Adelaide - Port Augusta - Port Lincoln - Ceduna - Port Augusta - Adelaide

I'll do a separate post for each day except for Day 1, I'll split that into 2 posts

Day 1 Adelaide - Williamstown (Whispering Wall) - Angaston (Menglers Hill lookout) - Nuriootpa - Mintaro - Clare - Port Germien - Port Germien Gorge - Horrocks Pass (x2) - Quorn - Pichie Richie Pass - Port Augusta

Day 2 Port Augusta - Whyalla, Cleve - Tumby Bay - Port Lincoln

Day 3 Port Lincoln - Coffin Bay Elliston - Venus Bay - Streaky Bay -  Penong   Ceduna

Day 4 Ceduna - Port Augusta

Day 5 Port Augusta - Willmington - Stone Hut - Laura - Crystal Brook - Adelaide

Day 1 Pt 1



Saturday Morning was a nice early start, paul pulled into the street to join us for the Barossa leg just as madmax and I wheeled the bikes out of the carport, just after 7:00 we were on our way, Dancing Pillion was doing the entire 5 day trip on the back of my bike.
After a pretty boring ride through city roads we turned off at Modbury heading for Golden Grove, soon after we were travelling through the hills on the edge of suburbia, heading towards One Tree Hill though nice country side with a few twists and curves thrown in to make it more interesting, at One Tree Hill we turned towards the Hills and passed through Humbug Scrub, one of the areas devastated by bushfire nearly 3 years ago, the regrowth has been amazing, it’s looking really good up there. From there we continued on through Kersbrook on route to The Whispering Wall just out of Williamstown
We arrived at the gates to find we were there 10 minutes before the park opened, short wait and we were on our 1^st stop for the day, dancing pillion walked to the opposite end of the wall where we all had a conversation with her as if her voice was coming from a speaker in the wall.







After 20 minutes or so we headed towards Sandy Creek then the Barossa Valley Hwy to Tanunda where we turned off towards the Barossa Sculpture Park and lookout on Menglers Hill Rd (1 of the regular Tour Down Under King of the Mountain stages) near Angaston





After a few pic’s we were back on the way to Nuriootpa via the outskirts of Angaston, in the town we said farewell to paul  who headed for home via the Highway, we headed out of town, refuelled and then left for the rest of the days ride .....................
 

To be continued

Couldnt have asked for better weather either ...........great ride .

paul wrote:Couldnt have asked for better weather either ...........great ride .

It was sensational weather, pity it couldn't have lasted another couple of days, more about that later


Day 1 Pt 2



We left Nuriootpa for a pleasant and uneventful ride through the remainder of the Barossa Valley and over to the Clare Valley, took a detour off of Main North Rd to show madmax a little town where it appears that time has sat still, Manoora, back towards the highway on some windy roads, into Clare and across through Crystal Brook to Napperby (outside Pt Pirie) for fuel and lunch at the Tinman Roadhouse, from there we headed the short distance along Highway 1 to Pt Germein where we stopped and had a look at what was when built (sign says is) longest timber jetty in Australia



From there we headed across Germien Gorge, what should have been a good ride was spoilt by a dick in a Camry that not only refused to pull over in the slow vehicle turn offs but continued to put the LH tyres in the gravel spraying us



At the end of Germien Gorge Rd we were back on Main North Rd heading through Melrose at the base of Mt Remarkable and onto Wilmington where we took Horrocks Pass across the Flinders Ranges, turned around and did it the other way as well, 



back into Wilmington and onto Quorn where we once again crossed the Flinders Ranges, this time along side the old Ghan railway in Pichie Richie Pass



From there we headed into Port Augusta and the Majestic Oasis Appartments for the night, after a scare at reception where my booking had gone missing we managed to secure the last 2 bedroom apartment. When I was parking the bike madmax noticed my rear tyre was down, I headed next door to find it was down to 15psi, I pumped it up, poured water over the tyre as I rotated it but couldn't find anything. 


and yes, we were told to use the disabled park as no disabled were booked in for the night

We unpacked  and settled in with a dip in the Pool, met one of my Sons mates and her partner for tea at the Tassie Tavern across the road, grabbed a early night ready for the next leg tomorrow

You could have claimed numb bum & claimed the disabled site anyway LOL 

Day 2

Sunday morning I woke to a rear tyre back down to 15 psi, carefully rode around to the servo, pumped it up and this time I could see bubbles from the leak, luckily, right in the middle and easy enough to plug, back to the motel, plug fitted, tyre most of the way up with mm's compressor and we were ready to be on our way, or so we though ......... another "equipment" failure (details = what happens on trip stay on trip unless effected person discloses) After some delicate equipment surgery we were finally on our way, coffee and toasted sanga at Maccas and on the road for the 70 odd km to meet Davo1063 face to face for the 1st time



As we rolled into Whyalla I remembered this gem on the way in so decided as mm is a old Navy man he'd probably be interested in the stop





Soon after we finally pulled up at David's place, after some re hydrating we were on the way to Pt Lincoln in lovely sunshine. 
Fuel stop in Cowell, small detour via Cleve to find some corners, Just before Cleve we got a few spots of rain, heading back towards the highway we got a bit more. We had intended on riding the Bratten Way to take in some nice sweeping bends and a few tighter corners and meet David back in Tumby Bay while he caught up with rellies but when we stopped in Tumby for lunch we decided it wasn't worth doing it in the now persistent rain

After a nice feed of Fish and Chips, mm, myself and Kaylah headed for Lincoln while David did his rellie visit.

I had been looking forward to Kaylah and mm experiencing the spectacular view across Boston Bay for the 1st time as we rode into Pt Lincoln, instead they got grey skies, grey water, rain and only partial visibility across the bay, it was a disappointing entrance to what should have been one of the trip highlights,  it wasn't worth going up to Winters Hill lookout either so we headed straight to the Boston Hotel to settle in for the night.

Bikes were tucked away under the BBQ shelter outside of the beer garden, David rolled in a bit damp sometime later and after a few beers, nice tea and we were off to bed ready for the next days ride to (so we thought at the time) Penong

TBC

Day 3

Adelaide to Penong (or so we thought)



It was warm enough in Port Lincoln but still overcast and wet on and off

Breakfast at a great little cafe (Del Giorno's) on the foreshore that David recommended, great feed and great service for anyone travelling through that way.

There was no point in heading up to Winters Hill, the view would have still been crap, I put wet weather pants on, the other 3 didn't bother, I don't think it would have really mattered either way, they got a bit damp at times but it dried out pretty quick too.
The ride from Lincoln to Coffin Bay was pleasant enough, crossing between the lagoons just out of Lincoln our visors went from clear to yellow in a split second but there was enough rain to wash them clean again in no time.

A detour off the highway into Coffin Bay was worth the few extra km, it was quite nice by the time we got there



Back on the bikes for the 15 or so km back to the Highway and onto Elliston, there was one spot in aprticullar I wanted to take the 1/2km dirt to the cliff tops but it was raining and would have been too slippery, Elliston is another place that normally has a spectacular looking bay but that day it was looking pretty average at best. A quick stop by the bay, a refuel and off to check out the loop ride, David was right, it was still dirt, it was the road out to the turn off that was the bitumen I remembered, we rode out past the turn off but decided to skip the dirt in the wet



By the time we left Elliston it was starting to warm up, we turned off the Highway again just before Port Kenny and rode out to Venus Bay, David is more familliar with Venus Bay than me so he took us out to the heads for a look.
First thing I did was got rid of the water proofs, I was actually wetter than the others had been from the rain.





After Venus Bay we headed back out to the Highway and through Port Kenny and onto our lunch stop at Streaky Bay. The forecast had been for quite a warm day, especially as we headed further North. Lunch stop at the Streaky Bay Hotel, mm and Davo both ordered fish burgers which looked fantastic, Kaylah and I were both still feeling breakfast so decided to go for the "quick" option, toasted ham and cheese sanga's. About 10 min after we sat down out came the burgers, 15 minutes later Kaylah went to enquire about the sandwiches, another 5 or so minutes and the "quick easy meals" arrived well after the others had eaten.
We left the pub, rode around to the boat ramp to look back at the town across the bay, it was bloody hot and had started to get a bit "breezy"

Back through town and out onto the highway and we were getting blown around abit, by the time we turned off towards Ceduna we were raelly starting to feel the cross winds.
I was up front and watched a Ranger ute coming along the dirt towards the main road, a car in front of us went past the intersection and it looked like he waasn't slowing for anyone, on the brakes, flashing my headlight and he finally pulled up with his roo bar out over our lane, after a "friendly wave" from me and the same from David we were back up to speed getting smashed by the side wind (45deg) and dust

A rest and fluid stop at the Venus Bay Jetty 





............. then we were back on our way for a fuel stop in Ceduna

The further we rode, the stronger the wind got, Kaylah said she watched my helmet move at the same time her head did, mm and David noticed the same with their bikes, we rode through dust that was getting thicker and more persistent, twice we had quite low visibility for a few hundred meters each time.
I was starting to feel very fatigued and told Kaylah not only was I not sure if I wanted to take her any further than Ceduna, I wasn't sure I had the energy left either.

I knew mm would be disappointed, so was I, I still haven't been West of Ceduna

We stopped for fuel at Ceduna, Kaylah walked in and bought us all slushies to try and cool us down, I mentrioned my concerns to Bryan, he suggested we hang out in the restaurant and cool down for a hour or so to see what the weather did.

Other motorists were showing us photos and videos which showed conditions much worse that what we'd already ridden in, there were (I suspect some exaggerated) car accidents in the dust, road blocked for over 20min while 4 police cars went through a car on the side of the road.
After talking to David who said he'd probably pull out too if it was his daughter on the back I decided to look for accommodation, got a nice room with a queen and king single at the Ceduna Hotel
David said if Bryan wanted to continue he'd go with him, Bryan did one outside check and thought it was a bit better, next time he went further from the building, came back in and had decided to stay in Ceduna too, luckily we got the last 3 rooms they had at the pub, as we pulled up the end of the jetty was just visible through the dust.

Not that long after we were settled in the wind swung around and blew like hell off the water, a branch came down off a tree landing on the roof of a caravan in the c'van park next door, Davids bike cover turned into a flag flapping off the back of his bike, we were pretty happy not to be out in it.







After a really nice feed we went for a walk on the jetty, the weather had calmed, the dust had cleared and it was quite spectacular out there

All the ups and downs of a trip to remember .

Good write up and nice photos There @Chook looks like the ride was pretty reasonable until Ceduna I;ve been there too with wet weather gear, if there is sun shine and rain on and off you'll be wetter from sweating in the buggers. Its a tough call though as you never know if the rain will persist and conditions cool enough that your body temp will stay reasonable enough not to sweat.

So what plug kit did you use for your repair? I've got plugs onboard, but luckily I've never had to use them in anger. Most guys I know don't carry anything other than the crap oem kit under the seat.

This is the one.
It's been to MacKay, Parkes, Philip Island/Vic high country, Eastern Creek/Brisbane

It was the first time I'd needed it but bloody thankful I did have it

madmax had a compressor so that saved the CO2 for another (hopefully not) time

Monday, Ceduna to Port Augusta (Kaylah and I) Whyalla (David)

The road marked in green was David’s last stint after we farewelled him at Iron Knob



Madmax was looking for a early start to make up time for the 70km not done the previous day so we arranged to meet for the complimentary breakfast at 6:30
Not long after breakfast the rest of us said goodbye to Bryan as he headed off on the rest of his West Australian adventure.

Kaylah had started to feel unwell and ended up emptying her stomach so we had a very quite start to the day waiting for her to decide if she was going to be ok to sit on the back for 5 or 6 hours. About 10:00 she decided she was ok so we were on our way to our 1^st stretch stop in Poochera.

It was a pretty uneventful 90 km ride to Wirrulla, soon after though we were starting to wonder what lay ahead, plumes of smoke billowing from what appeared to be something on the highway a few km ahead, as we got within a km or 2 it appeared a truck was on fire so we slowed, as we got close we realised it was a low loader with a heavy excavator using a farmers driveway to reverse up to do a U turn, the smoke appeared to be from a blown turbo, he had a local Ceduna Heavy Vehicle mechanic following him, looks like was either trying to limp back to Wirrulla or Ceduna.

A few more small towns/locations past and we were stopping at Poochera for a stretch, quick stretch and back on the bikes for lunch and refuel stop in Wudinna after a quick photo stop at the Australian Farmer’s Memorial.





After a nice lunch we were back on the bikes for the 13 km to Kyancutta when the Eyre Highway turns off to the left towards Kimba, this stretch has no other towns or sidings and is just lots of grazing and cropping land with the occasional massive hill sticking up out of nowhere in the distance.

We arrived in Kimba, 1^st stop was the recently painted silo mural......



Followed by the Giant Galah



We had considered heading a few km out of town to the White’s Knob Scenic Lookout but what had started off as a mild day was rapidly turning into another quite hot day so we skipped it and headed for David’s turn off to home at Iron Knob.

It’s only 90 km but it’s 90km of nothing but scrub, thankfully in the middle of a hot day the Roos had gone to ground, a few months ago I did this stretch in a work car in the early morning at no more than 80kmh, I didn’t go more than 100m without seeing at least 2 – 3 Roos for over a hour.

Less than a hour from Kimba and we had pulled off the highway at Iron Knob looking for a small bit of shade to say our farewells.



I don’t think the old bloke in the house was too keen on having “bikers” parked out front, he spent most of the 15 minutes we were stopped making sure we weren’t up to no good!!

Pretty soon and David was heading towards Whyalla and his own bed, we headed for the Eyre Hwy with a quick photo stop on the edge of town.





That all done and we were back on the bike bound for a comfy night at my mate and his wife’s place in Port Augusta, that last 75 km was very hot and we were thankful to ride into the shade of Fred and Eileen’s car port.


A nice shower, BBQ tea, plenty of cold Beer and  chin wagging, a great way to finish a long hot day in the saddle 

To be continued, 1 more day to home ..........................

Good report & photos Chook 

Awesome trip report.

Over a year later and I've just realised I didn't ever get around to doing the last Day, Port Augusta - Willowie - Laura - Crystal Brook - Home

My memory is a bit scratchy but I'll dig up some pic's of the day. Kaylah and I visited the grave sites of both sets of my grand parents that day and bumped into a mate 350 from the farm he works on with a truck load of sheep

 Waiting ..........waiting ........waiting    

Port Augusta -  Willowie - Melrose - Laura - Crystal Brook - Lochiel - Port Wakefield - Home



This is pretty rough but we headed out of Port Augusta for Horrocks Pass, across the Flinders Ranges and on to the the birth place of my Grandfather, Willowie,  which is also the burial place of my Grandparents (Mum's side)




The gauntlets laying on the river rocks were my grandfather's when he rode a Harley and side car in the 1920's and 30's, I was one of 2 grandsons to ride bikes, they only on the road. About a year before he passed he called me over and gave them to me. Kaylah and I took them back for a visit. They actually fit me perfectly and most of the fur is still intact on the inside of the Deer skin.





From there we headed to Melrose at foot of Mt Remarkable



Then on to Laura and a drive past my grandparents house and farm where mum grew up, then onto Crystal Brook to visit my other Grandparents, my Dad's parents





From there we headed on the boring A1 to home, 1st quick stop to have a pic with the :Lochiel Monster" just North of Lochiel (it looks better when the salt flat is flooded)



Then our last fuel stop and lunch in Port Wakefield where a old school mate was refuelling the farm truck on the way to just North of Whyalla with a load of sheep



Then the last hour and a bit to home

paul wrote: Waiting ..........waiting ........waiting