"Not Quite a Full Safari"   
One man's view of BMW  Australias 2000 Motorcycle Safari

Came Sunday moring and of course I had not gotten the R100RS restored for the Safari start (Hey! It's only been 5 years in the making!)!  So what the heck, pack the 'eveready' K100RT (The Brick) and go!  Well,  it was always going to be a 2 bike Safari ride, but which two, eh?.

You see. I thought that I would do the "Touring" route start, followed by the "Adventure" route finish.  But like the expectation of the RS being ready to run, it was not quite that easy....   Still a great road ride to Byron Bay was in the offing, or was it?

Speed Cameras. followed by seemingly endless construction road-work chicanes 'lowered the tone' on the Pacific Hwy.  Ahh!  The turn off to Russ HinZe (Raceway) Road beckoned, Ahh No! Sorry ...! it's being re-surfaced, with blocks of 100m old tar followed by 100m tar new etc etc plus of course a mind numbing 60Km/hr speed limit ruining yet another fine segment.

Still up through the Numinbah vally under grey skies to the NSW / QLD border gate my sinking outlook suddenly changed.  Here I was confronted with the majestic view and by the promised blue sky 'high' and a break for lunch.   Believe it or not, I was chomping on one of Judy's finest H&C rolls there (near Chillingham) when the QLD Mustang Club rolled past past! (all 6 of them).

Well a fine Stanley Stomp through northern New South Wales saw "The Brick" & I at Byron Bay and registered with BMW by 6PM.  Fellow club member Ian Hahn took pity on my complete lack of organisation when we met up at the lighthouse lookout    (I had not pre-booked a thing - naturlich!).  He invited me to share a room at his unit.  A great night at the welcoming function (Byron Bay Railway Refreshment Rooms) ensued and it was fantastic to see so many hapy club members there, after all the "$$" moans about the cost leading up to the Safari, start I thought no one from the QLD club was going.  A fat time was had by all that night, even if I was the absolute last of 650 persons to get a feed!  Even the backpackers and ferals had a good time.

, DAY 1.  (To Surfers Paradise) The Monday dawned fine & cool, I had breakfast with "Doctor John" the Safari medico before Graham (1100GS from Cairns) invited me on the GS route.  On the K Bike?  What the heck the brick's done  lot of dirt, so off we go.  Mind you, I knew a shortcut so over the ridges (see photo #1 - looking at the sea) toward Lismore then North to Nimbin.  I mused that it was a shame the touring route did not go this way (to nimbin) - they must have been worried about K1200LTs, narrow one lane tarr, minor dirt sections, cows and the potholes etc).

A huge row of all kinds of GS awaited in Nimbin, not mention  numerous "Way to go Man - Very Cool, Man" from Nimbin's colourful locals  as well.  Good to see nothing had changed in hippie tpown here except the number of BMW MCs!  The GS route went over the Tweed Range Road to join the Lions, shucks
B(een) T(here) D(one) T(hat) so I slipped over to Kyogle, joined a bit of the touring course then via Rosevale and up the Lions Loop (GS again) to Rathdowney.  At least I missed the police radar operation mounted by QLD's finest that netted a 153Km/hr ticket for one rider in the Palen Creek section.   Fellow club member Jurgen (100GS PD Brisbane) came to grief on the tar section of the Lions Road (so named because it was built by Lions International to link QLD & NSW for tourism).  He had a small mis-calculation that at least only caused minor damage to both bike & rider.

The site of 600+ BMW MCs in the village of Rathdowney was one I am not sure I will ever see repeated (see photo2 # Rathdowney).  Then it was over the coastal hills at Christams Creek to the Duck Creek Road where I again left the adventure route to bolt home.  The GS riders went up the 'Duck Creek Road' to O'Reillys lookout, the Touring riders through Advancetown to Surfers Paradise (an easily missed location).

Tuesday saw me back at work, but I was not worried by missing the Safari lap around Mt Glorious or Kilcoy, as it was all local stuff.   Then at dawn Wednesday morning we packed "Gaston" (our GS100) and slipped up to Moolalba to re-join the fray!

DAY 3. (To Bundaberg) Met up with club member Rob (1100GS - Brisbane) in Nambour and we rode together over the range at Mapletown and down the Obi-Obi Road and through the delightful Kenilworth Valley to Imbil.  Here we found that the proposed GS run up Mt Buggery to Manubar was cancelled (theoretically due to overnite rain on the steep dirt road - no backup vehicle could make, corporate liabilty, etc).  

We were then re-routed onto theTouring route through Gympie to Woolooga (Road bikes then went to Biggendon).  Adventure riders went North via Kilkivan and Tansey missing the planned lunch in Goomeri.  A most pleasent dirt stretch ensued though.

Across to the Woolooga - Maryborough road then straight North and up through forestry tracks to Armamoor and on to Childers. 

Another dirt loop ensued to take us the long way to Bundaberg with a most pleasent refreshment stop at the Cordolba Hotel (# photo 3 - a location worth a club run in itself!).

As I had not pre- booked a thing, no organisation remember!  I just cruised around the town a few times and eventually scored a comfortable room in the Grand Hotel for $15.

Had a few beers there with a couple of New South Wales club boys and was about to depart for the Rum Distillery & Safari dinner when people started coming in telling all and sundry of the catering debacle there.  So I joined the rest by tucking into a damm fine (& cheap) pasta and salad dinner at the pub.  A walk along the main street (more like a pub hunt) found us amongst the NSW club proper in some backpackers pub.  When we finally made it back to our hotel, we found the BMW's Safari management crew firmly ensconced at the bar.  A late night for all!!

Want a good day ride?   Do this loop out of Mount Perry & have lunch at thr Many Peaks Pub!
(click map to download full image)

Unfortunately he was riding in thick dust and had limited vision.  He was airlifter out with a broken leg and other complications and seeing a motor in 4 pieces (so much for die cast cases) was pretty different.  The lest night for me was in the 'Top Pub' (and there definately in none higher) in Gladstne.

Day 5.  I departed the Safari & has an excellent run down the dirt from Mirriam Vale, Blackmans Gap, Many Peaks, Kalpower, then by-passing Monto via dirt to Biggendon.  With an interesting run (dirt again) from 1/2 way along the Biggendon - Woolooga Road over to ......  Last a boring highway run to Brissy.

The Safari? - seem Day 5  got pretty interesting back of Bahinia Downs for GS Riders heading to Emerald & the last Day then was a bit of an anti-climax to get to the Capricorn Coast.  But I'll let someone else tell that one!