Hi guys. Well I'm 2 days into a 4 day ride during the Easter break. My planned route is a 2700km loop from home (Geelong) to Broken Hill, Cobar, Canberra, Cooma, Orbost and back home. But 2 days in and I'm behind schedule for a couple of reasons and will need to change plan for the last 2 days. Will now come home from Cobar (where I am tonight) through Narromine, West Wyalong, Shepparton to Geelong.

But the reason I'm posting tonight is to tell you about the great karma that happened to me today. After a battery issue yesterday morning I only made it to Mildura last night. This morning I left at 7am with a spectacular pink sunrise coming up over the vineyards and palm trees of the region. Beautiful! I didn't refuel this morning as I had decided to ride 150km to Coombah Roadhouse which is half way up to Broken Hill. Well nothing wrong with that plan I thought. Got there deep into my reserve only to find two of the most disfunctional business owners I have ever met. Early 20's, broke, no clue about anything but most disturbing - NO FUEL!! All fuel suppliers refusing to stock them til they pay their debts. Holy hell I was stuck there!! No going back (120km to Wentworth) and no going on (120km to Broken Hill). She said her boyfriend was going to Broken Hill today to buy supplies so she'd wake him up to ask if he'd give me a lift. He came out saying "it's not our problem this guys out of fuel." (He didn't know I heard that). Then when I asked him if he could take me with him he said "Depends if i can get someone to take me" (I didn't understand at the time just what that meant) and then "I dont know if im coming home today either." This guy didnt want a bar of me and couldnt care less. I asked if I could siphon some fuel from their car which I would pay handsomely for, but guess what - "we haven't got a car". Jeepers!! How about that station (ranch for our US mates) down the road? "They only got diesel". He asks what my bike is. I say a CBR1000f. He says "They make 'em bigger than that! i rode a 1100 once!" Yeah good onya What a hero. Hmm ok.....dammit why did I let my roadside assistance cover expire?? IDIOT! So I'm sitting there thinking and had just made the decision to hitch hike down the road and had resigned myself to blowing my schedule even further, when 2 more bikes came in. I walked up and said "g'day, that's my bike over there, it's dry and so is this bowser." They were from mildura and said they knew of the fuel issue there but had just stopped for a coffee. I asked if they had room for a pillion so I could get some fuel and he said "I've got 8 litres in the trailer!" YESSSS!!!!! So he drained his fuel can into my bike and I gladly gave him $20 for it. Roadhouse man said "youll never make it on that". Fair dinkum this guy was a ****head! It got me out of trouble and away from the roadhouse from hell!! Anyway it got me to Broken Hill and I ended up making my destination this afternoon just as the roos were coming out to play.

And talking of wildlife, today I saw roos, emus, wedge tail eagles, kites, pigs, foxes, goats (by the hundreds) and sheep. It was deadly out there! Haha!

Anyway if anyone's planning a ride to Broken Hill plan NOT to refuel at Coombah Roadhouse.

Cheers.

 

So Coombah, Australia is like central Nevada in the US. Of course, we can blame the strangeness of people in central Nevada on the 900 or so nuclear test explosions there.

 

Yeah at least that's a legitimate excuse slowpoke. Nuclear bomb testing in oz happened about a thousand miles away at a place called Marilinga, South Australia. Nope these people at Coombah didn't glow in the dark, they were just......err......"different". Lol

But on reflection of the trip now I'm back home sitting on the couch and back at work behind a desk, crikey how good is it to get out on the road and have these experiences. Really great I reckon. Life on the road is rarely boring.

 

Too true! Never been bored on a road trip - ever

Glad you had a great time Plasnart. I know that road well and have also met some of the 'strange folk' along it

Cheers, SB