THE ADVENTURES OF TOM & ANDI 2001

DR650 ATK605

GORGES DESERTS GORGES BOABS GORGES BOABS GORGES DESERTS GORGES

Once again we had planned to do the Canning Stock Route and once again it alludes us. Three weeks before we heard it was still flooded in the north from the massive rains and probably will be closed until December. Three weeks to reorganize our holiday, spending hours on the phone, getting permission top travel through stations and getting permits to go through Aboriginal lands. Central Land Council has more red tape than white fellow. Got the permits the day before we left.

3/8/01. Left home at 4pm Friday after work, van packed with bikes and gear. Pulled over at 1am in the back streets of Dublin, north Adelaide.

4/8. Awoke 6.30am and arrived at Heavy Tree Gap caravan park in Alice Springs at 10.30pm.

5/8. Sunday morning we made our way to Roy’s place. A family friend from childhood who works out at Pine Gap and has lived in Alice for a few years. Roy too is an enthusiastic motorcyclist, owning both dirt and road bikes. We organized our bikes and gear ready to roll the following morning, leaving our van in Roy’s custody until we return.

6/8. From Alice we headed out west to Hermansburg and south into Palm Valley, setting the tent in the campground and continuing a further 4 ks or so to the gorge. From here we did a 5 km walk through the gorge, back to camp and another walk to the top of the range. What great weather.

7/8. Back to Hermansberg for fuel, then west following a series of tracks toward Papunya, an Aboriginal community. On the way we stopped for a wonder into Gosse Bluff Meteorite Crater. We also came across a rather angry bull camel in the middle of the track, foaming and gurgling as he headed for us. Bull camels, in season, are very aggressive, territorial and can kill you easily. He got too close for comfort, 15m, “I’m out of here Tom”. As I started my bike he took off, only to return when I stopped it. I played this game with him while Tom was taking photographs, until the camel got sick of it and headed bush.

Into Papunya for fuel. Firstly we couldn’t find the fuel pumps, totally encased in a sold steel shell, then it shuts between 12 and 2pm. We arrived at 12.30pm, great, unscheduled lunch stop, in what could only be described as a town which looked like it had been under military attack. One of the worst communities I’d ever seen and the people hostile toward our presence. I put garbage in a bin, which was empty, obviously never used, there was garbage strewn everywhere.

From Papunya north to Yuendumu along a sandy track, bush fires burning here and there. We encountered a bit of traffic coming the other way. There was a sports day at Yuendumu the day before. One thing the Aborigines are pretty good drivers. We arrived at Yuendumu just in time as the service station was closing, another community which looks bomb blasted, with signs up saying no photographs. Well we wouldn’t want to misrepresent Aboriginal communities, would we, you can’t have city folk getting the wrong impression.

Now on the Tanami Track we head north west and camp a few k’s out of town in a dry creek bed. We could hear brumbies close by night.

8/8. It’s a boring run up the Tanami, rough corrugated sand gravel road. We stopped a few times to make things more interesting. Sampled nectar from gravillia flowers, detoured to an abandoned mine and then to Chilla Well, a deserted community, one of many out here.

We reach Rabbit Flat in the afternoon to find the track leading in barricaded and a sign saying “fuel strictly Friday, Saturday and Sunday only”. It was Wednesday, oh sh… We saw a few black fellows coming out, so thought we’d take a punt, go around the barricade and see what happens. Because of the sports day they were serving the Aborigines on their way home, lucky for us we got fuel.

From here it was off the Tanami and south to Tanami Downs Station, 55 k’s through very thick hard to ride sand. We arrived at the station receiving a warm welcome from the station manager and his wife. First offering a shower, then to stay in the house overnight and then a cooked dinner of endless fresh steak. They don’t get many visitors.

9/8. With mud map of the 450 square kilometre station in hand and a pile of steaks, we were off. Station tracks were well defined and mud map very accurate as we head toward WA. I love these type tracks. The track dwindled away the last few ks to the border, as they never head out of the station this direction. When we hit the border gate the track on the other side wasn’t much better, we kept checking the GPS to make sure we were on the right track, without it you’d most certainly be sceptical, no signs out here. This track has not been used for years, overgrown and sandy.

We detoured south to an abandoned community, abandoned because the Aborigines believed it to be cursed when all their cattle died. Hundreds of thousands of dollars sitting here in satellite dishes, huge solar panels, walk in freezers, sewing machines, not to mention the housing.

Back to the track and toward Balgo just over 100 ks away. The track would be totally washed away often and took us several hours to negotiate.

Just as we were to enter Balgo we met a couple in a 4WD who warned us not to go in. The Aborigines do not want any white people to enter their community, since a truck driver accidentally ran over a child. They will throw rocks and spears to get you out. Lucky we had enough fuel to get to Billiluna. We reached Billiluna very late afternoon and had to pay a $10.00 surcharge to get fuel pumps turned on after hours. We headed north to Wolf Creek Crater, riding the last 20 ks in the dark side by side, our headlights were covered by our extra fuel containers. We continued as there just wasn’t anywhere to camp, very open country. It actually was worse setting camp in the dark than it was riding.

10/8. Spent the morning exploring Wolf Creek Crater, this is the second largest meteorite crater “of its kind”, about 1 km across. The meteorite is actually 300m below the surface, still the ground level inside the crater is much lower and the wall in quite steep. Interesting vegetation inside with water holes, lots of spiders and a few resident echidnas.

Packed camp around midday and headed for Halls Creek. Into the caravan park for a good wash. I went to the Shire for information regarding the Tablelands Track, our entry into the Kimberley. All they could tell us was that it’s a rough track. We got more information from the Aborigines hanging around the streets.

11/8. Up early and loaded our bikes with as much fuel as we could carry, amounting to 65 litres for the two of us. Headed north out of Halls Creek then west through Springvale Station, the start of the Tablelands Track. We saw a lone Aborigine, who asked about our fuel range, we were a little concerned as it’s a long haul through to the Gibb River Road. He told us of a spot where there was an old drum of aviation fuel no longer useful for planes. Following his directions we found the drum and filled what we could, this gave us a further 80 ks each to explore.

Through Bedford Station, stopped at the homestead to let them know we had arrived, from here the track became rugged. Magnificent scenery dotted with majestic boab trees, breathtaking. This part of the track follows inside a gorge for around 20 ks, the first km very narrow with deep bog holes. We battled through with our loaded bikes, got covered in black mud, even the inside of our panniers became full of mud. We cross the river often and the track was mainly huge rocks as it wound through the river bed.

We turned off onto an almost non-existing track, we only picked it up with the GPS, otherwise never would have found it. It took one and a half hours to do 6 ks often losing the track in the long grass, so long only our heads were above it, riding over rocks and branches we couldn’t see, making it even slower. We came to a river and could go no further, we camped here for the night, the grass so long and dry we couldn’t even light a campfire. Lots of black cockatoos.

12/8. Back to the original track, it was just as difficult getting out and even harder to pick up in this direction, only sometimes could we see our tracks coming in. More river/crossings and a few groups of wild donkeys. Heaps more boab trees, then out on the plains, still rough and rocky with long sandy stretches, great track. Stopped for lunch at a river crossing, it was so hot, we had a swim then decided to camp and relax in the water for the rest of the day.

13/8. Started at first light to get most of the riding done before the day got too hot, temperatures in the high 30'’. Once through Tablelands Station the track got a little easier. The boabs dense in this area, what a site. We crossed the Hann River then followed a track to Lake Gladstone, more like a lagoon with lilies and a diverse range of bird life from spoonbills, magpie geese, ducks, cranes, eagles, kingfishers, black cockatoos and heaps more I couldn’t identify. Tom caught a huge turtle while swimming and as we scrambled through the long reeds, there were thousands of little frogs. A perfect peaceful campsite, a glorious sunset, as the sun disappeared, swarms of mossies came, we headed for the tent.

14/8. From here we headed through a series of tracks which took us to Mornington Camp, later we found out we should not have gone through that area. Mornington Camp is a rough bush camp offering the luxury of a shower and a bar with meals out of a tin shed, all at a price mind you. This private property has two spectacular gorges, which is what we came to see.

Booked for dinner, had a couple of well earned beers and headed out to Sir Johns Gorge for the afternoon. We had the place to ourselves, except for the many water monitors basking on the rocks.

Dinner was $25.00 a head, the most expensive lasagne we’ve ever eaten, cooked in a camp over it was probably one of the best, or did it just seem that way after living on bread and cheese for days. We shared the campsite with fruit bats and wondering cattle.

15/8. Up early, 25 ks south to Diamond Gorge, we’d hired a canoe for the day. Down stream for 2 to 3 ks until the gorge became impassable, quite wide and deep most of the way. Halfway back we stopped where a little creek flowed into the gorge. Parked the canoe and followed it up until we came to a substantial waterfall about 20m high, with an inviting pool beneath.

Back to camp late afternoon, we had to push the cows out of the way to get to our tent.

16/8. Our final leg of the Tablelands Track and out onto the Gibb River Road. South to Imintji for fuel. Only diesel pumps, “um where’s the petrol”, “there is no petrol”. This place is clearly marked as a fuel station on several maps, when I inquired at Halls Creek Shire, they also said fuel was available here, great. The guy at the service station felt sorry for us and ended up selling us some of his own petrol he had out the back, lucky we still had some fuel left and didn’t need a huge amount.

Through to the very touristy Tunnel Creek and on to Fitzroy Crossing into the caravan park.

17/8. By this stage my rear tyre was totally worn out. East to Halls Creek again and after a bit of hunting we tracked down the only motorcycle tyre in all of Halls Creek. Lucky for me it was an 18” rear universal, otherwise we’d be sitting for a day or so waiting for one to come in.

Back to the caravan park, in towns like this you just can’t stay anywhere else.

18/8. First we headed east a few ks to look at what’s known as The China Wall. Despite its name, this was an impressive quartz vein at times 1 metre wide and 3 to 4 metres high, following through the range. It looked like it was built by some ancient civilization.

From here north and then east into the Bungle Bungle. A rough very windy, undulating track, a few creek crossings, heaps of fuel on a bike, with lots of whoopee do’s. A few people in the designated camp ground, we unloaded then headed to the north end of the park and did a few walks.

19/8. Down to the south end of the Bungle Bungle, it’s down this end that the bee hive dome like looking outcrops are more pronounced and what the Bungle Bungle is so typically famous for. I’ve heard often that the only way to really see and appreciate the Bungle Bungle is from the air, but we definitely were not disappointed. The only thing disappointing was the constant buzzing sound from the helicopters and light planes full of people looking at the Bungle Bungle from the air.

Exploring this area and the structure of these domes close up was an unforgettable experience.

20/8. Back out on the same fun track we came in on, then north to Kunanurra, we thought we’d better wash some of the few clothes we had with us and buy some decent supplies. Here we met a Swiss couple on two nicely set up DR350’s, the first people we met on bikes on this trip, seems there just isn’t anyone out there doing this sort of thing anymore.

21/8. East and into Keep River National Park. I’d wanted to see this park for a few years, but so disappointing. There is nothing worth seeing, just a waste of time, we didn’t even stay. I reckon it should be renamed, Keep Out River National Park. Off to Timber Creek where we stayed the night.

22/8. From Timber Creek south into Gregory National Park, this one well worth it, full of great tracks. We followed the Humbert track which at the start was sign posted, 4WDs allow 6 hours, the track is only 62 ks long. It is rough and rocky, even slow on the bikes, we barely got to 3^rd gear, ever conscious of possible punctures, very sharp rocks. We camped along a river bed, very picturesque and couldn’t believe we had the park to ourselves.

23/8. Once out of the park we worked our way through confusing gravel roads, finding our way to Top Springs. By this stage our GPS had given up, too much jarring I guess. It was lunchtime, we set camp behind the pub, come service station. Had a shower and waited for the Australian Safari to turn up. By mid afternoon the first back up crews and organizers arrived.

The first motorcyclist in was Caldecott, the eventual winner, on a KTM 660 Rally Special. $30,000.00 worth, what a machine. Tom drooling all over it. It wasn’t long before the campground was full, it was like a circus. What a surprise, everyone was so friendly, despite being exhausted and under pressure getting machinery repaired and serviced for the following day’s race. They took the time to talk to us, mind you there were only a hand full of spectators. Competitors also helped each other wish spares, a bit like a mini Paris to Daker. We even had dinner with the safari at no cost. It was a lot of fun.

I had so many people come up and congratulate me (they thought I was a competitor). Should I lie and lap it all up, I was like a hero, no I told the truth.

It’s amazing we got any sleep that night, with generators and lighting going all around us, people working through the night and some still coming in in the early hours.

24/8. Around 5am the first competitors headed off, by no time at all the place was deserted, most gone before we got out of the tent.

Tom scrounging around the binds, lucky we couldn’t carry anything. A lot of really good gear thrown out, (slightly bent) and lots of useable tyres.

Leaving late we headed 270 ks south to Lajamanu, an Aboriginal community. From here an obscure, two wheel rut track follows east through the Tanami Desert for 445 ks. We managed 180 ks in before dusk, camping on the edge of the track, a little concerned about bull camels as we saw heaps of camp prints everywhere.

25/8. It took most of the day to complete the track, coming out at Tennant Creek. This track hasn’t been serviced for years, in fact hardly ever used and much more isolated than the Canning Stock Route. It was one of the hardest tracks we did, also because of its length. It never let off, sometimes washed away for 20 ks or more and really overgrown by trees and bushes, with termite mounds in the middle of the track as well. Rough volcanic type rock and sand all the way through.

Our bikes took on a green tinge from the sap of all the branches hitting up. We came across a huge lake full of ducks, a good excuse for a break, my arms aching. The track was 60 ks longer than the map, lucky we had enough fuel. From Tennant Creek south to Wycliffe Well for the night.

26/8. A boring trip down the Stuart Highway to Alice Springs, we noticed the temperature a little cooler. My second rear tyre now worn out. Back to Roy’s place, a real bed for the night.

27/8. Roy took us for a ride down the Finke track (where the Finke Desert Race is run). It’s like a sandy motorcross track full of stutter bumps, you can barely sit down, giving your body a good work out, especially your legs. Great with a bald tyre. We went as far as Deep Well Bore, almost half way, then returned the same way, that was enough. Packed the van.

28/8. In the van south of Alice on the home run. It was a good wet in the desert this year, so many wild flowers were out in spectacular show. Camped just south of Glendambo.

29/8. Up at first light. Stopped at Lake Heart salt lake and wondered around for a couple of hours. We’d gone in the back way, then came across the wrong side of a no access sign, warning of unexploded missiles and military operations carried out on the lake, oh well. A stop at Lake Gairdner for a couple of hours, Port Augusta, Adelaide and Bordertown, pull over to sleep.

30/8. Up before daybreak, foggy all the way to Beafort, then a sunny day to welcome us home by 11.00am.

Travelled 4,700km in the van and 5,000km on the bike.

Total cost $2,765.00 all inclusive.

Had no punctures, no mechanical problems, not even chain adjustment.

No crashes.

Not a drop of rain, temperature mostly around the 30’s.

Rode every day for 22 days, an average of 227km a day.

Saw some mag places, not to mention all those magnificent boab trees.

Another great adventure over.

Andi ATK605.