[Eric]

We are planing a trip to the Grampian NP. Getting there will be as scenic as the Grampians but very different. Leaving Adelaide will be on the same route to Kingston. At Kingston we will go through the Coonawarra wine growing area and past Naracoorte with the world heritage caves to the Grampian. The Grampians rise up out of Victorian plains. They are quite rugged and can be quite chalanging to climb and that was when I was a lot younger than now. There is an abundance of wild life and native plants. Hopefully I can get some good photos to do it justice. We are planing to leave in 3 weeks time. Eric

 

[detdrbuzzard]

hey eric is adelaide where the pelicans fly to

 

[Eric]

hey eric is adelaide where the pelicans fly to

I don't know if you see pelican very much in the USA. We do see them in Adelaide but not in big numbers. On the last trip to Mt. Gambier, there would have been 80-100 in the air. They were flying in flocks of up to 20. Somehow they know when there is water in Lake Eyre in the middle of Australia they fly there and breed until the water dries up. And some years later when the water returns they come back. Eric

 

[detdrbuzzard]

they were showing the pelicans at adelaide ( thats what the guys on tv said ) on " nature " last night and i thought about you

 

[Two Wheel Wing]

Eric you make me jealous. I wish I could get out on my Wing as much as you do. Your trips seem to be really enjoyable. Thanks for posting for us to read.

 

[Eric]

they were showing the pelicans at adelaide ( thats what the guys on tv said ) on " nature " last night and i thought about you

I am out playing trains at the moment, but when I get back I can look up in our Australia Coastal Enviroments book and get better info. From my knowledge they seem to like shallow waters. We see a lot of them in the Coorong and Lake Eyre when it has water in it. The other place we see a lot of them is in our rivers. They are rarely seen at the Adelaide sea sides.

TWW: I think you will love the photos of the grampians. There are so many roos there and bird life. The roos will be in the yards at night and in the morning when we get up. In the early morning native birds will be sing at the front door. Eric

 

[budoka]

Sounds like a great trip Eric. Dunno about the pelicans down under, but the hoards of bats in the evening when we were in Airlie Beach was "interesting" to say the least.

 

[crownfire]

Sounds like a good trip. Look forward to the postcards (pictures).

 

[Eric]

Today was the big day, to get on my bike and shove so as to speek. Weeks of prepartion before we got to this point. The front forks were rechromed and new seal fitted. New timing belts fitted and a complete new exhaust fitted. New bag liners to try for the first time.

We planned to leave at 8am but didn't get going until 8:30. Adelaide was turning the sun on and made it a nice departure. Vanessa was feeling a litte hot at this stage but we know how much colder the Adelaide hills can be and they lived up to it today. Adelaide was about 55f and in the hills it was 45f and foggy. As we dropped out of the hills the weather went back to sunny and crept up to 68f.

The first stop was at Tailem Bend which is 70 miles out of Adelaide and we had a quick gas stop. I was working the old girl hard and it returned 35mpg at a cost of $14. I will have to get back to this a bit later. Eric

 

[Chopin]

My trip is over. I'll hitch a ride with you.

 

[crownfire]

Your trip will make my ride today look wimpy. Look forward to hearing more and seeing some pictures.

 

[Eric]

Yes Chopin114 come along, I know you would love this area. You may remember the last time I road along the Coorong, there would have been 100 pelicans in the air in different flocks. Today must have been their flexy day, because there was only 1 flock up on display. I had planed a stop at Policeman's Point, which is very close to their breading grounds. That was 60 miles out of Tailem Bend on the Coorong and I had to go in on a real bush track to get there. Wings don't have much ground clearance and they don't like the soft stuff.But when you got there the only sound you could hear was the birds. We were almost ready to leave when a couple from Brazil got talking to Vanessa about geology and we stayed a little longer. I damn near drop it trying to turn the beast. On the road again to Kingston where we went straight past "Larry" without saying hi. I filled up with gas. For a distance of 130 miles I put in 4 gallons and $24. I was getting a little throttle happy and had to pull my head in. We found Vanessa didn't get the wind buffing if I stayed under 70 mph.

 

[Chopin]

You amaze and worry me with your " off road " excursions. This is not a dirt bike you are riding. I get the same response from Mz. Vickie when I hit 70 mph or higher. 65 mph seems to be her peak wind toleration speed.

 

[Eric]

I love going in the bush but you are right Chopin114 the wing is hard to get it into some of the tracks. It does'nt have the ground clearance and it's heavy. I had it botom on a drop that I couldn't see properly because the sun was in my eyes. When we left Kingston there was a strong side wind blowing and it's very open farming country. The turn off to Naracourte is only 20 miles down the road and the country side changes very quickly. There are very big gum trees right up to the edge of the road. Not that you need a big tree to take you out if you went off the road but as I'm riding long I'm looking at them with a lot of respect. An argument with them and I will lose. As you get closer to Naracourte you start to see the Vineyards. Naracourte is the location that has World Heritage Caves. After Naracourte we cross the boarder into Victoria. Victoria gets a lot more rain than we do and we start to see billabongs and small lakes. We went through Edenhope to Mt Arapiles. Mt Arapiles is renowned amounst the funny people that think it's good fun to climb a big rock face. And there are plenty of people that come from all over the world to do just that. What is wrong with them. It is a beautiful place and we will go back soon, but I am not going to try and climb them there rocks. If they look big at a distance they are bigger when you get closer. Horsham was only 15 miles away for a gas stop. It was 160 miles from Kingston and we put in 4 gallons at a cost of $26. Have more exploring to do. I will get back to you later. Eric

 

[Eric]

Photos

We have brought a new lap top and have been having problems with getting photos uploaded, but we should have that solved now. So here we go. The first photos are at Policeman's Point. I am not smiling because I have my mouth full. Vanessa couldn't see a thing pointing into the sun to get a photo of the pelican in flight. Now for you northeners that big bright thing in the sky is the sun. Arrr you can remember. LOL. Eric

 

[Eric]

In the previous text we stopped at Mt. Arapiles and here are some photos from there. Where's wally in the last photo. It the person looking over the edge saying to himself." Now I am up here how in the H....... do I get down" Eric

 

[Eric]

From Horsham to Hall's Gap was open hwy. and it was getting dark. And let me tell you, " do not ride around here in the dark." This place is crawling with grass hoppers bigger than you have ever seen.[kangaroo's] You all think Big Bird came from Sesame Street. Well take a look at these guy's and tell thats not Big Bird in the flesh. They can make a mess of you as well but they get around in the daylight. Eric

 

[Eric]

The start of another day is to wake up in natures wonderland, with the birds having a competition on who was the best singer. Then when you pull back the curtins, right in front of your room are some kangaroos feeding on the frosty freezing grass. Here is the veiw from our room.

 

[Eric]

Hi All, Eric asked me to post my perspective of today. We are staying at Halls Gap in the Grampians and the bakery here is renowned for their vanilla Slices so after breakfast we decided to have a coffee and a vanilla slice. (Eric and I have a history with vanilla slices which goes back 35+ years)
I know I have posted before that Eric has never met a stranger (an admirable friendly trait really . Well we met a couple who riding a Susuki DL1000, so naturally we had to chat. We had noticed a 'wing parked 2 spaces away which ws exactly the same as Eric's and as we were getting ready to go the owner came up and Eric and He started to talk. I think I put my jacket, helmet etc on 3 times...and one hour later said I am getting too hot need to go!!!
With Eric finally remembering we were on a cruiser,we slowly rode into Ararat on minor (but bitumised) roads. I took a photo of the eastern scarp of the Grampians, while Eric took a photo of the road and the trees each side.
Ararat is important in the story of 'European' settlement but from a largely ignored historical perspective. It was here that some Chinese men found some gold in a creek bed and this led to the Victorian goldrush in the mid 1800's. A Museum dedicated to accurately informing those who visit just how much impact the Chinese had on Australian society and culture. Some like to think Chinese/Asian immigration to Australia is a recent event but actually some Chinese are able to trace their heritage in Australia back further than some Europeans. The museum is an beautiful building. With all the roof tiles being especially made and imported from China.
Today was a lovely day and a good day to ride, although the morning started icy, by late morning it was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for outdoor coffees and good ole English devonshire scones with jam and cream! certainly broke the healthy eating plan... vanilla slices, devonshire scones and finsihing the day with a snack of a warmed, buttered hot cross bun! Who said life on the road is tough? Will upload a couple of photos and post. The first photo is where we ate the vanilla slice... in the centre of Halls Gap.... really quite a small rural community, the middle 3 photos are explained above and the last makes Eric look greedy... 2 coffees and a scone... but turn the camera around and guess what? take care from Vanessa

 

[Eric]

The return trip was going to be a big on for one day because the route we had planned was closed because of flood damage. Kangaroos are quite dangerous first thing in the morning and we wanted a early start. The first stop was at the bakery for vanilla slices for morning cuppa. We were going down the eastern side of the Grampians and through a small town called Moyston. That is where Australian Rules Football started. Australian Rules Football is very big over here. The road here is very secondary and is some places it is single laned sealed road. We had one kangaroo go in front of us and then we hit a bird. No damage so onto Dunkeld which is at the most southern point of the Grampians. First photo is at Moyston oval and second photo of a house in Moyston with room to extend. The next two photos are of the western side of the Grampians and the last photo is at the southern end of the Grampians in Dunkeld