Riding Down Under - Tropical Cairns Australia

[MacDoc]

Had an aborted run up to the Daintree on Saturday with riding buddy on his aging Burgman 650 but climbing a small mountain he over heated. Sorted out enough to get home.

Still got in 220 km

Got a run up to one of the volcanic lakes today. 200 km

Melee on Barrine Lake

Mix
a giant mama eel prepared to head across the Atlantic to spawn and die...

ravenous relatives of snapping turtles

and a boat skipper tossing food

the bread line

okay this is getting a little out of hand

this smaller eel had duck confit in mind....chased the startled black duck around for a while much to our amusement.

Back to shore and peace and serenity in honey eater land.

shot straight over my head while snoozing in 32 degree heat under a lovely shade tree.

 

[MacDoc]

Some sad news today....Bruce tells me a 60 year old rider was killed negotiating the Rex Lookout this morning .

Could not make that rather oddly cambered downhill corner and slid under a car. Killed instantly.
The 20 year driving the vehicle he hit was traumatized apparently. Bruce overhead one of thewitness riders talking to the police.

My riding buddy Bruce was hung up in the traffic mess.

That's a wonderful stretch of riding road but has claimed quite a few.

A MOTORBIKE rider has been killed in a crash with a car at Wangetti early this morning.

The 60-year-old man is thought to have lost control of his bike when he veered across the centre median strip and collided with a blue Mazda 3 hatch heading in the opposite direction near the Rex Lookout about 6:45am this morning.

The man was declared deceased by his friend, a doctor and a fellow motorcyclist who was travelling with him at the time of the crash.

The Mazda 3’s female driver sustained minor injuries.

as soon as I saw 6.45 am I checked sunrise and it was 6.20 and he would be heading directly into it as he crested the hill.

When I asked Bruce he recalled the witness saying something about sun glare.

I reallllllly detest riding into low sun.

Coming over a crest at a fair clip straight into morning sun and a tricky downhill looks like a fatal combination.

••

been off riding a few days as GF sick and me stupid busy with client work online.
double our normal volume and hard to stay on top of it.

Good loop planned tomorrow

https://goo.gl/maps/cieY2

Weather looks good and that area is subject to a lot of rain this time of year. Really like the old highway heading south of Milaa Milaa....highway advisedly....twisty bit of secondary road in and out of rain forest and farms. Very nice low stress ride with no traffic.

If I can get out the door around 6.30 am I'll be good.
Testing the new boots this time as it's long enough to warrant. Getting pumped for that cross country in June.

Nice swim spot half way tho hard on the feet getting in deep enough to swim.

 

[MacDoc]

FLights are pretty cheap to Australia these days and you can rent or buy a bike here.
FIgure you need 3 weeks minimum but 5 would be better.

Anyone that wants to ride this area in tropical Queensland can rent my KLR inexpensively. It sits rarely ridden between june and january and june to october is the best time of year here in the north.

mid 20s and very little rain

 

[MacDoc]

Nother fatality today on the twists - but a cage this tine - solo accident - went over the edge - Gillies is 219 turns in about 20 km

It is way safer than it used to be.

Odd as I rode up there this morning so must have driven by the poor bugger.

52-year-old man was killed in a separate crash at about 3.30pm when his car slid off the Gillies Range.

Police attended the crash scene, where they found the man deceased in his car.

The man had been reported as a missing person yesterday morning.

Far North Acting Chief Supt Brett Schafferius yesterday lamented the further lives lost.

“Today we have seen two more lives lost on Far North roads,” he said.

“Every person on the roads must take responsibility for their actions, for their driving and behaviour.

“The police will continue enforcing the road rules in an effort to stem the flow of lives lost on our roads, but at the end of the day it’s really in the lap of each and every driver to make sure they are doing the right thing.”

Sgt Carl Cutler of the Forensic Crash Unit attended both scenes yesterday, labelling the impacts of this year’s road deaths “astronomical”.

“There’s now 11 families that have been devastated,” he said. “Drive to the conditions, drive to your ability and pay attention to your surrounds and you will get to your destination.”

Yesterday’s deaths mimicked a similar set of incidents last month, when two men died in separate accidents on the Tablelands within 24 hours of each other.

The 2015 Far North road toll is thought to be unprecedented in recent memory

And I drove by an accident scene today up near Ravenshoe on a very lightly travelled - weird - both vehicles well off the road down embankments as if the sideswiped head on then went off the road

It is an area that can get very foggy tho.

This is not a very populated area ....only maybe 250,000 of which Cairns is 150k or so ...11 fatalities on the roads in the first couple of months

 

[l84toff]

Some sad news today....Bruce tells me a 60 year old rider was killed negotiating the Rex Lookout this morning .

Could not make that rather oddly cambered downhill corner and slid under a car. Killed instantly.

Really sad to have to watch your friend die.

Safe riding down there MacDoc

 

[MacDoc]

Not known to the group I ride with ( one rider knew the bike - had seen it around as pretty distinctive - not sure what it is )

but likely a bit upsetting for Bruce's wife as he rides that route every day.....to and from work...50 km of brilliant twists and elevation changes each way.

The doctor the victim was riding with pronounced him dead at the scene and witnessed the crash....that must have been a dire thingto have to undertake....

Stay safe you guys...by and large Australians are perhaps the best I've seen at sticking in their lane and driving sensibly....but awful lot of deaths for such a small population.

The one one the Gillies where the car went over the endge and no one noticed for a day is spooky. They've done a brilliant job of making that safer and we've had no rain.
Jude tells horror stories of the range roads before they got properly done.

I'm sure you are seeing some rather sketchy roads and traffic.

••• March 10th

A PROFESSIONAL driver who advocated for road safety has been identified as the *victim of a horror motorcycle crash at Wangetti.

Rob Berrill, 61, was one of two people killed in separate crashes on Far North roads on Sunday. The other was 51-year-old Gordonvale man David Benedetti, whose Holden Commodore crashed 80m down an embankment on the Gillies Range. Mr Berrill, the managing director of Cairns Offroad Training and Tours, had been on his regular weekend trip along the Captain Cook Highway with three friends when it is believed he lost control of his green Kawasaki and collided with an oncoming car.

One of the friends he was riding with, Dr Ian Bennett, pronounced him dead at the scene about 6.30am. Mr *Berrill, a long-time Cairns resident, worked as a 4WD *instructor and tour guide around the region.

He had been a regular columnist and contributor to The Cairns Post, continuously advocating for safety on the roads, particularly in *regard to training for young drivers.

The two incidents bring the number of fatalities in the Far North to 11 and Forensic Crash Unit Sen-Constable Lee Chamberlain said both crashes were being investigated.

“I spoke to the families of both men today and that’s just two more families who have been devastated by collisions on Far North Queensland roads,” he said.

Police are calling for *witnesses to either incident to come forward.

no matter how good you are...sometimes.....

Went by the Rex lookout this am on the way to Mossman and then Daintree - they cleaned up very well.

But I noticed in my mirror coming along the coast how bright the sun was coming from sky and water about a half hour after sunrise.

•••••

This was the one I drive by yesterday ....this could have been way worse...

TEN people, including seven children, have been taken to hospital with minor injuries following a crash on the Tableland this morning.

The crash happened on Herberton Rd south of Atherton at Wongabel just after 8.30am.

It is believed the vehicle they were travelling in collided with a power pole.

Emergency services attended and all of the group were taken to Atherton Hospital.

None of their injuries were believed to be life threatening.

Ergon Energy also attended the scene to repair the fallen power lines.

Wondered why the power trucks were there.

Oddly vehicles in crashes seem to be left at the scene for a long time.

Coming up the Gillies I noticed a car that had hit a tree was still sitting there a week later.

Maybe the cops leave them as a warning.

 

[MacDoc]

oh joy ....an indecisive cyclone ( think hurricane ) to the north... ( not far to the north as we rode up to Cape Trib today )

How's this for a weird track !!!!

The Wet is back...got lucky for a few days of dry riding

IF this one barrels south....it will intensify and be nasty - even up to a Cat 5 - means a lot of work getting our very porous house ready

 

[DownUnder]

oh joy ....an indecisive cyclone ( think hurricane ) to the north... ( not far to the north as we rode up to Cape Trib today )

How's this for a weird track !!!!

The Wet is back...got lucky for a few days of dry riding

IF this one barrels south....it will intensify and be nasty - even up to a Cat 5 - means a lot of work getting our very porous house ready

HAHA your drunk cyclone, go home.

 

[l84toff]

Cyclone? But I thought Gene and Neda were in Morocco?

 

[MacDoc]

Butterfly wings.....

It has a name now - Cyclone Nathan

Currently Cat 1 -

CATEGORY 1 (tropical cyclone)
Negligible house damage. Damage to some crops, trees and caravans. Craft may drag moorings.
A Category 1 cyclone's strongest winds are GALES with typical gusts over open flat land of 90 - 125 km/h.
These winds correspond to Beaufort 8 and 9 (Gales and strong gales).

expected to go to a 3 which gets us into the batten down the hatches - get out the survival kit time

CATEGORY 3 (severe tropical cyclone)
Some roof and structural damage. Some caravans destroyed. Power failures likely.
A Category 3 cyclone's strongest winds are VERY DESTRUCTIVE winds with typical gusts over open flat land of 165 - 224 km/h.
These winds correspond to the highest category on the Beaufort scale, Beaufort 12 (Hurricane).

Meanwhile it's dropping a lot of welcome rainfall.

 

[MacDoc]

Forgot about this...the Bridge from Hell...

I had asked Bruce if he thought this bridge was okay on the Burgman last year.

looks innocent enough ....so he said sure...

Little did I know the perils of a telephoto lens...

Rain as usual in a rain forest - he's leading and I see the brake lights come on and when I get to the bridge...he's in the middle of this.
He took his fogged up glasses off and woke up to his rather precarious situation and gingerly pedalled across as I did.

Oh damn that was no fun...the plywood was like ice and those gaps could swallow a front tire.

Well one reason for the ride yesterday was to check the Bridge from Hell and we are please to report they did a magnificent job of repair ....I'm sure the bicycle riders in particular were pleased



Had lunch then a spirited ride back down the Daintree where I discovered that the brakes on the KLR are really not up to stopping fast....I noted the frequent dents in the guard rails ...some serious, where others had found just how steep that winding downhill is.

It's where Bruce's Burgman had overheated last week ( all fixed now ) and there is no sense going up how steep it is as you concentrate on the tight - sometimes first gear - corners.
Fortunately it was dry this time

The KLR is a hoot over the large speed bumps they put in to protect the Cassowarys and young which tend to like to wander on the roads and are very endangered. Took this up there in 2012.



Had lunch at one of fav coffee shops which has a view of the ocean and beach ( most areas the rain forest goes right to the ocean ).


Looks like an inviting swim to the island but you'd be lunch for the 4 m salties that patrol the beach and creeks.....then there are stingers.....Australia...such an inviting place...

 

[DownUnder]

Looks like an inviting swim to the island but you'd be lunch for the 4 m salties that patrol the beach and creeks.....then there are stingers.....Australia...such an inviting place...

Ive gotten used to Canada now and just splat spiders with my hand, shoo snakes away with my foot and jump into lakes without a second thought. Not sure if I will survive when I get back without being very cautious.

Mind you SEQ doesnt have to worry about the crocs and box jellyfish. Just bullsharks and man'o'wars.

 

[MacDoc]

Shhh we're giving Aus a "reputation"

Best laid plans to go for a ride despite the weather I lumped all day and watched it rain and sorted the Sena issue for the upcoming cross country.
I did however do some work in the midst of general malaise and cyclone watching

Bloody hell it's soggy and the beast is getting closer and a Cat 2 - cue the Jaws theme.

 

[MacDoc]

411 km and 1,050 steps

Chillagoe caves on a perfect day.

411 KM round trip…1050 steps in the cave only a few useable usable photos… :-(
but nice scenery to and from

Boy was I puffed doing that smaller cave…..the larger one takes twice the time - this trek was about an hour.

Left at 7.30 am or so - noisy cockatoo sounding off outside the house - photo came out okay given the distance
highlighted by the morning sun - sulpher crested ….huge birds and LOUD...throw shoes at them loud

Stunning day….bright blue against the very red earth…..something moving. Hmmmmm - so hard to see amongst the ant hills

ahhh there’s the bugger caught my eye

bloody hell….its a mob of em

Coming into the national park….the Gate Keeper……..You will die human if you try to pass….

standing underneath …..it felt quite threatening…..even if inanimate. Those are big enough rocks to do serious damage and some of that break off was fresh.

not quite the Arches but lovely rocks.

The rock lizard

Nice setting - gorgeous day - big tailwind so easy ride up …..got to Chillagoe at 10.30 - it’s under construction so a bit difficult to find the proper entrance…..aboriginal guide grew up in the area..very personable and patient with a tourist pausing to get his breath.
Said he used to play in the caves before they were developed

Locked up to keep the current crop of adventuring youngsters from getting lost or worse

lovely rock formations around the cave

1050 steps ….large percentage 45 degree slope….good hand rails tho….I used them a lot.. Clomping around in wool knee socks and off road boots added to the work but it was nice and cool in the cave. Was soaked when I got out…..very very humid inside….glad of the sun. Dry day for the wet season...glad of that as newly dried slippery clay on part of the route.

marginal shot inside - I suspect my circular polarizing filter was not helping ...ya think!!!

best of the lot - this was just sparkling which apparently means it still growing.

they are all LED Lit

After puffing my way out of the last 150 steps up …….treat of the trip. Noticed what I thought wa a regular grasshopper walking up the tree the bike was under.
Grabbed the long lens….WOW!

never would have seen him if he had not been moving - incredible camoflage. - even knowing he was there ….were it not for the antenna his blend is perfect.

Lunch at the Chillagoe - think Bruce and I had that last year - yes fellow Canadians that IS pickled beet …a staple on Aus burgers….there was another layer inside…urk

This caught my eye on the way home through Mareeba …….made me laugh…..too perfect ….not sure it would work in Canada.

I should actually take a day and photograph some as many are decades old and 3m+ high and the same or more around….fantastical shapes.

•••

Glad I got up there as really needs dry conditions....the cave can fill very rapidly and the clay sections of the highway are nasty to navigate.

••

not going to be dry for long...

Our drunk cyclone has revived and grown fangs as the monster that hit Vanatu departs and is taking dead aim
means a lot of work battening down the house….and of course it could spin up stronger and drift south….
interesting times.
Off side of a Cat 3 is not fun.....aside from drowning my riding plans.

Still ....good long day...few sore muscles. That would be an equivalent of a 600k on the Wee which would be more comfortable.

Lovely 25 c on the deck just now.

 

[MacDoc]

Re: 411 km and 1,050 steps

There is a field full of these Wallabies I need to spend some time photographing.

It's sort of the hobbit community of the kangaroo clans.

They do the whole bit of standing up and fighting etc but they are pint sized.

There can be hundreds in the field.

 

[MacDoc]

Re: 411 km and 1,050 steps

A few more for the plant people viewing

 

[MacDoc]

the cockatoo tree

I found a Cockatoo tree but my GF wouldn't let me bring it home

This guy was a standout brat in flock of hoodlums...

caught him exiting the "hood"....

busy tree

They are reallllly noisy

many many dozens...this was just one branch of a huge tree - had the long lens on

over a meter wingspan and reeeeeaaaalllly loud
This is one
http://www.mdahlem.net/audio/ozbirds/12/scrcock_art_20131109_2.mp3

Imagine a treefull

•••

Best ride yet for stamina - 410k over to Mission Beach, up the lovely Palmerston Range road ....Afternoon tea at Mungally Bio-Dairy - some lovely back road twists and the Gillies downhill this time got the giggles going.
Be really nice on something with real brakes.

Got to test the reserve tank perhaps a bit closer than intended - Put in 19 l but actually now I look it's a 23 L tank ( in theory ).
Thought it was 21.

Just too sweet - good day started about 8 pm and home at 4.

Post card morning/

Stopped for coffee and a sandwich at Innisfail - lovely along the river...need to spend a bit more time in the area - it tends to be a drive through.

Took a longer break one of the small beaches....read and realxed in the shade near a boat ramp.

Etty Bay has one of the few populations of the Southern Cassowary left and there are no dogs allowed and no glass bottles.

This a somewhat more populated coast than the Northern Cassowary range in the Daintree.....but that's a relative statement....Queensland is pretty empty.

 

[MacDoc]

The Gillies

I have mentioned the Gillies several times but to save going back to the thread Consider 19 km of this



with lots of variations including some 180 sweepers and some cool jinks you COULD take in a straight line but are too much fun not to play.

Here is a video of the road from an SV 1000....there are numerous out there.

[video=youtube;6YAXpkc6eVI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YAXpkc6eVI[/video]

There are 4 range roads all going up the same coastal mountain range going from sealevel to 3,000' quite rapidly ( the tallest peak in the range is 5200' )

The Palmerston at one end was built to be easier on trucks and is long and big sweeps - very pretty with one very steep section....then the Gillies.

Home town is the Kuranda - short and treacherous with heavy traffic of all sorts depending on the time of day including the garbage transport in the morning....tropical heat and a laboring truck ...no fun to be stuck behind.

The Rex at the northern end is not heavily traveled and the shortest of the lot but much fun.

The Gillies by far has the best giggle factor tho one Kuranda section gets you into a nice rythm - now if I only had brakes

•••

Not riding much as just closed on a new place to stay and additional work organizing it. Weather is wonderful for this time of year. Heading down to Brisbane for the remainder of the week/weekend visiting GF family. Lovely area - no bike

Riding buddy I was supposed to go out with today ended in hospital with an unknown seizure out of the blue that threatens his riding permanently

 

[MacDoc]

Re: The Gillies

These two on on the "right bike" for the road and with some traffic GSXR 600 - this one rocks with some dodgy moves.
There is a even a sign announcing 3 km to end of the twists for those subject to car sick....( one of the girls here ).

[video=youtube;ZiLLUCfyr6M]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiLLUCfyr6M&spfreload=10[/video]

never gets old ...even on the KLR tho was a bit of a chore on the heavy ST1100.

 

[MacDoc]

Re: The Gillies

Part two
[video=youtube;-JU5yr6R-sM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JU5yr6R-sM[/video]