Oodnadatta Over (Oodnadatta - Marla)

Day: 7

Distance Travelled: 208kms

Weather: Blazing blue sky, 24 degrees (at least!)

Today's Biggest Challenges: The serious ball-bearing-like gravel. Makes for a fun speedway but not much else. Mentally very challenging. Trying to miss the cows on the side of the road (yes you read that right, cows, not camels).

What I've learned from today: Sand is still yuck, marble rocks are scary, the dust is a PROPER red and green grass is the best invention since sliced bread.

Highlights of today: Decided to get up and pack up early so we could get to Marla asap and get out of the dirt and get clean. Had a great time chatting to some of the campers the day before about what Uluru was like for them when they went, where to stay, etc. A great time for camper fellowship and had a good chat with their kids about motorbikes (they were a bit starry-eyed at ours!). We bought a few things and I managed to bargain the lady at reception for some rain water to drink before heading off at about 9. Fuel was a bit cheaper at $1.87 p/L so we filled up ready for the final stage of the Oodnadatta track, said our goodbye’s to the Pink Roadhouse and we were on our way.

We had been told the night before by the campers that the road was very good on this side of Oodnadatta, however, we were to find out that ‘very good’ referred to driving in Hiluxes and not on motorbikes. Ball-bearing-like gravel, bull dust and some decent corrugations made for physically and psychologically trying times. While we could still do 90kmph most of the way it was mentally very taxing as the road could change at any time and required instant reactions to conditions at any second. Couple this with a bike that I didn’t quite know made it rather difficult to handle for long. We stopped after 70ish kms for a break, had a snack and watched the dozens of little finches fight over the branches of a dead tree across the river… a river with GREEN GRASS! A rarity since we entered South Australia last Thursday.

We continued on however my still-growing experience on dirt road and lingering sickness
meant that I became tired faster than Kristal and I had to stop and hand over to Stuart about 50kms out of Marla. Thus was the end of the Oodnadatta for me, after a successful 430kms in the dirt on the VStrom. I think I’ve learnt so much about dirt riding over the last four days, it’s been phenomenal. I figure dirt riding is kind of like parenting… there is a very fine line between going swimmingly and smashingly. You can’t force the bars, you must be very gentle, but you still have to guide them… if you force them it will let you down hard but if you don’t guide you’ll run off the road entirely, so it’s riding that fine line. The bike would often fishtail in the dust, which was terrifying at 90kmph on a 220+kg bike but somehow (no doubt thanks to the good suspension) would right itself almost entirely by itself (provided it wasn’t on the loose stuff for too long at a time). I think it has also done a lot for my road riding capabilities and endurance levels.

We arrived at Marla and kissed the tar, we were so keen! After getting out and hugs and photos and groans of stiffness we rolled into the roadhouse, filled up and set up camp. It was great to get some washing done, clean up the bike chains and lube the parts, dust everything off and have a nap. Everything was absolutely COVERED in a thick layer of dust and we picked up half the desert’s rocks in the back of the trailer, despite the tarp and net. So good to get rid of the dirt and camp on grass again.

Just had the best shower this whole trip… My hair was so matted I thought I’d have to chop pieces of it out but finally loosened it all up. After a delish dinner, more star gazing and a yarn we are off to bed. We’ve decided to ride to Alice tomorrow instead of Uluru as it gives us a chance to shop, have reception and rest before heading out to the Rock where we will want to spend a lot of time exploring. A long day in the saddle tomorrow but we are keen and happy to get back on the tar for a bit, leaving the dirt for the next keen motorcyclist. Till then, MMG