I come from the land of ice and snow...

Greetings oh loyal reader from almost Melbourne!

Cabramurra, highest town in Australia; deep within the Snowy Mountains. Just for reference, it's -4 deg C at this point. (Factor in the wind-chill, and it was about three days before I could feel my fingers again)

I say 'almost' as I am lurking in the eastern suburbs at the moment after booking Gosling One into a local mechanics, for the motorcycle equivalent of open heart surgery. I'm fairly certain the procedure will still involve a large hammer at some point though. A top-end engine rebuild with a new piston, cam-chain and various other complicated sounding items that probably don't come with usable instructions.

It'll be good to get the loyal steed reconditioned. I consider it a thank you gift to the bike for getting me safely 'almost' all the way round Australia. (Plus with any luck it'll add a bit to the re-sale value!) Once the work is completed early next week, I shall ride the last few hundred KM back to my start point, thus finishing the complete lap of Australia. Cue massive party, lots of press, groupies, a ticker-tape parade and loose women everywhere.

Unfortunately reality is more likely to be a celebratory pack of 2-minute noodles, a fill up at the nearest fuel station and then heading off into the central deserts. I've still got to get back to Perth you see, so it's not quite as easily finished as all that!

Over to Adelaide, up to Port Augusta, along the Oodnadatta Track, over to Ayers Rock, down the Great Central 'Road' and finally back to Perth. Only umpteen thousand km, piece of cake I'll be home in time for tea.

Meanwhile my journey from Sydney to Melbourne was fairly standard, unless you count the arctic temperatures (-4 and -2 all day for a few days) and the apparently unreported hurricane that seems to start up every time I jump on the bike. Still, it's all a bit of a laugh innit? Right?

Road conditions in the Snowy Mountains


Three points down on my effort to reach all four extremities of the Australian continent, south was the most recently visited one. Could only ride to within 20km of the actual point, so I resorted to hoofing it through Wilson's Promontory National Park. A 40km round trip in one day, on foot. I certainly knew I'd been exercising the next morning I can tell you!


The VERY uninspiring sign that greets you at the southern most point


Will post an update regarding the bike engine operation as soon as I have news. It's like waiting next to a sick friends hospital bed! Perhaps she'd appreciate a bunch of grapes? Motorbikes like grapes right?


Finally I spotted a Wombat!


Typically Australian, would you just look at all that sand and desert?!


A nicely snow-free, but still bloody cold camp in the forest


This noisy bugger decided it would be nice to try and look under my tent for food in the middle of the night


Mount Oberon in Wilson's Promontory National Park


The southern most point of mainland Australia - Lunch break


From my upcoming book of modelling poses titled: 'Christ my feet are cold' :-D