Distance: 581km
Dep: 12:30pm
Arr: 6:10pm
Temperature: 3°C - 18°C
Total distance to date: 14,592km
Route:
- Tanunda, SA
- Pinnaroo
- Ouyen, VIC
- Swan Hill
Caption: Waking up to a very cold and moist bike. Luckily the sun came out and dried up the roads just enough to have a safe run to Mount Pleasant.
If I could, I would purchase the bed from Barossa Weintal Hotel and send it home so I could spend every night in luxury. It was one of the only beds on this trip that I was sad to leave behind. That, and the fact that it was nearly freezing outside and our bikes were wet from the rain that passed over the Barossa region overnight. Our first point of action was to check Winona's rear to see if the plug held.
15psi.
Welp, I guess not. On the bright side, we're near civilisation now, so finding a tyre replacement meant choosing from one of 20 motorcycle shops in a 50km radius. The region is especially motorcycle crazy, with a history of racing and The Bend Motorsport Park not far away.
Our room upgrade included breakfast, so we walked over to make the most out of it. I've now learned never to order waffles from a hotel because they always seem to be the prepackaged kind, but Steph was kind enough to share her big brekky of eggs, hashbrown, toast, sausage, and roasted tomato with me. We contacted Spot On Motorcycles in Mount Pleasant, which was the closest to us and on our very route anyway. They were more than happy to fit us in and confirmed they have a Michelin Road 6 in 180/55-17. Steph planned to replace both tyres anyway, and what better timing than right before the end of the trip. At minimum, it was good for peace of mind.
Caption: The plug wasn't big enough to cover the entire slice in the tyre.
We finished up breakfast, already feeling a bit too delayed for comfort, and headed back to the hotel room to pack up. The hotel card wouldn't work, so the friendly maintenance man had to dismantle the back window and jump through to unlock it from the inside. As it turns out, I accidentally put the privacy lock on from the inside (whoops).
Because of the shape of the puncture, it was leaking air from the side of the plug, so it was a matter of minutes before the tyre lost up to 5psi. We loaded our bikes and went back to the servo for a final top up of air, then enjoyed a heavenly run through the scenic Barossa Valley to the nearby township of Mount Pleasant where Spot On Motorcycles awaited our arrival.
Caption: Thanks Spot On Motorcycles in Mount Pleasant for accomodating us on a whim!
Steph decided to get both tyres done as the front was losing psi every evening anyway, so we killed some time at the cafe next door. Too much time, in fact. The tyre change ended up taking two hours as they had to fit us around existing jobs, which was understandable. Calling in the morning of put us in last priority and they did what they could to slot us in, and we are grateful. This also meant that it's going to be yet another sprint to make it across into Victoria as far east as we can go before it becomes New South Wales.
Caption: Several motorbikes stopped by at the same cafe in Mount Pleasant, which was a welcome sight to see after feeling like the only riders on the road for weeks.
Leaving the Barossa region was smooth, twisty, and totally free of police. This area didn't seem to attract too many caravan-type holidaymakers. Instead, lightly packed SUVs of older adult couples were the dominant demographic in these parts. Predictable and easy to get around, plus they're better at keeping up with the speed limit. Generally not as annoying as the Dodge Ram towing an obnoxiously large boat.
Caption: What a glorious sign. Finally an opportunity to scrub off some chicken tenders on both sides of my new rear tyre.
We were warned about the police in Murray Bridge, and sure enough we spotted the same motorcycle cop circling the area three times within the 10-minute ride through the town. Every single citizen seemed scared to crawl 1kph over the speed limit, so getting through these parts was painful. Riding 5kph over the speed limit just after Tailem Bend induced a nice bright high-beam to the face by a cop going the other direction. For a state that is this flat and open, they seem to be obsessed with speed. The roads are pristine - not a single pothole to be found, and the camber of the road has always been on point. Victoria, please take note of SA roads and fix ours.
Caption: A bushfire near Parilla, SA. The smoke and smell was far more intense than any of the planned burnoffs we've seen around Australia. I do wonder if this one was wild, but there were no emergency vehicles attending the scene.
The roads started to really straighten out leading into the rural town of Pinnarroo, the last remaining settlement just 5km from the Victorian border. It wasn't quite like the outback where you can see 20km in front of you. There were a few gentle bends here and there, just frequent enough to make you think twice about overtaking the large road trains that were still very much active here.
Caption: The sun disappearing behind an overcast just before the SA/VIC border, stealing back the last bit of warmth it was giving us.
Caption: Clearly very excited to be back in Victoria.
We relished our last few moments in SA with a sweet chilli wrap and chicken tenders. The feeling was similar to when you're at a concert and you know it's ending, but you're enjoying every moment regardless.
Caption: The roads in Victoria looking quite Victorian. Somehow the clouds stayed on the other side of the border, making this a pleasant run to Ouyen.
Navigating in the Outback was as simple as riding along a straight line until you reach the next town, which could be 1.5-2 hours away. There was a surprising number of directions on what looked like a relatively straight route, with one of them leading into a single lane road with gravel on both sides. I double checked the map - yep, this is the only way forward.
Caption: 88km of this type of road leading all the way to Swan Hill. This was the smoothest part!
The sun had already set by then, and the sky was starting to show its familiar purple haze. We were 88km away at this point which could only mean one thing: we're riding in the dark.
We accepted our fate and rode into the darkness as fast as our angels could fly. The sun was setting behind us and we had already lost half an hour due to the timezone change, and I was forced to use all 2.5 brain cells to comprehend the obstacles that were coming at us. Bits of the side of the road were sometimes missing, so we had to stay somewhat in the middle of the road. At the same time, oncoming traffic with high beams would be flying toward us at an equal pace. Thankfully, every driver realised that we are on motorbikes and kindly pulled off to the side as we slid past them. We waved thank you to each one and carried on into the darkness.
I was coming down a hill toward another driver, and suddenly the light tuffs of fur from the underside of 4-5 wallabies lit up just enough for me to see their silhouette. I slowed right down to let them pass, while screaming in my helmet. No wallabies were harmed and the whole family made it across into the next paddock.
Caption: The last glimpse of sun before light shut out completely. The stars didn't seem very bright out here, and we very much relied on Nena's headlight to get us to Swan Hill
The temperature continued to drop as the grip on my handlebars tightened up. Every so often I'd have to check the map to make sure we didn't miss a turn, but every time I checked, the remaining kilometres seemed to stay stagnant. Local traffic seemed understanding of the situation we were in, and stayed well clear from us as we fought the icy cold and pitch-black visibility all the way into Swan Hill.
Pulling up into the hotel:
Steph: "What the f--- was that? That was nuts. Good job!"
Me: "AAAggggghhhhhhhhh......" - a sigh of relief and exasperation.
Two lovely gentlemen were having beers on the porch directly above the reception lobby we pulled up at.
Man #1: "Bit hard goin' in the cold ain't it."
Man #2: "Where'd yous come from anyway?"
They did believe us when we explained that we're on the 2nd-last day of a half-lap around Australia, probably because we looked and felt like we were dragged behind a truck.
We dropped our bags off into the room for the last time in our trip, and went for a walk around this small but convenient town. The place even has two bubble tea shops and a Cotton On (clothing store chain) on the same street. A far cry from the remote places that had a servo, restaurant, and accoms in one building.
I looked at my phone. 5 full bars of 5G data. What a time to be alive.
As we walked around town, I contemplated other things we took for granted, such as:
- Palatable water directly from the tap (most outback water tastes like tank water. You can survive on it, but you have to surgically remove your taste buds prior).
- Petrol stations where every bowser is working.
- $1.69/L petrol - a whole dollar cheaper than some places in remote Australia.
- Air pumps with the valve adapter still attached.
- Water that comes out of every tap (sometimes roadhouses don't have functioning taps anywhere, or the tank is dry)
- Soap (roadhouses often don't provide soap)
- The lack of flying insects
- Toilet paper that is thicker than 1ply
We decided to stop into an authentic-looking Vietnamese place as our last dinner on the road, though I feel I should've waited until we were back in Melbourne for an authentic experience. This is our last night in a bed that isn't our own. Bring on tomorrow!
