Alex's adventures

A hasty last minute decision really paid off. Day after day of challenging corners, hard acceleration, remote wilderness, spectacular views, crisp fresh air, bizarre incidents, great food and good company (usually). When the roads are covered in moss, leaf litter and dead-fall instead of engine oil and litter, and you might pass one car in an hour, then you know your riding somewhere awesome. Over two spectacular rides I was led through the Yarra Ranges and Alpine National Park by riders with exceptional local knowledge. Glad I accepted this invitation! Alex Foreman on Mt Hotham Grover fixing my Triumph Sprint ST I nearly didn't make this fantastic adventure. My bike was in no condition for touring in remote locations and I had no coin to spare for expensive parts. It was making some very unhealthy noises and was in major need of some TLC. I suspected a bad clutch, but EastRiders ride leader and mechanic "Grover" helped me out. He quickly figured out the...

When I caught wind that there was an opportunity to work as crew on a racing yacht, I had to go for it! I spoke to the Skipper of J FORCE. He was more than happy to take me on and asked me to crew for his upcoming sunset race. I could barely contain my excitement as I counted down the days. I've been on yachts and sailing ships before, but have never had the opportunity to crew in a race. I had no idea what to expect but it was going to be a fun adventure. Alex Foreman crewing J FORCE, during a sunset yacht race from Sandringham Anchorage, Port Phillip Bay I made my way down to the Sandringham Yacht Club, taking the scenic coastal route. It was windy, and the sea looked choppy, which only added to my excitement. Warren, the Skipper, greeted me with a friendly smile and a warm welcome, then I set about making myself a useful as possible. I was surprised to find the yacht sitting ashore on a giant trolley. We prepared the boat and wheeled her over to a large crane, where W...

I've been in biker heaven over the last few weeks! Blessing of the bikes San Remo Alex Foreman at the Blessing of the Bikes San Remo I heard about some huge ride with 10,000 bikes in Victoria called "The Blessing of the Bikes". I had no idea what this was but thought I'd go along and find out.  The Arch, Blessing of the Bikes San Remo It turns out that it's literally a religious ceremony in which your motorbike is blessed. You ride under and arch and receive the blessing as you pass through. I didn't feel anything profound as my bike was blessed, but was glad to have tried something new. On the other side are a lot of bikers and stalls selling awesome but expensive accessories. Giorgio's cafe Malvern, ride start point To get there, I decided to ride with the Melbourne Motorcycle Riders. Doc organised the ride. We met at Giorgio'd cafe Malvern and ended up riding the long way through the hills. Melbourne Motorcycle Riders ...

So this was my first club ride in Victoria, and it was a great introduction. I signed up for a late night TT (technical touring) ride led by a guy called Maverick Octane who didn't allow any slow or inexperienced riders to attend. He's the lead rider for the Vic TT riders, who do state of the art cornering in rain, hail, at night, and riding in formation. Normally I'd never consider riding at night due to the serious risks of not being able to see and risk of animals on the road. But Maverick is a very cool and unusual rider with a very unusual bike. Maverick Octane and his custom cafe racer Mavericks bike is a 500cc GS500 base cloned as a Triumph TT 500 Hills Racer, with modified timing, drilled jets, 35mm drop fork for less rake, 160 rear tyre with track tyre, beefed up brakes, high ratio gearing, running special race fuel, dual LED flood lights, twin air horns, trick stainless big bore exhaust. Apparently it performs better than 750 and rides like a mini Buell....

Rudie Kuiter and Alex Foreman at the Langwarrin Flora & Fauna Reserve In the world of fish enthusiasts and nature lovers, Rudie Kuiter is a legend. He's the guy who writes the books and takes the amazing photos all over the world. Rudie has discovered described many new species of sea horses and developed new groundbreaking techniques in fish photography amongst many other exploits. Now it seems he is turning his talents to rare and interesting flora and insects. Rudie Kuiter photograph of an Arganout Being a total fish enthusiast myself, I felt honoured to be able to spend an hour with Rudie while he plied his trade photographing rare orchids at the Langwarrin Flaura and Fauna Reserve. I simply bumped into him as he emerged from some bushes with his camera, and we started talking. When he learned that I was once the President of the South Australian Native Fish Association, Manager of the Southern Eyre Marine Farm, and a keen SCUBA diver, he opened up. ...

The HiLux is officially written off, but there's no sense in wasting time. Trish took me out for a lap of her property in the family quad, then let me take it out for a spin. It's a fun little toy, especially around the corners!  St Patrick's Cathedral Headed into Melbourne on my Triumph Sprint ST. Got to love a city where parking your bike on the footpath is perfectly legal. I stopped by the Eye and Ear Hospital for a checkup. There is metal still embedded in my eye but the doctors assure me that it can stay there and may work it's way out at some point. The laceration has healed up nicely. Triumph Spirnt ST on footpath Melbourne Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne While in Melbourne I went sight seeing. I felt out of place in my dirty biker leathers around all the well dressed Melbournites. Free battery installed into caravan under seat by Bill Bill helped me purchase 160W solar panels for under $150 online. He then installed them into my van, ...