Australia, 2001 - 2002
Friday, October 27, 2001 – I board my plane for Australia. My flight will be 22 hours plus a 5 hour layover in Hong Kong. Sleep eludes me as the excitement of continuing my journey and seeing my youngest son Curtis, who moved to Australia in 1999, mounts. The flight on Cathay Pacific is wonderful and finally at 11:35am on October 29th the plane lands at the Melbourne airport. An hour through customs and I’m hugging Curtis and his girlfriend Vanessa.
I’ve used Curtis’ work address and number for contact with the shipping company and October 30th he receives a fax saying my bike will arrive in Sydney Harbor on Friday, November 2nd. I will be able to pick it up in Melbourne on November 9th. Great news!
Friday, November 9th, I am about to call a cab to take me out to Secon to pick up my bike when I receive a call from Australian Groupage Service. The voice on the line says, “Your bike hasn’t arrived”.
“What do you mean it hasn’t arrived, there must be some mistake, I was told the container arrived at Secon on Monday and I could pick it up today”!
The AGS informant replied, “The package wasn’t on the truck that brought the goods from Sydney to Melbourne”.
I’m stunned! I can’t believe what I’m hearing! How could this possibly be? I put down the phone and relay the message to Curtis before taking the train home to figure out what to do. November is not turning out to be a great month for me. The weather in Melbourne is cool and wet and my mood is dampened by my missing motorcycle. I’ve learned to take the train into the city and find things to do and places to visit – after spending hours on the telephone each morning trying to get information about my bike.
A week later and there’s still no information about the whereabouts of my bike. I have spent the past week on the telephone to try and get some answers. Neither Australian Groupage Service nor Total Care Trucking Company is able to find the crate. Now, imagine this – a crate 8 feet long, 3 feet high and 2 ½ feet wide. Wouldn’t you think it would be easy to see? Well, somehow or another, nobody at these two companies can spot it. After a week of calling them twice a day, sometimes more, they tell me to put in an insurance claim. Now I’m really feeling sick. I don’t want to be paid for the bike and have to start looking for another one. I just want my Magna back so I can get packed and on the road.
Needless to say, I am very upset about all this. I’m using up my visitor visa time here making phone calls and waiting for people to call me back. Not exactly what I had planned. I am looking into alternate travel plans for the interim - that is until they compensate me for lost goods or find my bike.
After putting in the insurance claim on Friday, I sought some legal advice from a friend. He suggested that I call them again on Monday morning and ask for the names of anyone who handled the crate and if it has been reported to the police as lost or stolen goods.
First thing Monday morning, Nov. 19th, I’m on the phone again to both companies. Neither company could (or would?) give me names of the people who signed for this shipment. AGS gave me a couple of initials and that’s all. I insisted that they must know who these initials belong to, but they weren’t about to tell me. My last request was to ask if they had reported the missing crate to the police as lost or stolen goods. Both companies replied ‘oh no, we don’t do that’. I simply couldn’t believe it! I told them that I would be putting in a report to the police and contacting a lawyer.
One hour later…
GREAT NEWS - They found my bike! My son received a call at work saying they had found the crate. Miraculously it turned up on the dock in Sydney. Now, don’t tell me it wasn’t there all along. I cannot make accusations because I have no proof, but it’s not too hard to read between the lines here.
November 24th I begin my travels around Australia. I head northwest from Melbourne through the province of Victoria into New South Wales and South Australia. From Prot Augusta I take the great Stuart Highway into the center crossing into the Northern Territory. I spend some time in Coober Pedy, where they mine for opals and live in caves, then carry on north to Ayres Rock (Uluru).
Picture: desert view - red earth, very little vegetation.
December 4th I’m up with the birds, pack up my tent and begin my journey to Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park which is located 450 kilometers southwest of Alice Springs. I stop in Curtain Springs for fuel and breakfast then hit the road again. Today is a short day and I arrive in Yulara (Ayres Rock Resort) before noon. I set up camp before walking to the visitor centre for a map of the area and whatever information they can give me.
I ride out to Uluru (Ayres Rock – the world’s largest monolith and a sacred site to the Aborijinal people) and stop at the site where visitors are allowed to hike the tough1.6km trail to the top of the rock. I get my hiking boots on and toss my riding jacket across the bike, then head to the base of the Rock. I climb up the first bulge, about 100 meters, and start up the next steeper section when suddenly I lose my nerve. I stop for a moment, then try again. ‘This is ridiculous, I’m not afraid of heights!’ I make a couple more attempts but simply can’t force myself to continue. There are other people climbing ahead of me, I should have no problem, but I can’t make myself go further. I retrace my steps to the bottom and go back to my bike not too sure what just happened.
I decide to ride around Uluru and make several stops to hike some trails that lead into the rock. I’m about half way around when the clouds start rolling in. Soon it’s raining and lightning is flashing across the sky. I think about the people who were climbing ahead of me and by now would be at the top. Now I know why I couldn’t continue my climb!
December 5th, 5:00am, I awake to the sound of zippers from the tents around me. People getting up early to see the sun rise over Uluru(Ayres Rock). I poke my head out – it’s still cloudy. It had rained most of the night so I’m not in a big hurry to get up. I drift back to sleep for an hour and by 6:00am am up and start packing. My tent is wet so I shake it out best I can and by 7:00am am ready to go.
My plan is to go north to Alice Springs and Katherine then make my way west around the top end and back south to Perth. Unfortunately this is their rainy season and the rains are heavier this year than most. I’m advised by the local people not to continue north on a motorcycle. Parts of the road wash out this time of year and it’s difficult for a 4 wheel drive vehicle to get through. I heed their warnings and return south on the Stuart Highway to Adelaide. At Adelaide I take the Nullabor Highway west to Perth. The Nullabor is very long, straight and boring but at the end I become the proud owner of a certificate stating ‘I CROSSED THE NULLABOR’. The unfortunate part is ‘I have to cross it again to return to Melbourne’.
I’ve used Curtis’ work address and number for contact with the shipping company and October 30th he receives a fax saying my bike will arrive in Sydney Harbor on Friday, November 2nd. I will be able to pick it up in Melbourne on November 9th. Great news!
Friday, November 9th, I am about to call a cab to take me out to Secon to pick up my bike when I receive a call from Australian Groupage Service. The voice on the line says, “Your bike hasn’t arrived”.
“What do you mean it hasn’t arrived, there must be some mistake, I was told the container arrived at Secon on Monday and I could pick it up today”!
The AGS informant replied, “The package wasn’t on the truck that brought the goods from Sydney to Melbourne”.
I’m stunned! I can’t believe what I’m hearing! How could this possibly be? I put down the phone and relay the message to Curtis before taking the train home to figure out what to do. November is not turning out to be a great month for me. The weather in Melbourne is cool and wet and my mood is dampened by my missing motorcycle. I’ve learned to take the train into the city and find things to do and places to visit – after spending hours on the telephone each morning trying to get information about my bike.
A week later and there’s still no information about the whereabouts of my bike. I have spent the past week on the telephone to try and get some answers. Neither Australian Groupage Service nor Total Care Trucking Company is able to find the crate. Now, imagine this – a crate 8 feet long, 3 feet high and 2 ½ feet wide. Wouldn’t you think it would be easy to see? Well, somehow or another, nobody at these two companies can spot it. After a week of calling them twice a day, sometimes more, they tell me to put in an insurance claim. Now I’m really feeling sick. I don’t want to be paid for the bike and have to start looking for another one. I just want my Magna back so I can get packed and on the road.
Needless to say, I am very upset about all this. I’m using up my visitor visa time here making phone calls and waiting for people to call me back. Not exactly what I had planned. I am looking into alternate travel plans for the interim - that is until they compensate me for lost goods or find my bike.
After putting in the insurance claim on Friday, I sought some legal advice from a friend. He suggested that I call them again on Monday morning and ask for the names of anyone who handled the crate and if it has been reported to the police as lost or stolen goods.
First thing Monday morning, Nov. 19th, I’m on the phone again to both companies. Neither company could (or would?) give me names of the people who signed for this shipment. AGS gave me a couple of initials and that’s all. I insisted that they must know who these initials belong to, but they weren’t about to tell me. My last request was to ask if they had reported the missing crate to the police as lost or stolen goods. Both companies replied ‘oh no, we don’t do that’. I simply couldn’t believe it! I told them that I would be putting in a report to the police and contacting a lawyer.
One hour later…
GREAT NEWS - They found my bike! My son received a call at work saying they had found the crate. Miraculously it turned up on the dock in Sydney. Now, don’t tell me it wasn’t there all along. I cannot make accusations because I have no proof, but it’s not too hard to read between the lines here.
November 24th I begin my travels around Australia. I head northwest from Melbourne through the province of Victoria into New South Wales and South Australia. From Prot Augusta I take the great Stuart Highway into the center crossing into the Northern Territory. I spend some time in Coober Pedy, where they mine for opals and live in caves, then carry on north to Ayres Rock (Uluru).
Picture: desert view - red earth, very little vegetation.December 4th I’m up with the birds, pack up my tent and begin my journey to Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park which is located 450 kilometers southwest of Alice Springs. I stop in Curtain Springs for fuel and breakfast then hit the road again. Today is a short day and I arrive in Yulara (Ayres Rock Resort) before noon. I set up camp before walking to the visitor centre for a map of the area and whatever information they can give me.
I ride out to Uluru (Ayres Rock – the world’s largest monolith and a sacred site to the Aborijinal people) and stop at the site where visitors are allowed to hike the tough1.6km trail to the top of the rock. I get my hiking boots on and toss my riding jacket across the bike, then head to the base of the Rock. I climb up the first bulge, about 100 meters, and start up the next steeper section when suddenly I lose my nerve. I stop for a moment, then try again. ‘This is ridiculous, I’m not afraid of heights!’ I make a couple more attempts but simply can’t force myself to continue. There are other people climbing ahead of me, I should have no problem, but I can’t make myself go further. I retrace my steps to the bottom and go back to my bike not too sure what just happened.
I decide to ride around Uluru and make several stops to hike some trails that lead into the rock. I’m about half way around when the clouds start rolling in. Soon it’s raining and lightning is flashing across the sky. I think about the people who were climbing ahead of me and by now would be at the top. Now I know why I couldn’t continue my climb!
December 5th, 5:00am, I awake to the sound of zippers from the tents around me. People getting up early to see the sun rise over Uluru(Ayres Rock). I poke my head out – it’s still cloudy. It had rained most of the night so I’m not in a big hurry to get up. I drift back to sleep for an hour and by 6:00am am up and start packing. My tent is wet so I shake it out best I can and by 7:00am am ready to go.
My plan is to go north to Alice Springs and Katherine then make my way west around the top end and back south to Perth. Unfortunately this is their rainy season and the rains are heavier this year than most. I’m advised by the local people not to continue north on a motorcycle. Parts of the road wash out this time of year and it’s difficult for a 4 wheel drive vehicle to get through. I heed their warnings and return south on the Stuart Highway to Adelaide. At Adelaide I take the Nullabor Highway west to Perth. The Nullabor is very long, straight and boring but at the end I become the proud owner of a certificate stating ‘I CROSSED THE NULLABOR’. The unfortunate part is ‘I have to cross it again to return to Melbourne’.
Pictures below: Wave Rock - Western Australia - Pinicales at Cervantes north of Perth
December 31st, 2001 I’m back in Victoria to spend New Years Eve and Day with Curtis, Vanessa and her family.
January 22nd, 2002 I fly to New Zealand and spend 7 weeks touring both islands. I decide not to take my bike, maybe because of the hassle I had bringing it into Australia, and am sorry the moment I begin my travels. New Zealand is a spectacular country with curvy, hilly roads just made for bikers. I’d love to come back here and spend about 6 months traveling.
Back in Australia mid March I take a ferry across the Bass Strait to Tasmania and do a ten day ride with a group of magna riders from Melbourne. Tasmania is a beautiful island to tour by motorcycle and I have a great time riding with my new found friends.
Pictures: Spirit of Tasmania Cradle Mountain, Tasmania
Pictures: Reflections at Cradle Mountain Worn back tire
Back on the mainland I begin my journey up the east coast on April 7th. There is so much to see and do along this coast I could spend a couple of years traveling here. I go as far north as Cairns then back south to Chambers Towers where I take the Flinders Highway and Barkly Highway west to join up with the Stuart Highway going north to Darwin.
Pictures: Termite mounds Aboriginals with Iguana - Northern Territory
Some of the highlights along the top end were ‘Devils Marbles Park’, Kakadu National Park, Nitamiluk National Park and all the wonderful people I met along the way.
Pictures: Devils Marbles Northern Territory Alligator River
In New Zealand I joined an organization called ‘Servas for Peace’. It’s an International organization of travelers who host other travelers. I was fortunate enough become a member of Servas and met and stayed with many local families along the way. My other accommodations included tenting, youth hostels, backpackers hostels and budget hotels/motels/guesthouses.
Backpacking in New Zealand Sea lion on a beach in New Zealand
What a great way to travel!
June 2nd, 2002 I fly to Singapore. My bike will be strapped to a pallet and flown air cargo to Singapore.
June 2nd, 2002 I fly to Singapore. My bike will be strapped to a pallet and flown air cargo to Singapore.
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