Outback Odyssey 2015 - Getting Home and Wrap Up

Rise and Shine!

For our final morning we were provided with a cooked breakfast to get us through the long day of travelling.  I think Miss V and I were a little slow off the mark in getting our stuff together, but I don't think we were the only ones.

The trip back to Melrose

Some of the first issues that we noticed in this tour only started to appear at this point when it was mentioned that there were more bikes heading back to Melrose than had been allocated for. I'm not really sure how or why, but given that these things were being verified at Hawker, it's all a little confusing. As a result of this, our bikes and bags were loaded in a second luggage trailer attached to an Adelaide bound bus, rather than with the other gear heading to Melrose. We just needed to hope that our bikes and luggage appeared at Melrose with us!

The trip back to Melrose was a bit of a drama in itself. Initially a message came through that a driver thought they saw something fly off the back of the large bike transport truck. A little bit of time was spent trying to verify that there were no bikes laying in the middle of the highway. Then a little further up the road the Adelaide bound bus broke down with a broken alternator belt.

After some fantastic organisation and re-jigging of buses and trailers, we were headed back to Melrose. Unfortunately others were left at the side of the road while they rigged something up to get the bus moving again.

It was in Melrose that the first breakage of the trip happened. The bus driver was fairly heavy handed trying to get the bike out of the trailer and caught my pump on some luggage. I also have noticed that due to the bike not being protected that well in the trailer, the sticker on the top tube is partially scrubbed off. So, the better part of $100 worth of damage just on the trip back to Melrose. Not overly thrilled by that to be honest. Admittedly it's minor stuff, but all the same, it takes a bit of the shine off the week.

Wrap up

Even though we were only part of the event for five days, it felt like a bike of a roller coaster ride. The first day really wasn't much fun, but each subsequent day became progressively better, with the trails becoming more fun to ride and the scenery more impressive. I'm happy to report that my knees withstood the ride without too much trouble too. My new bike handled the terrain like a dream, though in some places I really wish I had my dual suspension bike underneath me!

Something that was really nice was bumping into a group of three guys (Fred, Andrew and Ian) that we met on Kangaroo Island two years ago. The three of them being on the trip, along with their constant hilarious banter, was the icing on the cake for the trip. Another plus was continually leap frogging another couple, Conrad and Judy pretty much every day. We'd pass them when they stopped to take photos, and vice versa. Turns out that they had also been on the Kangaroo Island Annual Tour, which was why they looked so familiar!

Would I do it again? Maybe. It might depend on what the goal is. If the goal is to ride Mawson Trail from start to finish, then I can't think of a better option. If the goal is simply to ride in the Flinders Ranges, then there are a few other options that we could seriously consider. One of the downsides to doing a tour like this is that you're always running to someone else's schedule, which can be a little draining after a while. 

This year Miss V and I had pencilled in to do the full Mawson Trail, but that was dependent on having completed the Mini Mawson 2 without difficulty last time. Obviously that didn't go to plan, hence the choice to take on another Mini Mawson. So we might have to have a think about whether in two years time we wish to ride the entire Mawson trail. It's something that I think I'd like to tick off the to-do list, but I'm not sure what time frame I should set for myself to complete it.

If we were to take on the full length Outback Odyssey, I think it's likely that we'd take on the deluxe camping option, coupled with hotel rooms on the rest days. I think this would eliminate some of the stress involved in getting us out on the road at a reasonable time, and making sure that we find a place for our tent each evening! I reckon the tent pack down and set up each day is worth about one and a half hours each and every day. Time that could be better spent exploring places on route or in any of the small towns we visit each day.

All in all, a really well run event by Bike SA and the local communities along the way, and one that I would recommend to others. If anyone is thinking of doing just one of the Mini Mawson rides, I'd definitely go for the third section since the scenery is just stunning and riding is a lot of fun.

I'm happy to answer any questions about our experience on this trip, should anyone be contemplating it in two years time.

Thanks for reading!