TRAVEL FEATURE - AUSTRALIA
PHIL LALOR
OLD , TIRED , & FULL OF LIFE
Leaving Dubbo , a familiar stretch of black bitumen lay before me . Sun beating down , despite the early hour of the day . White butterflies danced across the road in front of me , a contrast against the black , coarse chip bitumen .
Familiar sounds resonating in my ears ; the rough sound of the boxer twin , the rumble of knobby tyres , the rush of air through my helmet . Ear plugs pushed in , Baby Animals lead singer Suzi DiMarchi harmonising with a lead guitar , her vocals drowning out the rush of wind .
After five and a bit years , and nearly 50,000 kilometres , it ’ s time for another service on the ‘ White Rhino ’. With an abundance of leave , no real plans to fill the time , other than being at Eagle Powersports in Tamworth on Tuesday morning , a road trip was on the cards .
Making the decision to take a ride has become more of a chore in recent times , the allure of time on the road losing it ’ s appeal . Had I fallen out of love with motorcycling ? Had I lost the desire to follow a road and see where it takes me ? Had the motorcycle become more trouble , more complicated and more hassle than it ’ s worth ?
These questions were even more relevant when plans were thrown awry , a hotel selected as my Sunday nights destination cancelling my booking , a little more than 24 hours before I was due to arrive . Google once again became my number one friend , opening ‘ maps ’ and looking for a small country town , a good ride from Dubbo , and on the way to Tamworth . Browsing across the map , I looked at several towns , Googling the pubs and reading reviews . Settling on the Upper Hunter town of Murrurundi , and the White Hart Hotel . A simple online booking process , an air-conditioned queen room for $ 65 seemingly fair value .
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