Riding Down Under - Tropical Cairns Australia

[MacDoc]

Thought you guys might enjoy another rider's adventure - with pics
much of this is in the centre of continent - I've not got there yet but some of the local riders here are planning to attend - it's in the dry season -

9000km in Aus, Sydney to the tropics and back

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=377758&highlight=lorella

•••

Cairn's Birdwings are size large butterflies that continually float into the house and by law must be carefully escorted out.

This male decided to stay a while on gf's arm.

The females are significantly larger, very strong fliers - they do look like a bird when flying and usually smart enough to find their way out the house on there own.
NOT as well dressed tho

•••
Not directly motorcycle related tho you could certainly put all three of these in as part of a tour here - spectacular all of them

going here tomorrow night for couple of nights - that's a crater lake and lots of birds and platypus about

http://www.craterlakes.com.au/

and then up to Cape tribulation see if we can catch sight of a cassowary as noted before - maybe Friday the 13th will be lucky ( leaving for home 4 days later )

http://www.rainforesthideaway.com/

we will go here for a meal - can't afford to stay but what a setting!!!! For the well heeled rider - nothing like it....

http://www.silkyoakslodge.com.au/

 

[MacDoc]

No ride reports today but had a great time at a hide-away twitcher's lodge

We were at a bird lovers hide away near Eacham Lake national park ( volcanic crater lake surrounded by rain forest. )

Add lots of species to my life list and a few photos.

A catbird here is very unlike ours tho it does meow

We're still deciding on these - they look like myna's but are not

For some reason the camera has a hard time focusing these Rifle birds which are a bird of paradise species. This fellow is all black with wildly irridescent feathers - and same as last year it messes the camera colour and focus.
The body of the bird is deep deep black - you would never know from the photos.

The highlight was having a wild kookburra feed from my hand. That's a snake killing beak and they are big birds! Was a tad nervous but he was fine. Only one of the four kooka's was brave enough.

clearly this is a favorite stop in feeding spot at dusk -

Jude chickened out and used the cutting board

bit frustrated as the flash got the detail but lost the colour.

Should be a ride report tomorrow or the next day.

Easter break coming and a few trips with GF yet before I leave ..... then back to spring.....I hope

 

[MacDoc]

Back to riding

Went for a touristy ride over Tinaroo Creek road over through the Dimbullah Forest track.
•••

Back around 4 - lazy 220 km - forest track was very dry - only one stream still over the causeway. Lovely day - cool and sunny.
Had lunch at the Whistle Stop in Yungabarra and did my good deed for the day on the way down the Gillies.

Stu ( one of the 4 riders in the forest run ) had run out of fuel a few Km from the station.....fixed him up and now have a cool little 2 ltr gas can.

Not sure but really going to try for the Old Palmerston Highway in the dry and then down to Ravenshoe and maybe even a bit further south.

Bike is running sweet - body?? well.....hopefully not so stiff in the morning.

Some pics soon - there is always something different on the tracks and this time was fallen trees and branches to negotiate - lots of them tho the rangers had been through removing the largest from the track.

Was fun on some parts - the heavy rain had cut some soft small whoops parallel in the road and at my trials speed was nice to get into a little rhythm in and out of them.

 

[MacDoc]

Winding up my riding here tomorrow with a short trip to the farm where its being stored

But got a message from my riding partner on the Daintree run....

So this is what you wind up with after a weekend of hammering over rough dirt roads. Missing about six or seven fairing bolts,two instrument panel fasteners, one number plate and one fuel tank "puck"(how did THAT get loose?) Oh, there is the small matter of two bent rims as well!

That's a 2008 KLR in that mess - with only 8k on it and he doesn't weight much.

Sometimes the KLR isn't even tough enough.....still trying to find out where the hell he went!!!!

 

[MacDoc]

Bike stored away but a few pics to post.....but finally!!!!!

Yippee a cassowary up close and personal ...

we were just heading out at midday for a walk ( they usually show up in the morning and there were none ).

Walked back into the office to get the map and some movement caught my eye and out stalked a huge male and a yearling.

too cool.....lots of pics and movie

wet but having a relaxing time - cassowary was a real treat - just glorious colour

Pics soon - on satellite here so slow and $$

In the meantime have look at a cassowary here - this is where we are.

http://www.rainforesthideaway.com.au/index.html

 

[MacDoc]

Nice cap to a wonderful 3 months of riding....

Big Foot lives!! well the bird version anyways - you do NOT want to tangle with this big male in a dark alley - he is well weaponed. Males can be over 6'.

right out of a dinosaur movie.

the colours were soooo intense.

He checked out the area and then the yearling came into the area

The male wasn't sure if this was a threat so took a couple of pecks and bites

One of the more eccentric places we've stayed -but stunning

Combination of rainy so the solar didn't get to charge the batteries and a failed generator left us stretching our laptop batteries reading.
At least the gas stove worked for tea and coffee and we enjoyed playing scrabble in the rain under the shelter where the photo was taken from. Was fun. We had packed food and had a good break - the forest sounds are wonderful as was the quiet.
This is a somewhat different forest environment than Kuranda which is where we have our property tho many shared plants, animals and birds.

The whole Daintree north of the ferry is rain forest dating back 100+ million years and all dwellngs are off the grid. Lots of hippies washed up here in the 70s and established neat places.
The mandatory van has long been retired

There is a cloud forest just a kilometer inland and this is one of the rare areas that the rain forest comes right to the ocean's edge.

More photos here - work in progress and have a couple of movies of the cassowaries. Nice addition to the life list for a birder.

be home Wednesday - save some good weather for me it's pouring here again....tis the wet season after all tho we had and unusual 3 week break that was incredible this time of year.

 

[DownUnder]

That was a great write up mate. Made me a little homesick but awesome read nonetheless. Cheers

 

[MacDoc]

Thanks - looking forward to next year but also love spring in Canada for riding. Keep it warm for me - I'm sure my blood has thinned.

 

[fearlessbob]

Rather cool around here these days. You're not missing much...

But we'll be ready for you and weather will improve sooner or later!

 

[MacDoc]

Okay - I'm back after 36 hours one stop of which 23 was in the air. Lots of movie watching.
Got the Burgman out - started first hit - sure felt different after the KLR - few more things post up and clean up.
Then on to some new adventures this year

 

[dr_sarcasm]

Okay - I'm back after 36 hours one stop of which 23 was in the air. Lots of movie watching.
Got the Burgman out - started first hit - sure felt different after the KLR - few more things post up and clean up.
Then on to some new adventures this year

Back on the Burgman? Did the KLR make the trip back with you?

 

[MacDoc]

No - it's the Down Under bike.

Felt weird today - no clutch - different seating position but quiet smoothy and waaaaaaaay more comfortable.

Here's one of the 4 world level roads in the area done well on a 600 SS

Yeah The Gillies HIghway 19 KM - 200 curves ( one of 4 range roads in the area. ) All are 8-19 KM with great pavement and wicked curves the short one has 10% grades in some areas. Called the Rex..

Here's the Gillies the way it should be
[video=youtube;ZiLLUCfyr6M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiLLUCfyr6M&feature=related[/video]

One nasty bit is there are some tar snakes that heat up and go super slick in the sun.
The Gillies makes you work especially downhill.

••••

Also some video of the cassowaries coming up - better than the pics. Have some bandwidth now.

 

[MacDoc]

I keep forgetting how big Oz really is...I'm reading all your stories and thinking "Man, Mac must be clear across that little island by now...", but that last map really put it perspective. Heh.

Saw you posted this early - people are suprised at Oz but it's Africa that is the big suprise - anything on the equator looks small on the maps we are used to.

This will shake your view of the world - I know it did mine and I've been several times!!!!

 

[DownUnder]

Okay - I'm back after 36 hours one stop of which 23 was in the air. Lots of movie watching.
Got the Burgman out - started first hit - sure felt different after the KLR - few more things post up and clean up.
Then on to some new adventures this year

23hrs in the air? I usually use Vaustralia to LA 13hrs then whatever is cheapest (and not Air Canada) from LA to Toronto 5hrs or so. Hope ya get over the jet lag quickly.

 

[MacDoc]

Not sure how you are doing that.

It's 8 hours Cairns to Hong Kong
15 Hours Hong Kong to Toronto

Cassowary and chick video

[video]http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m269/macdoc/travel/australia%202012/?action=view&current=P1030986.mp4[/video]

 

[DownUnder]

Not sure how you are doing that.

It's 8 hours Cairns to Hong Kong
15 Hours Hong Kong to Toronto

Cassowary and chick video

[video]http://s106.photobucket.com/albums/m269/macdoc/travel/australia%202012/?action=view&current=P1030986.mp4[/video]

Cool vid of the Cassowary, I remember as kids in school we were always told to stay the hell away from them LOL

Your heading north to HK then east across the pacific. Much quicker to go NE from Brisbane or Sydney to LA. Have to deal with US customs but I havent had any issues with them yet.

 

[MacDoc]

add the 3 hours from Cairns SE- does not work out much if any savings as overall travel time and adds a stop and I HATE US Customs.
Coming TO Cairns the layover is shorter in Hong Kong and my bags check straight through and the there is no security check when I stay inside the Hong Kong terminal.
This one flies over the pole and like the service and seats on Cathay - free wifi in Hong Kong and nice lounges. Mind you 15 hours is long and in this case I did not sleep a lot but sure got a lot of movie watching.... I pick the best seats I can as well. Seat Guru is really useful.

••

Yeah I had no idea the cassowaries were so dangerous despite field biologist GF wagging finger.

Here is the male - click for the video

 

[MacDoc]

Not sure I actually posted a photo of my down under ride. Here is the 2005 KLR 650 before the red mud settled in.

It ended with a knobby on the front, bark busters over the levers, and a lot of mud.

Still a few pics to come. Nice to go through them on the big screen at home.

 

[MacDoc]

Just reviewing the photos on the big screen now I'm home and came across this one of the Rex - the shortest but steepest of the 4 range roads - 8 km of wicked twisties with steep gradient.
Did one time downhill with a couple inches of water flowing down it like a stream.....was glad of a narrow front tire

 

[MacDoc]

Time for the 2013 season. I think I'll tag it on to this one. New ride and there will be more touring than back roads and trails this year.

1993 Honda ST-1100CC cruiser motor bike. Red in colour, side lockable panier bags. Rear lockable panier bags. Brand new battery, a surburban & open road windscreen, cruise control. Radio cassette combo. Comes with 2 full faced colour matched helmets. 77,000 kms. Brand new air filter included. Full tool kit & manuals. 9 months rego included.

Thanks to friends in Aus closed the deal remotely - just about half the going price there. Not sure how only 77k get on this bike over 20 years. Barely broken in from what I understand.
Nice upfront storage as well for water and camera - won't miss my Burgman.

These world class twisties will be the local fun - the ST will be better than the KLR for these

'The Big M': A network of four mountain passes linking the Barrier Reef Coast to the Cairns Highlands - from twisty, involving switchbacks to wide sweeping turns - ascending from dense, moist lowland rainforest to cool, high cloud rainforest – and a Motorcycling Natural High.
http://www.bikingaustralia.com/the_region.htm

I'll keep the KLR for local town and dirt roads and forest tracks. Australia it's very cost effective to have two bikes. No sales tax on used and liability insurance goes with the bike registration and runs about $400 a year. Even less if you convert to a single seat as I did on the KLR.

Glad I'm getting out on the Burgman still in January - lovely weather these last couple of days and I'll be less rusty when I get to Aus in 2 weeks. ST is only 45 lb more but top heavy. Big tank too. This will make long rides much less tiring. Stay tuned