"Oh Bugga." Part 6
“Oh Yippy” The Last “Oh Bugga” I Heard That!
Rolling South, towards Sydney we started to encounter some traffic, nothing like Friday night on the M6, just a few cars and trucks popping into our tinted visor picture and bringing the Harley back over into the left hand lane, a bit sharpish like. When you consider that Oz is about 24 times larger than the UK and that for about every ten people in England there are only about two and a bit in Australia, it’s pretty amazing that you ever see anyone at all. At one point, out in the middle of nowhere, we rolled up to the aftermath of a bad RTA (Road Traffic Accident). A body (very still) could be seen inside the pick up truck on it’s roof and bits of another car were all over the track. This was one of the very few times we saw any Australian Police activity. Amazingly, the road was (already) blocked off and the ambulance was on site. How they all got there so fast is still a mystery. An officer waved us off around the problem, off into a field of thick, deep, red mud. Annie decided to walk through, leaving me free to do a good impersonation of a muck-spreading farmer on the funny fags, as I ploughed through the bog, bringing a smile to the faces of some, even at this rather sad, tragic moment. You must understand that there are no “other” roads to use, not like here when we get sent off down the lanes to avoid a motorway problem. In Australia a road, or track, runs from one town to the next, so in the event of a crash the only way around it is to go “Off Road” across desert, bush, swamp or whatever.
At one outback fuel stop we saw two wooden pallets set flat and high up on a quiet river bank. Me, “That’s a bit strange” Annie, “Yes, but very pretty” a white sheet hung like a screen behind them and several bunches of flowers had been arranged as decoration. A couple of people arrived and explained to us that this platform was in fact the setting for a local wedding, to be held later that day. We sat and watched the water below and had the very rare treat of seeing a Duck Billed Platypus (and you think I’m ugly!)
At other stops we met a couple of other bikers, solo riders who like us had pulled in for fuel and a coffee. One guy was “Doing a bloody shop delivery, Sport” taking a nice new Moto-Guzzi up from Sydney to Darwin, that’s about a 3.000 miles delivery! “Just out for a ride” said the other guy, on the Honda GBR 600. He seemed quite shocked to learn that we had already ridden over 200 miles, that day, and that we would be riding another 100 at least, before sundown. We had agreed to have the hired Harley back in Paramatta by Christmas, so wind it on we did. Not long after that we started to see signs of civilisation, the giant “M” of a McDonalds (of course) marked the start of Sydney. Here the constant battle between giant sky scrapers, all fighting for space just seems daft to me, what with so much room “just round the corner”.
Back again at our mates posh flat, overlooking the Opera House, we had great delight every morning when the kitchen window was opened and in flew several buddy pairs of Rainbow Lorikeets, one of the most colourful birds anywhere! Although quite wild, these birds have no fear, they pop in for breakfast and eat their seed, directly from your hand.
After washing most of the red mudpack off the bike, we returned it to “The Nice Man” in his North Rocks shop, bang on time but with just over 2.500 additional miles on the clock, two worn out saddlebags and an almost empty fuel tank! He sorted the cash out with Annie, engine oil, rescue fee, etc, no problem.
The big verbal “punch up” that I had been ready for just didn’t take place, we shook hands and gave each other a very knowing smile, all very British! “Ta Ra Harley Babe, you did us proud” I said, as we waddled off towards the ferry looking for all the world like a pair of very dusty, bow legged gorillas.
Next we had a few days to do all the “normal” boring tourist type stuff, including a Christmas Eve meal, way up in the rotating crows nest restaurant, on top of Sydney’s tallest structure, the mast look alike, Centre Point Tower.
Christmas Day was spent sailing a flash yacht, along with some of the boats doing warm up laps ready for the big race down to Hobart in New Zealand, bought back some good memories of our circumnavigation, ten years before, Annie enjoys yachty dwinkypoos.
Hands on style Dolphin Watching is always almost beyond words, although I have dived with them many times I never fail to draw inspiration from these wonderfully intelligent creatures. This time, I hung, just on the waterline, in a rope cargo net on a boom rigged over the side of a motor boat. The dolphins came to play and I was able to reach out and touch them as they zoomed along with the boat. I looked into those bright knowing eyes and almost felt their sheer joy of living. “Hi Man” one said, “You in that human planet wrecking party” “Who me” I replied “No, not me, must be somebody else”. “Oh Ya”.
The submerged sandbank off Bondi Beach is responsible for the big rolling tunnel waves that make the place a Mecca for all surfers, although not as large as you might think, it is a very invigorating location.
New Years Eve in Sydney is always a mammoth event and Millennium night was billed to be the best ever, so we were right there in the middle of it! Annie had booked a table for dinner aboard one of the Captain Cook fleet. The card said “Black Tie” so I had to change out of my leather jeans and find two socks, the same colour. Annie looked like a million dollars in a long rainbow sequined evening dress and half a bottle of wine red hair dye. Her smile was as wide as the foot pegs on the Harley as we took our front row seats to watch the Worlds best (ever) fireworks show! “Squeak” “Squizz” and “Oh Goody”.
-5-4-3-2-1- Bang! “Happy New Year, Rainbow”. Happy New Year, Polar Bear”.
After hours of music, dancing, balloons, wine and fun the noise of happy party sounds faded, the big white boat slid gently back alongside the jetty and we all disembarked.
High up on Cremorne Point we sat on a park bench, just the two of us, silent, thoughts, memories, dreams and hopes filling our minds as we watched the sun came up and light the first day of the new millennium, as intended. One of those “Just once in a lifetime” things, a very special moment.
Oh yes, we also did “The Bridge Climb”. We had booked to do this one (two years in advance) as a sort of cherry on the cake, just before we flew home. It is one of those “must do” things when you visit Sydney, so put it on your list. The idea is to climb up one side of the giant Sydney Harbour Bridge, cross over at the top and climb back down the other side, easy! Well no, it’s not quite that simple. First you have to pay, between £75 & £100 each, depending on the day and your start time. In our group of ten, the Kiwi “Climbing Guide” gave us a thorough introduction and brief about what was going to take place. We all dressed in grey camouflaged overall suits (the suits blend in with the
bridge colours, so as not to distract drivers below!) Each climber also carries a radio, wet weather gear, cold weather fleece and even a handkerchief, all well secured to a strong harness. Once your short safety lanyard is “hooked on” to the continuous fixed wire, you stay on that wire for the next two to three hours or so, depending on the weather.
“Too late, you should have used the loo earlier”. “Oh Bugga”. We made our way up, step by step, slowly and over the giant arches of “The Coat Hanger” as the locals call it. Once on the top, 134m (440 feet in the old money) above the busy, blue, waters of the harbour, we took time to look down at 8 lanes of traffic and 4 rail tracks far below. The fact that this 52.000 ton Metal Lego kit was constructed so far back (1926 to1932) and that the whole thing is held together with well over 6.000.000 rivets is all quite mind boggling. It moves, it groans and it totally dominates. The panoramic view from the top is absolutely breath taking, so we really do recommend that you get up there. For more info about this climb, see the web site on: www.bridgeclimb.com Full details and good illustrations. We bought our real “Bridge Rivet” mantle shelf trophy, from the goody shop, as you do.
Last bit is to offer some advice, if I may. Anyone who fancies a bike ride in Oz would do well to contact a good bike dealership, like Fraser’s of Newcastle, well in advance. We know (now) that most dealers can and will, put you in touch with a good bike hire firm. Also check out all UK bike magazines and of course the web. We hired our Harley direct from a Hire Co, cash up front, but this left us entirely at the mercy of “The Nice Man”, not so good! For long trips you might consider buying the bike, dealers offer fair “buy back deals”. I would not recommend a Harley, fine on the Freeway but not so clever on the rough stuff. If I did it again I would go for a big trail bike, with a big fat fuel tank, something like a Triumph Tiger or Honda Africa Twin would be ideal.
“The Confessional”
Just before I leave you, can I put the record straight on a couple of points.
I got it wrong, so I’m told, when I said that Australia is the largest island on Earth.
Apparently, although Australia IS completely surrounded by water, it likes to be called an Island Continent. Greenland is in fact, the largest island, although the last time I was up there it was definitely joined to the North Pole, by ice …
“Bloody global warming sport” “Ya, probably”…. All together then …. “Oh Bugga”.
One other point, this story is all true, well almost all. I did tell you just the one wee little “porky”. Way back, in part one, when I said “All I had to do was to pack my Swiss Army Penknife, leave a note for the milkman and go”. I did take my special knife on the trip and it really was handy. However, we don’t actually have a milkman, sorry. I think it may be something to do with the fact that we are never at home long enough to pay him!
I once ended one of my tales with these words and they seem to fit right here too ….. “What’s next, well there is a place, a special secret place, where shadows stand still and big bright yellow butterflies queue to drink, from the tears of a turtle, shall we go and see?” Hope you are off to see the World too. Just do it, but as always, Stay Safe. Trev.
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