FLIGHT OF THE BANDIT
by Thommo
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| On the road to Boobinda |
Into the cold darkness rode the 600. There would be no letting up on this night. The white lines in the middle of the road swished by rapidly as I sat astride the mighty 600, with my whole world lit before me by the meagre headlight.
Why was I doing this you could ask? Cos I could! It was like heading back down memory lane, taking off after work on a Friday and heading to who knew where over the weekend and getting back in time to front up to work first thing Monday morning. The 600 needed a good run to shake some freeloading spiders out and I simply wanted to be lost on a motorcycle for a few days.
By the time I left work, changed duds at home and hit the road it was well and truly dark, just like old times. I hit the main road and the next thing I know I'm heading west into the cold hills and western plains. I pull into Banana for fuel and pick up a couple of things for the night's dinner and decide that since I'm out here, I'll wander on down thru Theodore and head for the Isla Gorge and camp there for the night.
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| Isla Gorge |
The turn off for the Isla Gorge lookout and camping spot is very deceptive; you see a sign saying Isla Gorge lookout 1.3km. Well, that sign doesn't mean it's 1.3km to the turn off, it means turn right now and you have 1.3km along this windy dirt road to the lookout.
The real kicker is that the road is also parallel to the main road, so when coming from the north, this dirt road is heading north before winding thru the scrub! I've been here several times before, and it has caught me every time. This Friday night was no exception, and I blasted past the sign for several kilometres before realising it had suckered me once again.
By the time I actually rolled into the lookout area it was around midnight. Things had changed a little since I was last there. They now had a little covered area with some tables, and even a little fire spot with a hotplate! Bloody hell, things were moving up in the world there! One thing to keep in mind though, is not to go too far when going for a leak, the drop offs would make for a long freefall?
The cross winds had been hammering me the entire way, and here at the lookout it was no better. The temperature being what it was, I expected frost come sunup, so I decided that parking under the cover thoughtfully provided by the Parks and Wildlife Department would be the go.
As normal, it didn't take me long to set up camp, and have the billy going -- or on this occasion, the Trangia. While waiting for the water to get hot enough for a cuppa, I strolled around the area and found that I had company for the night. Two "grey nomad" vans were parked in the camp area itself about 100 metres away. Being old people, they would have been sound asleep until I came roaring in on the 600. There isn't much in the way of baffles left in the 'zorst anymore.
After a cuppa or 2, a feed and taking some night owl photos of the moon I hit the sack.
I surfaced just before dawn to attend the usual duties one must do and upon taking a few steps discovered that ice had indeed formed. A frosty start to the morning after all. With cuppa in hand I set up and took a few photos of the sun coming up and the surrounding area.
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| Saturday morning Isla Gorge |
