FEATURE
DARYL BEATTIE'S AUSSIE OUTBACK TOUR
P84
Sydney Harbor. Lightning and thunder crack in
the distance and blaze the desert sky purple
and silver like an Aussie version of the Northern
Lights, and 10 grown men sit and stare like kids,
mesmerized by nature. It's a perfect curtailing
to what has been one of the best weeks' motor-
cycling any of us, including Daryl himself, could
have imagined.
But it's about to get better. The benefit of
having such a monumental drenching—aside
from seeing nature at her most dramatic—means
the final 150 miles to our last stop at Birdsville in
Outback Queensland is like having the world's
best motocross track, groomed and graded, all
to yourself and your new buddies. The rain that
chases us to Birdsville has made the sand al-
most hard-packed, meaning you can ride it like a
racetrack—pushing the front, whipping the back
into natural sandy berms and pinning the throttle
of the Honda CRF450X like Joan Barreda in the
Dakar. This is a bucket list moment. Even Daryl
admits, "You probably get one of these days
once every five years."
About 25 miles into the ride we reach Pop-
pell's Corner—named after Augustus Poppell, the
South Australian Government surveyor—which
signals the meeting point for South Australia,
Queensland and the Northern Territory.
(Above) This incredible
sky literally chased
us to Birdsville after
drenching the track for
us overnight.
(Left) If you can't
handle flies, maybe the
Outback isn't for you.
(Right) Rocket does
his best Joan Barreda
impression on the Finke
racetrack.
TODAY'S A BIG
DAY, COVERING
OVER 170
MILES AND
EVENTUALLY
HOOKING BACK UP
WITH THE FRENCH
LINE FOR THE
NIGHT'S CAMP AND
MOTHER NATURE'S
FIREWORKS DISPLAY.
