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Melbourne

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Our final day in Australia. We have packed our bags and are a bit worried we will be overweight, it will be close. I called an uber to take Robyn and the bags to the shipper and I set off on the bike. I only took one wrong turn, the spaghetti junctions do confuse me. Anyway we got there ok. The shipping guys are super helpful and friendly and chatted away while I stripped down the bike to make it smaller. The boss came down and asked what we were going to do and we said we would just uber to the airport hotel. He insisted it was way too early for that, told us of a nice place to look around shops and have lunch and lent us a car to get there! So that is what we did and when we were done he dropped us off at the airport. Great service. 23500km about the same as our 2019 trip from London to Kuala Lumpur! So that’s a wrap. Australia done and dusted. We have had a great time over the two trips, Australia has exceeded our expectations, but we are looking forward to returning home and planni...
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Melbourne

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We are pretty well ahead of schedule so it really was a day of relaxing. We packed up what we could and I did a bit of extra fussy cleaning of the bike. There is a fabulous coffee shop across the road so a leisurely morning tea was in order. View from the apartment. Robyn wandered around a few shops and I chilled. It sounds very boring but ordinary is just what we need right now. We decided to see the movie “ Small things like these” starring Cillian Murphy. Not exactly light entertainment but a powerful and beautifully crafted movie. We met Elizabeth for a drink and dinner by way of a big thank you for looking after our motorbike these last few months. It is much appreciated.
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Bendigo to Melbourne

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A cool start to the day at 10 degrees. We decided just to go the quickest way to Melbourne as rain was forecast. So dual carriageway and motorway all the way. In the hills behind Melbourne the temp dropped to 6, so we pulled off so Robyn could install batteries into her heated gloves. She is so lucky her husband had them at hand and fully charged. So into the spaghetti of Melbourne roads we went and after only one misdirection we arrived at our apartment in South Yarra. As luck would have it we were able to check in early and also able to avail ourselves of a covered carpark. We wandered across the road for lunch and luckily have found a carwash in the carpark under the complex we were in. They had never washed a motorbike before but were happy to give it a go . Come back in one hour…. Perfect. 1 1/2 hours later the bike is spik and span and ready for export. At one point three people were working on it. Best $40 spend of the trip. We then walked 3.5 km to Elizabeth’s place to collect ...
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Bendigo

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We have enjoyed a day off the bike especially with the weather being so nice. After a leisurely breakfast we ubered to the other side of Bendigo to visit a motorcycle accessory store. AMX Bendigo is part of a large chain and most branches are quite big so there is a good opportunity to compare and try on items for several suppliers. Our next trip (watch this space) will be a different style of trip so different gear is needed. So suitably lightened of $$ we ubered back to the hotel to try on our new kit. We then walked a few hundred metres to a tourist tram line which has survived and risen from the ashes of the public tram system which was scrapped many years ago. There is a dedicated group of enthusiasts who have lovingly restored the carriages. The tourist line is not long but stops at points of interest along the way and you can hop on and off as you please. Bendigo is a gold mining town and in it’s day was the most prosperous town in Australia as evidenced by some very impressive ...
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Mildura to Bendigo

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We have spent most of the day on the same road we were on a few days ago but the road is good and not too busy. Mostly a farming scene today and being Sunday there were lots of caravans on the road. A pleasant enough days travel with beautiful sunshine and a pleasant 19 degrees We have arrived in Bendigo where we will spend 2 nights . Bendigo has an autumn feel about it now. We feel we are on the home straight now so just want a chill day before we hit Melbourne and get into our work to prepare the bike for shipping etc.
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Broken Hill to Mildura

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After consulting google maps I decided on the back road today. It looked more interesting than the Silver City highway but it did add 100kms to the day. But first it was a visit to the top of the massive slag heap which overlooks Broken Hill and a visit to the very impressive miners memorial. I think there must have been about 1000 memorial plaques with name, age and cause of death. Lots of falls and crushing injuries but also many many lung related illnesses, especially in the earlier years. Hopefully with better awareness and ppe this is now a thing of the past. We then set off on our adventure ride and it turned out to be a treat. A lovely road winding through a desert landscape, I don’t know why but I’m drawn to this type of environment, some people look and see nothing, but I see a visual kalaidescope of colour and shapes and find it really beautiful. Most of the day was like that, in places there was more scrub in places. Dust storm in the distance. We came to a series of massive...
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Broken Hill

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A relaxing day today. After a bit of a lie in and leisurely breakfast we wandered to the I site. Then it was a nearly 3k walk up and down dale in search of an art museum we had heard about. Pro Hart art gallery and a tribute to his life. The life he lead makes me feel sedentary and inadequate. He lived in Broken Hill for all his 77 years. Worked in the mines for 20 years. Produced an estimated 100000 paintings which are brilliant also a sculptor, car and motorcycle collector, bodybuilder and state level champion pistol shooter and avid art collector. Somehow he found time to sire 5 children. A real treat of a gallery and a highlight for sure. We then wandered back into town and spent the rest of the day between just chilling and wandering around the shops and cafes. Also I enjoyed reading the street signs, Oxide, Chloride, Bromide, Beryl and Sulphide streets to name a few. A memorial to lost miners on top of the huge slag heap. Nice to have a day off the bike without anything in partic...
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