Black Dog Ride to The Red Centre

The Black Dog Ride is over - 50 riders, 9 days, 4800km and 1 Yellow BMW GS 1200 Adventure Tourer!!! Why is the last stat so important?? That particular bike and rider (me) stuck out like a sore thumb against mostly leather clad bikers on black Harley Davidson, Triumph and Moto Guzzi motorcycles. Did we have anything in common? Yes, we were all there for the same cause, raising awareness of depression and suicide prevention.

I spent the day before the ride packing and ensuring everything was good to go. The next morning, 6.00am - kiss Kath goodbye, wheel bike out, bike gear on, helmet on, glasses on, start bike, ride off, visor down, stop bike! Damn! Visor not clean. Off bike, glasses off, helmet off, race inside, clean visor. Race outside, helmet on, start bike, ride off, stop bike! Damn! No glasses - must have left them in the house, off bike, run inside, no glasses! Look everywhere, wake Kath as grumping around, both look for glasses, no luck! Getting distraught - must be dementia as have lost a host of things in the last 2 weeks!! Oh! Put on bag on bike, race outside to look, can’t see, too dark, race inside, get head torch, race outside, can’t find glasses!! After much (polite) swearing almost step on glasses, glasses found! Kath back to bed shaking head, I ride off 30 minutes late.

Race through fog and breaking dawn to freeway, greeted by sunshine, sensational, happy again! I turn off to Woodside where the Black Dog Riders are already gathering for breakfast provided by the Lions Club. I descend into pea soup, visor fogs up, inside and out, pass a guy tinkering with old Norton, stop bike, turn around, can’t help, start bike, off to breakfast, visor up, speed down, face frozen!!

After defrosting the face, having a great breakfast and a briefing, we are finally off on the first leg of the ride. First stop at Meningie for morning tea with the Lions Club, then the obligatory photo of the bike with the giant crayfish at Kingston and lunch with the Lions Club, on to Mt Gambier to set up camp and dinner with - yes you guessed it - the Lions Club! What a great organisation and fantastic members, throughout the ride they supported us with encouragement, smiles and donations for the cause!

Day 2. Off to Loxton after a photo opportunity with the guys at Holden who provided the safety vehicles. A great days ride, a little rain plus lunch and dinner with….. the Lions Club. I was finding out why this organisation has the same name as one of the world’s great predators - all our meals consisted of meat and more meat!!!

Day 3. Pack up camp, load panniers, lock panniers, load bag, tie bag on, bike gear on, helmet on, glasses on, start bike, check phone pocket, OK, check wallet pocket, no wallet!! Check all pockets, no wallet, PANIC!!!! Stop bike, glasses off, helmet off, check pockets again, no wallet! Untie bag, check tent, check bag contents, no wallet! Unlock panniers, empty panniers, no wallet! Resign self to no money, no fuel, no food, no ride to Red Centre - just dementia! Text Kath - ride over, lost wallet! Pack panniers, lock panniers, roll up tent, pack bag, put shoes in bag, found wallet - inside shoe!!!! Don’t ask! Pack bag, tie bag on, helmet on, glasses on, start bike, get to meeting point late! No breakfast, no fuel top up, just ride!

On the way to Ardrossan stopped at Berri to meet with Headspace, then Cadell Primary School (great community school with 14 welcoming students and many townspeople), and lunch at Sedan. After lunch we were inspired by a talk presented by a young lady who has overcome many, many years of severe anxiety to become a very confident public speaker and successful university student.

Day 4. No dramas!!! Off to Woomera, morning tea with Pt Broughton Lions Club, meeting with Headspace Pt Augusta and lunch with you know who!

Day 5. 787 km of bum blistering riding to Kulgera via Coober Pedy and the most desolate camp ground with the most disgusting shower block I have experienced in my life. When $15 was mentioned it had to be asked if we were being paid to stay, alas no, we had to pay, $15 for everyone, no, each! Advice from a member of the group, “whilst showering wear thongs, don’t come in contact with any surface, if you drop your soap, leave it, wash self with bottled water, rumour has it that the Ebola virus originated here”!!

Day 6. Head for Yulara and the Rock! The weather was warm and the riding superb. 20 km outside Yulara 400 riders from all the states and territories of Australia met up.

With a police escort the group made their way to Uluru (Ayers Rock) to meet with Steve Andrews the founder of The Black Dog Ride. The group did a circumnavigation of the Rock then headed for camp, a shower and a well-earned rest. That evening all were treated to drinks, food, and a welcome by the indigenous people of Uluru and the many speeches provided by Steve and the organizers of the individual group rides. A great night and a great way to acknowledge our arrival and commitment to the cause.

Day 7. Spent the day relaxing and racing around Uluru and out to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas) with my riding buddy Arthur Spinelli. In the evening the entire crew were treated to the ride finale dinner, ‘Sound of Silence’. Maybe not so silent in the desert that night with 400 bikers present!!

Day 8. Bikers were hosted for breakfast at the local indigenous community (last person to be invited was the Dalai Lama) before heading for home. 

Arthur and I intended to camp out on the way but were foiled by the abundance of three corner jacks at every camp site and ended up at Cadney Homestead holed up in a Donga (miner’s accommodation) in gale force winds. 605km for the day.

Day 9. Rode to Woomera - 529 km. Arthur decided to stay here and I thought I would continue another 181km to Pt Augusta. On reaching Pt Augusta I thought I might continue riding the 202 km to my sister’s place in Burra. Left Pt August at around 4.30 and got to Burra at 7.00 in the dark. What can I say, should have stayed in Pt Augusta! Rode too far, almost froze and was worried about kangaroos for the last hour. But ooooohhhh my word - Horrocks Pass from Pt Augusta to Wilmington is an awesome ride!!! 

Next day home, beautiful Day, great 200 km ride to finish.

That’s it -  4800km and I believe around $250,000 was raised by the Black Dog Ride!

A big thank you to everyone who supported me with their donations – I am hoping to continue to raise more money throughout the next year. 

Also, thanks to the guys and gals on the ride for putting up with a novice group rider and thanks to Merv Storton for organising the South Australian leg and giving me a few tips.

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