The Rails

Green is the name of the game in Byron and Doug and Maggie fit in very well. It was a bit bigger than I remember but it had been thirty five years since my last visit and there is nothing that can be done about progress.  I was pleasantly surprised  though to find no high rise and plenty of old (and new) hippies around the place. That was how I remembered Byron, sunshine, surf, and very laid back, alternative lifestyles blending in with each other. I was told the sunshine still came but in the two weeks I was there I saw very little of it. It did show itself one day and I took the opportunity to get on the bike and ride to Nimbin to see the real hippy population still pedaling their drugs, the young people selling the weed were emaciated and obviously using heavier stuff than what Nimbin became famous for. Riding through the hinterland inland from Byron didn’t disappoint but there was a creek that I was lucky to get across because of the amount of water around the place. Unfortunately I couldn’t avoid a 3 foot long lizard that ran out in front of me, I rode right over the top of it and almost lost control of the bike.

There was a debate going on in town, Splendor in the Grass, the biggest winter music festival in Australia, had to move to Queensland for two years because the site they wanted to use at Yelgun, was restricted because of conservation issues. Doug and Maggie were involved and were about to have their 5 minutes to address the committee, which was to be held all day at the community center in Byron and then again all the following day somewhere else. The buisness community had dollars in their eyes and the conservationists were outraged to even think of such a thing. I called in to listen for a while but left after one of the, for, Yelgun crowd, told the story of how he had never seen a Koala in the wild, untill he went to a previous Splender in the Grass festival, where he had seen a Koala up a tree at the entrance grooving along with the music and thats a true story he said.

I jumped on the bike to go for a ride but didn’t get far, before the rain came down, I was dripping wet when I rode into town and the closest place to get shelter was the Rails, the local pub. A bloke saw me come in and immediatly went to the bar and asked for a dry T shirt, the meeting was over and Doug was there having a beer. I walked over to have a yarn while putting on the dry shirt, without looking at it, Doug looked at me and pointed at the slogan on the front. Splendor in the Grass!

I suspect Splender in the Grass will be held at Yelgun this year!

I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!

Maggie, Surfer Girl.

It had rained a lot in Sydney, I don’t remember it raining quite so much when I lived there before, just put it down to climate change. The morning I left though, the sun was shining; I was on my way to Coffs Harbour to have a drink with Deborah. Deborah got in touch with me through face book, we had a brief encounter in Sydney in the seventies and it was time to catch up again. Ten kilometres out of Sydney the rain started, just showers to start but the layers of clothes came out and by the time I got to Coffs Harbour it was chucking it down. It was getting late so I found a pub and got a room so I could dry out and warm up, the following morning I rang Deborah to arrange a meet, only to find she was flooded in. No way in or out of Bellingen, so after 35 years we still didn’t have that drink, who knows when I might be up that way again? Nothing for it, continue up to Byron Bay where I was hoping to see a couple of very old friends from Cornwall, Dougie and Maggie.

In 1972 I was on my way back from Afghanistan, there was a postcard waiting for me in Istanbul, from my sister, informing me she had married a bloke from Cornwall. Well that would be my next destination…go meet the in laws…I left Kabul with 20 pounds in my pocket and after 2 weeks of sleeping by the side of the road and hitch hiking, the uncured Afghan coat I’d bought in Kabul was getting a bit smelly, to say the least. I managed to get as far as Bodmin Moor on the thumb but at midnight with no traffic, I decided to phone for help. A couple of hours later, my new brother in law turned up in a little Renault and got a whiff of that old Afghan coat and I am sure wanted to throw me out but couldn’t…I was family…

I tell this story because it was at that time I also met Dougie and Maggie, we have run into each other in various places over the years but this time it was to be at their  home in Byron Bay. There is a bit of a Cornish connection in Byron, so I ended running into more folks from all those years ago.

I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!

Pool in Whale Beach

I was still a bit run down with the chest infection so started thinking about getting well again.Up at six, a long walk, an hours Tai Chi, carrot celery and beetroot juice and a swim in the afternoon. I’d done 10,000 klm since leaving Perth and it was time to get the bike serviced, the rear tyre was bald and the back end had slid away from me a few times, so I couldn’t leave it any longer. I couldn’t get it in for three weeks so started to think maybe I should get a job and stay for the summer. There was a job in the Manly daily for a pool cleaner, perfect, that’s got to be my job.I sent an email and rung up about the job but didn’t hear anything from them, which was a bit disappointing; after all I had just sold a business doing the same thing, so obviously knew the job. What I wasn’t quite sure of was weather I really wanted a job, I was enjoying the beach, the Tai Chi, the swimming and I was beginning to feel well again. So I accepted I didn’t get the job. Sydney was expensive though, so a week later when the same job appeared in the same paper, I wrote another letter, emailed it and on the Monday morning rode up to the shop half an hour after they opened, offered myself and was told to turn up the following morning, I had a job, I was a pool guy again!Driving around the northern beaches dropping off and checking out a pool occasionally was ok, I paid for the new tyre and the service on the bike, Xmas was a couple of weeks away and this year there was no pressure, no shopping, no expectations. Xmas came and went, I ate beans on toast and polished the bike on the day, I was thinking it was time to sell. I began looking into getting N S W registration so I could sell the bike and discovered it was going to cost too much. Change of plan, keep the bike and ride it up north to visit some old friends which was always the plan but I thought It might be hard to get rid of it when the time came with W A plates.  Over Xmas and New Year, a bunch of English lads arrived from Charters Towers where they were renovating houses and making a good quid, from then on the pool guy was ready to move on. I wasn’t getting enough money from the pool shop and the man wasn’t prepared to up my money, so it was only a matter of time. The time came mid January after 2 months in the job, I was free again.

I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!

From the balcony

It was lunch time on a Saturday when I approached the out skirts of Sydney, why did I feel like I was coming home? I spent my 20s in Sydney, I guess you do a lot of growing up in your 20s.In my case, growing in the wrong direction but that’s another story! There were changes though, the toll road wanted money from me but there was nowhere to give it money? I thought I’d go to Bondi, easy, head for the city, ride up Oxford Street, through Paddington to Bondi Junction and down to Bondi Beach. No!!!! Roads have been plonked in here there and everywhere and traffic, wow! I’m glad I’m on a bike. I did eventually get to Bondi but Bondi Lifesavers and Bondi vet haven’t done it any favours, it was the weekend and finding a place to stay wasn’t easy, I almost gave up but passed a pub up Bondi road, got a room but nowhere for the bike. Nowhere for the bike, metres everywhere… not bike friendly! I spent the night and in the morning rode over to the north shore, the road took me under the harbour, another toll, and I was in my old haunts. It’s all still there Lavender Bay, Kirribilli, Milsons Point, Neutral Bay, Cremorne, Mosman and my final destination, Manly. As soon as I arrived, I knew this is where I would stay, booked into board riders for a week, starting the next day and headed back to Bondi. I wanted to go over the bridge, which I did and discovered another toll…And if you don’t pay the bill you will be shot! Still no where to pay! ….computer land….good job I’m getting the hang of it. Got back to the pub and told the Italian guy I had met the day before, I was moving over the other side. He wanted to know why I would move out of Bondi, its cool here, only trouble is it’s cool for far too many people.

Manly was a lot more civilised. A balcony looking over the beach, a pub next door and very important, an underground council car park over the road that didn’t charge for bikes I was settled in Sydney.

I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!

A night under the stars

I had thought I might stop in Falls on my way to Sydney but once I hit the road, I just rode and rode and stopped only for petrol, it was warm and I was loving the open road. It was late afternoon when I started to think about where I might spend the night. I was on the road to Gundagai and spotted a little place tucked away on the side of the road, a night under the stars was called for, it had been a while but the swag would come out again for tonight. First though why not check out Gundagai, a small town with a pub on every corner, I hadn’t eaten for a while so a couple of schooners and a pub meal would go down a treat. I was in NSW, Toheys country, I hadn’t sampled a Tooheys old for thirty years and it wasn’t long before I was having a yarn to a local farmer who just happened to ride a bike. The raffle ticket guy appeared and I bought a few tickets for a meat or fruit tray. Fed and watered I was feeling pretty good; they did the draw, which I wasn’t paying much attention to. The ticket guy came over, tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out I’d won a fruit tray, which was huge. Wow! I don’t think I’ve got room on the bike for that, is there anywhere in town that would appreciate the fruit? We decided on the old folks home which he would take care of for me, well! This is a small place and word got around the pub what had happened, so when it was time for me to ride up the road to my little camping spot, the whole pub was shouting… good onya mate… they all seemed to know I was going to camp out, even though I’d only told one bloke…watch out for them black fella’s. I walked out of that pub feeling 10 feet tall, what a fantastic day and I still had the stars to look forward to.

The following morning I ran into an old bloke, who had slept over the road in a camper, he had bought on the internet. He had got this far from Adelaide and the radiator had spewed all the water out. Another random act of kindness, going to get something to block the hole 20kl away and I was on a high for the rest of the day. If I ever need a place to stay in Canberra I’ll be ok.

Ah! Life on the open road, is there a better way?

I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!

Joel, Alice and the rest of the Salts

One night in Falls Creek I overheard Joel talking on the phone, he was organising a party for Alice’s 25^th birthday, unknown to her. He was getting her parents over from Tasmania along with some old friends from Melbourne. That’s just the kind of guy Joel is. The third thing on my list of things to do was a ride on the Great Ocean Road; Joel is from Apollo Bay, on the Great Ocean Road, so I invited myself to the party, this was my next destination.

A night on the ferry and I was back on the big Island, no need to go to Melbourne again so got on the road to Mornington Peninsular and in particular Sorrento where I could get the ferry to Queenscliff. By about mid afternoon I arrived in Sorrento and found some where to stay ready to jump on the ferry and the Great Ocean Road…the sun was shining…I woke up to glorious sunshine and a smile on my face. For the first time in a long time I didn’t put the thermals on, by the time I got to Queenscliff I had taken off another layer, by the time I got to Lorne I had to stop because I was too hot. This was it, the Great Ocean Road, riding in a T shirt and vest, this was the dream, I’m doing it. The road was perfect the weather was perfect, what more could one ask for. Lunch in Lorne, next stop Apollo Bay, the road got even better on this stretch and very little traffic…. “Heaven I’m in Heaven”…Arrived at Joel and Alice’s place about three, ahead of the rest of the crew, Alice by now had sussed something was afoot but was over the moon when her parents and sister arrived from Tassie and long time friends from Melbourne. I met both Joel and Alice’s parents and could see instantly why they were such a lovely couple. They allowed me to stay for 2 weeks while I got x-rays and medication for the chest infection that I still hadn’t been able to throw off. I didn’t do as much riding on the Great Ocean Road as I would have liked, because that glorious summers day only lasted for that day and I wanted to fix the chest but I did enough to be satisfied. I was feeling much better when I left 2 weeks after arriving, it was a beautiful day and I was bound for Sydney.

“Thank you Joel and Alice for your hospitality”

I am…. THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!

Snake

I rode all day in the sun, things were looking up, it was late afternoon as I pulled into Bicheno and I decided to spend the night here, a good little holiday spot but off season, even better. I ended up in the pub of course, lots of bullshit and drinking and more bullshit, stumbled to bed and woke to more sunshine…maybe I should hang here?…no carry on. The road got even better for the bike rider and I was cruising nicely when I had to dodge a snake on the road, I think, shall I turn round and get a pitcha, yes why not, did a huee, went past the snake, did another huee, oops in the ditch, bikes going over, can’t hold it, down it go’s, fuck! I managed to drop it without any harm to the bike or me but felt a bit stupid, the petrol was pouring out so switched that off. And waited for help, no way  could I lift it up, not a lot of traffic, so after 3 or 4 mins, the first bloke to stop had a bad back, we discussed the weather and the fantastic roads for a few minutes, the second car stopped and an old guy about 80 got out, we had another go, no way, had another discussion, a few minutes more and a camper ambled along and out got a big mamma, we all looked at each other thinking the same thing, this girl will lift this out the ditch on her own, nah! Another few minutes and a big strong young fella turns up in the old ute and it’s upright again…how many people do’s it take to lift a Triumph loaded up, out of a ditch?…I gave them all a wave as I took off. Once they’d all passed me I did a huee went back to that snake on the road and took a pitcha.

A few klm’s up the road I hit the weather up in the hills and had a very slow ride for the final approach into Devenport, booked into the same pub but was very disappointed to find the big party the night before had drunk them out of Kilkenny.

It was time to leave Tasmania!

I am…. THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!

The road to Bruny

There was a message on the phone, John had arrived in Hobart and we arranged to have a drink in an Irish pub in Salamanca, where I had already sampled the Kilkenny. I have known John for getting on forty years and we have run into each other in many places. I remember finding him in Jakarta airport one day, he on his way to Singapore me to Bombay and both booked on the same Air India flight. As we were taking off there was a bit of a bang, John turned to me and jokingly said, bloody Air India, sounds like the doors fallen off. After about half an hour in the air I noticed the sun had moved from the right side of the plane to the left, after a little while the captain’s voice came over the tannoy to inform us we were heading back to Jakarta as there was a problem with one of the doors!

We discovered we were staying around the corner from each other and after a couple of beers and something to eat, arranged a night out later in the week. John had mentioned Jeff Lange to me before but I’d never had the pleasure, I bought a couple of tickets for him and Geordie Smith at the Republic bar in North Hobart and we were all set for a boozy night. The following day I did a trip to Bruny Island and on the way to the ferry I passed the Antarctic Centre and called in for a squiz and a bit of breakfast. As I was eating breakfast, in walked John with a couple of colleagues for morning tea, they were doing some training there, before heading off to colder climes. We had our boozy night out and Jeff and Geordie didn’t disappoint. I was beginning to think about heading back up to Devenport via the East Coast, the cold wet weather was getting to me and I was dreaming of a warm ride along the Great Ocean Road. My chest was getting worse and I began to wonder if it would ever repair itself, or if I was going to have to pay a visit to the medicine man. The sun was shining so I loaded up and took off up the coast, a fantastic ride on some of Tasmania’s best bike riding roads.

I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!

The Old Penal Settlement

I walked into the Green Frog which just happened to be the place I couldn’t remember the name of, how could I forget that? After a yarn to the young fella in reception, I ended up with a six bed dorm but with no one but me in it. What a nice bloke, no one else turned up the whole time I was there. There was a place round the back for the triumph and he directed me to a couple of pubs where I might see some live music… “Always find a local”… after a beer in a couple of pubs I was settled in Hobart. My intention was to do a few day trips out of Hobart, so I would be here for a while. I walked around town the following day to get my bearings, a bit easier not having the one way system to contend with and ended up in Salamanca, an area on the harbour to eat drink and be merry, lots of boats and touristy stuff. A city is a city to me no matter where it is, I don’t wear suits or work in an office, I don’t buy clothes much and I don’t move quickly. A cup of coffee or a beer, I can get anywhere, Hobart was a nice enough place to do both. Hobart had a nice feel to it and I enjoyed my time there but a city is a city where ever you go.

My first trip was down to Port Arthur, it was the countryside, the roads, the people, that grabbed my attention in Tassie. The weather, I just had to put up with, it was October and that’s what nature throws at you in October, in this part of the world. It was raining again but I was here to ride and as I have said the roads were made for riding. Port Arthur has a history and not only for the lunatic who wandered around killing people. There was a huge convict population housed here in the days of pain and suffering. This is where they sent the repeat offenders in the early 1800’s, they probably stole 2 loaves of bread and a bag of lollies.

I am….THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!

Hobart Town

Coming into Hobart was a bit like coming into most cities, all of a sudden you’re in the outer suburbs. You see your  first macca’s, then there’s a Kentucky fried chicken, Woollies , Coles, a shopping mall or two, traffic lights appear on every corner and the traffic starts to mount up. I didn’t have a clue where I was going as usual, so as always, headed for the city, “I must start getting more organized”, I had been on the internet and checked out places to stay but that was about a week ago and my memory doesn’t go back that far usually. Eh! No problem, I’ll ride around the city when I get there and I will no doubt come across somewhere.  I got to the city, always easy, there are signs directing you. Hobart is a lovely city as cities go but no matter how many times I rode around that city, I kept ending up in the same place, not having got anywhere. It was Saturday night, it was getting dark, I was cold and wet, I was getting more and more frustrated, and I still hadn’t found a place to stay. That’s it; I’ll have to park up, undo the stuff on the bike, get the laptop out and find out where the fuck I’m going. “I really must get more organized” I pulled up on the footpath and parked the bike and began taking off the six layers of clothing, when this guy, you know the guy, you’ve seen him and you think “he’s a loony” he was on a push bike with a bag strapped to the back like, he’s ,trekking around the  world, the dreadlocks are half way down his back, a beard like catweasel,  he’s about as thin as a stick insect, with thick socks, a Himalayan woolly hat and sandals. You wouldn’t happen to know where I might find a backpackers  around here would you? Ahhhhh, let me think, yes if you go down here about, no wait a minute, that’s one way, “I’d already discovered the one way system” I’ll draw you a map, wait there I’ll go get a pen in the bottle o, off he went to the bottle shop got a pen drew me a map to the Green Frog about 2 minutes away as the crow flies and I had a place to stay. “I Really! Really! must get more organized”

Tasmaniac’s are wonderful folk.

I am…. THE LONESOME TRAVELLER….travelling east….BE HAPPY!