For the motorcyclist, Australia has
the deadliest animals in the world.
Kangaroos, emus, they love playing
chicken with passing vehicles. And
never hit a wombat as they amble
across your path. They’ll survive, you
won’t.
Reaching Gloucester, Steph met a
“local rider” who pointed her in the
“direction of Upper Avon Road. A for-
estry track that ran straight through
the mountains for about 80km. Of
course, I drank up and went for it!”
“What a great track!”
“It seemed largely unused. I could
see no signs of vehicles having come
through recently although I'm sure
they must have. There had also been
a lot of rain and so I had my fair share
of mud and water crossings, but it
was great fun.”
“Annoyingly I dropped Rhonda at
one point! I wasn't sure I was on the
right track anymore and as I pulled
the brake to stop and check my bear-
ings, my front wheel hit a rock and
threw me off. It was totally stupid
and very slow speed.”
“Something was trying to stop me
taking this route as 5 minutes later
I came across a fallen tree and with
no way around I had to try and find
my way back to the road. I ended
up doing a big U shape and coming
out about 20KM down the road from
where I started some 3 hours earlier!
I didn't mind. I was in no rush and I
had got my fix of off road for the day!”
Steph discovered that travelling
through Australia had been a “great
experience”.
“One of the wonderful things about
travelling is that you actually see the
cultures and faces changing as you
travel down the road. From the cov-
ered heads in the deserts of Iran to
the half-naked surfers on the Sun-
shine Coast of Australia. It's totally
amazing to watch it unfold before you
and having ridden it on a 250cc mo-
torbike it really doesn't seem that far
anymore!”
Steph had often heard travellers
say – “having gone through Asia - that
Westerners have forgotten how to
be nice to each other. I have indeed
TRAVERSE 40
been guilty of this myself. Although
Asia has taught me a whole new level
of hospitality, I am finding that Aus-
tralia really does have its fair share of
kind and caring people and it would
be wrong to wipe that out with such a
generalised off the cuff remark.”
Over the Christmas period and in
to the New Year Steph has “been wel-
comed in to people's homes without
hesitation.”
“It may be hard to share others
space at times, but these guys wel-
comed me in to THEIR space and
made me feel at home at a time that
would normally be for family.”
“They put me up in their homes,
lent me their vehicles and rode af-
ter me when I’d forgotten something
(again!).”
“There was of course the police-
man who escorted me on to the right
road and the motel owner who just
gave me a free night! Travelling on a
budget was a blessing to me in a way,
as it allowed me the opportunity to
make so many new friends and ex-
perience so much more than a hotel