Distance: 581km
Dep: 10:30am
Arr: 6:30pm
Temperature: 5°C - 22°C
Total distance to date: 14,070km
Route:
- Roxby Downs
- Pimba
- Port Augusta
- Peterborough
- Tanunda
Caption: We had to get a photo with this beautiful sign before we left. After seeing so many town signs across Australia, someone's put their heart and soul into designing this one.
There's such a nice sense of security when staying in a place like Roxby Downs. It's a bit of an end point with not much else to get to other than the mines to the north. Roxby is not a place one goes to for holiday, nor can most go beyond Roxby without a 4WD. It's a relatively safe place and has a family feel to it.
We had left the bikes outside on the driveway unlocked, with the panniers still attached to Nena. It was the first place in weeks where we didn't fear that they would get stolen, or even touched. Once we managed to wait out the frosty air and load up our bags, an egg and bacon muffin with hollandaise sauce (thanks Kim for the recommendation) set us straight for the first leg of the trip.
It was a short and cruisy leg to Pimba, but a necessary one if we were going to make it 180km to Port Augusta. Spuds Roadhouse only sold 95 Octane but luckily it was only a minor top up.
Caption: The South Australian outback landscape - flat, straight, and red.
As we headed due south toward Port Augusta, I couldn't help but think that the many days and weeks we've spent in the outback, riding thousands of kilometres of these roads, only for it to conclude within the next couple of hours. That feeling of confidence that there isn't a speed trap around the corner started to dwindle as we approached the first major town since Alice Springs. A greater number of vehicles appeared on the road somehow, though I'm not sure where they came from as there are only a few minor dirt roads leading into the Stuart Highway.
The Flinders Ranges started to appear out of nowhere to the left, which felt abrupt after what felt like days of riding across completely flat terrain. A sign greeted us as soon as we entered Port Augusta, and the temptation to turn right was almost unbearable.
Port Augusta would be the only settlement in the entire trip in which we would visit twice, and it was a surreal moment passing through the one main street, imagining a much cleaner version of ourselves heading the other direction 34 days ago.
Following Kim's advice, we cut through the southern part of Flinders Ranges via Horricks Pass toward Peterborough. It only added about 30km to our overall day, but the sweeping bends and beautiful twists and turns made it very much worthwhile. Farmland and vineyards started appearing on both sides, but vehicles were limited to local work utes with the occasional bumbling caravan.
Caption: The Flinders Ranges heading into Horricks Pass.
Petersborough to Tanunda in the Barossa Valley seemed pretty straight forward. By now we've become pros at estimating the remaining distance, time, speed, and the sunset and we knew we had a very good chance of making after dark. We simply followed Google Maps, point, and shoot.
Caption: Gravel roads mean nothing to us these days. The bikes can handle it, but the sun was already nearing the horizon by now.
There was a 20km stint of gravel road, but nothing crazy enough to worry about. We had been doing random gravel roads throughout the trip and this one was no different. Nena skimmed across the road with ease, with Winona the MT-09 not far behind. When we finally reached pavement again, we continued on our merry way with the sun just hovering above the horizon.
Caption: The gravel wasn't too deep for the most part. Just dusty and pebbly with a few ridges of deep spots to keep you on your toes.
[On the intercom]
Steph: "My bike is starting to feel a bit odd."
Me: "Why? What happened?"
Steph: "It feels like the front tyre is levitating."
Me: "This is a pretty bumpy road, but maybe go in front of me so I can check your tyres."
Steph cruises past me and I look down at her rear tyre. Only 3cm of rubber was separating her rim from the road. It wasn't just flat, it was South Australian outback kind of flat. It seems like Winona felt some FOMO from Nena's tyre dramas.
Caption: The only spot we could pull over that wasn't on a curve. Still, every so often we would get a vehicle blasting past us at 100kph+. Everyone wanted to get home before sunset, which was quickly disappearing.
It also just so happens that the next 5km had a few bends through it with no safe place to pull over. The last thing we wanted was for a work ute or roadtrain to come up from behind and take us out. Every kilometre she rolled on that tyre increased the risk of the tyre coming off the rim. When we finally found a safe(ish) place to stop, we rolled the bike back and forth to try to find the puncture.
Caption: The road was grassy and soft, often with a bit of a ditch, on both sides. Not the most ideal stretch to realise you've got a puncture.
Third time's a charm. I finally found an irregular hole in the tyre that definitely looked like a rock from the gravel road sliced a bit of it. Just at that moment, a tiny, beat up white car came down the driveway.
Woman inside the car: "You guys okay?"
Me: "Ah, yeah we just discovered a puncture."
Woman: "Okay. I'm on a deadline but I'll send someone down!"
Caption: The tyre repair kit makes a 3rd appearance in 40 days. I was down to my last plug, but luckily I bought 20 more in Darwin for our next trip.
Not 10 minutes later, a dust cloud appears in the distance, near where the woman first appeared. A man in a plaid shirt and jeans raced down on his DRZ and skidded to a stop right behind us. He didn't know much about tubeless tyres, but he did watch me perform yet another puncture repair using our nifty little kit and then watched the portable air compressor in action. The tyre was so flat that the air compressor ran out of battery, so he invited us up to the farm house to fill it up.
Caption: Having a yarn with Matt, the farmer who helped us out (blue shirt) and the owner of the farm (green shirt). Australia is made up of people who love helping their fellow human.
Perhaps it was because we have been travelling for 40 days on many types of surfaces, but we tackled the long, fairly steep gravel driveway with ease. Tractors and other farm machinery filled the big sheds next to the farmhouse. Within seconds Winona had a full rear tyre. We stayed a bit longer to speak with the elderly owner of the farm, who seemed intrigued at our journey.
Caption: This farm machinery is considered one of the smaller ones. The angle doesn't capture how big it is, but Nena could fit underneath it with ease.
The sun was well and truly set now, so we made our way back down the gravel driveway in the dark and finished the final 30 minutes to Tanunda using the BMW's humble headlight to lead the way.
Caption: We sprayed the plug with soapy water - no bubbles. She'll be right, mate.
Steph managed to outdo herself and booked a beautiful suite with a bathtub in the bedroom. Complimentary snacks included a small bottle of wine and some chips. The general vibe of the place is that you could leave your laptop outside the room and the next time you look for it, it's probably at the lobby because someone's turned it in.
Caption: Arriving at the hotel in the dark. The receptionist stayed back an hour for us and was empathetic on our arrival.
A pizza, pasta, and bath made things right again. It was as though we've gone from one end of the extreme to another - rough as guts outback roadhouses to world-class wine country in the span of half a week. I couldn't decide which one I prefer, but decided to actively appreciate every kilometre of the remainder of this trip as it comes.
Caption: I don't even drink, but I immediately destroyed a KitKat and bottle of water on arrival.
Caption: Definitely making use of this bedroom bathtub after a hot meal. Imagine being able to get food delivered for the first time in weeks, rather than having to jump on a bike in the cold. What luxury.
