Comfortable night?

By the morning Franco had found that his self-inflating mattress could be better described as "self-deflating".

A check for punctures in Darwin lead to the discovery that a sieve has fewer holes. I suspect Franco needs to find a better way of packing his gear to avoid the in-pannier destruction.

Ahhhhh Karumba!

One of the few places you can see the sun set over the water in Queensland. Surprisingly access to the Gulf is very limited, and the Savanna Way rarely gives way to views of the ocean.

Franco Hard at Work

The beautiful sunsets at Karumba Point, Queensland.

Chris was probably fixing his punctures at this point. So far Franco has collected 3!

Locals

Chris making friends with the locals: Davo from Cloncurry had wagged work and spent the day in the pub. He was well lubricated but very friendly. Cloncurry had recorded the hottest temperature ever in Australia, so the 35 degrees today he described as "good working weather".

Darwin

Day 3 of rest in Darwin. Bikes cleaned, boys cleaned, broken bits mended!

Went to the Parap Markets yesterday then to the Deckchair cinema to see Stone Brothers, an Aboriginal comedy. It was very funny and they were also on a road trip so much of the content was very relevant.

Hey guys Great write up in the Sunshine Coast Daily today 3 pages in the weekend section. Michelle's story really highlights why these programs are so important and what you two are doing. Am attempting to post it (may have to scan it)monday at the latest loving the photos, having people ask me everyday where you are at. You seem to be covering distance fast, enjoy your break in Darwin and family reunion Franco.

Gagudju Lodge, Cooinda

Thanks guys for the superb trip in Yellow Water's, Kakadu NP. This truely is a heavenly place.

Update 2: Darwin

We made it to Darwin!

Have spent this morning sorting out a few bike problems (warped front brake disc and shattered headlight mounts), washed off some of the red dirt, and am now looking forward to a few free days in the city.

We spend the last few days in Kakadu National Park and stayed with Franco's school friend Sean and his wife Rachel. They run tours through the park and organised for us to take a trip through Yellow Waters. We greatfully thank the management at Gagudju Lodge, Cooinda, for the tickets. The wildlife on the tour was amazing (especially for a Pom) as we same Jabiru, Brolga, Crocs, Kingfishers, Brumbies etc.

We have now got used to the bikes and are confident riding them loaded with all our luggage. Despite our trim packing I still think we could lose another third of what we packed!
Our next step is to travel to Katherine Gorge and then on to Western Australia via the Gibb River Road. We will be in Broome in about 2 weeks.

We have been given lots of both good and bad advice from fellow travellers. It is clear that fellow bikers are the most acurate and the grey nomads are more likely to offer a bum-steer. We met Peter from Sydney on his 800GS BMW at Hellsgate roadhouse and he gave us many great tips about adventure riding in general, and about the road to NT in particular. (Peter, we got through with few problems, and think our many trips to Fraser Island had prepared us well for the loose sand.)

Franco's family have joined us in Darwin for their annual reunion. It is great to meet Lisa (sister)and Angela (Mum) for the first time, and I am sure we will have a good few days together.

Mrs T

Thank you Mrs T (Leichhardt Hotel, Cloncurry) for your generous donation. As we discussed you know it is going to a good cause. Best wishes to you and you family.

Dont forget to stop at the Hotel as you pass through Cloncurry - excellent accommodation and superb Lobster!!!

Update 1

Well we are well on our way, having arrived in Cloncurry last night (1875km so far).

We have had good and safe riding with much of the dirt now sealed - This is progress!!

The only dirt section we have been on so far was Springsure to Tambo - 200km.

Local information has been useful but not always correct. We got information last night that the Hellsgate Roadhouse on the Savanna Way had closed. As this was a vital accommodation and fuel stop for us this was looking like it would drastically change the route across the top end. Today we have got the good information from the local police that this is not the case as the roadhouse reopened 2 months ago so we will be able to stay on track.

We spent a great day at Longreach, looking around the Qantas Founders Museum then the Stockman's Hall of Fame. It was good to get an idea how things have changed over the years. A highlight was the 747 tour that took in many of the behind scenes part of the aircraft. We went out on the wing, into the cargo hold and into the computer station under the floor in business class!

Time to head to the Gulf!

Sunshine Coast Supa Oldies Football

Thank you so much for your donation to SCKoping.

Nearly feels as good as winning the premiership this year! Congratulations Buderim!!!!!!

Sunshine Coast Futsal Generosity

Monday night I was presented with a large cheque from SC Futsal. Thank you to the Futsal Commitee for your kind gesture. You can be assured it is going to a good cause.

Help!!!

So much to do and so little time!

Service at Coastline BMW Monday
Suspension tweeking at MPE Tuesday
New Tyres Wednesday

Packing........

Anyone know how to clone me?