East Coast
Day 1, July 11th
Sydney to Nundle – 336 kms
Steve was wound up like a clock spring. Retirement, turning 60 and going on a 3 month motorcycle tour had meant his synapses were working overtime. He had to take a Stillnox to get to sleep he was so excited.
Russ arrived at the appointed hour for takeoff at 9am and was greeted by Lizi, Helena and Bridget who presented his mascot, an Apache (Russ’s pet) lookalike with a specially stitched in underbite which was attached to the onboard equipment. Steve has a Putty mascot but it is only 10 percent of the size.
Pulled out from Turrumurra to the farewells from the assembled throng. First stop at Laguna for coffee on the way up to Singleton and Nundle. Steve told Russ to hurry up and finish his coffee to which Russ replied, “what are you, my mother, are you in a rush to be somewhere” (it pays to lay down the ground rules early). Steve sat down again and waited. Up the road to Scone and then dirt through the Crawney pass and into Nundle. Beautiful initiation to dirt riding for Russ. Checked in and then had a sneaky French Rhone red. Lizi wanted to know where we got French wine from in Nundle and Steve said Russ’s pannier.
Dinner at the pub (the first and not last scotch fillet for the tour).
Day 2, July 12th
Nundle to Tenterfield – 360kms
Pulled out of Nundle and took a dirt road on the way to Walcha which hugged the Peel River. Steve recalled he had done a dirt rally nearby some years ago and it had a vicious hill in it which nearly went vertical, “lucky we aren’t doing that…….wait it’s the same road and the same hill, try not to stall Russ”
Rolled into Walcha for coffee and then bitumen to Tenterfield. Car park refreshments and then a great meal at the Commercial Hotel.
Day 3, July 13th
Tenterfield to Nightcap National Park – 192kms
A “slight” detour to visit Russ’s mate, Pete who has 22 acres within Nightcap National Park (behind Byron Bay). A fairly non-eventful ride down the Bruxner Highway across to the coast. Russ had rung Pete with an ETA and Pete responded that he was out getting provisions and he would remove the naked forest nymphs before we got there.
We arrived at about 1.30pm and Pete met us at the gate on his side by side and guided us through his private rainforest into his compound. Oysters and prawns were laid out for our arrival. We then did a tour of the property which was a hoot and then through the national park to Minion Falls. Then back to a roaring fire and a huge meal of various types of chicken cooked on “the rocket” (an old LPG cylinder cut in half).
A huge night of yarns (all Pete’s) and then Russ and Steve retired to their cottage
Day 4, July 14th
Nightcap National Park to Roma – 661kms
Woke up, fire was still going, Pete was still talking and cooked a huge breakfast for us while not taking a breath.
Today was about doing the mileage – 670kms in fact. We were supposed to go through Nimbin but the road was closed so after some backtracking we got on to the twists and turns of the Border Ranges until Warwick. It was then just steamrolling down the road until we got to Roma. Glad to be there we settled into our normal car park drinks when three vans pulled in from the Heart of Australia. They go all around Australia doing mobile heart clinics. These guys were all med student volunteers so it was fun listening to what they were up to. Nice crew doing a great service. Then off to the Club Hotel for dinner and a official levelling up process (where the wine pouring is carefully checked for equal portions).
Day 5, July 15th
Roma to Carnarvon Gorge – 249kms
Well today is the day we get our tyres changed for the dirt to come and just as well because Russ’s tyre was flat this morning. Steve was gob-smacked about the serendipity of the situation, but Russ just said let’s ride.
Nice guys that did the tyres. They told us to take their ute into town to kill the time. “The keys are in the beer holder”. So we did. We exchanged the Ute for our bikes two hours later and got on the road to Carnavon Gorge. Cows all over the road, 30 emus in a paddock and a brilliant road into the gorge. We are staying in Canarvon Wilderness Lodge which is more about comfort than wilderness. In fact, we have a French chef at the restaurant. Settled in on our balcony for an afternoon Chardonnay and were welcomed by wallabies, cows and White Winged Chough’s.
It’s a menagerie out here! We then went to dinner at the restaurant which was all staffed with French people. Russ tried to use his French, and they said stick with English, we’re in a hurry.
Day 6, July 16th
Carnarvon Gorge Rest Day
Got up early and went to breakfast served by our French friends. Steve had an early calling to go to the Gorge. Russ was using delaying tactics (pretending to answer important emails….who is he kidding) as it was still only 12 degrees and he didn’t want to ride to the Gorge in his tee shirt freezing his arse off. Under duress he joined Steve at 9 am to ride down.
Got straight into the gorge walk and overtook some cows that were in the track. Got to the amphitheater which is a must and then hot footed it towards the art gallery. After another 2 kms Steve said they are only dodgy rock sketches, we should go back and do the bluff while we have the energy. So we U-turned. There are a number of creek crossings on this track and are crossed by stepping stones. Unfortunately on our way to the bluff we run into a bus load of people from the Cabulture Probis club coming the other way. They would not yield to the Foxes so we had to wait for them all to cross. It wasn’t all bad though, it was like having a seat at a boat ramp….you know there will be some entertainment and sure enough there was…. swearing near misses and falls. We didn’t judge 
Day 7, July 17th
Canarvon Gorge to Belyando Crossing Roadhouse – 510kms
Like clockwork, the cockatoos woke us at 6:30. Having had two days sharing in our safari tent there was some final repacking to be done. First to breakfast at 7:30 on the dot; our French waitress knew our orders and general life preferences from prior encounters.
Loading the bikes was a bit of an effort and Steve seconded a cart to use as a bike trailer for the rest of the trip. Our new tyres were in need of a top up and the electric pump shattered the quiet morning and drowned out the bird calls.
Nevertheless our seriously loaded expedition machines attract all sorts of people and we get more tips on places to visit and how to safely navigate outback roads.
Barely underway we checked off another of the Big 5 with a pair of wild pigs crossing the road.
Google gave us the option to reduce our 519 km to 501 km with only a minute difference…it was 50 km of dirt starting with golf ball size blue metal but the surface settled down and soon Russ was streaking along like a pro with a backdrop of shimmering golden grass in the morning light. Roos and cows had to be negotiated with the QLD cows seemingly drugged and very passive.
From there it was a matter of eating kilometers, stopping at every second town for fuel. Emerald was the exception … what a huge town .. where we reloaded Russ’s panniers at BWS and savoured a pie at Harvey McGeorges favourite Fairburn Bakery. Multiple passers by were attracted to Patch and we had to explain he wasn’t real
Then more fueling and ploughing down big straights of road before arriving at the Oasis that is Belyando Crossing Roadhouse. It’s the sister town to bumfuck Egypt.
Day 8, July 18th
Belyano Roadhouse to Undara Volcanic National Park – 587kms
Now into the second week of the tour, but old fox habits die hard. The appointed breakfast time was 6.50 but Steve was hammering on Russ’s door at 6.35 asking if he was ready to go. 
We took the Gregory Development Rd up though Charters Towers and then the Kennedy Development Road through to the old favorite Savanna Way, for those Foxes that had done it in 2022. (Oh yeah that was Russ and Steve and of course the Gibster).
We reenacted in reverse the Kevinn with two “n”s split off at Mt Surprise. Anyone seen him since?
It was really a day of Roadhouses as not much in between. We arrived at our salubrious tents and were allowed to park in the dry gulch outside our tent. Steve had the foresight to book two tents as there is no way two of us and our accoutrement would fit in one. The lava park crowd are a lively bunch so we got to the bar early for a Chardy. Steve not impressed with the wine list, but while in Rome.
Day 9, July 19thUndara Volcanic Park to Cairns – 332kms
After spending a salubrious night in our raised floor tents sans ensuite we prepared to set off to Cairns. Steve had agreed to a 8:00 departure so was ready to depart at 7:15. He moved the bike from the dry gulch below the tents where the steeds had been tied up for the night. Russ looked out his tent door and thought Hydro had and up and left.
As there was no coffee we rode 100 km into Mt Garnet for a “Truckies Feast” at the BP station. We did briefly ride 20 km off route to see if we could get an aerial shot of a big caldera but alas the lip was higher than max legal flying height. We didn’t have time to walk to the rim so off we went.
After the big brekkie Steve took us on alternate route to Atherton via Irvinebank. Turns out it was an historic mining trail and immediately turned to rough rocks and slippery gravel. We persisted and were rewarded with a couple of very scenic waterholes. But then at kilometer 21 in the trail there was a total washout of the road with a 2 foot drop into the rocks of dry stream bed followed by a vertical ascent. It was decided that he who go through that obstacle is not coming back so we turned around and retraced the same shitty trail to the main road. With both side-tracks managed to turn an easy 270km day into a 335 km tiring one!
We rolled into Cairns mid-afternoon and went straight to Steve’s Neice’s place where she had kindly received the mail order supplies to service the bikes. New oil and filters and we retired to our hotel for a nap.
Grace showed us around town in the evening first visiting an amazing wine bar with a huge inventory of special wines. Then it was into Ochre for a superb Australian native ingredient inspired noveau extravaganza. The owners have apparently cooked for Lady Di and Prince William. And to cap it all off went to a happening bar and savoured a cheeky Chateauneuf du Pape. Day done!
Silver Foxes Motorcycle Club Australia 
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