Circumnavigation of Oz take 2

[78jotadave]

It is nice to hear that unknown locals are opening up their businesses, clubs, and backyards for you to camp, restoring faith in humanity after all the doom and gloom one hears in the media. Thanks for taking time out to share this trip I am checking your reports every day. Just wondering are you managing to keep on your planned schedule?

 

[Alan]

Its my go to post , these write ups on the bigger continents of the world make wee Ireland seem all the smaller. Even travelling through the Great Glen in Scotland last week was very impressive compared to the wee micro world we have here.

 

[martymoose]

We are trying to slow down, yes, more than half the trip is gone. We have to wait until tomorrow for Grahame to get his new rear tyre fitted, tyre has arrived from Perth, so all systems go.

 

[martymoose]

In port Hedland, very industrial. Will get Grahames new tyre in the morning and flick off.

Homemade sausage rolls at the sandfire Roadhouse, worth the ride Vince!

 

[Diablo Loco]

We are trying to slow down, yes, more than half the trip is gone. We have to wait until tomorrow for Grahame to get his new rear tyre fitted, tyre has arrived from Perth, so all systems go.

If there are still roadworks on the harbourside, check with locals on the quick way through the guts of town. It's a prick backtracking through roadworks to a servo.

 

[martymoose]

Port Hedland is very industrial, we are here for one night. Pier Hotel is pretty rough, but the beer is cold.

Bridgestone, yeah.......nah

 

[ngiles]

Hey Marty & Graham - like everyone else I'm enjoying following your travels, but figure you should slow down!! Seems like 5 minutes since you left and like you say you're already half way done. Safe travels...assuming you'll do Coral Bay and Monkey Mia en route to Perth...

 

[Paul Marx]

You must be riding some seriously aggressive road surfaces.
Here's the BT46 on the back of my SF2. It probably has 5000km on it. Good for another 10 000.

Paul

 

[Tippie]

You must be riding some seriously aggressive road surfaces.
Here's the BT46 on the back of my SF2. It probably has 5000km on it. Good for another 10 000.

Paul
View attachment 65418

The bitumen roads in outback Australia are bitumen seal, not hotmix like in Europe. They spray molten tar and then cover it with coarse gravel, and sometimes roll over it with a steamroller. It eats tyres.

 

[martymoose]

The silver star cafe in port Hedland. Interesting story how a dining car from 1940's USA ended up here.

 

[Paul Marx]

The bitumen roads in outback Australia are bitumen seal, not hotmix like in Europe. They spray molten tar and then cover it with coarse gravel, and sometimes roll over it with a steamroller. It eats tyres.

Rural roads are like that in France as well.
When they get a bit worn, they throw fresh gravel at them without tar. Sometimes 4 or 5 cm thick.
Luckily signposted (mostly). With a 50 km speed limit which doesn't stop arseholes in cars overtaking when you're being very careful and spraying you in gravel as they overtake.
They do it every summer.

Paul

 

[Vince]

They sometimes don't roll them but use the passing cars to push the gravel into the hot soft tar, and you then get mega lbs of tar and gravel wedged up under your mudguards, guess how I know. Still, Flippen ropeable about that heading into Canberra on the Airport road.

 

[78jotadave]

Once you get to the SW corner of West Oz it is like you are on a different planet compared to the NW and the Top end, you are going to love it as a rider.

 

[martymoose]

Spent last night at the Pier Hotel, known as the roughest pub in Australia. Well, until we arrived to quell the riot. Dan had to ask the lingerie waitress to put her clothes back on, well he is from Adelaide.

 

[Diablo Loco]

Spent last night at the Pier Hotel, known as the roughest pub in Australia. Well, until we arrived to quell the riot. Dan had to ask the lingerie waitress to put her clothes back on, well he is from Adelaide.

Tripadvisor reviews on the place are good for a laugh.

PIER HOTEL: Reviews (Port Hedland) - Photos of Hotel - Tripadvisor

Pier Hotel, Port Hedland: See 20 traveller reviews, 24 candid photos, and great deals for Pier Hotel, ranked #1 of 1 B&B / inn in Port Hedland and rated 2.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor.

www.tripadvisor.com.au

 

[motoddrob]

My last real job was in Port Headland back in 2008. What a shithole that place is and the Pier Hotel is a shocker.
If there was an incentive to pull the pin on working full time being in Headland was it.
Moved back to Walpole permanently after that and never worked a proper job since.

 

[martymoose]

I think the weight we are carrying has a big influence. That coffee machine is pretty heavy, add the professional bean grinder, milk frother, we do have high standards. Then there's the wine chiller, Grahame 's Shiraz needs to be at 17 degrees.

 

[martymoose]

Good to get Grahames new tyre fitted, and the port in the rear vision mirror. We are out of the badlands now, a few rolling hills, just south of the Sherlock river, which was flowing well, the cattle are standing in grass up to their shoulders.

 

[Legs]

Spent two days in Port Hedland on a submarine job once, longest two weeks of my life.

 

[martymoose]

After a great food van brekky near the bike shop, and an excellent elevensies, Roebourne was the first time we had to resort to servo food, Mrs Mac's pie, wish me luck