40
AUGUST 2022
RALLY HO!
and there was even a pub. When wine was asked for, the bar staff exclaimed “we don’t sell much of that here!” but they managed to locate some he plan was simple. Ride to The Rock a.k.a dusty reds from a display to add to the luggage. Uluru a.k.a Ayres in late April 2022. Could we leave earlier? Too wet and hot up north. Could we leave later? Too many grey nomads a.k.a Gomads. Late April decided as close to perfect, and the grand send-off aligned beautifully with the Cane Toad Rally. So Rally Ho!
By Duncan Bennett, Member #4171
T
Part 1 Map – Cane Toad Rally to Lawn Hill Plenty said about the Rally already in the May and June BMWMCQ Journals. Up earlyish on the 24th April with the other 250-odd campers, wait for tent to dry off enough to pack it, clear out a mystery large ant invasion of Cindy’s Camelbak, and hit the road for the relatively big first day of +500km to Carnarvon Gorge. The weather had been a bit rainy and patchy at the Rally, however the assumption was that it must improve as we headed out into the reddening lands that are western Queensland. There was no reddening sighted; as usual on our trips the green was relentless but the weight of the grey sky didn’t seem to increase too much either as we bitumened through Eidsvold, Cracow, Theodore, Moura and eventually reached the totally unknown Rolleston. The plan had been to stock up in Moura to suit our extravagant needs in the totally unknown Carnarvon Gorge, but even a big town can totally shut down on a Sunday – nothing was open, so groceries (Pringles, salted peanuts, jerky) were purchased from the servo. The Rolleston servo was a nirvana of consumables by comparison,
Shelter from the grey sky under the grey wreckage from a C47B Dakota crash in 1943 The weather held off as we pulled into Carnarvon Gorge, with an exciting creek crossing to get into the camping ground. We were in a glamping tent with an ensuite, a decision that would later be proven very sensible. The shop contained a full selection of wines, and more Pringles, salted peanuts, and jerky so we didn’t need to buy anything, but the dinner options were looking a bit sodium enriched. We pulled up to the glamp tent, deciding that no-one had specifically said we couldn’t take the bikes through the fence and park them alongside. That night the rain started, but it was the sort of rain that you can wander about in for a few minutes without getting very wet. A four hour walk the 10km in to see the Amphitheatre is a totally different matter though, especially for
