an ice cream and say hello to their neighbours who were running a stall selling Macadamia nuts off their farm.

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Veronica invited her brother Kelly over for new years eve along with Rick these two had been friends for many years so we were entertained with stories and anecdotes. At 73yrs young Kel has packed a lot in his life and is well travelled so we had a lot to talk about. Most of us managed to see in the new year and we wondered what 2012 would hold for us on the road.

Ken and Veronica had to head back work on 3^rd Jan we stayed a little while longer mainly to collect our calendars from the post office once it opened after Christmas. I had been desperately trying to release some emergency funds from our UK account that I had deliberately tied up for 18 months in case we needed it we were down to our last $100 in the bank here!!!  so we figured this was that time. We just had one slight problem my UK bank wanted a signature as it was a passbook account and we were about as far away as you can get.

Eventually I spotted a loop hole, by reinvesting the sum but it would take 4-5days to see if this worked. It did and after another 2-3 days we were able to transfer it to our now very depleted account balance of $26.24!! Talk about the nick of time. Here is our mobile office.

As we are well a truly over 30 we were not allowed a working visa here so that meant we could not top up our funds as we had hoped. We have had a lot of help from our followers and the general public for which we are eternally grateful as it really has kept us going here.

Although we had written and emailed lots of companies regarding major sponsorship as yet it still eludes us, but we have been fortunate to receive some generous freebies in Australia thanks to Neds, Liquid Containment and Thunderbikes. Thank you guys we really appreciate your help.

Taking a day trip out we visited the nearby peninsula, the south of which experiences some of the roughest seas on the globe as the next stop is Antarctica. There was also an old whaling station out here which only closed in 1978, ironically it is now a tourist attraction called whale world.   The $30 entrance fee each was a bit too steep for us so we went and enjoyed the natural wonders of this area instead. We walked up to stony hill the site of an old war time look out post which had spectacular views of the coast. Further along was the gap and natural bridge. The gap was a huge v shaped chasm with the surf smashing into the rocks over 25m below. Her are some pictures of the old whaling ship, followed by stony hill, the gap and the natural bridge. If you look closely you can see a family walking on the top of the natural bridge.

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It was while we were at the natural bridge having lunch that we realised our bike is a true global ice breaker. Over the course of the next 20mins we spoke to a multitude of people including a lady in full burka who was very friendly, a typical Aussie and an Indian family to name just a few.

We have a donation pot hanging from the roof and we leave a laminated sign on the bike when we park up in places explaining where we have come from and what we are doing. We aren’t trying to twist anybody’s arm it just allows anyone who wants to help a means to do so. Some days there is nothing in it, sometimes a bit of change but that day we raised over $70. Thank you to all who stopped.

Albany was the embarkation point for the Australian troops who left for Gallipoli in the first world war which made the war memorial at the top of Mount Clarence even more poignant. The view from the top was impressive too with a 360degree view. It was also here we saw a family of black skinks (lizards) sunbathing.

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The next afternoon we walked up to the neighbours farm, they grow Macadamia nuts and Avocados and we were treated to a tour. Jenny took us all round the plot and explained the process from tree to harvest as well as showing us their delightful old house with the quirky sloping floor so the piano has to be propped one end. It was a fascinating and informative insight and we thoroughly enjoyed the look around although we did return after dark! The pictures below show the Macadamia trees, the dam, cracking the nuts and the rest of the family.

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The last couple of days we had managed to write and send another blog and scrub our bike jackets and trousers etc before we prepared to head out to the Porongurup hills to visit Kelly and his wife Judy.

The intention was to pop into the post office collect the calendars, post out the three we had just sold through the website and leave town simple eh..

On our return there was the usual gaggle of people around the bike, a crowd always makes other people stop to see what they are missing and we soon had a few more people. After we had chatted to everyone and were just about to go someone said hang on a minute I have just rung the president of the local vintage bike club and he’s on his way. Bob and Chris his wife were very friendly and we agreed to pop back to their place for a cup of tea. We had a tour of their workshop to look at the bikes and a good chat. They invited us to stay and to help decide I rang Judy to see if it was convenient to stay, she was busy chasing round after her granddaughter at the time so arranged to make it the next day instead and we stayed for a night with Bob and Chris. There was a vintage bike run on sunday so we were invited to that too.Here are Bob and Chris trying out the bike.

Next up: The Porongurups, the vintage run and the Stirling ranges.

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After we said goodbye and thank you to Barry and Tina we pointed the bike south toward Albany but there were many things to see before we got there. Riding out on an old mining route to the coast we then followed a glorious road through the forests, it was here we saw the evidence of the recent Margaret River fires. Fires are part of the life cycle here and have been for thousands of years, some plants will not regenerate until burnt by fire. In modern times there has been a need to control bush fires to prevent loss of life and property, part of this process is called controlled burning. Areas are burnt at cooler times of the year in a controlled way to prevent fuel build up e.g long dry grass, leaf litter etc which make bush fires more likely. This fire was started as a controlled burn back in September but by November had got out of control sadly with tragic consequences. The photos below show what the native bush looked like before and the aftermath. There was an eerie silence, no birds or crickets but the Black boys were already rejuvenating and sprouting.

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We stopped at Beedelup falls, there was little water flowing but it was a pleasant walk. One of the paths was signposted to the walk through tree, this we had to see. It was a fairly strenuous walk but eventually we found ourselves at the foot of a giant Karri tree. Stepping up half a metre we could climb into what was most probably a knot in the trees growth now finished off by chainsaw. To stand inside this massive giant with many tonnes of tree above was surreal.The first and second photos are top and bottom of this giant.

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Along our lovely wiggly back road past farming land we came upon an old cheese factory now housing an art and craft store which was a maze of uneven rooms full to overflowing with paintings, woodwork, crafts, furniture you name it, it was here. We went through some interesting towns such as Nannup where our GPS Doris gave us a laugh trying to pronounce the road names. Many place names round here end in up which in Aborignal means place of, we tried to avoid travelling through Nornalup – place of tiger snakes and instead wished to travel to Yallingup – place of love.

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Next stop was the Gloucester tree standing at over 60 metres tall it was used as a fire lookout tree which amazingly given the current health and safety paranoia we were still allowed to climb. Given it was 153 rungs to the top I had been fairly convinced that I wouldn’t even get half way but seeing two small children scramble up I was determined to try. I was strangely unfazed at the top and even managed to take photos on the way down. Boofle made it all the way to the top but insisted on a photo to prove it. Kev was suffering a little from land legs after being on the boat but I must have been swaying in sync with the tree as I felt invigorated.

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Very close by was the Diamond tree a karri tree and another fire lookout that is still used as a backup. The tower at the top was first constructed in 1939. Kev had rigged up a neck strap for his camera and wanted photos I declined to climb this one opting to take the ground shots as it was easier to stand further back and get the scale of the tree.We had a close shave as we were leaving the carpark almost running over a poisonous Dugite snake.

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Our route onward was via the great forest drive a 14km detour on what can only be described as ball bearing gravel, it is made up of almost perfectly round stones making stopping in a straight line interesting let alone cornering.
We camped amongst the big trees that night, a magnificent backdrop marred only by the mozzies which had a sharp painful bite even through long trousers.

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We woke to a cacophony of bird song but as soon as we tried to record it they went silent only to resume when the camera was safely away. How do they know ? We gave the bike a really thorough service in Perth and it had been running really well but our battery was getting weak and we have had to jump start it for the first start of the day a few times. This morning it was the same and we had to bump start her, luckily I reminded Kev to park at the top of the slope. We made a mental note to sort out a new battery in Albany.

We were in a lookout stop when two overland bikes rode past, they stopped and turned around and when they pulled alongside us the first rider killed the bike and said “hello again”. We had no idea who it was until they pulled off their full face helmets and goggles to reveal Morgan and Duncan the guys we met in Freo. They were out on their Christmas holidays for small trip away. We had a good catch up chat and then decided to ride together for the day. Peeling off the tarmac onto Hilltop road (a gravel track) we went up to a red tingle forest which are the largest girthed eucalypt in the world. One measured 24metres in girth and some are over 400yrs old.

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We got some good pictures before heading on to circular pool, it was a hot day so we all stripped down to our swimmers and jumped in. Morgan had a waterproof case for his go pro camera so much messing about ensued as Morgan filmed Duncan scrabbling up the slippery waterfall much to everyone’s amusement. Once we had dried off and got changed we headed into town to get fuel and water and while we were there met and got talking to several people including some other bikers.

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Then we were off to the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk which was excellent, the walkway literally is amongst the treetops as it crosses a valley and isn’t for the faint hearted either as it sways as you walk. Morgan waited for us in the car park as he had done this before and Duncan was tree’d out by the time he had finished the walkway but we persevered and went round the tree glen afterwards and were rewarded with some good pictures of the variety of giant tree’s which grow in this area. Mainly Karri oaks and Red Tingles which can grow up to 75m tall and 20m in girth are recognisable by their large hollowed out bases created by fire, fungal and insect attact which decay the inside. The also have shallow roots and get all their nutrients from the forest fall only requiring 1200mm of rainfall a year to survive.

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We shared lunch together in the car park before agreeing to ride together until Denmark. We messed up slightly and missed a turn as we left the park and by the time we realised and doubled back we couldn’t catch the lads, I did wonder what the hooting was about now we knew. It didn’t matter too much as we were parting ways shortly and we had already swapped phone numbers. Heading back through the forest we found our way to greens pool, this was a coastal bay sheltered by a row of huge rocks just off shore which made a perfect swimming and recreation beach with turquoise water. It was the busiest we have ever seen a beach, mainly because it was still the Christmas holidays. We had a snorkel around the rocks and sunbathed for a while to dry out before heading back to the bike to ride the remaining distance to Albany. We had a contact to stay with here, Ken got in touch almost a year ago when he saw a post about us on Aigor (Australian internet Guzzi owners register) We emailed him a few weeks ago to see if he remembered who we were and to see if it was convenient to stay which happily he did and it was.

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Next up : Albany

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We had a contact to stay with in Busselton, we met Barry by complete chance in a shopping centre in Carnarvon, he is a builder and was re-roofing the store when he saw us pull in. He came sprinting down the ladder for a chat as he and his wife Tina are planning to drive from England back to Australia in a classic Peugeot car they have purchased in the U.K. They are both laid back friendly people and we are sure they will get along fine, Barry’s pretty organised already but we were able to help with a few hints, tips and contacts as they plan to take roughly the same route.

Trace (Tina’s brother) came over that evening on his bike, he is a long term biker and part ran Alf’s motorcycles in Worthing (not far from where we lived) for many years before emigrating out here.

Barry and his son Nathan took us out on their boat to meet up with a load of their workmates. They were having a works christmas party on another boat at Meelup (the next bay along) so we went out to meet them. Theirs was an ex dive charter boat so it was pretty large and powerful. It had two big Iveco inboard diesel engines and fairly shifted along, we enjoyed the ride despite the fact that neither of us are sailors. It was a very Aussie do lots of Eskies (cool boxes) of beer and a bbq and a good social. Two guys came by jet ski to join the fun and someone else swam out from the beach with his wallet and phone in a dry bag. We jumped off the back of the boat and had a snorkel around for a while too, a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon. When it was time to leave the jet ski wouldn’t start so we had to give it a tow home much to its owners disgust.

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Josie our radio interviewer also lived in Busselton and we popped over one evening for a delicious dinner, it was nice to be able to meet her husband Lyndsay too. Their house was in a woodland looking out over their bilabong and was an oasis of calm. It was great to catch up again. Here are some pictures.

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Barry suggested we might like to stay on his boat for a few days, it was moored not too far away in a calm bay and would be a different experience for us.        After stocking up with food we made the boat our home.  Barry had a mate who lived right next to the beach where the boat was moored so we could leave the bike in safety and there was an inflatable tender to take us and our stuff too and fro from the beach. Neither of us have much experience on boats but I have to say it was a lovely way to spend a few days, the sea around this coast is crystal clear and the beaches are beautiful.  Even though we were only anchored a few hundred metres offshore it felt like we had left the world behind. It was probably good timing too as it was only days to Christmas and silly season had already started.  Being an ex dive charter boat it had plenty of room with a galley, bbq, double bed, lounge, shower and toilet. We ran the onboard generator for an hour each day to top up the batteries and heat the water for the shower and the boat had everything we needed. Most days were spent exploring the area on the bike and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We slept really well and only felt giddy when we got back on dry land and stood still, the world was still gently swaying and it took a couple of days to wear off.

Here are some pictures of us on the boat. 

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There was lots to explore on this peninsula and our first trip out was to Yalingup then Meelup beach (from the land side this time), the water around there is stunning turquoise blue and the beaches are white white sand. We went for a quick dip as the water looked so inviting. We also decided it would be a good opportunity to try out our waterproof video camera unfortunately the bubbles coming out of it were not a good sign and it died a death, as we had bought it second hand there was nothing we could do regards a replacement. Karen held onto it and said when she got a chance she would take it apart in the hopes it could be cleaned and we could squeek some more life out of it. It’s the nature of the beast you have to take a leap of faith at some point. The snorkle was worth it though and we swam quite a long way before returning to the bike and heading to Cape Naturaliste. Here there was a lighthouse and bush walks along the coast, we almost bumped into a family of  kangaroos as they crossed the path. The male (what Aussies call a Boomer) looked straight into my eyes when he was stood up he was that big.

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Another day out on the bike took us to Cape Leeuwin, here the Southern and Indian oceans meet. We walked down to the beach and got some nice pictures before backtracking slightly to the picturesque old water wheel. Built in 1895 a natural spring was diverted down the leat onto the overshot wheel, where a piston water pump was connected to the wheel on an eccentric cam and pumped the water from the trough up to the lighthouse for free. It was well and truly calcreted up now and modern mains plumbing has replaced it but it was very clever.

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This region had many caves you can visit so we stopped at Jewel Cave and took a tour around. We have seen some spectacular caves before in Europe but this was just as good covering three levels, it had some delicate straw formations on the ceilings and beautiful veils, curtains, columns, stalactites and stalacmites.

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On the way there and back we encountered some good biking roads with twists and bends, we rode through the beautiful Boranup Karri forest, amazingly these are actually regrowth the whole forest was clear felled between 1884 and 1913. This is the furthest west Karri trees will grow and some reach 60m metres or more, they are the third tallest growing tree in the world. Many trees down here are huge and some are really old. This area is probably the coolest and wettest in Australia and the flora and fauna are very different to the rest of the country. 

We also passed Hamelin Bay which Barry had told us was worth a look, it had the remains of an old jetty on the beach which was very picturesque. This was used to load Karri onto ships for export to the commonwealth. Many streets of London were paved with Karri logs from Boranup and Karridale forests near here. Stingrays and Eaglerays came right into the beach there and the fisherman gave us fish offal to feed to them. Some are so tame you can literally hand feed them, rays generally interact quite happily with humans and didn’t seem seem to mind being stroked whilst being fed. They are by nature scavengers and clean up scraps from the sea floor.

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As we got back to Busselton fairly late we decided to finish the day taking a stroll along its famous jetty. Built in ten stages starting in 1865 it is the longest timber piled jetty in the southern hemisphere. At one stage it was 2.1km long but has now reduced slightly to 1.8km, it has had its fare share of calamities over the years having being damaged by fire and boring toledo worms. During the day they charge to go on but in the evenings it’s free as it’s a really popular spot to fish from, it looked better at dusk anyway. It also meant we could ride home with our Christmas lights on.

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On Christmas day itself we woke up at first light on the boat, it was the easiest sunrise we have ever watched as we simply opened a hatch and stood up in bed to take a photo before going back to bed for another hour or two. At a more reasonable hour we sailed the dinghy ashore and rode over to Tina and Barry’s for Christmas Day. It was lovely to spend it with a family rather than on our own and it was a very sociable day. Tina cooked a lovely Christmas dinner and spoilt us all rotten and we all had a good time. Here are some pictures and we hope all our followers had a good Christmas as well.

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Next up: Big trees and Albany

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Although we had gone into Freo (Freemantle) with Claire and Dave and looked around the markets there was still a lot more to see. Freemantle was the place where the first British expedition landed in 1829 to create the new Swan River Colony the start of modern day Perth. We headed to the shipwreck museum which housed a permanent display on the Batavia which was shipwrecked just up the coast near Cervantes (close to the Pinnacles region). The Dutch had recently returned some artefacts dotted around various museums to Freo to ensure a complete display in one museum.

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The Batavia had a gruesome history, it set sail on its maiden voyage from Texel in the Netherlands to the Dutch East Indies to collect spices and deliver supplies to the Dutch settlement after which it was named ( Batavia now called Jakarta). There was some animosity between the Commander Francisco Paelsart and the Skipper Ariaen Jacobsz and a conspiracy was hatched between the skipper and a junior merchant Jeronimus Cornelisz together with some other mutineers, they deliberately steered off course and separated from the rest of the fleet. The intention was to mutiny and start a new life elsewhere funded by the huge supplies of gold and silver that Batavia was taking to the colony. Before the mutiny truly took place the ship ran aground on a reef on the treacherous Australian coast, most of the ships company managed to get to an island but 40 souls were drowned.

This was only the start of their problems after the Commander, Captain and senior ranks set off in a longboat to find help. Cornelisz and his conspirators commandeered the food supply and weapons and tricked the soldiers on board into moving to another island in search of fresh water hoping they would perish in the process. They then systematically murdered anyone they thought might stand in their way and planned to hijack the rescue ship that would surely come to make good their escape. Unfortunately for them the soldiers found both fresh water and food and got word of what was happening from escapees, there then ensued several bloody battles for control. Amazingly the longboat made it to Jakarta without loss of life, 2 months later a rescue ship arrived and the soldiers just managed to get to the ship first to tell their tale and through joint efforts the mutiny was quashed Most of the the mutineers including Cornelisz had their hands cut off before being hanged on seal island, some were taken back to Batavia for punishment. Cornelisz as second in command was ‘broken on the wheel’ the worst punishment possible at the time which meant being strapped to a large cartwheel while their bones were systematically smashed with an iron cudgel until they died of shock or blood loss which could take days. Jacobsz the skipper was tortured but never confessed and no evidence was found against him, its thought he died in prison in Batavia. Of the 341 souls that set sail only 68 made it to Batavia alive.

The portico(arch) in the background was found in the hull and reconstructed.

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The rest of the museum was well presented with thousands of recovered artifacts from the many wrecks along this infamous coast. They had also recovered and restored a steam engine from Xantho a steam/sailship which sunk in Port Gregory harbour in 1872. The engine had been underwater for over 100 years. This was the first time an iron steam engine had been recovered from the sea and restored anywhere in the world and incredibly they can now crank it over.

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All of this was just a gold coin donation entrance fee.

We had just enough time left to have a look at the prison which only closed it’s doors to prisoners in 1991. Too late for a tour we walked around the entrance yard and were drawn to the Wray gates shutting off the rest of the complex. These were made out of recycled iron from the convict ships but as the iron was such poor quality the gates were constructed without a single weld. They were operated by a lever in the gatehouse and were the main entrance into the prison.

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Afterward we set off for Mandurah and our contact Johan who had travelled extensively with his wife on a BMW including through South America so we were looking forward to meeting them. We had barely left the city when I spied an overland looking bike on the opposite carriageway, I was a bit puzzled though as it didn’t have any luggage and was two-up but I waved anyway. A minute later the same bike overtook us with the rider pointing at his numberplate. Kev instantly recognised it as Guernsey and we pulled over for a chat.
George was just on a jaunt out from Freo with Di but had originaly travelled overland from Sark to Australia, it turned out George knew quite a gathering of overlanders living in Freo so after rescheduling our arrival at Johans we turned back to Freo once more, almost back to where we had started.

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We met George’s brother Morgan also from Sark and their mate Duncan from the UK. They were all staying in separate digs with various other travellers. George, Morgan and Duncan had travelled together on and off. We all met up for a beer at a local bar it was like being at college we were all broke so we shared cones of potato wedges for dinner…our bikes were parked outside and we had placed our sheet explaining our travels and much to amusement of the others we got some donations. We gotta get a donation box they exclaimed. Most of them are here to try to earn some money so they can continue their travels, Duncan has decided to stay so is applying for residency. Luckily for them they are all under 30 so have got work visas
It was a good evening, talk mainly revolved around bikes and travel as you would expect but it was interesting to compare experiences especially as they had all come through the lower middle east route. George was pleased to be able to host some travellers having been hosted so many times himself even though he was staying at a mates house who works offshore.

Next morning leaving the city on the main route, we hit a few patches of rain but tucked our elbows and knees in and didn’t really get wet. It was still fairly early when we arrived at Johan and Charmaine’s place in Mandurah, they were out at work but Charmaine’s parents who were visiting from South Africa were expecting us and made us very welcome. Just as we were drinking tea in their front room a huge rain storm blew in so we were pleased to be in the dry. We caught up with Johan and Charmaine over dinner, they travelled from their home in South Africa through Africa to reach Australia where they now live and work but we suspect there is more travelling to come. They had to be up for work 4.30am every morning so we retired early. We took a stroll round Mandurah the next day and headed back in that night to watch the Christmas fireworks out across the bay. During our time here we also managed to write another blog but we were still way behind. Only after we had left did we realise we forgot to get a picture of everyone which was annoying. We did get some of the fireworks and a Zimbabwean 100billion dollar note a souvenir of their travels, apparently the paper was worth more than the note by the time hyper-inflation had set in.

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On route to Bunbury we travelled through the only remaining tall Tuart tree forest (a form of Eucalyptus) one of the rarest forests in the world, as being a hard wood most of the forests were clear felled, what is left is now protected from logging but regrowth is slow as grey kangaroos favour the young trees in their diet. We stopped to look at some Thrombalites in Yalorup national park. These were similar to the Stromatalites we saw in Hamelin Pool, the difference is mainly in their internal structure. They are formed by micro organisms, as they photosynthesize calcium carbonate is drawn out of the lime enriched water off lake Clifton to form a rock like material. In essence they are living rocks and grow approximately 1mm a year.

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I had marked a tiny church and wood gallery in Australind to explore both looked interesting so we turned off the highway for a look. Initially we couldn’t find the church but we did find “Featured Wood”. Here we met John the owner, he made his living from bespoke woodwork. His gallery was amazing and he was happy to show us around even though he knew we couldn’t carry much. Beyond the gallery is his pride and joy the museum which has been 30 years in the making. It is split into seven sections covering his family history, a Ned Kelly, American Indian history, the American civil war, the indigenous Noonwar people, Busselton jetty and Gallipoli. The replica canon he hand carved. Here are some pictures, John is a great bloke and let us dress up in some gear to get some good pictures, his museum was a labour of love and is well worth a visit. He made many of the exhibits including the wooden revolvers which are a work of art in themselves. Have a look at the photograph of his ancestors in the woodwork section he has added himself in old style dress to one of the pictures. When it was time to leave he gave me a dolphin made of Jarrah for luck and directed us to the church which we had ridden right by so incongruous was it. It’s the smallest functioning church in Australia at only 3.6m wide and 8.2m long.

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In Bunbury we stayed with Lee and Helen the couple we met in Mongolia who were emigrating to Australia with their daughter Bev in their Zebra striped landrover, they have now settled in Bunbury and invited us to drop by a while ago. It was great to see them again, the last time we met was in a valley in the middle of Mongolia where they made us a cup of tea. It was great to catch up and hear their stories from the rest of their trip. We spent a couple days with them and had a look around Bunbury and the surrounding area while we were there.

While we were out one day taking some pictures by the lighthouse a car turned in a pulled to a halt, the driver was a photographer for the Bunbury newspaper and had seen us in passing a few days previous. He rang a reporter and we did a photo-shoot by the towns tower viewpoint.

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Our other excursion took us to Gnomesville a woodland glade occupied by more gnomes than we have ever seen in our life. We both think Gnomes are a bit naff but this many in one place was a sight to behold.

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Gnomed out we then took to the dirt to visit a giant Jarrah tree and Wellington Dam before heading back in to Bunbury for tea with Lee, Helen, Beverly and Lee’s Mum and Dad (over for Christmas from the UK). The next day we got to meet their French friends who live in Bridgetown when they came over for lunch. Lee speaks fluent French having lived there for seven years. Here are some pictures. It was time for us to move on so we said a fond farewell to Lee and the family before pointing the bike toward Busselton that same afternoon. It wasn’t far and we were soon saying hello to Barry and Tina.

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Next up: Busso (Bussleton) and Christmas.

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Due to our slightly different route into Perth we missed the Pinnacles in Nambung national park so we rode back out to take a look at them. It was worth the effort as they are quite spectacular, the flies were shocking though hence the reason for the head nets. The limestone columns rise eerily out of the Pinnacles desert many reaching 3 metres in height and no one is entirely sure how they got here, the area was only opened up in the 1960′s. There are a few theories about their formation, they are made from calcium deposits from seashells. The trunks of ancient trees may have formed moulds trapping the calcrete forming this science fiction like desert landscape.

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Caron had emailed a few radio stations on our behalf and Curtin FM based at the local university replied. We arranged an interview date, we could have done it over the phone but felt it would be better if we were there in person. The regular presenter was on holiday so we had a stand in called Josie. We were both a little nervous beforehand as this was Karen’s first time in a radio station but Josie is a lovely lady and as soon put us at ease. It was actually easy and fun to do the conversation flowed effortlessly with Josie’s guidance. Afterward she told us most interviews don’t go much beyond 7 mins and she let ours run for 20 as she felt it was going well. She also offered us somewhere to stay and was so nice that we vowed to make time to catch up with her again. I did most of the talking as Karen was getting over a cold and trying hard not to cough.  Here’s a picture of us in the studio and we will attempt to add a link to the recording in the media section of our website.

The night-scape of Perth was so captivating from the roof top that we headed back in the daylight for a comparison before we headed into town for a look around. Phil kindly allowed us to park at his building as free parking is scarce even for bikes. After we had soaked up the roof top vista we walked into town for a look around, a lot of Perth’s architecture is very English inspired and it’s a clean spacious city that’s easy to get around thanks to the free buses in the city centre. No one seemed to mind when a couple of kangaroos came in for a drink…..Our tour took in London court, the swan bell tower and Kings park via a long set of steps called Jacob’s ladder. By then it was time to be heading out of the city and “home.” I cooked dinner for Phil and us as Caron was away for the evening. There were some left over sausages so I cooked toad in the hole as no one had ever tried it out here. It disappeared fast so it must have been alright.

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In between times I continued to service the bike while I had such a good workshop. It had lots of little things wrong with it and over the course of a few days I got it running better and better. Phil also had a copy of Guzzioligy a American Guzzi book which is about 3 inches thick and a mine of information. I was reading it when I noticed something that I had previously missed. It recommended setting the ignition timing on full advance (6500rpm) rather than idle and as I had access to a timing light and the neighbours were out I thought I would check to see what difference it made if any. I fitted a Lucas Rita electronic ignition to the bike before we left but I only strobed it up at idle and the difference was considerable. Over a few days I set the tappets, cleaned and balanced the carbs, re timed it, set the pickup gaps on the ignition, changed the air filter and re jetted the carbs. The difference was amazing and the bike is now running better than it has ever done, the timing made a big difference as it was running really retarded.

Chores over it was time for some more fun and we joined Theo for the Perth Christmas toy run picking up a toy to donate en route. The toy run has been running for over 36years from humble beginnings started in an effort to promote a better image of the local bikers and spread some Christmas cheer. Karen is standing with Bob one of the founder members, it has a massive turnout as you will see in the pictures. People went to lots of effort to dress up themselves and their bikes,  we all had a great time and the salvos had a van full of toys to distribute for Christmas.

The finishing point was the football club at Joondalup and the bikes parked up on the pitch filling the stadium, I heard estimates of 5000 bikes which seemed quite feasible. The police were really good closing lanes and controlling traffic to ensure a steady flow and they do it all for nothing on their days off! Theo is one of Santa’s helper elves and saved us a space near the front.

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On one of our computer catch up days a storm rolled in and it rained heavily nearly all day. When Caron got home she was all exited, we were confused and asked why? “it hardly ever does this” she said. Coming from England we don’t get exited about rain, were just grateful it wasn’t a day we were going out.

We are actually in the height of fire season now it’s summer and Theo had already been called to a fire in the Margaret River area which got out of control and partly destroyed a beautiful wine growing area that we have yet to go through. It’s something we need to be more aware of when we start free camping again.

Leaving Phil and Caron’s was hard we tried but there weren’t the words to express how grateful we are to them, Theo and Helen and Mario for everything they did. Phil and Caron understood as they have been hosted themselves in America and all they asked in return is that we “pass on the hospitality ” when we are settled somewhere in the future. We certainly intend to do this and as they rightly said it makes the world a better place one stop at a time.

Here are some pics. Caron had some original Aboriginal artefacts a spear, shield and two boomerangs showing the true design not the tourist inspired replicas. Also Caron demonstrates the safe way to wash up and a picture of Karen with Phil and Caron.

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We still had one more stop in Perth the Sci Tech museum, this was a ‘big child’s’ adventure playground and we pressed, poked, prodded, smelt, felt and touched our way round the exhibits, a highlight being the 360deg gravity bike. After empting our pockets we were strapped on to a bicycle, our shoes securely fastened down on the pedals and on releasing the brake we peddled like fury back and forth until we raised enough momentum that we could push all the way round and go over the top….. I chose to have the brake applied when I was upside down so Karen could get a photo. We also passed through an infra red detector which just went to prove something I always knew Karen is way hotter than me!

The entrance to Sci Tech included a 180deg cinema of the night sky and it was here that we learned there was to be a lunar eclipse in a few days time.

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We still weren’t leaving Perth completely as we promised to stop near Freemantle and stay with Rob and his family. We met him at the Horizon’s Unlimted meeting near Brisbane last June. We only planned to stop for the night but ended up staying for a few days. Rob is in the publicity business and helped promote our earlier fundraiser. He suggested the idea of producing calendars and photobooks and we are gratetful to him for helping us to help ourselves. Raising money on the road is extremely difficult and we have not been able to work in New Zealand or Australia as over 30′s cannot get a work visa. We spent two solid days on the computer selecting, editing and arranging them so we hope they are a success. This kind of thing does involve some risk as there are costs involved and we need to sell a certain amount before we break even let alone make a profit.

We still have a small amount put aside in the UK to see us through the Americas which we are trying not to touch but our Australia funds have been stretched to the max hence the fundraising.  Here are some pictures of our stay,  Christmas was just around the corner as we were constantly reminded. We went down to the dog beach with Di (Rob’s wife) one morning, she goes there every day with the dogs to swim and meet her friends, it was all very sociable. The last pictures are of the Lunar eclipse which happened at a very convenient 10pm.

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Next up: Chance encounters.

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Hi everyone we hope you are enjoying your Christmas break.

We are pleased to announce the 2012 Guzzioverland calendars are now here and look great.

Australia sales.

Total cost of our calendar will be $25 as we now know postage prices in Australia will be $5 including packaging.

You can pay via direct bank transfer to our Australian bank account to avoid international transfer fees.

UK Sales.

We also intend to ship a batch to the UK in bulk to be distributed there and can do a special deal of 3 GBP on postage and packing bringing the total cost of our calendar to 15 GBP. If anyone in the UK would like one please click on the contact us button on our homepage and send us a message in the next two weeks as we will need to dispatch these fairly promptly. You can pay by direct bank transfer to our UK account to avoid transfer fees.

Overseas Sales.

For all other overseas sales you can pay via either of these two direct transfer methods (fees may apply) or choose paypal which will not incur fees to yourselves (we absorb the fees). Please choose which currency and add $10 or 5GBP.

Total cost in AU$30, 17GBP or US$30.

These are a great way to show your support, keep us going and receive something useful in return. Plus they are a great reminder of some of the mad places we have been.

The delivery of the Asia photobooks is also imminent we will keep you posted.

Happy New Year to you all

Love Kev and Karen

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Just to say thank you for following our travels throughout the year.

Some kind folks in Busselton are hosting us for Christmas and then we will be seeing in the new year with another family in Albany.

We still have a lot more to do in Australia but this new year will bring new countries and new challenges.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.

Kev and Karen

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People often ask us what’s the longest you’ve spent anywhere, we can now answer that question… Perth. Not all in the city centre and not all with the same people, it had a nice vibe, we liked it and we were really lucky with the people we met. Some of our time here was spent fettling the bike, some catching up with web site stuff and some enjoying and sightseeing.

As we said in our previous blog it was really good to catch up with our English friends Dave and Claire, we hope they are enjoying their Christmas break back in England their first in over five years.

Theo needed no excuse to jump on his bike so when we expressed an interest in returning to explore New Norcia he said he would come with us. The settlement was established by two Spanish Benedictine monks Rosendo Salvado and Joseph Serra in 1846 as an Aboriginal mission and the monastery is still operating today. The town boasts two old boarding schools, St Ildephonsus’ and St Gertrude’s, the Abbey Church (containing the tomb of Rosendo Salvado), an old mill, a wine press, a hotel which is unique in that it has two and half storeys and the monastery itself.

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The last Spanish Benedictine monk of New Norcia died on 18 January 2010, aged 99. He continued to prepare the bread for the monks and olive oil right up to his death.

Of course while we were here we had to sample a drop of abbey ale brewed by the monks which was absolutely delicious, it was reminiscent of Belgian Hoegaarden beer except better. There is a long tradition of brewing beer in monasteries. They also had a machinery museum, the strange looking upright device is a drinks cooler and Theo is demonstrating how the brick maker works. The wooden thing on the floor is a improvised roller designed to be towed behind a pair of horses.

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Theo is a volunteer bush fire fighter for the Chittering region. As he showed us around his station you could hear the pride in his voice as he demonstrated the equipment and vehicles and told us stories connected to them. He drives the big fire engine.

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We also managed to attend a 4×4 and camping show with Helen and Theo, the array of vans and camper trailers on display was mind boggling. It was interesting to have a look at the many different camping set-ups. We would both like to do another trip sometime in the future maybe in a 4×4 campervan next time with a couple of dirt bikes on the back. Camper trailers are popular in Australia and we have seen lots of interesting rigs on our travels here including a camper trailer for a motorbike pictures below.

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Kev wanted to make the most of having a good workshop and change the back tyre along with fettling a few things. The bitumen is very abrasive this side and we couldn’t get the tyre we wanted so we only got a pitiful 4000km out of the last tyre (normally we get 10k + ) . He called me out to the shed saying “I think you need to look at this” . We noticed a couple of small hairline cracks in our rear wheel in Darwin, we had been keeping an eye on them but the cracks had suddenly got considerably worse despite us trying to stay on tarmac where we could.

Now we would be going nowhere !!!

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We certainly fell on our feet with Theo he introduced us to his mate Phil and between them and Mario the superb owner of Thunderbikes we had it sorted within a day or two. We not only had a brand new rear wheel at a bargain $300 but it was machined out to accept the taper roller bearings and tubeless tyre valve thanks to Phil. We certainly couldn’t have done this without their help. We had already been arranging our spare wheel to be shipped from home and as luck would have it managed to stop its departure with less than two hours to go. It most probably would have taken weeks to reach us as well as costing a fortune to ship such a heavy item. The driveshaft that Mark donated in Sydney has held up well, Mario didn’t have another in stock but had a slightly longer one. With Phil’s help we shortened this to the correct length with his lathe and recut the circlip grooves with this cunning lathe mounted angle grinder. This means we now have a good spare for South America. The wheel has had many big impacts and carried a lot of weight over some really rough going. It has had a flat spot for a long time, the corrugations here just finished it off. Here is Phil modifying the driveshaft and in the second picture turning the bearing housing followed by the flat spot and the new shiny replacement wheel.

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We all went for a pizza with Phil and Caron his wife and they kindly invited us to come a stay a while in town.  We had a funny moment back at their house that evening when we saw an email from Pat one of our U.S contacts suggesting a Guzzi rider in Perth we should contact which was of course Phil.  Pat has introduced us to several Guzzisti all over NZ and Australia despite the fact he has never been here. He hosted all of them when they were travelling in the U.S

Caron had some good ideas to help us have a fund raising day and some of the preparation to this involved a promotional trip to Toodyay and York both biker hang outs at the weekends. This was a good excuse to take the bikes out for a ride both towns had interesting architecture and we had an enjoyable cup of coffee whilst promoting our fund-raiser. The first picture is us meeting the gang at Villa de Vinci for a pizza followed by three pictures of Toodyay then two of a huge mining truck that passed by and the rest are of York.

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We didn’t quite get the numbers we would have liked but with only a weeks notice it wasn’t surprising, the biggest turnout was from the local BMW club thanks to Rob one of their members and we were grateful for their interest and support. We had a raffle and Villa de Vinci the local Italian restaurant kindly donated a $50 dollar voucher as a prize along with Venables Tool Supplies who chipped in a screwdriver set. The winners are pictured with us, Alex won us for a day to do with whatever he liked but very kindly gave us the day off.  Phil and Caron invited him back for dinner afterward to say thank-you. We raised an amazing $400 including our trips to York and Toodyay all of which helped buy the new rear tyre and wheel.

Australia has been expensive and we are desperately trying to stretch out the money we transfered to travel here so we don’t jeopardize the Americas leg. We would ordinarily get a temporary job but frustratingly you cannot get a work visa here when you are over 30.

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We went back to see Mario at Thunderbikes on the bike when it was fixed, he has been such a help throughout our time in Australia, we would recommend him and his shop to any Guzzi rider.

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It is the friends we meet on our travels that make our journey special and Phil and Caron had a treat in store for us. He is the building manager of a high rise in the centre of town and took us up on the roof.  Kev took a photo looking down the stairwell 42 floors up, it went on forever. Here is a special view of Perth city at night and the last photo is us in one of the huge plant rooms.

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Next up more around Perth

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