Darwin, Northern Territory - visually, not too exiting but a nice place (for a city) because of the Indian Ocean all around. I will be stuck here for a few days until the Victory dealer gets the bike (AKA Shrek) serviced. They are trying to find a tire & it needs an oil change. Couldn't ask to be stranded in a better place! It's off-season around here but Caravan parks in town still want $45 a night so I found a little place 25 miles away that was much less. Off-season bonus; I got the place to myself! (pic shows one table with my stuff on it) So I'm just gonna hang out here & relax....
More posts when I start down the west coast next week.

For the Michiganders, I saw the weather forecast & as I was riding thru the Outback in today's "easy ride oven" (106F again) I started in on a parady of one of my songs that made me feel better about that - "It's cold in Ann Arbor this morning, but the sun won't help that none..."
Should be in Darwin tomorrow. Just played at the Daly Waters Pub, apparently a pretty famous place around here - http://www.dalywaterspub.com. Here's today's bird; they  got a lot of birds here and these things, sitting right above my tent this morning, were LOUD!

"Welcome to the Nothern Territory"... that featureless flat view behind the sign is pretty much it. But there is an occasional slight hill or curve to keep me guessing. I found out about riding in heat - I thought that it would be better without the windshield so I stood up to see & was bombarded with an oven blast. No, keep the windshield; what's more, if I close the helmet visor it helps shut out the heat like it would the cold! But it is cooling down some: only 106F today.

*****HEAT! ******    The sign said "Welcome to Queensland Outback"...
I have never felt heat like this:  44C (111F) this afternoon and 46C (115F) forecast for tomorrow. The good news is I can ride in this stuff; all I gotta do is stop every hour or so. You wouldn't believe how good 111 degrees in the shade feels after the ride in the sun (nice wind, though).
*Yes, children; still always wearing the riding gear!
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On my way to Darwin, after touring the civilized part of northern Queensland. Got to 38C (100F) this afternoon. But this really cool Caravan Park in Pentland has electric, showers AND a pool - all for $10 AU ($7.50 US)! Now for the pic of the day (really, there it was, I'm not making this up...)

An amazing assortment of Queensland environments today! From Mt. Garnet to Ravenshoe - woods dotted with sometimes huge termite mounds, quite a sight. Then on to Atherton through a national park and forest; through mountains with tight twisty roads & tunnels of trees - just beautiful. On to Port Douglas through farms, cattle ranches and woods - thru another set of mountains near the end. From Port Douglas to Cairns was the most amazing coast ride I have ever run - 25 miles huging the rocky/beachy Pacific coast where the Great Barrier Reef lay just beyond (pic). Then thru Cairns itself - city. Now on to Innisfail thru a long valley with a really tall mountain chain (5,287 ft) just barely to the west (crests thru the clouds!) and another smaller set of mountains between me and the coast. All that with pure sun & a few fluffy clouds with a comfortable 30C, what a ride!!

OK, another Australian snake attack in the news...

I would like to point out that if it happened all the time, it wouldn't be news. I did go through this town 10 days ago and it was a fine little place. Been camping here for a month now & haven't seen a snake, but I am taking precautions. When I do mention about how everthing here is deadly, people shake their heads and smile - just be careful & you'll be fine! So here I am, safe & fine! Australian drivers are much more careful and polite, so I find less actual danger here than the US.