Tuesday morning and the big Red Rock was calling me. The stories of Kangaroos so thick at dawn, they would land on your bike's petrol tank as they bounded across the road meant I put off leaving till a very respectable 7:00am. With more than a little excitement I rode past the Royal Flying Doctor Service HQ. This magically inspired a feeling of boyhood adventure in me as a result of the 70's TV program filled with regular Outback dramas,

My first Outback encounter was on the Stuart Highway where I spotted a large truck with "PATROL" signage, orange light flashing, and two men in orange vests struggling to hoist some very large road-kill into the tray. The next 50kms were spent with the Speedo needle in an area it doesn't usually frequent, as I peered into the distance, imagining Skippy would leap at me. Of course that wore off and before long I was scooting along at a more rapid pace. 

First stop was Pimba, a few kilometres from Woomera, site of Australia's attempt at landing a man on the moon (according to a local). It was rather early still and the site of my bright yellow "death machine" made me a lure for conversation. Evidenced by two Welshmen contracted to erect a dry stone feature wall, looking for a delay starting work. They thought I was crazy to try and get to the rock in one day, in fact they told me it couldn't be done.

I was a bit surprised at the alcohol consumption of some fellow customers at the roadhouse until I was told they had recently finished work. Nightshift driving dump trucks underground in the desert. I also met the most delightful dog, a Kelpie called Kevin. Kev had his eyes fixed on my breakfast a Voltarin tablet (my secret weapon) followed by a bacon and egg roll. Wayne, his owner thought he was annoying me so he put him in the car, shame really since I was enjoying his company.

When Wayne hopped in the car a little later, Kev was beside himself with excitement. He was putting his head in Wayne's lap but silly Kev, he was too big to do that and his bottom was pressed hard against the window. As he wriggled around I noticed a smudge on the glass, then I noticed there were smears on all the windows. Kev wasn't so appealing any more. I hoped that Wayne didn't have kids, I pictured them licking the car windows. 

I had been warned that the ride would be tedious but far from it, the landscape constantly changed and the sky was a brilliant blue with remarkable cloud formations. Next stop was Glendambo; I filled the bike's tank to the brim and checked the 10l container in my backpack hadn't mysteriously disappeared. The next fuel stop was 254Km away. Riding in my most economical manner, the Suzuki spluttered to a halt with 220km on the odometer. I pushed the bike to the side of the road and put enough fuel in to get to the next town. As it happened, I could have completed the exercise in the middle of the road, there being no traffic in the 10 or so minutes I took to complete the task.

The next noteworthy stop was a Coober Pedy, a most peculiar place. You realise something is odd about 30km out where spasmodically placed cone shaped piles of dirt start to fill the horizon. There are also wacky roadside warnings showing a little stick person falling down a mineshaft.

You then start seeing ancient trucks, every one with huge hand painted "explosives" sign affixed to the cab, meandering over the road. The town itself has a ramshackle look about it, I am sure that the thought of a "building code" is a foreign concept here. Many residences and businesses are underground to avoid the searing heat - not that this was an issue on this day. The aborigine locals looked cold and miserable teaming the streets. Even more bizarre given the reputation, here in what is widely accepted as one of the hottest and driest places on earth, it was drizzling. Fortunately for me it never turned to rain and stopped a few kilometres out of town. 

The only other vehicles on the road were 'Road Trains' and 4wd's towing caravans. I was starting to wonder if I might be insane for doing this, when on the horizon I spotted what looked to be another bike, a kindred spirit......continued overleaf