Karumba to Cloncurry

For today and the next couple it is all about getting through somes miles and managing ourselves in the heat. We are currently carrying 10 litres of water and we can increase it to about 14 if need be. We are in the outback now and a breakdown or mishap can have dire consequenses if we are unprepared. So we have plenty of water, food and shelter as well as two emergency distress options, we have done what we can. 

Anyway it was 25 when we set off and the sun was still low in the sky when we set off at 7:30. For the first hour we rode directly into it so I kept my speed to a reasonable pace as there was much roadkill to avoid. There is always much bird activity around these sites, at home we might see one or two Hawks dealing to a possum but over here it’s not unusual to see twenty or more. The Hawk population is huge and I’m not surprised as there is plenty of food. I believe the latest estimate of the Kangaroo population is 55 million. 

We gassed up back in Normanton and were advised that there was gas available at a roadhouse about 200km down the road but it was expensive. I thought I could make it all the way if I rode at about 100kmh but as we have 2 auxilliary tanks I added about 7 litres. 

So away we went into the outback. The road was good and the surroundings went from bush to scrub to grasslands but mostly scrub. 

In one area there were termite mounds as far as the eye could see both left and right. 

We stopped at the roadhouse and as I had used less than 1/2 a tank I didn’t gas up. 

We had a drink and got chatting to another biker, Johan from Germany on another bike like ours. 

We then set off again but it was now 30+. As Robyn doesn’t get the same air flow as me we have devised a little strategy that seems to help. I sit offset to the left of the bike and she can feel some of the frontal airflow directly. It’s not too hard for me as the road is so straight and the bike is on cruise control for most of the time. I just have to stay focused on missing dead kangaroos. 

I also increased the pace a bit but the price to pay for this was higher fuel consumption. So after the low fuel warning light came on I pulled into the first layby we came to. 

There was a toilet block which we both used and when Robyn came out she said there was a notice on the back door of the ladies saying “Do you need mental health help, if so phone……….” Now I’m not trying to diminish the impact of mental disorders but we did have a chuckle about it as we climbed onto a motorbike in the outback in 35 degree heat at 68 years old! 

So into Cloncurry by 1pm, checked in and turned the a/c on full.