I'm just back from a lovely 2 weeks camping in Esperance. On the first day, I struck up a conversation with a German guy, Franz, who had just crossed the Nullarbor on his bike. Temperatures had been up to 47 degrees when he was riding. He said that the worst part was the stench of the rotting kangaroo carcases by the roadside. He was riding solo from Melbourne to Perth, pretty much around the coast (Looks like some people will do anything to get out of Melbourne 😄 ). He had also previously ridden from Florida to California. Great to talk to, but I wish my German language skills were better.
Then on the last day before we left, a solo Swiss cyclist towing a trailer arrived. He stayed 1 night, loaded up his trailer (mostly with large water bottles) and then departed.
Made me think about doing a long ride sometime. Then on the way home, a bloody great rock was thrown up by the wheels of a road train that was passing our vehicle. There is now a great big star shaped chip out of the windscreen. Maybe sharing the roads of WA with the roadtrains while on a bike is not such a good idea.
I'm just back from a lovely 2 weeks camping in Esperance. On the first day, I struck up a conversation with a German guy, Franz, who had just crossed the Nullarbor on his bike. Temperatures had been up to 47 degrees when he was riding. He said that the worst part was the stench of the rotting kangaroo carcases by the roadside. He was riding solo from Melbourne to Perth, pretty much around the coast (Looks like some people will do anything to get out of Melbourne 😄 ). He had also previously ridden from Florida to California. Great to talk to, but I wish my German language skills were better.
Eau de roadkill ... mmmmm
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Made me think about doing a long ride sometime. Then on the way home, a bloody great rock was thrown up by the wheels of a road train that was passing our vehicle. There is now a great big star shaped chip out of the windscreen. Maybe sharing the roads of WA with the roadtrains while on a bike is not such a good idea.
Go swimming, get eaten by sharks ... go riding, get hit by trucks. What're the odds?
I'm just back from a lovely 2 weeks camping in Esperance. On the first day, I struck up a conversation with a German guy, Franz, who had just crossed the Nullarbor on his bike. Temperatures had been up to 47 degrees when he was riding. He said that the worst part was the stench of the rotting kangaroo carcases by the roadside.
I was amazed at the smell across the nullarbor as well. There could be absolutely no visible signs of any meat/bones/skin but still the stench. Seems that even the whatever is left afterwards still stinketh !
Jimoen reckons that the nullarbor is `where kangaroos go to die' if you do the nullarbor at 25km/h on a bike you can well believe him.... -- David Pascoe, [email hidden], Western Australia
Jimoen reckons that the nullarbor is `where kangaroos go to die' if you do the nullarbor at 25km/h on a bike you can well believe him....
When I crossed it a couple of years back (in a car), I didn't see a single live kangaroo until I got to about Norseman (and that was coming all the way from Hobart). Dead ones are a different story though!
When I crossed it a couple of years back (in a car), I didn't see a single live kangaroo until I got to about Norseman (and that was coming all the way from Hobart). Dead ones are a different story though!
When I crossed it a couple of years back (in a car), I didn't see a single live kangaroo until I got to about Norseman (and that was coming all the way from Hobart). Dead ones are a different story though!
When I crossed it a couple of years back (in a car), I didn't see a single live kangaroo until I got to about Norseman (and that was coming all the way from Hobart). Dead ones are a different story though!
I suppose you knew that kangaroos are nocturnal.
Yep, been in Australia long enough to figure that one out, though the sneaky buggers don't stick to the dictionary definition and they're out and about in the early morning/evening, which is when a fair bit of our driving was done (some was also done in the dark). I've seen roos out and about in the middle of the day when I've been out prospecting up near Broad Arrow. To see any kind of wildlife is unusual when you spend most of the day shuffling around looking on the ground in front of your feet!
As for emus, those dopey buggers make sheep look like Mensa members!
When I crossed it a couple of years back (in a car), I didn't see a single live kangaroo until I got to about Norseman (and that was coming all the way from Hobart). Dead ones are a different story though!
On Mon, 9 Jan 2006 14:12:27 +0800, Theo Bekkers wrote:
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
I suppose you knew that kangaroos are nocturnal.
Yep, been in Australia long enough to figure that one out, though the sneaky buggers don't stick to the dictionary definition and they're out and about in the early morning/evening, which is when a fair bit of our driving was done (some was also done in the dark).
Dusk and dawn is when they do most of their moving.
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As for emus, those dopey buggers make sheep look like Mensa members!
As for emus, those dopey buggers make sheep look like Mensa members!
Dopey, no. curious, yes!
I think I'd still go for the dopey vote, I've yet to experience their curious side. I've seen three or four dead emus in the traditional "death pose" of legs tangled up in a wire fence in various states of decomposition (maybe a couple of weeks between them all), all within a few yards of each other. You'd think they'd show some wariness after seeing the first one.
I think I'd still go for the dopey vote, I've yet to experience their curious side. I've seen three or four dead emus in the traditional "death pose" of legs tangled up in a wire fence in various states of decomposition (maybe a couple of weeks between them all), all within a few yards of each other. You'd think they'd show some wariness after seeing the first one.
I've seen one dead under my motorcycle on the Eyre Hwy, but that was after I got up and discovered all my limbs were intact enough to stumble across to the bike.
