New vehicle spotted on the Gibb Rd.
Submitted: Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 16:42
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JimDi
This bloke rode into
Home Valley Station around the 5th of June. He was dead beat and did not want to talk. He just wanted to set up his
camp have a shower and a feed at the restaurant and go to bed.
He had ridden from the
Derby end of the Gibb and said it had been quite exhausting. His journey so far had covered approximately 10,000 klm.
So I let him get on with it and just snapped the one photo but I think I may have missed an interesting yarn.
Regards
Jim
New vehicle on the Gibb.
Reply By: Member - Justin O (QLD) - Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 17:12
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 17:12
Hard work but I'll bet he's seen more of Australia than any of us will. Maybe not in area but in detail.
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Reply By: Lyn W3 - Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 17:13
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 17:13
Anyone following Sam Johnson's trek around Australia on a unicycle.
he's just about half way!!!!
follow him at.
http://www.loveyoursister.org/
A very worthy cause.
Not affiliated just a donor.
AnswerID:
513394
Reply By: Member - John and Val - Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 17:23
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 17:23
Hi Jim,
When we did the GRR for the first time about 10+ years ago we followed a thin line in the gravel of the road for quite some distance. Looked as if someone had traced a line with a stick. We couldn't work out what it was because it zig-zagged from one side of the road to the other. Then we came across a lone cyclist and yes, those were his tracks as he crossed from one side of the road to the other trying to find the smoothest bits of the road. We reckoned he must have travelled about twice as far as we had on that road. Later that day he pulled into
Home Valley to
camp and we had a bit of a chat, and the next day we helped him get across the Pentecost R.
WE have seen many cyclists in out-of-the-way
places and have to admire their stamina and tenacity. Another that comes to mind was a
young chap we met at
Combo Waterhole, going from
Melbourne to the Arctic Circle. I wonder how he got on?
Cheers,
Val
| J and V
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AnswerID:
513396
Follow Up By: JimDi - Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 18:03
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 18:03
Hi Val,
Its funny to think that a cyclist is forced to wander from side to side trying to find the less rutted course same as a 4WD. I guess corrugations are just hard regardless of vehicle.
Jim
FollowupID:
792098
Reply By: allein m - Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 18:37
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 18:37
the tv show long way down had one shot in Africa a couple who were riding around the world on push bikes they were so skinny i suppose they could not carry lots of food and with all the exercise no chance to put weight on they had been on the road for a few years
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Reply By: Candace S. - Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 19:31
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 19:31
I came across a cyclist way out on the Tanami road (2008)!
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Reply By: John E - Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 20:18
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 20:18
Hi , JimDi, last year while on
Savannah way , just out from Hells
Gate , we followed 3 "lines " in the road , zig zagging from side to side , after a lot of Klms , we came across a
young fellow , Michael ,from America, and he was cycling , with a tiny trailer on behind , all the way to Boroloola ,then to
Darwin , he said he was almost out of food , had 2 litres of water ,he asked only for oats ,which we gave him ,and we gave him a big bag of jelly beans ,he said he had enough water , (??????Hello , 2 litres was all he had with him ,)All the way while we travelled to Boroloola , i was feeling so worried about him , and guess what , first person we saw when we came to the caravan park , was Michael , someone in a ute had given him a lift all the way , from where we had left him. So much for cycling all the way around Australia , which is what he told us he was doing .We saw him weeks later on at a roadside
rest area , trying to get a lift with some other travellers . mmmmmm..........
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Follow Up By: JimDi - Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 21:13
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 21:13
John,
That brownish triangular looking container in the centre of the bike was a fluid container so I guess he was okay for water. Or was it rum or wine?
Jim
FollowupID:
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Reply By: Ross M - Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 20:32
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 20:32
It doesn't look new AND it is only one wheel drive.
Got the rear locked all the time and the transfer is mounted at the rear wheel too.
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513419
Follow Up By: JimDi - Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 21:18
Wednesday, Jun 19, 2013 at 21:18
Hi
Ross,
AND he did not want to talk tyre pressures AND was not interested in telling me if he had seen the
grader. Which we found out was west of
Ellenbrae.
Jim
FollowupID:
792114
Reply By: Alloy c/t - Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 09:07
Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 09:07
Google Heinz Stucke the worlds most prolific pushbike traveler , met him on the Tanami and then Sth of
Broome in 08 , has filled 8 passports in his pushbike travels , left
home at 18 on his pushy and is now in his late 60's and still riding all over the world,,,
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Follow Up By: Candace S. - Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 15:51
Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 15:51
Hmm, wonder if that was the fellow I saw on the Tanami? I was driving it north to south 23-25 May 2008.
I see he has a website but it's blocked on my work computer...I wonder if he has a detailed travelogue on it? Hopefully I'll remember to
check it out when I get
home.
FollowupID:
792167
Reply By: wombat100 - Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 12:18
Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 12:18
Hiya Jim
What is the current condition of the
Gibb River Road?? We will be travelling from
Kununurra to
Derby around early August...
Chers
Wombat
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Follow Up By: JimDi - Friday, Jun 21, 2013 at 21:50
Friday, Jun 21, 2013 at 21:50
Hello Wombat,
We travelled from the
El Questro end. Its our second trip in around eight years. It does not seem to have changed... its rough from
El Questro until just east of
Ellenbrae station. Just after
Ellenbrae there is a large road crew working on an upgrade. From this point we found the Gibb smoother to the
Kalumburu turnoff. After the
Kalumburu turn off heading towards Mt Barnett we found it to be reasonable with little traffic. After Barnett roadhouse its a little corrugated but then smooths to a
well maintained dirt road. In fact we were on four occasions startled out of our duldrums by 4Wds overtaking us at excessive speeds. By that I mean they come out of your dust trail with no warning and have to be travelling at around 100klm. We were sitting on a sedate 65.
Hope that helps.
Jim
FollowupID:
792275
Reply By: ExplorOz Team - Michelle - Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 14:31
Thursday, Jun 20, 2013 at 14:31
As a cyclist (I have 3 bikes - triathlon bike, road bike, and MTB) and a 4WD traveller, I REALLY appreciate how tough this would be. His bike doesn't even have ANY
suspension. The gravel you drive over, would feel like boulders, the soft parts of the road are sand, which slows down your speed and makes you have to push your legs so much harder. It's all just damn hard work. All that weight would make the delicate balancing act of riding a bike so much harder - I can't hardly image dealing with it in a cross wind, head wind, passing truck and car wind, you name it. It's scary riding on tar roads alongside traffic that barely gives you millimeters as they pass but add to that the dust you'd be forced to breathe in as you're huffing and puffing! No thanks. I don't understand why go out bush and ride on the road with traffic - so much fantastic MTB trails in Australia - a better way to get up and close with nature on your bike in my opinion. Each to their own ;)
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Reply By: Tjukayirla Roadhouse - Friday, Jun 21, 2013 at 22:12
Friday, Jun 21, 2013 at 22:12
We've seen half a dozen cyclists or more through here in a couple of years
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