The Nullarbor??

rustychisel

Jibi!!!!! Watch out!!! They have DROP BEARS in Tassie.
:shock:

rdaviesb

Fantastic photos Jibi. Good to see you are well.
Rich & Helen.

Tourist Tony

rustychisel wrote:

Jibi!!!!! Watch out!!! They have DROP BEARS in Tassie.
:shock:

I had a good time on a mtb tour up on the Atherton Tablelands, and had just finished explaining about drop bears to some Americans, aided by our guide, when we came up to the Curtain Fig, where there is one of those yellow diamond warning signs about them.
Small-headed marsupial with long tail; looks harmless, but has more teeth than a Tassie devil.
For those who don't know, the drop bear is an arboreal marsupial carnivore, lots of teeth, a bit like a climbing wolverine. Can gnaw your head straight down to the bone in seconds. Hunts in packs.

Tourist Tony

Where are you boys?

jibi

I am in Tasmania

daviddd

I'm in Robe, still in SA but not far to go to the Vic border. This is a lovely place - staying at the YHA, and old house circa 1880 with all mod cons. Still several days ahead of schedule but hope to avoid the school hols on Gt Ocean Rod i.e. through there by 17th. I have several Warshowers.net hosts coming up.

Are you back home now Tony?

Tourist Tony

Got back on Friday, and they lost my bike. Delivered to my house Saturday morning. Out for first of a string of night shifts on Saturday.

WHY AM I HERE AND NOT THERE?

jibi

David

I stayed in the same place and met some people from Leyland, about 5 miles from where I live in the Uk.

Mt Gambier is great
Then the GOR
From Princetown take the old coast road to escape the traffic for a bit, Wattle and Laver's Hills are a struggle.
I had things thrown at me out of cars in Lorne and Torquay as it was Schoolies weeks.
I am cycling around Cradle Mountain,in Tasmania, the beginning of the World heritage Area Wilderness and rain forests,
it is cold wet, and even hailstones, I am so glad it's summer

Wish I had stayed the weekend at Wendy's house now, she was a great Couchsurfing hostess.

george

daviddd

Ok george, I'll check that road out. I'm just about to leave MG - great place as you say, loads to do (and I think I did it all yesterday lol). It's also cold and damp in MG - rainshower whilst packing away this morning grrr! Did you see any possums at Umpherston's Sinkhole? I saw one on a ledge - meant to go back last night but couldn't be bothered shifting.
Where's Wendy - in Tas?

jibi

Davidd nice to hear you are well.
I fed the possums and slept in the log cabin just at the top of the sink hole in Mount Gambier.
The couchsurfing Wendy is in Somerset west of Devonport in Tasmania.If you come to Tas get a 2 month National parks pass for 28 dollars because everywhere you will want to go is a NP, and it costs 10 dollars for one day, make sure you tell them you are on a bike cos they will try to charge you 56 dollars.
I am now staying as the official guest of the mayor of Strahan in the south west of Tasmania.
I was interviewed and photographed by the local paper yesterday!!!!
Being taken out on a tour of the municipality this afternoon.Its a tough life on the road!!

Tailwinds

george

daviddd

Jammy George lol...I've got Xmas in Melbourne with a Warmshowers couple, currently in Kennett River CP - loads of koalas, kookaburra and King Parrots - fed latter by hand. Tony, also saw Masked Lapwing here at the CP and a wedgie at last. Got WiFi here so could be a late night....

wallabyhunter

You guys are really enjoying yourselve's aren't you? Sounds great. I've been following your exploits for a while now.

Jibi I notice in one of your posts you're from Preston. I will be in UK/France for 2 months in June 2008, I was thinking of buying a bike from Hewitts (near mum's place in Lostock). Currently based in Perth WA but will be in UK 1 - 2 times a year for 3 years & want to do some touring & link up with touring &/or Audax style clubs in Preston.

2 Questions if I may 1) Any thoughts on Hewitts as a frame builder? 2) do you know any clubs in Preston area who may do that style of riding?

David, left a couple of comments, when you're back in WA give me a call if you need anything.

gb

Tourist Tony

David, as you go north masked lapwings get very common, patrolling round the paddocks and parks. In Cairns, there are also stone curlews wandering round the suburbs!
Wedgies///saw one in Atherton, it got mobbed by some whistling kites, then of all things a sea eagle joined in.
You've got some treats to come.

Tourist Tony

Oh, and the honeyeaters are a pain to get right. I have some bird pics over on acf if you want to see them. Corella, blue wren, firetail, silvereye and so on.

jibi

wallabyhunter wrote:

You guys are really enjoying yourselve's aren't you? Sounds great. I've been following your exploits for a while now.

Jibi I notice in one of your posts you're from Preston. I will be in UK/France for 2 months in June 2008, I was thinking of buying a bike from Hewitts (near mum's place in Lostock). Currently based in Perth WA but will be in UK 1 - 2 times a year for 3 years & want to do some touring & link up with touring &/or Audax style clubs in Preston.

2 Questions if I may 1) Any thoughts on Hewitts as a frame builder? 2) do you know any clubs in Preston area who may do that style of riding?

David, left a couple of comments, when you're back in WA give me a call if you need anything.

gb

1) he has a good rep for frames ( I cannot type my own thoughts as children read this forum)
2) ribble valley crc have a lot of Audax riders as members they meet in bamber Bridge on Monday nights, and they have a website too. http://www.ribblevalleycrc.com/

cheers
george

daviddd

OK, yes the honeyeaters are hard. I saw a red wattlebird yesterday. It seems each CP has a resident species - diff every time. Kennett River was brilliant though, love the cheeky King parrot and Sulphur Crested Cockatoo too! I calle din at a wetland today and saw a few things I have to ook up -can't go into it here as short of (expensive!) time.

George when are you back over from Tas?

jibi

daviddd wrote:

George when are you back over from Tas?

I may be here some time, it is an amazing place with loads to do and see.

The rain forests, mountains, lakes, flora, and scenery are making progress very slow as I want to see them all.

and the people here have been, in the main, very friendly and generous.

george

Tourist Tony

Red wattles are wverywhere in the west--I wanted to see a uellow wattle, but I did get a riflebird, bowerbird, jacana...

jibi

over 7000 views??

Are people reading about the tours or are there lots of twitchers on the forum

I saw a pink breasted robin in Mount Field NP, stunning little thing. The pink was as shocking as the blue of the Fairy Wren

the mate I am staying with here in Holbart is working in the Wildlife Conservation for the state government and he was really upset to find their White Bellied Sea Eagle is not a true eagle

george

daviddd

I suppose we can keep this thread going for all the time we're in Oz - there's several months to go yet? I certainly find it useful in exchanging notes and finding out about birds! The birds are so 'in yer face' aren't thay?! Colourful, noisy (those Little Corella's!!) and always around. I'm off to see the Little Penguins land for the night tonight (Philip Island). It's a bit commercialised which I hate (around $28 with bus and entry) but I want to see them as I'm here. I'm pretty impressed at the amount of habitat resoration going on in z too - bodes ell for the future.
Tony, have you been to the Broome bird obs? A lady I met today says it is a must-see if you like birds.

Tourist Tony

My time was spent in SW and central WA and Cairns, so no I haven't. I have an excellent bird tour address for Port Douglas when you get there if you want. Lovely bloke, really knows his stuff. 93 species in a day....
Must go back.

Tourist Tony

And George, I think people are reading about the tour....should have taken a photo of your graffiti in Shannon. And if there are that many people interested, we need to find a rather large pub for that pint when you get back...

jibi

Seasons Greeting to all
I was hoping to go the beach for Xmas Day but its bloody freezing here.

Off to watch Cadel, Stewey and McEwan, in the Launceston Crits 2morrow night

cheers

george

I'll leave you with one I saw today, a Pink Breasted Robin

Tourist Tony

I'll take your pink robin and raise you a superb fairy wren



And another



And remember this, George?



And the roads:

jibi

TT
I have photos of the Denmark sign and the plantation hut too, must not have uploaded them!!
Roads.



and here is a Kookabuura



I just noticed there is not acloud in that one!! Makes a change


Seasons Greetings and tailwinds to all

Loads of boring Aussie photos

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/imjibi/Australia
george

Tourist Tony

George, I have several almost idebtucal ones. The tin camels. that road sign: "Adwlaide 1986km"






Bushcamping


Kangaroo paw




Great stuff!

jibi

Hi

There wasn't much else to Photograph in Norseman!!

the distance to Adelaide was a bit off putting!!!

Made it in 14 days. Nothing much to see or do across the Nullarbor. And the road down into Adelaide was worse than anything in the UK, convoys of road trains, even triples. No bike lane or run off, a german cyclist was killed there only a few months ago.

Tailwinds

george
ps they are playing White Christmas etc on the radio here, its sunny and 24 degrees, surreal!!!

Tourist Tony

Just got Xmas message from Alchers in Perth...41 degrees.

jibi

I am so glad its not 41 here.

Davidd

Missing Tasmania is not something I would recommend, this place is up there at the top of my places to visit. I could cycle round here for months and not see it all.

I really has everything, its like a warm Scotland!!

Yesterday I hit 48mph coming down a hill, life in the old dog yet.
I got my bike a new chain for Xmas, and when I get to melbourne the Uni bike shop has some Rohloff oil waiting for her too.

funny to think you will now be ahead of me.

TT I just read the message I think that should be posted in the forum, I was crying laughing. Esperance was quite amazing!!

keep the posts coming

Happy New year to all our readers
Tailwinds

george

daviddd

Yes ge - I'm leaving Melbourne tomorrow for the mountains to the east then Canberra. I'll have to do Taz again as I must be in Brisbane mid Feb to meet my beloved (;->)

Didn-t knowthe Uni Bikeshop did Rohloff - I think I need new sprockets as I'm getting a kind of grinding under load after fitting new chain. I changed the oil this morning - had a panic moment when I thought i'd lost the plastic tube with fitting.

Melbourne today - hot and sunny - people are so friendly, I spent 2 hours talking to folk at the Yarra food court, and cycled up and down the Yarra bike paths then to St.Kilda and south down the coastal track to my hosts - no cars = excellent.