C
onflicted
emotions!
David, a member
of our small group,
had decided this ride
wasn’t for him.
“Are you sure?” I’d
questioned needlessly, the look on
his face confirming the inevitable.
The previous day, my partner Me-
gan, and I had taken David down a
short 50 kilometre stretch of Western
Australian dirt to a place called Lake
Ballard. The road, typical of the area,
was hard packed with the occasion-
al corrugated sand drift. David had
ridden it comfortably yet something
had happened, something within his
psyche, forced him to conclude that a
ride of this length was too much for
him.
I’d struggled to understand David’s
decision. Weeks of planning had
gone into this ride. For some it would
be their first great adventure, others
their last. I’d felt bitter disappoint-
ment by David’s decision yet couldn’t
deny his brave honesty. As with most
Australian desert tracks a rider nev-
er fully understands what lies ahead,
David knew some of the background,
my history on this road. For him this
was the right decision. I’d respected
his courage in realising this.
Twelve months earlier this track,
the Great Central Road, had sucked
me in. A false sense of security, a
lazy complacency, begged me to push
harder. The conditions had promot-
ed an easy ride, I’d opened the BMW
F800GS and floated across the corru-
gations. With a great toothy grin, the
Great Central Road had said “it’s my
time to play” and had rolled the great
sandy dice in my direction.
A giant tank slap had thrown me
to the red earth, the GS catapulted
into the air. The fully loaded bike
came down on the back of my helmet
crushing me into the track, snapping
bones like dry brittle desert twigs.
Shoulder, ribs, neck.
David knew I was returning to Aus-
tralia’s largest desert, the Great Vic-
toria, to fight this beast, to conquer
my demons, to finish what I’d started.
He no longer wanted this. To him it
TRAVERSE
19
wasn’t important. Again, he’d been
honest with himself. Brave! Respect!
At almost 1,200 kilometres in
length, the Great Central Road,
stretches from the Western Austra-
lian goldfields, the town of Laverton,
across the desert in a north-easterly
direction to Australia’s most iconic of
landmarks; Uluru (Ayers Rock). Pass-
ing through lands administrated by
the local aboriginal people, the area
is a beautiful contrast of landscapes
and cultures.
Traversing the Great Central Road
sees restrictions and conditions ap-
ply; permits are required and must
be obeyed however, now billed as