Post Script

 Kms for the Journey  11,320

When Alan and I planned this trip we came up with a pretty good itinerary which would have taken 42 days to do 16,000 kms.  It was our third "Lap" of Australia and probably our last.  Our ancient bodies were not up to the task of big kms anymore.

Despite all the border closures and lockdowns, I could have done a full lap by waiting 3 days in NT before trying to enter WA, but to be honest I just didn't fancy riding 7,500 kms through WA and SA to get home.  It would have turned out to be a slog.  And travelling on my own had lost it's appeal anyway.  If my brother had been with me we would have made the effort one last time.

However, the enjoyment of travelling in the Outback was still as strong.  Australia's landscape seems at first to be boring and repetitive.  If you look more carefully you can see a myriad of subtle changes as you move through the country.  That's the key- you have to see the subtle changes to appreciate it.  A motorcycle is the ideal vehicle to enjoy the passing spectacle as you feel so much more connected with the environment compared to a car.

Actual Route Map  11,320 Kms

When I got to see my ophthalmologist a few days after I got home, she told me the pressure in my right eye had come right down and the laser treatment had worked.  So that's a relief anyway.