Hello to al l fel low club members, and welcome to

my very first article in the club magazine! I am

planning the journey of al l journeys next year to

Phil l ip Island for the 201 4 Austral ian Moto GP and

want to do the trip commuting by our favourite

choice of transportation, the humble, yet exciting

motorcycle. I am extending an invitation to al l club

members to be a part of this wonderful and

unforgettable journey. The trip wil l take in many

decisively chosen destinations along the way. The

route wil l be planned to minimize the number of

roads that are travelled twice. The pinnacle of the

journey won't just be the Moto GP race, it wil l

continue on to other exciting destinations beyond

Phil l ip Island.

Now I know that the trip is sti l l just under 1 8 months

away, but because it wil l be such a big

commitment, I thought it would be wise to be

making club members aware now rather than later,

so as to al low those who might be interested in

coming to make the necessary arrangements.

Most of the time we wil l be camping in the

outdoors, with about every 4th or 5th day spent in

paid accommodation to al low for a good rest and to

do laundry etcetera. The 5 day stay at Phil l ip Island

wil l be in non-camping accommodation. I f you

have the sense for adventure and are happy to tag

along, you are most welcome!

Grand camping trip to Phillip Island and beyond: October 2014Geoff Jenkinson.

The exact route and destinations are sti l l

in their infant stages, but I have been

researching through various motorcycle

magazines and pouring over tourist web

pages to get a good idea of places I

would l ike us to visit. Suggestions by

other people have also been considered.

We wil l be departing Perth along Great

Eastern Highway, the traditional route to

the eastern states, turning south at

Coolgardie and then continuing east from

Norseman onto the Eyre Highway. We

wil l be staying on the Eyre Highway all

the way into South Austral ia, unti l we

reach Ceduna. From there we wil l be

heading south to Port Lincoln, then head

north to Lucky Bay near Cowell and catch

the ferry across the Spencer Gulf to

Wallaroo.

Page 2

From here we head inland towards the start of South

Austral ia's famous wine region, the Barossa Valley. I f

wine is on your l ist of favourite things to taste, then

tasting is what wil l be happening here! Of course we

won't be getting blotto, it's not a wise move to be getting

to inebriated while in control of a motorcycle! In Adelaide,

we may pick up supplies before heading to the hil ls and

the Chain of Ponds towards Hahndorf. From this lovely

l ittle town, the journey then heads further southward,

where we wil l be visiting Mount Gambier and its famous

Blue Lake, which I think is actual ly a giant sink hole.

After Mount Gambier we continue south eastwards into

Victoria, and into Warnambool, where the western end of

the Great Ocean Road starts, one of Austral ia's most

famous tourist coastal drives.

We wil l avoid going through Melbourne

city by catching the ferry across from

Queenscliff to Sorrento on the

Mornington Peninsula. We wil l be

visiting the Mornington Peninsula Hot

Springs for a lovely soak in their

natural ly heated hot baths after such a

long ride.

From there, it's only a short ride, maybe a few

hours to Phil l ip Island where we wil l be checking

into our accommodation for our 5 day stay, most

l ikely in Cowes. During our stay there wil l be plenty

to see and do, as well as the main event being the

Austral ian Moto GP Race.

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After our eventful stay at the Island, we

depart eastwards, travell ing mostly along

the coast. Our journey wil l take us to

Sydney, passing through Woolongong,

where we wil l visit the largest Buddhist

temple in the Southern Hemisphere. I 've

never seen this place, but heard of it, so I

considered it to be a place of interest.

Once we get to Sydney, we’l l visit the Sydney

Opera House, then as we depart Sydney

northwards, we wil l cross the big coat hanger, the

Sydney Harbour Bridge. Eventual ly swinging back

towards the west through some scenic national

parkland and to Wiseman's Ferry. At Richmond, we wil l take the Bells Line of Roads, a great

motorcycling road, to the Blue Mountains.

These roads take us through Lithgow, on our way to Bathurst and Mount Panorama, where we

wil l be taking a more leisurely ride around the street circuit which holds the Bathurst 1 000 Race.

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Departing Bathurst heading south, we wil l visit Goulburn and Canberra, then head into the

Mount Kosciusko National Park and into the Victorian Alps. After taking in the breathtaking

scenery and magnificent roads in the mountainous regions, we wil l head to Albury Wodonga,

then fol low the River Murray all the way to Echuca. This is where we head south through the

Victorian Goldfields on our way to Ballarat, where we wil l be staying for an evening at Kryal

Castle, accommodation fit for motorcycling kings of the road, and mock medieval fighting

displays!

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From Ballarat we wil l fol low the

Western Highway to South Austral ia,

heading north-west through

Peterborough and Wilmington to Port

Augusta, the crossroads of Central

Austral ia. Port Augusta reunites us

with the Eyre Highway, where we

head towards home. We don't hit the

same stretch of highway we've

travelled on eastwards unti l Ceduna.

With Western Austral ia

back in our sights,

once we arrive in

Norseman, instead of

going towards

Coolgardie ,we wil l

head south and spend

the evening in

Esperance. The next

day wil l be our final day

of travell ing, heading

back home through

some scenic

Porongarups and

Kattaning, avoiding

Albany highway, then

through Brookton for

the final stretch home.

The estimated duration of this trip is about 5 weeks. I certainly hope through the club magazine, I

might generate some genuine interest, and it would be a pleasure if you could join me.

I have plans on videoing the ride as well as taking photos, with the intention of making a DVD of

the entire trip. Something for memories’ sake and to inspire others to do the same thing! I mean,

what better way to explore your own backyard than from the seat of a motorcycle?

Expressions of interest should be forwarded to my email address geoff. jenkinson@bigpond.com

or just have a word to me at one of our rides throughout the year. I welcome all interested

parties. Hope to see you there!