It all started after a few drinks and how I mentioned to a mate that there was a group doing fully supported long distance off-road rides for annual holidays. This year they were going to ride from Cairns to Broome (4,733km all up, in 14 days) and as a supported ride there would be no need to worry about logistics, fuel, food, camping fees, or the unexpected. A few phone calls to Katie, the Trail Boss, sealed our fates and left us only five months to prepare our bikes and raise the funds for the entry fee. (The event is a fundraising effort for the Endeavour Foundation.) "Cairns to Broome – you’re gonna have a sore butt!", was the standard response from our mates but they were wrong. I had a plan - an Airhawk seat was already in my Arsenal - no pun intended!
Being supported, I decided that a 450 would be a hoot, thus leaving the KLR in the shed for future events when I needed to carry my own gear. I grabbed an 08 WR450 and started organising a long-range tank, taller gearing and some long life tyres, finally opting for a set of MOTOZ Tractionators and heavy-duty tubes. Being a new bike, I would have no mechanical problems, right? Not quite.... Bikes were freighted to Cairns about a week before the ride, so all gear and bike preparation had to be done early...I think some of my gear ordered from the USA arrived about 4 days after we had left for Broome.
Twenty-six riders fronted for the rider briefing in Cairns. Katie reinforced that this was going to be no Club Med experience and that, while it was a holiday, it would involve some hard slog and discomfort. You don’t take 26 bikes across 4,700km of tough Australian outback consisting of bulldust, deep sand, rocky river crossings, muddy tracks, wheel ruts, and washouts without some hard yakka and teamwork. This was “Roosting for Endeavour”, Cannonball style! Fun was paramount and so was the adventure. We would do all this and still raise around $32,000 for the Endeavour Foundation. The excitement was at fever pitch and I am sure some blokes slept with their riding boots on, showing just how keen they were to make a start! Bikes ranged from XR 250s to KTM 990s and everything in between.
Using the Cornerman system, we were soon out of Cairns climbing the foggy range into the tablelands, hitting the first dirt after smoko, a maze of fast open tracks and graded roads. Lunch saw us at Mt Mulligan, a lovely small pioneer town but also the scene of one of Australia’s worst mining accidents, where 71 miners lost their lives. Freshly graded trails with razor-edged rocks were followed by creek crossings and the sound of choppers mustering cattle in the distance. Pretty soon, one of the guys ditched their bike in a crossing and was 'caught' on camera. The reward was the “skirt” - a tutu to wear until another victim of biking embarrassment could be caught in the act, requiring the 'skirt' to be handed on.
Day 2 was going to be big and an early start was in order. The first leg was FUN! It was prime forest tracks with enough cold wet creeks, a muddy crossing, fast open sections and hairpin switchbacks to keep everyone on their toes. The 450s loved these conditions and with fast open sections and tight corners, more than one rider had to take a run through the scrub for a 'leak'. Lunch at Dunbar Station was first class and consisted of some real Aussie damper and billy tea. The station even d onated lunch and some fuel for the official vehicles, so thank you, guys! The hospitality of country people is really amazing. The balance of the day was muddy sections with wheel ruts, fast open sections, and pea gravel, which saw our luggage trailer break. However, with the team work and pitching in that Katie said would be an element of the trip, some quick roadside repairs saw us on our way to our overnight stop in Normanton, where many beers were consumed to wash away the dust!
An early morning start saw some sightseeing around the town made famous for its purple pub and the life-sized replica of a Saltwater Croc that was shot in the main street in the 50's. This prehistoric beast was 8.6m (29 feet) long. Another day’s riding saw us in Burketown and into our overnight camp on the banks of Nicholson River, with hot showers and running water. We rolled out our swags amongst the river gums on the nice green grass. A vast contrast to the bulldust, sandy river crossings and rocky tracks we had to traverse to get there.
A new day and new bulldust, but with the China Wall promising to be one of the most spectacular sections of the trip, the riders pressed on. A few riders succumbed to the treachery of bulldust; it sorta seemed like soft powder snow, only dry and crunchy! China Wall is an Aboriginal reserve, and a permit is required to travel this road. A word of warning here is that this section had not been graded in 11 years, so washouts were at almost every downhill run. This short section saw two riders crash heavily, to be later flown out by RFDS. Terry and Laurie are out of hospital now and on the road to recovery - on ya fellas! However, right there, riding in a group with a back-up team of first aiders and first class communications gear, seemed to make a huge amount of sense!!
As promised, China Wall and the scenery was spectacular, and had many differing types of terrain including a steep rocky hill climb with washouts, sandy tracks, rocky trails and even the odd termites’ nest in the middle of the road. As the day rolled on, we rode through stations and then joined the Barkly Stock Route. It is a fine section of dirt highway, but the setting sun was creating glare, and some of the wheel ruts were hard to see. As we turned into camp for the evening, one of the Kato 950s roared past the turnoff on full song, head tilted to banish the sun. By the time Katie had rounded up our Kato friend some ways down the road, Breddo had already set up camp and had a campfire going awaiting recovery. This earned him 'the skirt' for the next day.
A windblown night on th e Barkly Tablelands and not much sleep due to the arrival of the RFDS in the early hours saw us set out along the Barkly Stock Route. This country is just flat and dogs up here need huge bladders, because there are few trees. The wind was still blowing that morning but it helped move the dust. The big bikes loved the open sweeping corners, as did my WR until the gearbox packed it in just short of the end of the Barkly Stock Route. So much for a new bike with no mechanical issues. The afternoon saw some sightseeing around a historical village and then a trail following some railway tracks until we reached Top Springs. This was our 'rest' stop for the night, the CRFs needing valve shims and the rest some much needed servicing. However, with the local publican organising a band from Katherine, beers just had to be drunk.
Leaving Top Springs with a top headache, we cruised a gentle 70km of black top before the stones really started to appear and our headaches got much worse. The Buntine Highway was followed for a while, which, although a highway, is still dirt. The highway was named after a pioneer road train operator of the area, so it was only fitting that we got stuck behind a huge road train. Following a road train on the dirt on a motorcycle is interesting, but as the operator realised there were bikes behind him,he'd pull over and let us past. That night saw a video screen put up at our roadside camp where a movie was shown, and more beer consumed. Today, we looked forward to crossing into WA and did so with the spectacular view of the Bungle Bungles in the distance on our way to Lake Argyle. A short day distance-wise, so we kicked back and swam in the Old Ord River at our lunch break - a welcome relief from the red dust. An early arrival in Lake Argyle saw the spanners out again for more maintenance and valve shims for the CRFs. With a rest day scheduled, a chopper ride was booked for a blast over the lake and along the Ord River. The lake is 19 times the size of Sydney harbour - not bad for a dam wall that is only 100m long. While a spectacular sight from the air, the following sunset cruise with a BBQ on a deserted island proved that it was pretty spectacular from ground level as well!
With the bikes serviced and the Honda's valves again getting some specialised attention courtesy of a XXXX can, we made a start on the Big Gibber Road, I mean the Gibb River Road. The corrugations were amazing and, even on a bike, I thought my eyeballs were about to fall out. This section of road was hard on trailers and we saw three damaged on the side of the road. One had a dual axle set-up, which just appeared to have shimmied out from underneath, causing the trailer to flip and the axles to go 'outback'. We then ran into Dermot Brereton and Channel 9's Getaway team doing a story on outback travel. He thought we were mad riding dirt bikes from one side of the country to the other at what would seem to be a very brisk pace! The Gibb River Road continued to provide lots of challenges and, after crossing King Leopold Range, we turned left and headed towards Windjana Gorge for the night. The Barramundi were thick in the creek, but the freshies were there too, so swimming was definitely out. Derby was next and proved to be our first sight of the ocean in 11 days, so a quick photo opportunity on the wharf and a blast along the dry mudflats seemed an appropriate thing to do and had us grinning from ear to ear.
What looked like being a bit of a boring run up the bitumen to Cape Leveque was soon changed when road works made us a dirt detour earlier than expected. Those big highway styled sweepers in red clay nicely watered by the local council proved to have fun written all over it! The turn-off to the Cape then had us in the sand to provide a new challenge, especially for those on v-twins. At the Cape, whales were out playing and although a little cool to swim, it was a refreshing way to remove the dust. As for crocs, I am told there are none..... because the sharks ate them?
A cruisy 130km into Broome for the last day seemed a doddle after averaging 400km plus days for nearly two weeks. I can now say I reckon it was the roughes t part of the whole trip. Sandy bulldust holes jumped straight into hard packed shoulders, giving wrist-jarring snaps on the hangers. At times, you were following a hard packed strip on the opposite side of the road only to have a fourby come from the opposite direction. A quick shuffle to the right side over the huge build-up of sand in the middle had you in more thick silty red sand until the vehicle passed and the dust clouds settled so you could see where you were going again. Maybe it was just because I wanted to get to into Broome intact - after 4600km, I didn't want to miss by few km's at this late stage.
Broome was reached and we celebrated with pizzas on the beach. While you're allowed to ride on the beach, we didn't know about the 15km limit. A beach patrol cautioned us on the error of our ways. We took photos as a memento of our coast-to-coast ride, a brilliant outcome for not only the personal challenge but also the money we raised for the Endeavour Foundation. Big Benny the Kalgoorlie Kid even celebrated by hitting town in a Borat-styled mankini, collecting another $550 from the bemused locals.
Katie was right. This was no Club Med holiday, but what an adventure - a once in a lifetime opportunity! Fantastic team of officials, good mates, new like-minded friends, cold beers, and a magic way to see a part of the country some will never see. I am well and truly now a committed Cannonballer. I hear, next year, Katie is planning a Toowoomba to Tassie trip. I'll be there, start planning your leave now!
Brad Taylor
With the Honda's continuing to need more shims and with the thickest ones already used, a plan was hatched over a few beers to lift the whole rocker assembly, and shim underneath it, to make it work. So, next morning shims, were made from the nearest XXXX can. Does that make it now a CRFourX? However, the doubters had to eat their words when the bike ran all the way to Broome to complete the trip - sounding like a brush cutter, yes, but still running.
Out of 26 riders, everyone had a minor spill apart from 3 people, one of which was a female who started out on a Honda 250 and, on day 4 after her bike packing it in, moved onto a Suzi 650. She finished the ride intact with not one scratch on her or the bike....what an effort. The 650 came from Trevor - one of the guys who got flown out. In true Cannonball spirit ...he said she could finish the ride on his bike. CHAMPION !!!!
