Day 474 Emerald – Gladstone (Australia) / motorbike GS Dakar RTW overland adventure traveller

• Left – 10.00am
• 22nd July 2015
• Miles rode – 235 (376km)

As I pulled out of Noel’s drive there were grey clouds in the sky and it looked like there was a distinct possibility of rain, add to this the fact that I wasn’t feeling very positive about going home to a my new life full of uncertainty and all I really wanted to do was return to happier times.

The ride down from Darwin was wonderful with the dry, red, dusty earth stretching out to the horizon and big, bright, blue skies all around. The roads were empty and towns few and far between and I loved it, the people were great and the solitude of the outback was great to experience but since arriving in this part of the world everything has changed. The red, dusty earth was covered with grass and the flat land had hills that turned into mountains on the horizon, and the clouds, yes the clouds didn’t help. The traffic increased dramatically, not to a level experienced in a city but compared to what I was used to it was busy and I didn’t like it.

As I continued east I passed a massive coal mine and saw huge plant moving coal around and loading it onto trains that stretched into the distance with over 100 wagons.

I didn’t like the topography, weather, people or industry – time to stop for a coffee and contemplate!

As time rolled on the weather and my psychological wellbeing improved and by early afternoon the grey clouds had been replaced by blue skies and the odd white fluffy cloud, my thoughts were completely positive and I was imagining a positive life back home. I turned off the tarmac road onto a dusty dirt road and invited the Gallagher brothers to join me for a while. I felt like a kid on Christmas Day who’s just opened a great present, I turned the music up and twisted the throttle feeling the back end of the bike cut into the dust and power me forward. As I looked in my mirror the sight of clouds of dust swirling up behind me made me feel alive, I pushed through the dirt the bike jumping around at high speed over the undulations until my adrenaline subsided, I then returned to the tarmac and waited until it was my turn to open another Christmas present.

I met Geoff whilst camping a week or so ago and he put me in contact with Mark in Gladstone who offered to put me up for the night, what I didn’t realise was that mark lives in Gold Coast and Gladstone is where his business is, this meant a night sleeping on the floor of his boardroom. Mark is a really keen biker with many bikes, hopefully I’ll see him at his place in Gold Coast so I can see his collection.