ACROSS AUSTRALIA.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 22 January 1927, Page 14

ACROSS AUSTRALIA.

ROUGH MOTORING EXPERIENCES. The first organised motor cycle tour from Perth to Sydney, a distance of about 3000 miies, concluded a few days ago, when a party of 16 young men from Western Australia, who used eight motor-cycles and sidecars as their means of transport, arrived at Sydney within two minutes of the time they had indicated when preparing their schedule before leaving Perth on December 4. Speaking of their experiences on. the long journey, the organising secretary remarked that they had good roads from Perth to Goolgardie, but from there to Norseman and on to Balladonia the roads were very rough. Between Norseman and Fraser’s Range they met a camel team driven by a black man, who told them he had taken five days to cover this section of the course. 'The motor-cycles proved the advantages of modern transport by covering the same distance in three hours. The motor-cyclists experienced terrific heat on the great plains between Madura and Eucla, the temperature being 170 degrees in tire 1 «sun. Of shade there was none. The motorcyc'es’ engines radiated so much heat that it affected the riders’ legs even through the stout leather gaiters they wore, and none of the party was able to remain in the saddle for more than ten miles at a •stretch. The ride re and sidecar passengers were constantly changing places during this section. Eater the tourists experienced the other extreme in temperature when crossing the notorious Goorong between Adelaide and- Melbourne, the weather being bitterly cold. After leaving Eucla. the-v again ascended to the tableland on the great Nul’-abor Plain., on which there is a great length of the finest natural road the motor cyclists found on the whole journey. MTiov could travel in comfort on this stretch of about 180 miles at practically any speed the motor-cycles could attain. They crossed the border from "Western Australia on this great plain, hut after passing through Nanwarra experienced a trying time on the numerous .sandhills, on which the motor cycles could on'.y proceed slowly in low or second 1 gears. There were more sandhills, hut not such bad ones, at Yardea, and they passed a mini her of dried salt water lakes. .From Yardea to Port Augusta, the motor cyclists found the -road was also inferior. From there onwards conditions were pretty good right to Syd' oey.