Travel

A list of things to do in NYC I compiled whilst working over there for a month with Reuters:

After arriving back in Sydney it was time for a nights sleep and to get back out there. Morning flight up to Cairns to do the Great Barrier Reef and the Rain Forest. Caught a shuttle bus into Cairns from the airport and got out on the Plannage. Walked straight into a nice looking seafood restaurant and enjoyed a delicious red claw lobster salad while I figured out where I wanted to go....

Final score: 9 days, 3268 km’s, 2 x Speeding fines, 1 x Dropped bike, 1 x Deep sand incident, some really really really amazing riding and some pretty boring freeway Day 6 Wake up about 5ish on account of the heat and light in the tent and get up for a swim. Seaweed seems to have overtaken the beach overnight and so don’t really fancy it in the end and settle for a shower....

Fraser Island is just north of Brisbane. Completely made from sand which has drifted along the mainland shores. Picked up by a double decker bus, which seemed like a bad sign since I’d imagined a small 4WD mini-bus. Get the ferry and leave the bus behind and ride on the deck. Nice view and some breakfast for the 30 min journey over to the island. Arrive at the island and board a massive 4WD truck/bus for about 30 people....

So. After 3.5 days, 1700 km’s, 1 x $350 speeding fine, 1 x dropped bike, stuck in sand, some really really amazing riding and some pretty boring freeway (hence the fine), I’m finally at the most northern point of my trip. Hervey Bay right next to Fraser Island. Day 1 Set out from Sydney pretty late in the day on Monday and headed over the harbour bridge and up the Pacific Highway....

After a night out with everyone in Sydney overlooking the opera house and early start (5am) to fly to Melbourne. Hired a BMW 650GS Dakar from a place near the centre. It feels like a toy compared to my 1200GS, but fun to throw about. Headed out of the city on some pretty unspectacular freeway in the direction of the Great Ocean Road. After riding for an hour or so turned off onto the start of the coast road and the fun began....

So. Finally found a computer. You’d have thought that Singapore would have 1000’s of Internet cafes. Guess not. Great city. Very clean, safe and efficient. Loads of Restaurants and great places to eat. About the perfect size for a city I’d say. Not too big and impersonal like London but big enough to stay interested. First day I took in the Botanical Gardens, Orchard Road (The main shopping area), China Town and Boat Quay....

So the plan. A month in Australia on a motorbike. The dates were originally based around a wedding…which got cancelled and the participants left the country. How rude. Craig, the second rider in the trip, unfortunately didn’t get around to taking his motorbike license. Even though we’ve been talking about it for around 18 MONTHS. So lone rider it is. Unless of course he miraculously passes a test in the next week....