Deane & Jack's Motorcycle Trip in
Australia and New Zealand
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Deane & Jack's Motorcycle Trip in Australia and New Zealand |
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March 17 - Brisbane, Queensland, to Armidale, New South Wales 605 km (375 Miles) |
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This was the first day that our tour of Australia really got underway. By riding this leg, we are to get closer to Sydney. Again, Clint rode with us, with Charleen riding on the back of Clint's Gold Wing. Charleen has the best of all worlds - she has her own bike, she can ride as the passenger with Clint, and she even rides the Gold Wing, with Clint as her passenger - quite a gal! One of the places Clint and Charleen guided us to was Cape Byron, The most easterly point on the continent of Australia. it had a big light house, and as a side benefit we saw dolphins playing in the sea at the foot of the cliffs holding the lighthouse.
We again went into the Great Dividing Range, heading south on a first part of the trip to Sydney. Roads were really curvy, Clint is a fast and very skillful rider, and Jack is a former motorcycle racer, so they had a good time. Deane could almost keep up, but with these two it took a lot of concentration and effort, before deciding to "ride my own ride". On the way, we rode down the coast from Brisbane to the "Gold Coast", where the gold these days comes from well-heeled tourists and people who can afford the huge condos and time share apartments. It is amazing how many high-rise buildings there are, and how many more are under construction. Those behind Clint and Charleen are just a sample.
Oh yes, down the road we stopped at the home of a motorcycle collector and restorer, Andrew, a friend of Clint's, who has a house full, as well as a workshop full of collectable Hondas. He has five beautifully restored Honda 1000 CBX's, and another one underway!! (These are a six-cylinder in-line engine bike, and not many were sold, making them very collectable now.) He had other bikes also, including two CBR race bikes which Honda let him keep after the bikes won Canadian championships. In the process, we have now left the State of Queensland, and are riding in the State of New South Wales. Before we are done, we will ride in all but one State of Australia, the huge state of Western Australia. Tomorrow its off to Sydney. |
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