Neale Junction, Easter 2012

[neilaction]

Well firstly let me say that you should all disregard anything I may have said previously about the ride out to Neale Junction. It just isn’t that hard. I cannot reconcile the track as I remember it from last year and the track as it was this year. A crash, 5 Tramadols and ½ a bottle of port will do that.

A cast of thousands
Kev (aka fatgut) DR650
Richard (aka Iconman) KTM 640
Alex (aka Sander) DR650
Robert (Waitesy) DRZ400
Eugene (aka WuZards-Eugene) KLR 650
Dennis (aka 59DEN) DRZ400 – joined us for a stint as part of a bigger ride
And me on my mint condition DR650
In Support, Nick (aka Nick4R4) driving his Landy

Day 1 – Perth to Mt Celia

This was supposed to be the easy bit. The general plan was to meet in Kalgoorlie before heading out to Mt Celia. Alex and I opted to ride to Kal from Perth, Richard, Kev and Waitesy opted to trailer their bikes to Kal and ride from there, and Kal is Eugene’s home town. Dennis was already on a much longer ADV ride and decided to join us for the run from Kal to NJ having already done the HT, all of it. Nick obviously drove up in the 4bee. Mmmm beer.

I had planned to leave home at 5.30am to meet Alex at the Caltex in Midvale at 6, 6 hours of slab to Kal to meet the others, lunch, petrol and a bit of BS before heading out around 1.30. Well that all went to putty when at 5am whilst I’m feeding Stephen, a loud noise was heard and there is hot water gushing all over the bathroom. WTF, a water pipe had burst FFS. Off with the mains and it turned out that one of those flexible braided hoses that connect the water to a tap had failed. An easy fix if you have the part, but I didn’t and I didn’t have anything to plug it with either. It was 7.30 before I had it fixed and was on the road. Mmm 2 hours behind schedule already.

I’m scooting along trying to make up time when who do I run into at Hynes Hill? Well see out of the corner of my eye more like. Alex. WTF I’m thinking, his bike has stopped. He had some issues earlier but I thought that had been sorted. It turns out he was just stopping for coffee. A quick number 1 for me and we’re off again. Scooting along nicely again when who do I run into? Nick and Waitesy in the 4bee, WTF Now what’s gone wrong? Nothing as it turns out. They just didn’t see the need to rush given I was behind them anyway. So my 2 hour delay still resulted in me being first of this group to pull into the servo at Kal fully expecting to see Kev, Richard, Eugene and Dennis all kitted up and patiently waiting for us to arrive so we could get this show on the road. Nup, everyone’s as casual as you like, bikes still on trailers etc etc. We ended up gathering together at Poppy’s Lunch Bar and we didn’t leave Kal until 3pm. At this point I’m thinking that there is no way we will make it to Mt Celia today and we’ll make camp just before dusk at where ever we are at that time. We can always make up time tomorrow. But we made it easily. The dirt roads are straight forward enough and it was a bit closer than I had thought.

Soon we had tents set up and a beer in hand. BTW, it’s Mt Celia in name only. Not much more than a pile of rocks truth be known.





On the road to Mt Celia.


Now there’s adventure riding and there’s adventure riding right? We had a 4bee join us on this one so pretty soon appeared “Nick’s Bar & Grill”.


On the menu tonight was Steak rolls (with salad and multiple sauce options), Italian sausages, coleslaw, potato salad and all washed down with either a Corona, Mid Strength or a Jim Beam and Coke. Some of us weren’t exactly going to be roughing it on this trip.

Day 2 – Mt Celia to Yeo.

We headed North about 7.30 traversing various mine access roads on the way to Laverton. We stopped for our first group photo on a causeway crossing Lake Carnegie.





The only time specific aspect to this trip was the refuel in Laverton. It was Good Friday and the servo was closed. Kev had arranged for it to open around 9am and after a short delay whilst things got sorted that’s what happened. We were soon heading out towards the White Cliffs Road for the “epic” journey to Yeo. I was a little apprehensive after what happed last year but the conditions were perfect, not the pouring rain etc from last year, and we were on a much less arduous schedule. This time we only aimed to get to Yeo and not all the way to NJ. Well the impenetrable sand just wasn’t there. Sure there was sand and some of it was pretty deep. But mainly it was pretty easy going. There was even time to smell the roses. Dennis was on a whole different ride to the rest of us with regular stops for cups of tea and a photo or 2. Kev and Richard were keen to get some decent miles under their belts and as a result were the first to arrive at Yeo. I did see some marks that indicated that there were 1 or 2 excursions off the track so the pace was right up there from time to time. Even Waitesy and I turned up the wick for the 21ks between Point Sunday Rd and Yeo. I think Kev and Richard arrived at around 2pm with everyone getting there by 3. Nick was always at the rear in the 4bee just in case there was a problem. But there wasn’t. I got the feeling Dennis would have been happy for Nick to carry on ahead but at least at this point Nick chose to hold back. For a few ks I was entertained behind Eugene on his KLR in what turned out to be the deepest sand of the tour. Thanks for the laughs. I tell you what Eugene, for a young bloke you got character I’ll give you that. And at your age you should be pulling plenty of wood.



Yeo is a top place to camp. There’s a working well, a make shift shower, a small hut and even a long drop. Most took the opportunity to have a wash before settling into some camp fire BS, food and a coldie or 2.



Yeo. The moon rise each night was specky but it did light your tent all night as well.











Alex, I burn things there for I am.









I don’t think I’ll mention just how well we ate that night thanks to Nick. (are they prawns I see there chef?)


Day 3 – Yeo to NJ and beyond


I had heard that the Anne Beadell gets more difficult after Yeo but that wasn’t the case. Whilst there is sand, it’s not too bad and everyone managed just fine. We did go at a more leisurely pace compared to yesterday with camels playing their part.


1,000,000 of em out there so they say.



Was it worth the climb Kev?



One camel in particular was intent on blocking our path. Sorry about the dodgy footage but it wasn’t easy trying to wrestle the camera out if my pocket, get it into the right mode, and not falling off. Funny stuff though.



Pretty soon we were near the Holy Grail, NJ, and Kev and co. were gracious enough to allow me to lead for the last few clicks so I could be the first to ride into NJ. Thanks for that fellas. Monkey is off the back now and its photo time.
Yours truely


Richard



Group hug.



What's all the fuss about?










Just next to the junction is a picnic area with a table, water tank (empty), long drop and tourist information board. (More on that later). We stopped here for lunch and to reflect on our achievement. I for one was feeling pretty happy.
Don't trust the map.


Soon our attention turned to the afternoon ride. Now this tourist board showed a clearly marked track that connected the Connie Sue to the Lake Rason Track. In fact it showed this track was a more substantial track than the Anne Beadell. Our original plan was to head back West along the Anne Beadell and then head South along the Lake Rason Track at about the 50k mark. But we thought why don’t we head down the Connie Sue and use this other “track” instead? Given we had already travelled along the Anne Beadell we decided to do just that. This track was also shown on Kev’s GPS which added to our confidence that deviating from our original planned route was not going to be a problem. Then again, it is called Shonky Maps. Heading South there were some surprisingly tight corners on the early part of the Connie Sue and the sand was always a small factor. Now remember this so called “track” was supposed to connect the Connie Sue to the Lake Rason Track and we found the start of it about 90ks South of NJ. This was the first sign of a potential problem. It looked to be only about 75ks on the tourist map at NJ. As this was where we would part ways with Dennis, we all waited on the Connie Sue before heading west along this “track”. Big handshakes with Dennis etc etc as we wished each other well. The next sign of a potential problem was the fact that this “track” was quite over grown and didn’t look like it had been used for years. Mmmm me thinks, not the well graded dirt road the tourist map had indicated it should be. We even stopped to check with Nick that he was going OK in the 4bee given how over grown it was. (Cruiser versus small tree) Well alas, after about 10ks this track simply petered out FFS and there was no way through. Back we all go to the Connie Sue much to Dennis’s surprise. Another quiet cuppa ruined.

The problem now was that if we headed back up to NJ to rejoin our original route, we would be adding 200 clicks to the journey which made fuel an issue. Maybe not for everyone but still, things might get a bit tight as a group. The alternative was to continue South along the Connie Sue and either head west along the Plumridge Lake Track to Lake Rason and then on to Laverton (no shorter distance but no back tracking), or, continue South and use the Trans Access Road to get to Kal (fuel might still be an issue) The latter seemed more sensible as in the event that we had to send someone into town to get fuel, this would be an easier option. So this is what we opted to do. Heading South on very dusty but straight forward wide roads (OK the odd bull dust hole kept things interesting)for what seemed ages before we made camp at the Plumridge Lake Track turn off junction. Nice little spot just off the Connie Sue. Tent up, fire lit, beer drank, and life was pretty good. I had made a bit of a curry for dinner that night. Only a mild one as we were a long way from a proper dunny.

Flat as, with 1 tree.




That pesky moon kept following us.



Some nice sunsets.






How much was that tent again Richard?



Day 4 – Back to Perth


Well this proved to be no more than getting back home. Straight down the Connie Sue to the Trans Access Road then West to Kal. Well that was the plan anyway. As it turns out the main track deviates from the Connie Sue and cuts the corner so to speak and leads to Cable Haul Road which intersected the Trans Access Road 260ks from Kal. This caused a slight concern as when we realised that we were no longer on the Connie Sue, Nick in the 4bee and a few others were a fair way behind and Nick was carrying the extra fuel that we needed. If Nick had continued along the Connie Sue as was planned, we were in a bit of trouble. Not dangerous trouble though, it just would have meant a bit of messing around and time wasted as we got things back on track. (As it turns out this did save us some time and distance)We would have run out of fuel for sure had Nick not also followed us and it would have dealt a blow to any chance of making it to Kal that day never mind making it to Perth. But he had followed us and from there we made a few calculations re who would top up and when. In the end we all made it to Kal OK. My bike was coughing and spluttering down Boulder Rd whilst I was shaking it from side to side until I reached a servo. Cutting it a bit fine I hear you say? Nah.

Yawn.


Dont spill a drop.









Typical track conditions








Say it quickly and it aint that far.






One incident of note on the last day was when I hit a roo. The others in front had past this roo barrelled up against the fence on the LHS of the track. As I approached he darted across the track to the right and I thought, beauty, I’ll miss him. Then for some reason he darted back his head colliding with my right knee. Pushed me a bit left but I didn’t crash. When I looked in my rear view mirror I could see it lying seemingly motionless on the track. Just as I was about to turn back and check him out, and just as I think Eugene arrived, he sproinged up and hopped away. It happens.

Only Alex and I were continuing the ride home to Perth. Others were either home already or collecting cars and trailers. We didn’t waste any time as we wanted to avoid riding in the dark as much as possible, fuelled up, muesli bar and off, 6 hours of slab ahead of us. Eventually I got home at 9pm which was the end of a 14 hour, 1300km day. I was tired, my arse was reminding me of its existence but I was home, much to the surprise of her in doors as she was not expecting me until the following day.

A thoroughly enjoyable trip. Achieved what had to be done and had a good time on the way. Good bunch of blokes made it even better. The ice cold beers at the end of the day might also have helped a tad. Onya Nick.

One thing I learnt was that you need to be very careful about making plan changes way out there. If we hadn’t had the spare fuel on the 4bee and we had been fairly tight with what fuel we could/would carry on the bike, that change of plan, which added 200ks, would have meant one or more of us would have run out of fuel. Not good. Most of us chucked a bit more fuel on the 4bee that we would not have taken otherwise.

It did give me a chance to really test the fuel range of the DR. I got 670ks out of the Safari tank before it stopped and 800ks including what’s in the Nomad tank on the back. That was all off road with a fair bit of sand thrown in. Happy with that. On the downside there is a fair amount of oil that has leaked out over mainly the left-hand side of the engine. Doh.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the 2 extremes of ADVing and what can be carried on a DRZ. On one hand we had Dennis. Now that bike was loaded with everything needed to be totally self sufficient for significant periods of time. I believe it was a practise run for the CSR. Dennis managed it very well and was last seen heading to Forest for a shower. Hats off to Dennis.




And then there was Waitesy……………
I give you Mr Motocross

[UncleGra]

thanks for the great RR Neil....I havent looked at it yet....I just wanted to be first to reply...

[SYDADVGS]

Top stuff Neil looks like a great time was had by all.

[UncleGra]

...done...so you say the Connie Sue is a wide open run south to the Cable Rd...that right ?..have you got a way point where it joins the cable road..?...what about north from NJ...same or worse do you know..

unc...

[UncleGra]

yeah...and the bloke with the 640 and the green MSR...he smart fulla....

unc

[farcall]

Good stuff fellas. Really appreciate your effort to do a RR Neil.

Did anyone have a GPS on their bike? I'm really keen to the Laverton > Rason > Plumridge > Trans Access > Kalg loop one day. Would be great to get some exact distances from Plumridge Lakes / Connie Sue junction to Kalg. And more info about that deviation across the Cable Haul Rd.

Thanks again for the RR.

[farcall]

Originally Posted by UncleGra

...what about north from NJ...same or worse do you know..

unc...

FIIG Rick has done nth & sth on Connie Sue. He says nth is way worse. Very sandy and plenty of low ridges. When I was riding on the Anne Beadell (west of NJ) with him, he said that part of ABH was a piece of piss compared to nth on the Connie Sue.

But it'll still be nothing beyond you unc.

[neilaction]

Originally Posted by UncleGra

...done...so you say the Connie Sue is a wide open run south to the Cable Rd...that right ?..have you got a way point where it joins the cable road..?...what about north from NJ...same or worse do you know..

unc...

I'll post a GPX file tonight.
No idea about North to Warburton but South was easy. Wide roads mostly with the worst of it being sandy twin tracks. Now if it rained, whole different ball game.

[FIIG Rick]

Finally I can give you the respect you deserve, well done all

[UncleGra]

FIIG...does that mean ....Fuck It I'm Good....sorta like FIGJAM...

thanks Neil and Farc..

unc

[ozbikedude]

well done fellas ,thanks for the pics
look like nice country out there.

[Nick4R4]

Well done Neil, top job with the RR.

Here is a map of the entire track from Kal to Kal, including the little Do'h track.

[guzzimike]

Good onya Neil, and the rest of you.

[neilaction]

Originally Posted by Nick4R4

Here is a map of the entire track from Kal to Kal, including the little Do'h track.

Trust Hema maps. Spot on re the Do'h track.

[bully1]

well done boys, tick the box on that one !!



As for Waitsey and the "Trailer Queen "DRZ , he is the only bloke that continually turns up to motorcycle events in a car.