Deane & Jack's Motorcycle Trip in
Australia and New Zealand
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Deane & Jack's Motorcycle Trip in Australia and New Zealand |
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March 15 - Noosaville to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 180 Miles |
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We first got in touch with our Australian e-mail friend, Clint Lovell, and arranged to meet him halfway between his home in Brisbane, and the rental place in Noosaville. We had been corresponding with Clint by e-mail and were looking forward to meeting him. With the three of us being Gold Wingers, we struck up an immediate friendship face-to-face . So instead of just riding straight down the Motorway, Clint started to show us the great riding roads on the way to Brisbane. We hadn't expected the level of beautiful green mountains and hills, and found out that we were riding in the "Great Dividing Range" mountains that separate the relatively lush landscape on the east coast of Australia from the dryer western "Outback". We had apparently arrived at just the perfect time, after the rains, to see the mountains and rolling hills so green. After riding some fun and challenging curvy roads, Clint took us to an outdoor restaurant which overlooked a Mango orchard. And there we saw our first KANGAROOS!! There were five of them, a big male, his harem of two or three females, and one or two smaller "Roos". They were just contentedly lying in the shade of the Mango trees, one Kangaroo to a tree - no fences to hold they in. Off again, we rode more curvy roads and stopped at some scenic high points where we could see the extent of the mountains and rolling hills. Information in the United States seems to focus on the dryness of Australia, and certainly doesn't give a good account of the beauty of this "Great Dividing Range". Arriving in Brisbane in the afternoon, we met Clint's wife Charleen. (Charleen is an accomplished motorcycle rider also, and has her own bike.) They had invited us to stay at their home for the time we were in Brisbane, so we were happy to take them up on that. The evening had us having dinner with Clint, Charleen, and one other Gold Wing couple. The GWRRA (Gold Wing Road Riders Association) isn't well established in Australia, and has a widely scattered membership that isn't conducive to structured chapters and other organization. Instead, the Australian Gold Wingers have formed the "Australia Wing Riders Association" (AWRA), and that appears to be very active All in all, a very good start to our Australia tour.. |
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