During April and May 2008, Ann and I are riding our Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic in the Rumble to the Rock to Ayer's Rock. The purpose of the ride is to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA). The Rumble to the Rock web site has more information on the ride. This page is our record of the ride.
Our first try at packing four weeks worth of clothes resulted in a bag weighing 15.5 kg. Three more attempts and we got total weight of packed clothing down to 5.2 kg. It all fits nicely into the back of the bike now. And there's even room for some extras to be added on the ride.
Ripped a dozen CDs down to two MP3 CDs for playing in the Ultra's CD/MP3 player. Good range of music from classic to rock and blues. We'll set the system to play random tracks.
Left home at about quarter past seven on a cool, sunny Anzac day morning. Headed south along Steve Irwin Way and the Bruce Highway to the service centre at Burpengary. Looking right across the highway we could see a number of bikes and riders waiting for the ride north to Rockhampton. We joined them after filling the tank at the BP service station. Said hello to a few riders and forgot most of their names. Then just before eight o'clock, started the journey north back up the Bruce Highway.
598 km later arrived at Rocky. BBQ dinner at the HD dealer and collected our bags of goodies with shirts, key ring, drink cooler and other stuff.
Early start from Rocky. Grey sky and cool, humid mist. Rode west on the Capricorn Highway. Within half an hour the mist had lifted and clear blue skies were all around. The air was cold. Stopped at Duaringa for breakfast. The day was warming and by the time we reached Alpha, it was hot. Final stretch from Alpha to Barcaldine. A long, hot day.
West again this morning. Kangaroos resting in the long, cool early morning shadows. Slowed right down for one roo as he decided to hop along with us rather than stay in the shadows. Stopped for beakfast at a cafe in Ilfracombe with Jack. Three truckies at the next table discussing log book regulations.
Countryside getting flatter. Trees becoming fewer. No more roos to be seen, but plenty of emus. Passed by a 747 jumbo and stopped for petrol in Longreach. North-west to Winton. Stopped by police about 12 km out of Winton and breathalyzed. Lucky it was me who blew into the bag and not one of the other rumblers - quite a few with hangovers from last night in Barcaldine.
Checked into the room. Walked around town. Sat outside the pub and chatted with other rumblers for the rest of the day. The local police dropped by to keep the peace. No arrests needed after a preemptive caution of a biker and his dog.
468 km to Mount Isa today. Cool morning start again. Not many trees. Lots of straw coloured grass with orange-red heads of seed. Stopped for fuel and breakfast in Kynuna. Short run to McKinlay to top up the tank and check out Crocodile Dundee's Walkabout Creek Hotel. Long hot run to Cloncurry. Camels, emus and cattle scattered about amongst the stunted trees and dry grass. Then the best scenery of the ride so far travelling from Cloncurry to Mount Isa. Red, weathered hills and rocks with patches of spinifex and stunted trees - beautiful country.
Finished the day with a thunder ride through Mt Isa led by the Mt Isa H.O.G. chapter. Included a ride through a pub to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
The longest ride of the Rumble today - 629 km. Packed the bike by torchlight for a pre-dawn start to the day. Followed a line of cars heading out to work at the West Mount Isa mine. Then on our own as the cars peel off to the mine site.
The sun is creeping over the horizon in the east but the air is cold. Breakfast and fuel in Camooweal. The stretch from Camooweal to Barkley Homestead (the next fuel stop) is 255 km, so although the NT speed limit is 130 km/hr, we've set the cruise control to 110 km/hr to conserve fuel.
Last stretch for the day from Barkley Homestead to Three Ways. Plenty of fuel, so wind up the throttle to 130 km/hr and let the cruise control take over. Check in to our "luxurious" accomodation at Three Ways. Yes, that is a container on the left. And no, this is not a photo of the ablution block. Our "cabin" is second from the right.
Rode into Tennant Creek for dinner. First sights were 24 x 7 security cars patrolling the streets, iron-barred doors and windows on all the shops, and dispirited aborigines roaming the streets. What a sad place.
Top up fuel at Tennant Creek. Wycliffe Well for breakfast. Fuel and drink at Ti Tree. Ann felt sorry for a camp dog. A beautiful dog, but just skin and bone. Fed her the last of my icecream and bought her a sausage. (The dog, not Ann.)
Made it into Alice Springs in the early afternoon. Went for a ride into town. Rode up to the top of Anzac Hill and took in beautiful views of the town.
Dinner in town. Then back to the cabin for the night. On the way back pulled over and breathalyzed again. That makes one breath test in each state and territory on this trip so far. Off to the rock tomorrow.
First stop today was Stuarts Well. Breakfast and a recital by Dinky the dingo.
The land has changed again. Still desert, but before where there were rocky ridges and hills, there are now sand dunes - red sand dunes covered with patches of pale green spinifex and stunted trees. Passed by Devil's Marbles - magnificent rock formations.
In the distance we can see Ayers Rock. Almost there. Check-in at the camp ground. Then off to the rock to take a look and group photos. The Olgas are magnificent too.
85 km to Curtin Springs riding east into the rising sun. Beautiful view of Mount Conner from Curtin Springs where we stop for breakfast. Left turn onto the Lupitja Road and we're on our way to Kings Canyon.
We're exhausted. Must be the week of riding and the distance we've covered. Got a room upgrade at Kings Canyon - a room with a spa. Rested for a while then refuelled and rode out to the canyon. Met up with everyone for drinks, then a meal. Finally back into the room and the spa. The night sky is incredible.
Back to Alice today for the weekend and farewells to rumblers going different ways back home.
Lots of wildlife roaming on the road this morning - dingoes, kangaroos, brumbies and camels. About 40 km past Kings Creek is the silhouette of a camel against the early morning sun. Apply the brakes hard and come to stop a few metres short of a young camel. She kicks off across the road in front of us and we start off again.
Fuel and breakfast at Erldunda. More fuel at Stuarts Well. Then north to Alice.
Rest day in Alice today. Had a lie in this morning. Off to the markets in Todd Street mall for 9 AM.
Rode out to Simpson Gap. Spotted black footed rock wallabies. Cooled down by a billabong at the gap.
Back on the road. Out to Standley Chasm. Another great day.
Straight down the highway into South Australia today. Overnight stop at Marla.
Short ride to Coober Pedy. Dirt has changed colour from red to white. The desert is now mostly flat and stoney. The weather is changing. It's still dry and sunny, but it's much cooler.
Checked into our underground room at the hotel. Explored the town and surrounds. Very dry. Stopped at the underground pottery and Ann tumbled off the bike into the dust. A little sore, but recovered well with a bar of chocolate.
Another early start today for the ride down to Port Augusta. The sky is clear and the air is cold. The longest stretch without fuel of the ride this morning. The odometer ticks over to 265 km as we arrive at Glendambo for fuel and breakfast. Only 1.2 litres of fuel left in the tank.
Riding south from Coober Pedy through the Woomera Prohibited Area the landscape is changing again. Some grass is starting to cover the ground and small trees and shrubs are appearing. In the distance there is a dark grey mist. About 150 km out of Coober Pedy we enter the mist. It is eery. It is cold.
We put on extra jackets after breakfast and continue south. The wind has picked up and the mist is clearing, but there is cloud cover. Another fuel stop at Pimba, then on to Port Augusta.
Arrive at Port Augusta in the early afternoon. Change of plan for tomorrow. Instead of riding to Kapunda, we're going to Adelaide. The rear tyre tread is looking thin, so we've got the bike booked in for a new tyre to be fitted.
A shorter run today. Just to Adelaide. It's cool and cloudy, but dry. Breakfast at Redhill, then on to Adelaide.
New rear tyre fitted at Peter Stevens Motor Cycles (Harley Heaven) in Franklin Street. That should keep us going for about another 16,000 km. Packed a pile of unnecessary clothes and posted them back home - 13 kg total weight.
Tomorrow will be a rest day here in Adelaide. Thinking about going to the movies.
Decided not to go to the movies - nothing interesting on. Walked to the Adelaide City Markets and had breakfast there. Wandered around the markets for a couple of hours. Lots of food.
Ann spent the afternoon in Rundle Mall while I found a warm sunny spot and read the newspaper. A good, restful day.
On the road again today. Bright, cool, sunny day in Adelaide as we head south-east towards Murray Bridge. We climb into the hills and a damp, cold fog wraps around us. It clears before Murray Bridge where we stop for breakfast.
Continue south-east after breakfast. The landscape is now rural. Farms with fences, green grass, tall gum trees, sheep and dairy cattle.
Turn south onto the Riddoch Highway at Keith. The sky is grey, but there is no rain - just the threat of it. Vineyards start appearing with signs saying "Penfold", "Seppelt" and "Lindeman". The vines are fiery red and orange - the colours of autumn.
Stop for a late lunch in Penola. Last stretch is 51 km to Mount Gambier - a picture postcard little town. We ride through to the Blue Lake where we are staying for the night.
There has been light rain overnight. No rain this morning but the road is wet and it is cloudy. Just 18 km out of Mount Gambier we cross the border into Victoria. The clouds are thinning and more blue sky is appearing.
At Homerton we turn right and head south to the coast. We're in dairy country now. Soon we turn onto the Princes Highway with Bass Straight on our right. We turn off the highway at Port Fairy for a late breakfast. Ann has a ball visiting every shop in town.
Next stop is Warrnambool for fuel - petrol for the bike, ice cream and milkshake for us. Onto the Great Ocean Road now. Stop for a look at the Bay of Islands and then we arrive at Port Campbell for our overnight stop.
A perfect winter's day - cold, no wind, no clouds, bright sunshine. A great day to ride the Great Ocean Road. The ocean is calm and blue. We stop at the Twelve Apostles.
Breakfast at Lavers Hill. Sit outside the cafe in the sunshine. Could stay here all day. Back on the road. Hills are steeper and corners are sharper. Reminds us of the road to Big Sur in California.
Next stop - for fuel - is Apollo Bay. This is a beautiful little seaside town. The hills and turns start to smooth out. We enter "civilisation" again - traffic lights, stop signs, suburbia. Our destination today was Queenscliffe, but we decide to cross Port Phillip Bay on the ferry to Sorrento.
Breakfast in Sorrento. Escape the suburbs of Mornington Peninsula. Yarragon for morning tea. Rode through the Latrobe Valley with views of power stations and smoke stacks.
Lunch at Stratford on the Avon River. Doesn't look much like Stratford-Upon-Avon in England. Made it to Lakes Entrance mid afternoon. Met up with a couple of rumblers desperately seeking oysters in the Safeway Arcade.
Left at dawn. Beautiful countryside shrouded in mist. Left turn at Cann River. It is freezing cold this morning. Stopped at Orbost in Snowy Mountains country for breakfast.
Fog and mist lifts as we leave Orbost and head north on the Monaro Highway to Bombala. We're climbing the Great Dividing Range. Suddenly the temperature drops and we find ourselves in a heavy mist. Now it is really, really freezing cold. I can feel the bike vibrate with Ann's shivering. Temperature has dropped from 15C to 7C.
Found a little bakery in Orbost. The only table was taken by a couple of bikers from Sydney. We joined them - no way we were going to sit outside. Add more layers of clothing and continued north after lunch. Almost immediately the fog lifted and we are once again in sunshine. Fuel at Cooma, then a short ride into Canberra.
Too cold to take photos yesterday and today.
Work at the ANU for me. Shopping in Belconnen for Ann.
Another day of work at the ANU for me. Shopping in Civic for Ann.
The weather forecast is for a cold front to pass through this afternoon, followed by rain and storms. We take the Federal Highway north out of Canberra and soon merge onto the Hume Highway. The weather is dry and cold with extreme wind gusts. We're getting tossed from side to side in the lane by the wind.
We turn off at Goulburn for breakfast and petrol. A couple watch us park the bike and then come over to admire it. Turns out that they ride scooters. We have a bit of a chat and then follow them into a cafe for breakfast.
After filling the bike we're back on the Hume Highway. Turn off to Berrima and meet up with the grand kids. A couple of joy rides with kids on the back, then lunch. After lunch the rain has started falling. Decide to stay in Bowral tonight and tomorrow.
Rest day in Bowral today. The weather is perfect again: cold, sunny and dry. Spend the morning in Bowral like all the other tourists. Back to the hotel after lunch in the afternoon to relax reading newspapers and magazines.
Leisurely start to the day. Pack the bike and ride up to Mittagong for breakfast. It is sunny and dry, a little warmer than yesterday.
Eventually get away from Mittagong and find our way back onto the Hume Highway. Soon we're passing Camden and the University of Western Sydney.
The Hume Highway becomes the M5 tollway and we're surrounded by cars and trucks heading into Sydney. The traffic is terrible. We ride through the M5 tunnel for what seems like forever before eventually being released back into daylight and fresh air.
Ride past the airport. More tunnels - under the runways. Then onto the Eastern Distributor and eventually turn out briefly into the city near the Domain to get onto the road to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Over the bridge, onto the Warringah Expressway, then heavy traffic all the way to Brookvale in Sydney's northern suburbs for our hotel. Dinner at the Manly Sea Eagles Rugby Leagues Club.
A quiet day. I visit my parents today. Ann shops at Warringah Mall.
South through Sydney down past Wollongong and Port Kembla to Shellharbour. The day starts out fine, dry and warm. Leaving Sydney the weather changes. Our first serious rain of the trip. We get our wet weather gear on and take it easy. Rain stops after descending Bulli Pass.
Pick up grand kids from school. Liam rides pillion. Ice cream for dessert.
Day off in Shellharbour. Maddi rides pillion to school.
Leave Shellharbour late in the morning. Head north towards home. Ride through the western and northern suburbs of Sydney before finding our way onto the Pacific Highway north. Sun getting low in the sky as we near Newcastle. Find a motel in Maitland just before sunset.
Turned inland onto the New England Highway from Maitland this morning. Lots of fog and very cold at Muswellbrook where we stop for breakfast. North from Muswellbrook to Tamworth for lunch. Lovely warm day now. Short ride to Armidale for overnight stop.
Last day of the ride. Cold this morning. The bike is white with frost. Takes a little longer than normal to turn over the engine. We're both rugged up to keep as warm as we can on the bike. Taking it easy so as not to slide on the frosty road.
Pass through Guyra - "the top of the Great Dividing Range" - on the way to Glenn Innes for breakfast. Continue north and finally cross the border into Queensland. Stanthorpe for lunch. Then on through Warwick and down the range towards Ipswich.
Into city traffic. Back onto the Bruce Highway. Pass our starting point at Burpengary service centre, then we're on Steve Irwin Way and soon turning into Beerwah. Home again. It's been a great 31 days on the road.
Next week the bike will be serviced. We'll pack our bags again. And crate up the bike ready for shipment on the 2nd of June for the next trip: the Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary ride across the USA. Can't wait!
The organisers of the Rumble to the Rock did a great job. $45,000 was raised for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Ann and I are looking forward to the next rumble ride.