[WayneMember]

The bikes were trailered to Gloucester for a 9am meeting and Gav rode. Everyone was there at 8.30am so we had a latte and left for the departure point.

Base camp where we left the trailers

Bowman Farm Rd
Jeffro

GavB

Through Goucester and out to Bundook and then north.

Lots of great dirt road, twin trail and wide single.

I hit a wallaby with the result being bike a ride ok but the wallaby was beyond repair so was, unfortunately, dispatched.

Just out of the forrest near Comboyne Jeffro’s bike started playing up and we found a problem with the battery but it ran ok once we jump started it again. Looking for a replacement battery, it was off to Wauchope on the slim chance Mud N Tar was open. No luck there but Jeffros bike was running fine and starting so back to the forrest we went.

It was a nice day for it though

Gav

Holliday traffic was pretty bad. We had this caravan in front of us holding up traffic flow until we got to a creek crossing.

These blokes were following me

Tryhard through the caravan creek crossing

More top trails and we came out here

Jeffro

There were nice dirt roads and another creek crossing, which I wasn’t too keen on as it was getting late in the day.

What lay ahead

Trepidation?

A walk revealed largish river rocks, a broken concrete causeway, missing sections and the flow was pretty fast. After the words “we wouldn’t be men if we didn’t”, Gav took the plunge, not literally, crossing first and everyone followed with varying success.

Shortly after my bike developed an oil leak. It was getting on in the day so instead of going for fuel we made the priorities beer, food, accommodation and headed to Taylors Arms pub for the last pizza about 7pm.

Gav and his flies eyes, lucky the photos blurry

Gav

Being the only ones in the accommodation we had a bathroom each and at $25 a head is great value.

The next morning the output shaft seal on my bike was repaired as best we could to stop the oil leak.

No fuel in the morning threw a spanner in the works as far as the planned route was concerned. A reroute was mapped and Tryhard and myself had nice morning blast into Macksville for fuel (and a latte, but don’t tell anyone). We were back by 8am, fuelled the other bikes and set off to Willawarrin for fuel and breky.

Taylors Arm pub

Good roads, nice weather to Willawarrin

Detoured around the creek crossing this time

GavB

Not this way

This way

Brings you up here

and down here

The DR sprung a leak again so were picking up oil where we could.

At Elands we stopped at the café an had a chat to some blokes on XR650 who were getting racks to do more adv riding and camping, had a quick latte and took off.

Tar to town

Got into Gloucester where Gav and Tryhard took off for home and Jeffro and myself went back to the trailers and home.

Luckily Tryhard had his plastic poncho on the last half of the day which kept the rain off us but not off him if it had

Thanks to Jeffro, GavB and Tryhard for sharing the good company and great riding.

[WayneMember]

If it comes in Suzuki yellow I’ll have one

Would make backing it in a bit difficult though

[WayneMember]

Boony wrote:

I wonder if Lotsa realizes that naden was around the area that he helped Murph change his flat tyre on the nundle x-mas ride??????? :whistle: shhhhh dont tell him but we probably rode past him a few times on that ride???? :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:

I figured Naden was in that area. He could have given me a hand with the flat. It might have been quicker. RR to come.

[WayneMember]

Just went over the route again and this ride is looking pretty tame. Total distance will be about 700km and a bit of tar to get to fuel.

The furtherest North will be Styx River SF and pub stay is looking good, although not guaranteed.

A camp on the route would be perfectly positioned near Nowendoc which won’t be happening because I don’t want my skin being used as Naden’s new dinner jacket.

If we’re making good time there might be some challenges thrown in.

Hope you all had a good Christmas.

Cheers

[WayneMember]

bones wrote:

Sounds like a great ride lotsa maybe one day when i get shit together .

That’s all it takes bones

[WayneMember]

That is a good idea Eagle. I can’t make any promises it won’t. It is an adventure after all.

[WayneMember]

Jeffro wrote:

I’m in Lotsa.

Good on ya Jeffro

[WayneMember]

Well done BB very inspirational

[WayneMember]

Nickj wrote:

Great looking ride their Kat !!! Did you find the small bike really easy to ride after the XR ?? I always notice a huge difference going from adventure to trail bike and seem to be better for it

Nick, the KTM was fun to ride over these roads I’d only prevoiusly ridden on the DR650. A DR650 with the suspension of a KTM450……that would be good

A bit more comment at Off Road Explorer

Good RR Kat,
my take

I’d only just heard about this ride and for some reason expected a few quiet open single, twin and fire trail around Dungog which suited me perfectly because I have been crook for the last couple of weeks. The KTM was loaded onto the trailer and off I went to the meeting point. Soon after setting off I realised I probably should have put the DR650 on the trailer. Too late, enjoy the ride.

This is where we went on the spot tracker
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0TFRdmiZaCTnYvNQNn2myDZpENslCfJl4
It will only be up for 6 more days from this post.

Frying pan regroup

From this part onwards I wasn’t regretting bringing the DR650 and was having a ball with the light KTM.

We arrived here

The map was consulted. After using the GPS for so long I’d forgotten that people went to the trouble of printing them out on paper once upon a time

Everyone got across the creek crossing before I could get a photo.
Here’s Smick

After lunch it bucketed down rain and the once dusty roads now had puddles of water pooled by their sides.

Black Gate Rd was a bit damp and slippery……..and fun
Paul

Kat

Smick

Warren

After going through Stroud we headed down Black Camp Rd and back south of Dungog and the starting point shortly after 6pm.

Thanks to BlueKLR, Smick, Katgirl, Grant, Warren and Paul for a great day out.

[WayneMember]

Great RR GavB

We had a break Friday evening where GavB pointed out the direction we were heading

First night camp on arrival

Someone stole my mankini from the hills hoist so no swim for me that night even though the water temp was good.

Around about Rouchel

Tryhard

Tryhard after Crawley Pass

I love a road into the mountains

I put on all my wet weather gear so we didn’t get rained on…….it worked.
Running away from the rain

[WayneMember]

EAGLE`02 wrote:

:laugh: Is that the same Mother of a Hill where te username “Losta Lotsa” was born ????
If it is, I can certainly see how he got stuck on his own :S :whistle:

Possibly Eags, did it have painted signs next to trees with sayings something like “overnight accomodation $5, possoms free”, old election signs from john howard marking caution points. goggle tear offs lying around, ‘Poofter hill” sign. See the old RR and the recovery RR, there may be some clues in that and some photos.

I was at the bottom of a gully and 60mm of rain had fallen in one hour. It gets slippery around there.

[WayneMember]

Great pics Krusty

Who is this masked man

the dig tree monument

maintenance day

road train outside birdsville pub

Nearly 800km of towing deserves a drink

[WayneMember]

Our Dig Tree camp

Bush fire on the Cordillo Rd

The sheering shed at Cordillo Downs HS

Dawn after second night camp

Dejay at Lake Eyre South

Bikes on big red looking south

[WayneMember]

Changing a flat 2km out of Innaminka

First night camp sunset

Fish still at work

Regroup at the first sand dune

Royal Hotel in Birdsville

Where Dejays bike was stashed overnight near Birdsville

[WayneMember]

Can I be put on the enduro list please…….sorry for the late notice.

Put me down for lunch and fuel and any normal things I need to give money for, if I’m not too late.

Looking forward to it.

[Author]

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