Later that day – after the fishtailing, and after giving the police man back his motorcycle – we followed our trip route toward Rainbow Beach (truth be told, when we asked the police man how he liked his BMW, he surprised us with the ‘good news’ that the beemers would be replaced with more affordable and less ‘fussy’ Japanese bikes).

As with other days on this winter trip, we found ourselves pressed for time, trying to reach our overnight location while the sun was out and the roos were in. But as had happened before, we found ourselves with more distance to go than sunlight to see by.

As we followed our instructions, our GPS and our noses, we found ourselves on a windy gravel road heading up hill. My GS was a good match for the road but Victoria’s low-riding heavy cruiser was not well suited. And what’s worse than an uphill ride in gravel on a cruiser? Hmmm, how about a downhill ride in deep sand on a cruiser. . . Yep, that’s worse.

As we reached a crest on the gravel road, I followed the well-intending GPS prompt to turn right. I didn’t even notice the sign that warned of impassable conditions ahead. But when I looked behind me and saw no Copernicus, I realized that she had stopped before making the ill-advised turn. Here are a couple shots from that crossroads.

While we turned the bikes around to orient them toward the lesser of two unpaved evils, a woman passed in a 4WD vehicle and advised us of a best and least-gravelly route. As we followed her advice, we headed first down one small road, then a second. In complete darkness the second road turned to gravel. We stopped and turned back (much against the advice of both the woman and my GPS). On our way back to pavement we saw two very speedy animals. The first was a deer or similar, just like at home. The second was smaller and did quite a bit of hopping. It was interesting to see our first live kangaroo but it was better to not meet it in person.

After several attempted routes, we found one that delivered us in good shape to our overnight.

Morning came early and we hopped on an impressive vehicle. It was a bus up top, with comfortable seats for a couple dozen people. But it was a massive 4WD attack truck underneath, capable of handling the deep sands of our next stop, Fraser Island. This would be the first day off the bikes in about a week. One day off was okay. I guess.

Fraser Island is remarkable in many countless ways. It is so super special that our tour guide could spend hours and hours telling of it’s uniqueness. I on the other hand can recall very little of what he said. But it was pretty. And there was a lot of sand. . .

And warnings of other dangerous animals. . .

We actually did see a couple dingoes – one milling around in a parking area, and another on a lake-side beach. The beach dingo provided the day’s best entertainment when it suck up on one sun-bather, grabbed his beach-bag and ran like hell back into the forest. Several signs warn to not leave bags unattended. I imagine the same holds true for chairs.

I was quick to mark and document the crime scene. . .

Neither of these people are actually dingoes, at least so far as you know. . .

From Rainbow Beach we headed north again. Other than the bit of off-pavement excitement we’d had two nights past, the roads have been unremarkable for the last few days. We hadn’t been on a “yellow road” (one’s highlighted as recommended by my Australia Motorcycle Atlas) for a while, but more lay ahead later in the trip.

But it has been getting warmer, as one might expect now that we’re officially in the tropics. Here’s a shot of a touristy marker for the Tropic of Capricorn. . .

And to commemorate that milestone, Victoria requested that I take a shower. We compromised with a healthy dose of “fly spray.”

A couple more points for this post, first about rotaries, and then about BMW dealerships. . .

Concerning rotaries, I find them to be quite fun. And they are well organized in Australia, at least based on the ones I’ve experienced. And taking a bonus loop or two has been particularly rewarding for me, as it’s fun to turn right in circles for a while. I think it’s evening out my ear fluid or whatever has been knocked out of whack from turning left endlessly at Mount Vernon.

While not a rotary, here is a shot of a beach-side cal-de-sac where I circled for a few minutes one morning before hitting the road for the day.

Concerning BMW dealerships, it is interesting to note that cars and motorcycles are sold side-by-side in Australia, at least in some cases. I don’t know that to be true (or acceptable) in the U.S.

And here are a couple shots of bikes not-so-easily-available in the states. . .