Today was the first day of the Ducati Turismo and started early at Fort Scratchley, an historic site on the water in Newcastle. 60 bikes met up on a cool but damp morning for a coffee and a quick briefing. Fort Scratchley has a small contingent of volunteers who look after some old military equipment: a Ford Jeep, an old Land Rover troop carrier, a Studebaker truck and a … [Read more...]
2015 Road Trip #3 Day 1
Well, I'm back on the road again, this time for 7 days and three of those will be the 2015 Ducati Turismo. This will be the 5th Turismo I've done in the last 10 years and I love doing them. These runs introduce me to roads that I have continued to use because they are in the country and pass through stunning areas and ones that need our dollars to survive! So today was a short … [Read more...]
Road Trip #2 Days 3 and 4
These were "commuting" days. Day 3 The day started at the Hummingbird Eco Lodge in Red Hill. This is a small establishment that is tucked away in a small valley and they grow their own vegetables, source local and sustainable produce including beer(!) and cater to small conferences and regular guests. It was very peaceful and the restaurant is worth a visit even if you don't … [Read more...]
Road Trip #2 Day 1
So it was time for another road trip. This time south and in the car as I will be picking up my fiance from south of Melbourne. As I am touring, it made sense to take the GT - a Grand Tourer of the old school, built in Europe and designed to cross continents with ease. Day 1 An early start was needed as it was going to be a long drive. 6:00am seemed like a good time and I … [Read more...]
Road Trip – Day 3
So day 3 was a truly hard day of riding! It started out hot, very hot - most of the day was between 38 and 40C. The first section was from Brisbane to Rathdowney and this took about 90 minutes. I was sweating from the started and I took the M3 out of the city and then a section of Logan Road before getting back on to the M2 which put me on to Mount Lindesay Road through … [Read more...]