Bruce, Simmo and Heidi trip and live travel map

[Missy_Moo]

Well Heidi, enjoy the Isa - the whole chick-drought an all that its currently gripped in.

Sarina issss different, nobody here in Mackay will argue with you there. Ayr is a noice little place after 'Larry'...

But did you have to use the jerrycan???

Stay cool chickens. Wishing I was there.

[DjPete]

Take it easy guys.
Just had a look on the map on satellite view.
Looks very dry and dusty up there.
I swear if these pics were live we would be able to see you three!
It's truly amazing watching how much territory you're covering.
I hope its all staying together!

[bear]

Take it easy guys.
Just had a look on the map on satellite view.
Looks very dry and dusty up there.
I swear if these pics were live we would be able to see you three!
It's truly amazing watching how much territory you're covering.
I hope its all staying together!

Make sure you keep in touch as you near Perth.
Beds, parts, spares etc.

[Heidi1]

Hey Missy, while I was standing in the driveway of the bottle shop, I got two offers of beds for the night. When Simmo and Bruce turned up the offers dried up. Go figure.

I sent Bruce back in this time to swap it for a 5 litre one, which took two trips and then as we were leaving we realised we has stolen a funnel thing (technical term from the boys).

From Ayr we went to Townsville then we found a road called the Herveys Range Development Road which was absolutely beautiful. Big clean sweepers up and over the mountain with a brilliant road surface. There was a military base half way up which may explain the money spent on the road quality. Which left us completely unprepared for the Gregory Development Road. After the Herveys Road, we were perilously low of fuel. We hadn't really factored in the fuel we were going to use at that pace. Turning right, onto the Gregory's Developent Road, Bruce was leading on a TINY piece of tar that wasn't a single lane wide and big red dirt runoffs either side. I've seen these kind of roads in movies and in pictures, so it was kind of exciting to see a real one. As I was admiring the view, a MASSIVE cloud of dust dragging four dog trailers approached us at high speed with absolute confidence in the fact that he owned the bitumen.





We've had a chat about we all did, Bruce was forced off into the scrub, Simmo reckons he wasn't scared and stayed on the tar (Bruce and I think that is BULLSHIT), and I think I closed my eyes and hoped for the best. The trailer was empty, so the tail was whipping side to side like a tail wagging a dog. After that, we all needed a quick cigarette and a chat, so we continued at a very sedate 80kms/hr. After our confidence grew we were doing it at 120 then much higher. We weren't scared and we weren't giving an inch, this is BUSA COUNTRY!



Bruce and I had given Simmo the slip using a large multi-bodied truck as a distracter, and were fanging along the development road when we both saw a line of vehicles. We'd both assumed it was a road crew, so we were completely surprised by a man with a stop sign that all but leapt out and belted Bruce with it.



We spent the rest of the day dodging the massive road trains and grey nomads on the development roads. It was obvious we weren't going to make the 1200kms goal AGAIN (we are falling behind).

We were headed for Karumba, but at 6pm we were in Georgetown, still over 300kms from our destination, when Bruce came up with a brilliant idea, 'let's find ourselves a spot, buy a few snags and camp for the night!'. Simmo and I were highly suspicious of such an idea, but five minutes on the dark road with bloody CATTLE wandering around and brain dead roos with a suicide wish was enought to convince us. We drove slowly along another road and as I'm sure you remember from the last post, it was Simmo's turn to pick the accomodation. After a few false starts, Simmo found a spot where the grader had recently gone through leaving a large area of soft red dirt. PERFECT. We pulled over and prepared to drop the massive Hayabusas down the steep, soft shoulder. I don't know if any of you people have ever seen a Hayabusa, but they are a bloody big bike, it was a steep descent and they aren't really all that good on dirt. None of these things were considered! The grader has left a second hump of soft dirt just off te shoulder that must have been desigend to catch a bikes front wheel, Bruce rode his down with a flourish and I pulled up on the dirt shoulder. We shall let Bruce describe the results because I am too sad.

[Heidi1]

Bruce: Funny as f***, I got to the bottom of the drop off on my bike and heard a grunt from behind, looked over my shoulder towards where Heidi had stopped just in time to see her doing a gracefull controlled end for end body roll down the embankment. There were arms, legs and bright red hair flying everywhere, all under total control of course. To give her credit she had had hardly stopped rolling when she jumped to her feet and scaled the hill to hit the kill switch on her bike. Took me a second to realise that a busa headlight wasnt normally at ground level, by then it was all over.

Heidi: Yes, funny as f***. I'm still laughing. I tried to save her, I really did, but fully loaded and with a full tank, it was all but impossible. Bruce and I struggled on the side of the road, but we got her upright on the second attempt. Anyone on the route got a spare brake lever? She is scratched like you would not believe, but it is all cosmetic. I'll post a picture.



We set up camp with a minimum of fuss, I made a legend of a fire



and Simmo and Bruce cooked the snags.



Simmo, champion packer and loader, turned around with a bottle of Southern Comfort, two litres of coke and some plastic glasses! We ran tarps from the side of the bikes down to the ground and rolled our sleeping bags out underneath them. Bruce and I were under the high side of the bikes,



Simmo decided to snuggle in beside the side stand. Bruce and I were expecting a little voice calling out for help the first time a road train thundered past, but unfortunately we all got through the night.



The Southern Comfort masked a lot of things that only became apparent in the harsh light of day, scratches all over the bike, and an inch thick layer of red bulldust all over us and our gear. Not a nice way to load up for another 1000km day coated in dirt and filth with no shower.

We stopped for breakfast in a little roadhouse in Croydon, and luckily they didnâ€t throw rocks at us.



We had a beautiful breakfast while Bruce filed my broken brake leaver to a usable length. From there it was back on the road headed for Normanton, 84kms in 24 minutes to the turnoff. And a similar leisurely pace into Normanton and on to Karumba for a look at the Gulf. We took some photos, but the highlight of Gulf Country was the yellow slurpies we got at the shop. We continued Busa Style (LOL) down to Cloncurry, stopping every 170/180kms to refuel the empty tanks. Shocking fuel economy, we put it down to the cross-winds, Iâ€m sure the grey nomads will talk around the campfire for years to come about the screaming blurs that flashed past their mirrors and upsetting their medication. We would like to take this opportunity to reassure any trolling police officers that the above is a complete work of fiction bought about by substance abuse and spending too much time in the sun.

[Taubusa]

Wow.......what an adventure and very entertaining writing. Glad to hear your all in one piece and that there is a shower at your next stop. Be safe and I can't wait to read the next chapter.

[BUSGO]

Now that is living!

Hasn't anyone ever told you NOT TO EAT YELLOW SNOW....

Beware, you are starting to head into the German backpacker country.
Terrific update guys.

[DjPete]

Yep.
VERY inspiring.
Great to see some pics too.
Looks magic...

[Missy_Moo]

Yeah watch the stop-go peoples.....
They get mighty fiesty....

I have never, never been party to prodding them with an electric cattle prod before in my life....

[Missy_Moo]

Heidi, I feel for the poor bike. It's late, long riding and then with the poor brain not up to speed - you try a task not bloody easy!!! You did well to jump back up there.

Mind also - pigs - but the real 4 legged variety. They get bloody HUGE out there, they would be as long as that little black strip you follow and can appear as sudden as the psycotic roo's who attempt hari kari.

[DjPete]

Heidi, I feel for the poor bike. It's late, long riding and then with the poor brain not up to speed - you try a task not bloody easy!!! You did well to jump back up there.

I was too afraid to bring it up.
I know how I felt when I did the exact same thing at Jindy a few yrs back.
Ohhhh the pain...

[Missy_Moo]

You all feel the pain.
She's doing a brillant thing & it happens.
Good thing there was the essential medicinal liqour to numb it all.

[Missy_Moo]

Heidi, I feel for the poor bike. It's late, long riding and then with the poor brain not up to speed - you try a task not bloody easy!!! You did well to jump back up there.

I was too afraid to bring it up.
I know how I felt when I did the exact same thing at Jindy a few yrs back.
Ohhhh the pain...

Probably meant to say - I feel for ya Heidi....
Its just a dread that falls over you when it happens.

[Madmax]

Mind also - pigs - but the real 4 legged variety. They get bloody HUGE out there, they would be as long as that little black strip you follow and can appear as sudden as the psycotic roo's who attempt hari kari.

Pigs!!! Did you say PIGS?
Hey Ray, can you fit your Weatherby onto your bike? The 270 will go across my back easy!
Just remember "All pigs must die!"

Shame about the fall Heidi, glad you insured her, with sufficient scratches you may get new bits tyo replace the older, more "experienced" panels.
Sounds like you guys are having a great time.



Max

[Rev004]

What a great read sound like your all having a ball or as much as the backs side will let you anyway.

You guys are bringing back memories of my last trip across this massive peice of dirt and yes you'll come across all sorts and have plenty of laughs as well lucky buggers

Hey Heidi sorry to hear about the slight fall and glad to here all is OK so fellars in saying that all my trips I have done theres always been one to have a minor mishap so the way I look at it you've now got it out of the way and now the fun can start.

Have a great trip and keep safe looking forward to the updates.