Fitzroy Crossing

Had a sleep in and a slow start to the day today was good too.  Yesterday we were up at 6.00, in the mess for breakfast and then on the road and we rode all day except for petrol and drink stops on the way. Before we left NZ Scott and I had gone to Brett Road DOC camp and were talking to a couple who come camping there on a regular basis and we got talking about our planned trip.  They said, when you get to Broome go to "Gecko Gallery" our daughter owns it.  She goes off into the Kimberly to buy indiginous art to sell in her gallery.  Well we went passed it last night but it was closed and went back again this morning but unfortunately she was not open yet.  Left a note for her.  It would have been good to have a chat with her.




 Went to Cable Bay to get photos of the most beautiful beach, people were out swimming, kayaking etc, surf boards for hire was just lovely, so had breakfast there.  Then it was time to find oil for the bikes as they needed another oil change.  All have got oil filters in stock but just need the oil

Cable Beach

Cable Beach

Found the Light Industrial area and the motorbike shop called KSA Scoot and ATV's and got some oil.  The owner was good enough to give us an oil pan and with the shade of the tree across the road we or Scott was able to change the oil.  Had a chat with the owner, his boy is into moto-x he reckon that when he is old enough to have a licence that they are going to do what we doing and thought the KLR was a good choice.  They are off to moto-x tommorrow for the weekend and have to travel 1,000km to the mx.  Daniel we were very lucky in NZ only having to travel an hour for the club rounds most of the time and maybe for 3-4 hours to Auckland or somewhere. Anyway thanks mate for the  help.  Clean oil and on our way out of Broome

Me handing Scott the paper towels to wipe the oil off

refilling the oil

shop we got the oil from

Headed out on the Great Northern Highway, had to fill up with petrol at the Willare Bridge Roadhouse where we talked to a couple of guys, who are planningto come to NZ to do a ride in the South Island.  They were from Perth and had been cruising rivers in the Buccanneer Archipelago for a couple of weeks.  they suggested they we take a detour to Fitzroy Crossing and go to Derby and take the Gibb River Road and head into Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek then back toward Fitzroy Crossing.  Well we got to Derby and thought we should check the maps for petrol stations, asking anybody is hopeless because they generally don't know.  An aboriginal woman asked if we needed help and asked her but she said that there wasn't any.  So decided it was not worth the risk of running out of fuel on a dirt road in the back blocks in the dark.  As it was we got to Fitzroy Crossing just on reserve and the sun was going down.  Talked  to another guy at the fill up and he reckon we didn't miss anything.  Was quite disappointing that we couldn't go through there but we have our limits.  Have have seen the most amazing gorge when we went to Katherine a few years ago.


Todays ride was more flood plains, was all flood plains, but we added boab trees and more eucalypt trees, spinifex grass and lots of bush burn.  Some part of the day the sun was hidden behind a smoke screen which was good for us so was quite pleasant today.  The first part of the road to Derby there were a few cattle beasts that had not known their road rules and then on the road to Fitzroy Crossing we only saw a dead tyre.

from Brisbane to Fitzroy Crossing 12,000km (3 weeks on the road yesterday 

look Mrs Bullock I'm standing with my hands at my side (Scott said)
Boab tree

regrowth after burn off

We had booked a room at the Safari Lodge at the Fitzroy River Lodge.  Turned out to be a Safari Tent but has got everything we need, bed and ensuite, can even get on the internet with my pocket wifi.