I came across this place called Parkes, twinned with Coventry. Not much of a recommendation in my book! It started to rain about an hour before I got there, and stopped about an hour afterwards. Maybe they’ve got more in common that I realised!

Anyway, suffice to say that the joys of both cities have been sampled. My life is now complete! (And THAT, is British whit at its finest!).

I always wanted to see Wagga Wagga, and the guy that bought the Chair of Despair lives just past there. I called in to see my old girl, and the very nice man Mark who bought her.

He’s done some work since he bought it, and the old girl is looking even better. The shed had a few other stable mates, like an old Triumph, Norton Commando and an Indian too. I’m very happy to see it went to a good home!

I took a couple of spare parts up that I found lurking in the cupboard under the sink. I could have just binned them, but they may be useful to someone down the track. Hopefully this might buy me some good bike karma??

Thanks for lunch, coffee and a chat Mark. I hope you enjoy the outfit as much as I did!

Nice isn’t it? I stopped here to ask the information people about free camping. The sun was just setting and the station looked great. A quick 30km up the road to a free camp spot, arriving just on dark.

Luckily the moon was out and it was light enough to get the tent up. Very relaxing.

The new H&M building in Melbourne, which used to be the old GPO. All road signs with distances to Melbourne were measured to the GPO. I can’t think of a better place to mark the start of my journey.

Ground zero! Look closely and you’ll just be able to make out my bike.

Now that I have my speedo cable fixed, I can state that the official start mileage is 21373 km. (Is there such a word as kilometerage??).

It’s been harder than I thought getting out of Melbourne, lots of “last looks at places” and emotional goodbyes. But that’s it, I’m out of here. Elvis has left the building!

So my speedo cable breaks on the day of departure! Nowhere in Melbourne has one in stock. I’d like to zero the clock to see exactly how far it is, as I don’t think it’s worth coming back to check!

Shout out to A1 motors in Brighton, who took one off their showroom bike.

Cheers guys!

So I called in to see my mate Gav in Wallan. (He’s the kangaroo hospital guy for those of you who’ve been following the blog a while).

I wanted to fit a USB charger and cigarette lighter socket to the bike. I didn’t want to run off the ignition as I want to charge some items when the bike isn’t running. The USB socket pulls power all the time, so I wanted it switchable.

I ended up with a really neat installation, switched and fused as per the picture. The other side sports a matching cigarette lighter socket, and the switch is a 3 pole unit switching either socket on.

Thanks Gav. Shortly after the speedo died 😦 a new cable is on the way. I mustn’t forget to record the official mileage at the official start!!

Sophie
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GPS location Date/Time:05/05/2014 00:42:52 PDT

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I’d never get away with this is Wales, but I’ve just glued an old sheepskin to the seat. Hardly a work of art, but I don’t have time to custom make a seat cover. Looking at it now though, I kind of like the way it’s not fitted. More of a drape than a fit, but that looks kind of cool and it’s easier anyway.

The last few bike mods are almost done, but I need to go and see my mate Gav to finish them off. The flat is empty and the keys go back later. Whether I’m ready or not, by default the trip starts tomorrow!!

Last day at work on Friday and the people were great. I had a super send off and some thoughtful presents. I’m not sure about the card though, do they know something I don’t???

A leaving card is just a leaving card, I mean they’re all the same, right? Some words and scribbles written at the last moment. They only have meaning for the person who’s leaving.

However, in this case the person is me. Some very nice people said some very nice things, and that means a lot. I really an sorry to be leaving.

Nice little surprise on my coffee cup lid this morning! Does this mean I drink to much coffee?? Either way, the coffee culture in Melbourne is something I’m going to miss.

Overdraft café I salute you!