Exmouth to Albany

According to the Australian Dive sites bible, Exmouth is one of te most beautiful places to have a look under water.As it has been 1 ½ years since we made our last dive, we do a refresher in the local pool.
The next morning we arrive at the Dive Centre at 7 AM. Together with some Aussies, a British and an Italian couple we board a bus that takes us to the harbour. The crew of the boat, a converted 30 tonne fishing vessel, welcomes us on board. The Captain himself presents us the Safety Demo, which is quite original.
On our way to the dive site (Muiron Islands) we spot whales jumping out of the water and splashing around with their fins. We see more of the whales on this trip then on our Whale Watching trip, but we’re not complaining. It is cold, though.
At the islands we get ready for our first dive. As it is pretty cold, most divers don two wet suits over each other and Miek follows this example. Four of us (the Italian couple and us) go down with divemaster Carl. The view is not very good, we’re only 16 m deep and there’s quite a current. But we see a stingray and barracuda’s.
On the second dive, Huub spots sharks. Miek skipped this dive as it was only 40 minutes after the first one and she is shivering cold, in spite of the two wet suits. Luckily Huub brought his underwater camera to prove he chased the sharks.
Back in Exmouth we say goodbye to our new friends, especially the Italian couple. The lady had also skipped the second dive and Miek and her had a good conversation while the others were away.
We have a wonderful seafood diner and turn in early. Tomorrow we’ll head for Carnarvon.

Day 10, Exmouth to Carnarvon: on the road again!

Packing our bikes is easy this time, as we have sent off all our excessive gear to Grungle Downs at Darwin, where we will pick it up at the end of the trip.
We fuel up and on we go, down to Carnarvon. Within 5 Km’ we spot Emu’s. The landscape is surreal, scattered with termite hills. We make a detour to up the hils to overlook the Exmouth peninsula. It is spectacular: a windy road along a big gorge, a view of the coastline and the beautiful coloured sea. The land is barren and sparkled with the pastel colours of wild flowers. The further we go down, the more colourful the flowers become.
We cross the tropic of Capricorn and arrive in Carnarvon early in the afternoon. We stay at the Fish and Whistle and have very nice pizza at the old Post Office.

Dag 11, Carnarvon to Kalbarri: A visit to the world’s first inhabitants.

We rise early and breakfast on cold pizza left overs (yummie). Today may be a pretty long ride as we are not sure where we are going. The original plan is to go to Denham and Monkey Mia, but Miek just found out a friend from her earlier Aussie years is now living in Kalbarri. We have not been able to reach her yet. It does not make a difference for the first part of today’s trip, we are going to visit Hamelin Pool and the Stromatolites. These bacteria have been on Earth for 3 billion years and were important oxygen machines. They produce rocklike formations, only half a millimetre per year, in very salt water areas and Hamelin Pool is one of the very few places where they can still be found.

We also visit the old telegraph office which has a very interesting history. As the guide is busy on the campgrounds, he lets us wander around alone. After we come out he will not let us pay the entry fee, which we then decide to donate to the RFDS (Royal Flying Doctor Service).
In the mean time Miek has spoken to her friend in Kalbarri and the decision has been made to go visit her, which will be quite a ride and it’s already 2.30 PM.
This ride soon becomes a very strange one. One moment we’re in the bush, the next we enter a countryside very similar to France. Green fields appear on both sides of the road, lined with pine trees and everything is very lush. This only lasts a quarter of an hour, then we leave the highway to turn into the road to Kalbarri and we’re back in the bush again. Are we seeing things, now?
In Kalbarri it takes a while to find accommodation and soon we are shook up with the bad news that Miek’s friend will most probably be taken to hospital as she has a blood cloth in one of her lungs. This is very unsettling but soon we find out that she feels better after proper medication. (At the time of writing she is out of hospital and doing much better.)
Kalbarri is a lovely town and we decide to stay an extra day. We want to explore the Murchison River Gorge and are not disappointed. A 26 Km long dirt track takes us to beautiful views and walks.
Later we visit the seahorse sanctuary. It is one of the two places in the world where seahorses are bred for aquarium owners. This way the breeders hope prevent the catching of the wild seahorses. As seahorses are picky eaters, the sanctuary also breeds a certain kind of planton, for which they make algae soup to feed on…. Now that’s what we call passion

Day 12, Kalbarri to Cervantes: Futher South.

Today Cervantes is on the agenda, home to the pinnacle dessert.
But upon leaving Kalbarri we decide to check out the surf at Jake’s point. Surf’s up and about 5 guys are riding them. Our hearts skip a beat when, in one great wave, we spot grey silhouettes behind the surfer. They soon turn out to be dolphins, and they really know how to appreciate a good wave. We stay and enjoy the sight for half an hour but then we have to hit the road. The country is not so empty anymore, we now regularly spot something manmade (besides the road), but the coastal road to Cervantes is again very desolate. We made reservations at the caravan park and there we quickly dismantle the bikes, as we have been suggested several times to visit the pinnacle dessert during sunset. This turns out to be good advise, the light is fantastic, a fascinating experience that can not be described in words very well, hence the picture.
But now we do have to ride the road in the dark. We’re on one bike and Huub rides down the 12 Km road at about 40 Km ph in order to be able to make a pretty controlled emergency stop in case a kangaroo jumps in front of us. And he’s so concentrated, we never sees the big Grey sitting a bit futher back and the snake enjoying the warm bitumen on the sideroad…

Day 13, Cervantes to Perth: A sentimental journey.

We plan to take an unsealed beach road down South, but soon we find out that this road is being sealed at the moment and the roadwork makes it impossible for us to ride it. So, it's back to the main road. Today we’re heading for Perth. Annemiek lived there with her family form 1981 to 1984 and to go back after 25 years is going to be a sentimental journey. It gets cold and soon it starts to rain. We stop at Yanchep National Park to see the Koala colony, but first we have a coffee and hot chocolate accompanied with great chocolates. Then we go see the Koala’s. They look very cute. But they are not as cute as they seem and can be quite ferocious when cornered. These Koala’s however seem quite contend…
After Yanchep we quickly reach the suburbs of Perth. We visit Miek’s old house which hasn’t changed much in the last 25 years. After that it’s on to our hotel downtown. After checking in we find out that we can drop off our trusty bikes at one of the local dealers. After our adventures on the Gibb they can use some TLC.
After dropping them off we walk back to the train statin. It's a weird sensation, being without wheels for the first time in three weeks. But we aren't given much time to lament: a pair of Kookaburrah start laughing and we can't help but join them.

We are staying in Perth for a few days, visiting friends en reliving some of Miek's memories. Miek's old friend Alwyn lends us two selfbuilt boats and we spend one afternoon kayaking on the ocean. We visit Penguin Island and see a plethora of birds but no penguins (of-course...). Then we paddle over to Seal Island and are greeted by two juvenile New Zealand Fur Seals. They are very playful and Huub joins them with his camera. After much splashing around it's time to go back. The seals follow us for a while. When they discouver we are really leaving we hear a mournful call and they disappear in the deep. A moment that we will never forget.
Next day we visit Rottnest Island, home of a colony of Quokka's. These cute critters were first discribed by Dutch sailors as a sort of big rat, hence the name Rattenest Island, which changed to Rottnest through the centuries. Quokka's are nocturnal and we are worried we might not get to see any. But after a very short walk we spot one. After taking a few pictures we spot another one and then another. They're everywhere and absolutely not shy allthough they won't let you touch them.
It's our last evening in Perth and we are going to have dinner with some friends in Fremantle. We have picked up our babies at the dealer and dropped one off at the hotel. Annemiek will be riding pillion so she can have a spot of wine during dinner. as we walk up the restaurant we greated warmly by... the Italian couple we met in Exmouth!
After a nice dinner we ride back to Perth. We haven't left Fremantle yet when a police siren sounds right behind us. We are being pulled over, turns out our tail light has burned out. Fortunately we are let off with just a warning. We promise we'll take the shortest way home and to have it fixed first thing tomorrow.

Day 14, Perth to Bridgetown: Jerry's mission.

First stop: motorcycle shop to get the taillight fixed. Afterwards we say our goodbyes to our friends. Fortunately our latest sponsor (Finn Kayaks) has outfitted us with some really nice warm clothes because the weather is turning colder and colder as we go further down south.
We are off to a late start and because we don't want to ride in the dark, we're trying to make good time. But traffic is bad, we even get to experience grid lock Aussie style (traffic light induced grid lock). South of Mandurrah traffic gets better and our average goes up. Unfortunately it begins to rain and this ride is shaping up to become one of our worst. The landscape we are travelling through is the opposite of the weather: green rolling hills, meadows, forests and winding roads. And then, just before we ride into Bridgetown, the rain lets up a bit, the sun breaks trough and we are treated to a beautiful rainbow. We can see the entire arc and both ends, a very nice welkom indeed...

Bridgetown is one of our main reasons for this trip. this is the place where Annemiek's father, Jerry, took up a mission that would occupy him for the next 15 years.
When the van der Ham family was living in Perth, Jerry would quite often take his motorcycle out for rides across South West Australia. During one of these rides he visited Bridgetown and discovered the war memorial there. As he looked at the names of the fallen soldiers he noticed a name he had seen before: L. Blechynden. He had seen this peculiar name before on the National War Memorial in Kings park in Perth. He decided to take a picture and as he did so, he was approached by a local man who pointed at a name, B.T. Hill, and said that that was his uncle. When the man heard Jerry was from Holland, he asked if Jerry could look up his uncle's gravesite. The family didn't know much about how B.T. Hill died, where he was buried or what his headstone looked like. Jerry agreed and did.
Back in Holland he now had the perfect excuse to go for a good ride. As he walked unto the war cemetery the first grave he sees is that of L. Blechynden. Soon he also finds B.T. Hill's grave and he decides to loop up al the graves of the Bridgetown boys. The last part of the mission is to go to Gallipoli. Annemiek joined him on this trip and together they put the final parts of the puzzle together.
Unfortunately, Jerry becomes ill soon after and he passes away in November 2006.
Annemiek's sister Nannet had sent the documents over to Bridgetown and Terry Linz of the RSL (Returned Services League) happily received them. He made sure that on the following ANZAC day, surviving relatives were presented with a certificate containing a photo of the graveside. Terry also set up an exposition of Jerry's project en this, we wanted to see.
Terry welcomed us to Bridgetown and even set us up in a very nice cabin (Hillcrest Rise Bed & Breakfast).
Saturday we arrived at the Bridgetown War Memorial for a special ceremony: the planting of a Lone Pine.
One of the battles fought at Gallipoli is the battle at Lone Pine. Before the battle commenced a lone pine stood in the no-man's land between the lines. After the battle was over, the pine was gone but soldiers collected seeds of which seedlings are still being grown in Australia. Annemiek was asked to plant one of these Lone Pines at the Bridgetown Memorial. What an Honour!
That night we are also invited for a very nice BBQ-dinner by the RSL. The evening is very much enjoyed by all and we even get to meet L.T. Blechynden's niece Lesley, who is 92 years of age.

After the RSL program we had planned a tour along the South West coast. Unfortunately the weather turns really bad and we end up spending a few extra days in Bridgetown. We were accommadated by Ton and Joke and their sweet dog Shadow. On sunday evening we are invited by Mark and Glen for a very nice dinner.
Tuesday morning the sun is out and we gear up the bikes.

Day 15, Bridgetown to Albany: Sunshine!

We say our goodbyes and stop by and stop off at the "Grumpy Old Men of Bridgetown", the local RSL toolshed. After a short guide tour and last goodbyes, we are on our way.
First stop: the Clouchester Tree. An old fir lookout, tourist may climb this 60 meter plus tree and enjoy it's beautiful vieuw. Huub can't resist the challenge, Mike is content to take pictures... from below that is. After an improptu bird feeding session we are on our way again.
In Wallpole we visit the canopy walk, one of the few like it in the world. We walk in the tree tops, looking at the ancient trees. We also walk the trail down below and after taking the obligatory toerist pics we are off again.
We arrive in Albany around 4 P.M and are behind the I-net PC's at 5 to finish this Blog...

Last but not least, it has proven to be impossible to update our site. Therefore we will be mentioning the nwe donations here in our Blog.

Menno Rigter Nieuw Vennep Netherlands 20 Km
Renate Mulder Amstelveen Netherlands 25 Km
Bouwmaat BBQ Alkmaar Netherlands 770 Km
Jos de Pee Leusden Netherlands 10 Km
Finn Kayaks Perth Australia 250 Km
Apex Club Bridgetown Australia 120 Km
Mark en Glen Norris Bridgetown Australia 6 Km
Lions Club Bridgetown Australia 30 Km
RSL BBQ Bridgetown Australia 66 Km
Bill Stockwell Perth Australia 12 Km

Second update from Oz

Once in Broome we decide to take a few days rest. We reckon we deserve (need) that after riding the Gibb road. And Broome is a great place to hang out.
We soon agree we shall go Whale watching, they're passing by on their way South, a great opportunity. A bus picks us up at noon en takes us to the beach. Actually, onto the beach (!) and stops next to a speedboat, on three wheels! Once passengers have boarded, it rides into the water until it's deep enough for the outboard motor to take over. Then the wheels are pulled up and off we go to the big whale watching boat. It takes the little boat 3 turns till all passengers are on board the big boat and then we take off at a speed of about 55 Km/h towards the whales.
Soon the skipper spots a sea snake, which disappears underwater quickly. A few minutes later we spot a big sea turtle. The turtle, which is about 80 cm across, stays afloat long enough for all of us to admire him. On we go, we want to see whales, but oops, dolphins! Three of them swim happily through the waters. And soon after we see another sea snake which does not hide immediately. Very impressive, this snake, and very poisonous, so we're told. After you've been bitten, you have three minutes to regret the fact that you came too close. Then it's all over. Luckily the snake has a very little mouth, and the fangs are in the back of the mouth, so it will have to catch your finger or earlobe or something. Good thing to remember if we go diving, we'll cover all little bodyparts...
And then, there she blows! A whale is spotted at the horizon. We slowly approach it and then it swam right underneath the boat! It is massive! Unfortunately it is not very playful at the moment so the crew decides to have a look elsewhere. Then we find a group with two babies, one not older than one week, but already estimated to weigh 400 Kg. Mother and child are nosy and swim next to the boat. Fantastic moment. That's also the end of the trip. The crew says it wasn't a very good day, but we're very happy and had a great afternoon on the beautiful ocean.
In the meantime a local saddler fixed Miek's saddlebags well and good. He picked them up in the morning and dropped them off at the hotel while we were at sea. Great service and job well done.
We head for the Internet café to finish the last posted blog en upload some pictures. This keeps us busy so long, when we're finished and want to go for dinner, all kitchens are closed so we end up eating a burger at MacDonalds...
The next morning we make up for the missed proper dinner with a good breakfast in town and after explore downtown Broome. We come across the old pearler's jetty, about 50 m long. We spend quite some time there watching the tide come in, along with blowfish and octopuses. An Aboriginal family comes out to fish. Mum does the actual fishing, Dad gathers the catches while the three little kids sit at the end of the jetty and teach us all about the fish we see. Such a great morning.
We go back to the hotel to sort our stuff. We've washed everything, even the bags, so everything has to be packed again. In the afternoon we lavish ourselves on oysters, Broome's specialty. We taste four different dishes, and can not say which is the best.
And in the night we go to the pictures! Now this can be done everywhere in the world but Broome has something very special: Sun Theater. It first opened in 1916 and hasn't changed much, since.
You sit in deck chairs, one half of the theater has a roof, the rest is open. So you have stars both over your head and on the screen. There was also a lizard on the screen which at one point sat right on Johnny Depp's nose ( we watched Public Enemies).
Anyway, we thought it fitting to sit in a cinema which once screened the London – Melbourne race and the Uiver landings.


Day 8, Broome to Roebourne: It's two for one day today.


Today we want to ride to the Sandfire Roadhouse. So we make an early start and arrive there at 11:00 AM, a bit early to call it a day. After a short powwow we decide to keep going and postpone the decision as where we will sleep until lunch. An hour and a half later we are having lunch in the Pardoo Roadhouse. The food isn't very good, but the girl behind the counter is doing her utmost to be friendly and polite. We can tell she isn't used to it...
During lunch we discuss our options and we think it's a good idea to combine two days of riding into one. We will push on to the Whim Creek Hotel. Because of the distance involved we think it is a good idea to call ahead. The line is busy so we decide to ride to Port Hedland, a mandatory fuel stop and call from there.
We've been on the road for about 500 Km now and various body parts (legs, necks and bottoms) are voicing their protests. Port Hedland is a local industrial center and not a very nice place to be. We gas up and try the hotel again, still we get a busy signal. A quick conference is called and Annemiek suggests we take the risk and ride on.
The landscape is predominately flat and monotonous. But, if you look closely you'll see that most of the grasses, bushes and trees are in bloom. The effect is very subtle, but the entire roadside is a carpet of colors, ranging from white via greens to violet. Very pretty.
Nine hours after we left Broome, we pull up in front of the Whim Creek Hotel. It's late afternoon and the sun is already on its way down. Small problem: the hotel is no (longer) a hotel but just a pub. As camping is also not allowed here, we have no choice put to push on to Roebourne, 85 Km down the road.
Now the race is on. As we have agreed back in Holland we will not ride in the dark, we try to beat the sunset. Just as the sun hits the horizon, we pull into the Roebourne campsite, 813 Km from Broome. We don't even bother with our gear, leaving it mostly on the bikes. Only the bag containing the tent is liberated and the tent stands inside a minute. After a quick snack we hit the sack and fall into deep sleeps in no time.


Day 9, Roebourne to Exmouth: Two days in one again.


After a good night sleep the world looks a lot better now. Because we made such excellent progress yesterday we decide to push on to Exmouth today. That way we will be two days ahead of our schedule again, days we can spend very well in Denham. It's only 590 Km, which is not all that much, compared to yesterday...
The view remains monotonous, flat, yet very impressive. The flowering roadside, the big skies, we are not getting used to it, yet. After a few hours we meet a couple of emu's. It's again a special moment, meeting these “Zoo-animals” along the road. Other than these big birds we see goats, big cattle and a snake. After a 7 hour day we ride into Exmouth on our reserve fuel.
We are staying in the Pot shot Resort Hotel. Our accommodation isn't as grand as the name suggests but the room is comfortable, clean and affordable. The restaurant offers very good food and the dive operator has an office on the premises. We think we'll be fine the next few days!

The first kilometers in Oz

And all of a sudden we find ourselves in Australia. We landed early in the morning on Wednesday and Immigration, Customs and Immigration weren’t nearly as horrid as the TV shows try to make us believe. Everybody was very friendly and polite so we ended up on the doorstep of a very dark B&B. A quick call remedied the situation in no time at all. The landlady, Christie, was roused out of her bed and let us in. We must admit, she took it all in her stride and turned to have quite a sense of humor. Apparently the person that took our booking forgot to mention our somewhat early arrival time.

Grungle Downs B&B turned out to be a great place to catch our breaths. First we had a nice nap after which we contacted Customs about our gear. They couldn’t accommodate us that day so we made an appointment and went croc watching at Crocodylus Park, right next door. Later on the groundsman David loaned us his Toyota Land Cruiser so we could hop over to NT Motorcycle Centre. There we met the nice folks that prepped our XT’s. The bikes were good to go. Well, almost ready as they still needed to be fitted with the luggage racks from our crate…

Next day was Flight Case Liberation day. We started at 09:30 with customs and drove off with our gear around 14:30 after Quarantine gave us the go ahead. A quick rundown to NT’s and after a few hours of tinkering, the bikes were ready to go. The rest of the evening was spent packing all our stuff into our saddle bags.

Day 1, Darwin to Katherine: Criss CrOz finally on the road!

After some last minute chores we finally are off around 10:00. This first day on the road will take us from Darwin to Katherine. Now we are actually riding trough the land we, until now, only knew from books and movies. The red brown earth, wide expanses of grassy plains dotted with gum trees and big cattle stations with cows and buffalos under huge awnings and sprinklers to keep them cool. And of-course the humongous road trains, trucks pulling two, three and sometimes as many as four trailers. These big boys are the true kings of the road, a fact well remembered by any and all travelers on Australian roads. These trucks do not stop for anyone or anything, period.

We don’t see too much wild life. Occasionally we see big birds of prey and as soon as you stop we are assaulted by flies. We do see the occasional kangaroo, but these unfortunately only as road kill.
After about 300 Kilometer we arrive in Katherine, situated on the Katherine River. It’s very hot (42 degrees Celsius) but our ventilated suits are performing beautifully. Katherine is not much more than a small town by Dutch standards, but in these parts it’s the only form of civilization inside a one hour drive. It’s a good thing we have reserved our room from Holland because we are here in the height of the tourist season and the number of holidaymakers is staggering. They account for at least 90% of all the traffic we meet.

Day 2, Katherine to Kununurra: The first change of plans.

The original plan called for a relative short trip to Timber Creek to spend the night there and then continue on to Wyndham to start our Gibb River Road adventure. But after some asking around we find out the unsealed road between Wyndham and the proper Gibb River Road is rather poor so we decide to skip that bit. Instead we will ride to Kununurra and ride the “normal” route to El Questro the next day. So we will be testing our stamina on this 526 Km ride.
Fortunately the landscape is beautiful and very varied, by Australian standards anyway. Barren, dry expanses with enormous termite hills are bisected by steep, green river valleys, hills and the now familiar grassy plains with gum and baobab trees. And we see our first life kangaroo, a real “you are in Australia now” moment!
This highway is subject to seasonal flooding during the wet period and major construction works are underway to raise the road and many bridges. The bitumen also suffers a great deal from the extreme temperatures and the oversized traffic. (To give you an idea, it’s 43 degrees C, in the shade, if you can find any…) We cross a lot of new patches and we are struck by one of the typical Australian idiosyncrasies: if a stretch of road doesn’t have any markings on it, they’ll put a warning sign up, even if the stretch is only 50 meter long. And not once either, we stop counting at around 20…

After a long and hot ride we arrive in Kununurra. Here the harsh reality of tourist season hits us square on the nose. Although you hardly see any traffic while you are travelling, as soon as you reach one of the few towns you’ll find almost all accommodations filled. After a bit of looking around we finally do find a small air conditioned cabin. Time to strip and soak in the pool! All’s well that ends well.

Day 3, Kununurra to El Questro: The first kilometers on the Gibb River Road.

Every day we manage to depart a bit earlier, today we are ready at 09:30. But first we see our neighbors off in their old American fire engine. They are participating in the Variety Bash 2009, a Australian charity event. You can only join them if your car is 30 years or older, two wheel drive and pretty much stock. Modifications are only accepted if they benefit safety and/or durability. Speed modifications are not allowed.

Anyway, we’re off and after about 50 kilometers we get to the Gibb River Road turn off. This road was built to allow road trains access to the cattle stations in this part of the Kimberley’s and is also known as The Gibb. Not even 200 meters on, the road turns into gravel with rather heavy corrugation. Our adventure has truly started now! After our off-road course we kinda know the basics: stand on the pegs and when stuff gets rough, stay on the gas. Huub get’s in the swing of things rather quickly and flies across the corrugations in good, if maybe rash, form. Annemiek is taking a somewhat cautious (and much wiser) approach and takes it a bit easier. Fortunately the pace is dictated by the slower rider and we reach the El Questro turn off with no major drama.

We had already crossed a small floodway with a bit of water in it, but that didn’t quite prepare us for the two crossings yet to come. The first one is only 30 meters across and about 40 centimeter deep. Unfortunately the bottom consists of big, round boulders, as it turns out the typical surface for this type of forts. Huub isn’t deterred and bounces across while standing on the pegs. Miek has already seen enough and is more than willing to let Huub ride hers across also and we’re off again.
A few minutes later we stand before the next crossing which is at least twice as wide. Again Huub goes first and he gets well over half way before his front wheel hits a big rock. The bike veers left while Huub exits stage front right. As this is all happening, we are not quite sure whether these creeks are inhabited by crocs. But you got to get across somehow and Annemiek arrives next to the bike in a flash. Together we lift the bike and set it back on its wheels. Damage seems to be limited to a busted mirror and a bruised ego. Fortunately the bike starts up on the first try and we manhandle it to the other side. For now this seems the safest way of crossing and we decide to do it this way for the time being. Miek’s bike is collected and a few minutes later we ride into the El Questro Township.
We are shown to our safari tent so we can pull the gear of our bikes and our bodies. The saddle bag the bike was resting on in the creek is still full of water. Good thing we have all our clothes packed in plastic bags… (Hans: thanks again for this good tip!) Now, it’s time for a refreshing dive in the same river Huub already had a bath in. We have been informed it’s croc free, a reassuring after thought. The day is concluded with a romantic dinner on the porch.

Day 4, El Questro – Ellenbrae: The Pentecost river.

Today we’ve got 165 km planned. That may not seem like a lot, but it’s all dirt road. And we’ll have to cross those two darned rivers again. The biggest challenge, however, will be the crossing of the Pentecost river! We have gathered a lot of information about this one: the water is about a foot deep, the river is wide and lately no salties have been sighted, but they are there… Great.

We’re fueled up to the max. Bike tanks, tail tanks and an extra 10 liters in a jerry can. When we get to the two little rivers, we walk the bikes across. We’ll see about the Pentecost when we get there, but walking through is definitely no option. The road there is astonishing. The Kimberleys are hilly, great mountain ridges rise up from the rusty dirt. If the road would only be as good as the view: kilometers of corrugation, scattered with sharp rocks. The occasional 4WD racing by puts us in a dust cloud that diminishes our view to a few meters. We have to concentrate carefully.

After an hour we reach the dreaded Pentecost. Miek does not see the sign saying ‘No Swimming, Crocodile habitat’. Huub ignores it. Wading through to check conditions is out of the question and as going through standing up was not very successfully, yesterday he decides to just sit in the saddle and ride slowly across in first gear. To make things more exciting for Miek, anxiously waiting ashore, Huub stalls the bike halfway. But again the Yamaha restarts easily and Huub reaches the other side safely. Now it’s Miek’s turn. Ever since she learned (a few months ago) that this river houses Salties, she’s been fearing this moment. What’s got to be done, has got to be done. After a deep breath she takes the plunge, refusing to look anywhere else but ahead. With great sense of drama, she stalls the bike halfway as well, but stays cool, gets it going again and also makes it to the other side. The trip continues.

After another hour we have a little rest and we notice coolant spraying from Huub’s bike. The hose must have hit a rock yesterday and has been punctured. Time for a roadside repair! Luckily it is right at the beginning of the hose, so Huub can cut the damaged bit off, and remount the whole thing. Good thing we brought loads of water so we can refill the system. Problem fixed.
After a total of four hours we reach our camp, hot and sweaty. This campground has a waterhole with Freshies only , and as the kids come out in one piece, we dive in and soothe the muscles.

Day 5, Ellenbrae – Mt. Barnett Roadhouse: Crash!

190 Km of dirt road planned for today and it is going to be very hot again (40 C + everyday) so we decide to leave early. The first 90 Km are fantastic. Miek has really got the off road swing now and we ‘fly’ over the corrugated Gibb. But then we hit soft sand. Huub barely gets across at about 60 K/ph. He immediately stops to look around how Miek is going to do this, just in time to see her disappear in an explosion of dust. She must have come off hard, but by the time Huub reaches her, she’s already pushing the bike up, afraid to loose a drop of fuel. Only when it is on the two wheels again, she feels the pain and goes to recuperate in the ittybitty shade of a bush, as Huub inspects the bike: gear selector bent inwards, fork twisted, saddle bag ripped off. Second roadside repair necessary. The fork is straightened according to the local "pole method" (don’t ask). The bag is put back with elastic straps and the bike is OK for further riding.

We limp our way to the Mt. Barnett Roadhouse a hundred Km ahead. When we get there we get the air-conditioned granny house (!). First we festoon ourselves on an absolutely fantastic Big Ass burger (the best burger we had in a really long time) and then while Miek sets herself to fix the bag with needle and thread, Huub heads for the tool shed to spend a couple of hours fixing Miek’s bike. The fork is properly reset.Joe the local technician gets the gear selector back to shape and most of the sand is removed. The bike and the bags are as good as new, but Miek’s confidence is still badly dented…

Day 6, Mt Barnett – Derby: one more day of biting the dust.

Today is going to be a killer: 316 km en Annemiek’s body is absolute rigid after yesterdays fall off. So we get an early start. A difficult start for Miek but after a while she regains herself and we swing the Gibb road again. We’re not the only ones experiencing some trouble, we spot a fire engine next to the road. It’s our neighbors from Kununurra. When we pull up we see the whole crew, under the truck with a load of tools and a welding machine. Of course we check if we can help, but we get three thumbs up so we move on. At this stage the road gets really bad, as there are now many soft sandy patches. At noon we cross the King Leopold Range and after that, the road improves rapidly. Our speed increases and then we hit Bitumen! Yes, now we really get a move on and at 2.30 two very happy campers enter the little town of Derby.

Derby itself is a bit of a disappointment. The hotel suggested by LP is closed, as is the restaurant. We end up in a pretty grungy place, but it’s got a shower and Aircon. And in the evening, big surprise, the hotel happens to be the local hangout and they serve fantastic meals! Again, all’s well that ends well!

Day 7, Derby – Broome: back to civilization.

As Derby does not seem to have much going at the moment we decide to head for Broome, only 225 Km away. We pass the Boab Prison tree (it’s huge), and surprise, hit a detour and ride another 10 Km on gravel. No worries though, as smooth as a billiard, especially for experienced dirt riders as we now dare call ourselves. 30 Km before Broome we need a fuel refill and at this station we buy a 40 cm long rib, big enough to provide us both with a great lunch.
And then Broome, wonderful green and luscious Broome. Immediately we fall in love with this happy town. We get a room in the Roebuck Bay Hotel, the oldest in town, and decide to stay here a few days to get a proper rest and a good look around in the old pearlers settlement. We finally get a chance to check our email and get a start on this blog. We have our tea at a Thai Restaurant. Tomorrow we’ll go whale watching!

Up to now we rode 1.833 km’s, fueled up 9 times, total of 170 liters and no punctures, yet.