Yorke Peninsular is only a hundred or so Kms ride from Adelaide.
Since my earliest days of moto riding it was neglected as a destination due to the flat terrain
and the subsequent straight (boring) roads. Time to find out if that assessment is fair.

Leaving Adelaide at 2pm Friday 29th August saw me on the Port Wakefield road heading north,
this is now  2 lanes each direction with newly placed average speed detection sensors to keep you legal or poor!

A brief stop at Pt Wakefield resulted in an enlightening conversation with 2 "Softails",
on their Harleys!

These are true quotes, "Man, how can you ride wearing a jacket?"
                                " I HATE riding with gloves."
                                " Man my bike chews the juice." (How big is the tank?) "Dunno but I'm always stopp'n"
                                " You rode that all the way from Tasmania?"
                                " You sleep in that swag? On the side of the road?"

Gotta get outta this place, To

www.google.com.au/maps/@-34.6937551,137.7487581,184693m/data=!3m1!1e3

This leg shaped bit is where I'm talking about and my route was clockwise from the head of the Gulf St Vincent following the coast as close as possible. Much of the land here is prime cropping, mainly wheat with canola and broad beans that I identified at 100kph. As you can see from the shape there is a lot of coast so over the years many of the pretty bays have been occupied by holiday shacks although nowadays you'd be pressed to find many that I would call a "shack".

Internet or servimg trouble, photos when I'm allowed.


Ardrossan Jetty or pier, used for loading grain into ships in the old days. This jetty was extended twice and is now 480 metres long. Now there is a bulk handling facility nearby.



After meandering down the east coast checking out the small towns and bays it was time to find a campsite.
It had been a perfect 23*C day with not a breath of wind, the gulf was almost dead flat and the spot I chose gave me a view of the city lights 50 kms away. At the heel of the "foot".

Moments after taking that shot a dolphin appeared 20 metres away, rootling around in the shallow water before dolphining off up the bay then returned though not as close. I took this as being auspicious.
The night was long and with plenty of time to think I made sure I didn't miss the sunrise.



Here She comes



Packed and 5 kms later I'm in Edithburg fueling up the Sweet Triple and the not so sweet Ghost.

This is limestone country and I knew that to see the sole (south coast) I would have to get off the tar seal.

This is typical of the gravel roads, more like marbles really.



Tentatively at first, which is totally wrong, telling myself " You gotta die of something!" and "Give her the berries you softc*#k!". Loose on the bars, 4th gear, 60, 70 then 80, that's better, let her move about.
Reward... more beautiful bays.


Heaps more


 
Near Marion Bay.



I can understand why they build shacks here.

Heading up to the toes I came across Formby Bay, I wonder if George came here? we are on the west coast now at the entrance of Spencer Gulf, Port Lincoln (Dean Lukin, Tuna and Great White Sharks) is about 100kms away on the other Peninsular (Eyre), Wedge Island on horizon rhs.






North some more to the toes, and I kid you not, Corny Point! This place seemed older with real shacks but I didn't linger since I was on a mission to check into an Hotel to watch some footy, AFL, and sample some ales.

Great photos and story, thanks Ghosty.

It's a nice part of our world, I was there for a few months in 1993 and caught some top fish from the jetty at Marion Bay.
Only down was that while we were there a mouse plague came along and driving at night the road looked like it was moving under you. Took me 3 months of regular washing to remove all the dried up mouse bits from the front of the caravan.

So is Yorke Pen a worthy moto destination?

Silly question really, I'm on my bike, self contained and "free" for a couple of days, NO BRAINER.

Yes the roads are mostly arrow straight but there are corners which I sped up for Ha HA

Boring though it is not, distances between towns bays etc are relatively short, about 40km so no not boring. 

This time of year is probably best however, in another month or so this whole state turns brown and with days on

 end of 40 degrees over summer it's not pleasant in all the gear. Perhaps the Harley boys have a point?

I will take a fishing rod next time and yes Rick, mouse plagues are common, met a guy whose bike wouldn't 

start after the recent one.

nice travellog ghosty ...thanks for that ... and some great pics

seems a great place to venture

just have to think of a way to get out of this place  ... you have inspired me to get on to thinking about it again

Good one, Ghost! In less than a month I'll be in the south and west of Victoria and if I can just find enough time whilst there to motor out thattaway again. I rode part of the Eyre Peninsula in Springtime 2010 on my Long Ride Round. From Ceduna to Streaky Bay, Coffin Bay then into Port Lincoln, I found had fine roads with nary a speed trap, patrol car nor much traffic, and it wasn't too terribly straight and dull in places. The views of the long, green hills to my left and the blue southern ocean to my right were outstanding! Thanks for stirring up the memories.

Thanks guys, this was a significant trip for me... getting back to basics, what I do/love most.

The little black dog has been circling for a couple of months so it was time to leave him behind,

should have done it months ago but.. you know how it is?

This forum has kept me grounded, sort of, reading everyone's RRs or  tech problems have kept me in

a community I can relate to. 

For me to give back, even in such a small way as this trip report, which is what?   5 mins of light

entertainment? I have had hours of pleasure reading and seeing the places you live, the mechanical disasters, 

 restorations, the cafe/bobbers, the "light" in the dark art of electronics!

Thank you everyone.

Great pics Ghost, sounds like you had a good ride.

Many moons ago when the Worlds End Rally was still running up near Quorn, we'd always get there in a rush and then spend a week touring SA before heading home.  Each year we would concentrate on one bit.  We had a good camp all the way south in the Innes Nat Park and some of Maries family comes from the Yorke peninsula too.

Our favourite place in Oz that we keep going back to is Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula.

have to get back there one of these days.

Al

A lovely post and some really nice photos. I think its always nice to read these nuggets and nice to see places we don't get to through the eyes of someone who appreciates them.

Maybe 5 minutes to you, but life is made of a lots of lovely 5 minutes.

Agreed 92KK K100LT 193214 (you should really try and do something about your user name... ).

Some people may be a bit shy on posting pictures and stories on the forum, thinking that no one will care, but we really are interested in seeing their part of the world.

Hi Al, you mentioned the Worlds End Rally. I was a member of the MTC SA when we started that in about 1976?
after about 5 or 6 years I moved to Tassie so lost touch until the invitation only 30th anniversary version. were you at that one? If so I was the fool trying (jokingly) to wrest the pudding from Henning, had him worried since my bid rested on being best mates with the founders (Erik and Sandra J) but was probably the only tourer in Oz NEVER to carry the rattly block of resin! I was shocked to discover that the Pud was booked up for a number of rallies ahead, WTF. As I said it was all in fun and my "virginity" is still intact!
Streaky Bay is nice but I have a soft spot for Venus Bay nearby. MY very first long ride on my very first bike, Kawa F11 250 trail 1971, was to Lincoln, good times and hooked ever since, memories for the grandrugrats.


One more from.... Marion Bay I think.

Not at the 30th anniversary.  My times at the Worlds End were early-mid 90's (your club weren't running it then, they'd decided to stop and much to their disgust someone else decided to keep it going).  For me it was always 1st weekend of school hols (important when you're a teacher) and it was followed every second year by the BMW SA rally (treffen), so Marie and I would do the two of them.  It was always a bit of a rush to get there, 1700kms.  

One year I didn't plan too well,did 500kms to a mates place on the Thurs night, then miscalcuated the distance and ended up riding 1200 the next day to get to the rally, bloody late when I got there, I know that.

Sorry about the pudding, I've carried it twice now .  Last I'd heard it had gone missing(nobody seems to know who has it), it's not the first time that's happened.

Al

I've been meaning to thank you for this post all week Ghost. Thanks for taking the trouble and posting those great photos.

There are some places around that as a younger person I had branded as "the end of the world" and declared I would never go back.

But lately some of those places have been popping up in my memory. Maybe a ride through the stripped back features of NW Victoria one day.

Cheers,

indeed dee

it does inspire many .....
onya again ghosty

Can you actually relax on those gravel roads Ghost? It's hard to imagine being able to with a fully laden bike. Thanks for letting us see a new (to us) part of the world.

was probably the only tourer in Oz NEVER to carry the rattly block of resin! I was shocked to discover that the Pud was booked up for a number of rallies ahead, WTF.


I have led a sheltered life and only been to one rally, I have never heard of the pudding.

What's the pudding all about?

AL you can explain this one.

I feel a link to aussie forum advrider coming up....

The Pudding has a whole 10 page thread on ADVRider forum which Ican't link you to at the mo but if you google the Pudding motorcycle Aust you should be able to find it.

On dirt roads: Firstly I am the least qualified to comment, I actually hate them however they are a fact of life in Oz, so that, coupled with my bigger hatred of doubling back, plus 

desiring to reach fantastic places means I always seem to go on them. To my credit I bite the bullet and this has made me a better rider IMHO.

My sons have no such fears and while they love riding their 'blades, R1 s etc they seem to prefer getting dirty !



A couple of weekends ago They headed down to Hobart for a grasstrack meet. This pic is Tom chasing little bro Nick.

Nick won the first 3 races but broke his chain in the 4th coming 1st overall, big bro took out the 4th and second o/all.

Sure these are purpose built machines, light as a feather with suspension to die for but the point I would like to make

is that you have to really go for it or you end up at the mercy of the laws of physics. Yes it can go horribly wrong.

I have been overtaken on a muddy track in to a rally site by guys doing 120 kph while I was floundering like a Wally!

I was at greater risk of binning it.

So to 88 Ke 's Q about relaxing, you have to, well, not relax but definately not rigid 'cos then you are back to day 1

learning to ride a bicycle.

I'm hoping to do a write up of these two ratbags soon.

Thanks Ghosty
Just read the story.
Now I have to see it in person.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89693&highlight=australia+pudding

dee why Do you mean Hattah and the Murray Sunset country? If so should be doable on a K, perhaps a bit sandy?

A mate Erik, remember him? goes there kyaking and loves it. I have always skirted the area, maybe I should meet TWB there when he gets south.

Now you have sparked my interest any insights?

RicK G wrote:AL you can explain this one.

 OK, The Pudding.  A rallyist took a Big Sister Plum Pudding (in the old tapered can) to a rally and didn't open it, he left it with a mate.  The mate took it back to the original owner at a later date to give it to him and they decided not to open it, to let it travel.  Now we aren't talking small trips here, already it's crossed Australia twice with what I've already told you.  This is sometime in the late 70's I think.  One of those two riders is in my club.  Since then its been carried by motorcyclists all over the country that take it somewhere then pass it on to another rider who carries it to it's next stop.  Riders would scratch their name into the metal after they'd carried it.

You can imagine its been all round the country many times, we know it's been carried to the top of Ayers Rock 3 times as its in the visitors book!

There are rules: It can only be carried on a motorcycle, if the motorcycle breaks down and has to be towed, the pudding must remain on the motorcycle; it can be eaten in an emergency, but only after you have eaten your bikes tyres and drunk the coolant.  It began to swell and leak in the can many years back so it was encased in resin for safety reasons.  It rattles as the pudding inside has shrunk and dried a lot now.

The pudding tends to travel in the same circles that old-school BMW club members travel in, it will turn up at most BMW rallies, the OCR (Off Centre Run-another story if you dont know of it), the Alpine as well as other places. It isn't restricted to BMW travel only though, many others have carried it also.  At the Far Cairn the right to carry the pudding away from the rally has been auctioned to help assist MARI.  For a touring rider in OZ, carrying the pudding is a special thing.

Gentlemen, the Pudding:


Vince, who's name you can see scratched in is a mate of mine too.

Al

The best brief summary of the Pud i've read so far, good work Al.

I'd be interested to know who the guy in your club is?

The reason I ask is that the original ,as in purchaser and carrier to Perth  (before the border runs) was Erik Jansen and the first returnee

was either Bear or Geoff from WA, Bear seems to get the gong in most reports, I'm gonna check with Erik on this.

So is Bear in your club? He was and probably still is a hard long distance man on his R90S doing multiple Nullabor

crossings each year.

Top storey Ghosty and fantastic photos.

Oh to ride off into the sunset and return when I am good and ready.

/dream on

Explain the point to point tickets.

I think we are getting that in New Zealand soon.

We just got a new speed camera that can tell warrant and registration expiry.

How far apart are they placed?

I have seen a more than a couple now

in particular ...one leaving entering Inverell and the other end near glen innes   so that's about 50 ks  apart

there are many others around ...just thought to share 1 that I know of

the point being that if your over speed, the timing on the average distance will be pretty up there ...and no amount of slowing down in the last kilometre or so would put you on the safe side of being on time for distance covered  (unless you know where the camera is and stop for a smoke or something before hand )  ...photo opportunity ..better smile as you pass the camera  then get prepared to pay some money and loose points off your licence  ...in due course
 the traffic authority has wandering data collectors that download the images periodically and mate them up back in the labs ...somewhere \\\

it took them at least 6 months to send me  a speeding fine whilst travelling back home through a small village near Lismore ...just missed braking as some furry grasshopper on the side of the road grabbed my attention for more than a few seconds (on new years eve some years ago ) during the double demerit period of Christmas to New Years eve ...  luckily I didn't collect the double demerits as an interstate driver didn't transfer the double demerits ....at that time .




sucks if you don't have any points left and you prefer to ride at reasonable speeds for the abilities of the k bike

additional point ..aussie bikes have only 1 number plate (on the rear ..like many others ) for a while lots of these camera setups were geared for head on photo shoot ...glee for us riders ...as the number plate was not photoed ...but they now have fitted front and rear cameras  .....bugga !!!

Cant wait for that lol.

You think owning a k100 is bad try keeping a 14r at the speed limit

What Charlie said though I would add that the 2 here in SA are on long stretches with few places of interest between
and just outside Adelaide metro area so you are usually trying to get the hell away from the place to nicer destinations.

Charlie's talk about the front on and rear on cameras reminded me of the solenoid operated flipping number plate!
Could be useful in this case because in time PC plod will leave these sections to the machine.

OOPS... Did I just think that aloud?

lol ghosty

liked that one !

Nice one Ghost - thanks for the pics, it's just a beautiful part of the world to be. But Softails riding with no jacket or gloves.... hmmmm.

Loved the Pudding story as well

Ghost who rides wrote:The best brief summary of the Pud i've read so far, good work Al.

I'd be interested to know who the guy in your club is?

The reason I ask is that the original ,as in purchaser and carrier to Perth  (before the border runs) was Erik Jansen and the first returnee

was either Bear or Geoff from WA, Bear seems to get the gong in most reports, I'm gonna check with Erik on this.

So is Bear in your club? He was and probably still is a hard long distance man on his R90S doing multiple Nullabor

crossings each year.

Rob Edgar is the guy in my club, featured here in the White T-shirt in the Pudding handover pic.

Geez Al, some of those faces look familiar.  No idea who they are tho'.  Guessing BMWTCNSW. 

I only saw the pudding once, and that was Black Duck in '87.  Photos somewhere.

Only one is NSW.

We were at the Black Duck in '97.  People from our club took longest distance male interstate, longest distance female interstate (my wife Marie), largest interstate club attendance and longest distance rally dog (shared between our 2 Foxie crosses).  It was a great ride, but Maries K75s failed on the way home requiring the loan of a final drive to get us home.

Al

Thanks for the pic Al, very period with the /5 and all.

I may have met Rob back in the day, can he recite all umpteen verses of The Dominator Norton?

On the left in red is none other than Erik Jansen and his beautiful wife Sandra next to him.

They are the Pudding originals I have been banging on about, so there you go, small world eh?

In case you're wondering how I keep finding these pics; I did a few years in the club as editor and webmaster.  In doing that I gathered a lot of archival material from many of the members.  So I've got copies of lots of peoples pics relating to the club and its history.

50 years of the BMWTCNSW next year.

Al