June 16: Warm Australian Welcome

Arriving in Australia at 6:45am local time after a 16-hour flight from LA to Melbourne, I received a warm welcome from Rhys Rogers, a fellow Facebook Friend and a Member at Large of the Red Knights Motorcycle Club.

Rhys ferried me around running several errands in preparation for this summer’s adventure, passed along quite a few helpful biking tips, and shared a delicious meal with me at a local pancake house.

Because shipping a bike to Australia is rather involved and costly, many motorcyclists find it more practical to rent or buy a bike here. The local VicRoads office (Australia’s equivalent to the DMV) was not at first aware of the TAC85 form I requested for mandatory third-party liability insurance.  However, after waiting quite some time in line I was eventually able to purchase the coverage at an extremely reasonable rate from a friendly and helpful clerk.

I also checked in with the service manager at City Yamaha, the local bike shop that will be making sure Adventure Baby is road-worthy after spending months at sea at three different ports and on two different ships. Cory will ensure there are no loose or missing parts on my bike and replace the electric gear pigtail if necessary, so that I can more comfortably travel in the winter weather here.

After picking up a train pass for local travel while I wait for Adventure Baby, Rhys and I shared a pancake breakfast at the Pancake Parlour, where I was delighted to discover that they not only served strawberry crepes but also delicious loose-leaf tea with steamed milk. I was so hungry I practically inhaled the savory bacon side drenched in real maple syrup.

I am now settled at the home of a friendly Bunk a Biker host and will post soon about my lodging here as well as next steps for Adventure Baby.