Distance: 609km
Dep: 7:30am
Arr: 4:00pm
Temperature: 18°C - 32°C
Total distance to date: 9116km
Route:
- Broome
- Fitzroy Crossing
- Halls Creek
Caption: Ready to leave the nicest place we've ever stayed at. Definitely coming back to Broome!
There was a bit of reluctance in packing up this time. Something about Broome told us that we are meant to come back and enjoy more of it at a later date, but alas today is not the day. It's our first time heading completely eastbound in the trip, and that meant our cute little accoms in a coastal paradise and into slightly rougher areas of the state.
The weather was perfection as we backtracked the 30km out of Broome toward Roebuck Plains Roadhouse, though we kept at the speed limit to slip unnoticed amongst the buzzing morning weekday traffic. It wasn't exactly Melbourne CBD peak hour, but Broome level traffic.
We pulled into Roebuck Plains like any other roadhouse we've stopped at. The kind lady at the til was enthused about our arrival, so when we entered:
"You girls on bikes? Not on the back? You riding your own?"
"Yeah! We've come from Melbourne, it's been a great adventure so far."
"Yeah that's wicked. Good on ya mate! More girls on bikes. I always wanted to learn. But I never got on them. Love it. More girls on bikes!!"
We grabbed a couple of chicken salad rolls to enjoy in the back dining area while admiring the massive collection of novelty license plates on the wall. It was interesting going from the Broome vibes of white sandy beaches, palm trees, surfing and 4WDs, to red dirt, truckies, and cowboy vibes 30km later.
Caption: Nothing about this place told anyone that Cable Beach was only 30km away. Collectable novelty license plates decked the walls, along with bull horns and colourful fishing shirts.
I scanned the wall, and thought to myself that it was a privilege to have been to nearly every location on the wall.
"Birdsville"
"Mt Dare Hotel"
"Cairns"
"Sydney"
I contemplated whether any real Sydneysider would ever own a novelty license plate like this, but at least it had the Opera House on it. The juxtaposition of this iconic building inside a roadhouse like this was a bit amusing.
Caption: Breathtaking views from one of the several bridges we crossed on our way to Willare Roadhouse. Quite the difference from the red dust we've been seeing the past few days.
The first ride out to Willare along the Savannah Way felt brief. It was quite lush and green, with tall grasses and trees on both sides. The views were flat, straight, and homogenous for the first 2/3 of the ride, followed by some incredible views off several bridges. We entered into what seemed like a cemetery full of brown tombstones that extended so far you couldn't see where it ended. Termite mounds were littered all across the grassy plain, each one housing millions of critters that keep the local ecosystem alive.
One view was so breathtaking that I had to pull over and walk back to snap a shot. It was a great way to kickstart another ride day, and so far WA hasn't disappointed us. The bikes needed little to no input, which meant I could feel the music even deeper in my soul.
Caption: Fun signage at Willare, taken shortly before getting told to move my bike.
Caption: The almighty plug is still going strong, but a strange wear pattern is starting to appear on the rear tyre of both bikes.
Willare Roadhouse was wide, red, and dusty. We snapped a couple of photos and went in to pay. As we learned, the staff were a bit less enthused than the Roebuck team about having motorbike visitors and told us to move our bikes because we're blocking the way. A handful of other patrons were spread out over the parking lot, and nobody was waiting for the queue, but I reassured her that we're on our way and left it at that.
Caption: The scenery was starting to lose its deep redness. Instead, a bushier green landscape took its place.
Shortly after leaving the roadhouse, we're presented with the option of either continuing straight to head north toward Derby, or a sharp right turn and onto the road toward Fitzroy Crossing. My whole body felt like it shut down at the T-intersection, because 8 years ago, a traumatic event burned its way into my memories and hasn't left since. The electronic signs on the left reassured us that our path to Fitzroy Crossing, and then to Halls Creek was indeed "OPEN" in big bold letters.
"Area prone to flooding" sent multiple shivers through my whole body. It was over 30°C at this point, and my skin felt cold. The grass and trees on both sides of the road looked identical to my lap in 2017, but I had little recollection of what the road actually looked like. At the time, the water was so deep that I couldn't see the road, and had no choice but to get through 6 consecutive water crossings to get to Fitzroy Crossing.
Caption: The MT-09's short fuel range had us stop 10km outside of Fitzroy Crossing just to ensure we make it all the way to the servo.
Thankfully, our run was fast and uneventful all the way into town, despite a few stray cows and a small herd of wild horses that quietly observed us from the safety of the bush. Faint memories of this place reappeared, and I remembered rocking up into the Shell in 2017 and slipping into the petrol station while the local police watched my bike.
Caption: The heavily barricaded Shell petrol station in Fitzroy Crossing.
It was that kind of place, and it showed. The servo was so heavily guarded that thick metal sheets were placed to protect the petrol bowers and the front glass doors of the shop. The building was made of a thick brick that was now decorated with graffiti, and rubbish was scattered all throughout the lot. It was a far cry from the otherwise pristine towns of WA, which for the most part is completely litter-free. I watched the bikes while Steph went in to grab a couple of meat pies and pay for our petrol.
As we made our way out of town we nodded to a few of the locals who looked at us with curiosity. The nearest rest stop after Fitzroy Crossing happened to be an equally litter-filled lot about 20km away, which seems like the perfect place to enjoy a bush wee and a steak and pepper traveller's pie.
In 2017, due to the water crossings pushing my timeline back by a few hours, I left Fitzroy Crossing at 3pm with over 300km to cover to Halls Creek. We had much more time on this trip, so I made sure to stop and enjoy the scenery that I had missed while sprinting through the desert.
Caption: The approach to Halls Creek turned out more hilly and scenic than I imagined. We're also not racing the sun, nor have we done 6 water crossings earlier, so we were fresh enough to do this.
Approaching Halls Creek was nostalgic to say the least. I could picture my younger self at full throttle with the sun setting on my back, and I recall the exact place that I stopped to refill petrol - a lookout point on the right side that overlooked the Mueller Ranges. The hills started growing higher, the road started bending ever so slightly, and all the while I was mentally prepared to emergency brake for a family of bovines or a disgruntled wild goat.
Caption: Jagged little hills with long straight roads heading to Halls Creek.
I also did the majority of this final run in complete darkness, so it felt like I was doing the road for the first time. When I arrived in Halls Creek last time, I had just overcome one of the toughest rides of my life (and still remains one of the toughest to date, 8 years on). If I'm honest, as brave as I had to be that day, I did feel quite scared riding into town after dark.
Caption: Arriving in Halls Creek - a sign I definitely wouldn't remember from the last lap.
Halls Creek itself welcomed you (according to the sign) and it didn't feel quite like Fitzroy Crossing. The bowsers weren't sheathed in metal, and the locals smiled at you. Our motel was a heavily gated property that linked to a sports bar. On Wednesdays they hold a local pool competition, and it seemed to be the thing to do in Halls Creek. I also didn't think I would get bill shock on a bottle of water yet again, but the $9 Mount Franklin 1.5L took the gold medal. Ah well, to be amongst a crowded restaurant of energetic locals was a good energy to be in after a day of riding, and it felt nice to add new memories to this place.
