Bondi to Broken Hill

By Postie Geezer Join Me

Please help me raise vital funds for Médecins Sans Frontières by supporting my 2024 Challenge: To push a Wheelie Bin from Bondi to Broken Hill


I have set myself a new challenge for 2024.

I plan to set off on 25 April 2024 to push/pull a Wheelie Bin loaded up with all my goods and provisions from Bondi to Broken Hill. This will be a solo, unsupported effort covering a distance of around 1,150kms according to Google Maps.

It will also be exactly 2 years since, on 25 April 2022, I loaded up my 110cc Postie Bike with camping gear and other adventure travel essentials including my own 100kg+ frame for an epic solo adventure to circumnavigate Australia...a distance of 15,500kms. I completed the ride 90 days later on 24 July 2022. I used the ride as an opportunity to raise as much money and awareness as I could for Médecins Sans Frontières. 

This is a fantastic cause and I ask you to enjoy my VLOG posts below of both my Postie Bike ride and my preparations for the Wheelie Bin walk and to donate generously. It will also help if you could share the link to this page as widely as possible. Thank you.

Event Information

Thursday 25th April 06:30

My Achievements

Updated Profile

Shared Page

Half Way To Target

10 Donations

Reached Target

My Updates

A disappointing end after 810kms

Sunday 16th Jun

Channel 7 (West) News Spot

Sunday 26th May

A pause in my posts for a while

Sunday 26th May

The long straight road to Nyngan

Sunday 26th May

Some more insights along the way

Friday 24th May

The Burrendong Way

Friday 24th May

WIN News - featuring my walk

Tuesday 14th May

Wet and cold...then a new challenge.

Wednesday 8th May

A quick (out of sequence) update from Bathurst

Saturday 4th May

The final countdown and packing the bin

Wednesday 24th Apr

Getting some training in...

Thursday 4th Apr

Looking at the route - A recce drive

Thursday 15th Feb

Setting up the Wheelie Bin & Test Push

Thursday 15th Feb

Bondi to Broken Hill - My 2024 Challenge

Sunday 7th Jan

Trials & Tribulations

Tuesday 23rd Aug

The end of an epic adventure

Sunday 7th Aug

Mostly clear skies and great scenery

Sunday 7th Aug

A mixed bag of weather but stunning scenery.

Saturday 6th Aug

Wet and windy (yes and perhaps, windy)

Saturday 6th Aug

Cutting corners - a boat ride

Thursday 28th Jul

Will the chain hold?

Thursday 28th Jul

A bike without a chain is just a pair of wheels

Wednesday 13th Jul

The Southwest Peninsula - worth a visit

Thursday 7th Jul

Oh woe is me!

Sunday 26th Jun

Good Samaritans

Monday 20th Jun

I'm calling it....Half way around.

Wednesday 15th Jun

Bumping into a good mate at Doon Doon Roadhouse, WA

Wednesday 8th Jun

Daly Waters, NT to Kununurra, WA

Tuesday 7th Jun

Trinity Beach to Kurumba

Thursday 26th May

Renner Springs- An Experience

Thursday 26th May

Ran out of luck and into rain

Saturday 14th May

Some sights and scenes along the way

Thursday 12th May

Everything is bigger in Texas

Friday 6th May

On the road...Me rambling on about nothing much.

Thursday 5th May

Another blunder...another challenge.

Wednesday 4th May

Have I lost confidence in Garmin?

Sunday 1st May

My 1st mechanical challenge

Sunday 1st May

At last....On the road (day 1)

Thursday 28th Apr

The final countdown & thank you all

Saturday 16th Apr

I am blown away by the show of support and generous donations generated by my upcoming ride. When I embarked on this endeavour, I really didn't have any expectation of reaching the very modest $5,000 target I’d set for myself. Well, before I have even departed, we've managed to raise over $4,000. Thank you to you all.

 

Now, without wanting to come across as greedy, I honestly believe that I can do even better for MSF. Therefore, I have increased my target to see if $10,000 is achievable.  I think it is.

 

Just 9 days to go for me now and I'm getting really excited. The 1st leg of my journey is a relatively benign ride from Sydney to Maroochydore (Qld). I will be taking an inland route for most of this leg to avoid areas that have been damaged and affected by recent flood events. Along the way, I intend to take a few detours to see places of interest or visit family and friends.

 

The bike’s ready to go. A new rear tyre along with a new chain and sprocket set were the final touches to a long but thoroughly enjoyable process of getting the Red Peril setup for the big job ahead. With way too much time on my hands, I have calculated that the 15,500km round trip will translate into 8.1 million rotations of its skinny wheels and the lone spark plug generating its impressive 7hp (at full bore) will fire around 85 million times as it burns around 530 litres of fuel. That’s an awful lot that has to go right to get me all the way around! We’ll see……..

 

Follow me from 25 April (in near real-time) on my Garmin MapShare page share.garmin.com/postiegeezer

 

Catch up with you again when I’m on the road.

 

Gav.

A different tank, different look....Much better range

Sunday 3rd Apr

Final tweaks? Perhaps.

Thursday 31st Mar

Final Countdown

Monday 28th Mar
Just 4 weeks to go before my scheduled departure date and I'm still making tweaks and adjustments to my bike and gear. It's really time I just got on the road!

I am busy finalizing the 1st leg of my route which will take me from Sydney to Cairns. The route is a bit of a moving target for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I'd like to use quieter, less busy back-roads yet still make reasonable progress. Secondly, both northern New South Wales and southern Queensland have recently been impacted by severe flooding which means many roads are still impassable due to washouts and damage. Some may be reopened before I leave but chances are many won't. Whatever the outcome, it's going to be a slow process and I'm giving myself 8 days to reach Maroochydore. I'll try to catch up with family and friends along the way. After that, my next  stopover is Cairns...more specifically Trinity Beach where I'll spend a few days before the long haul westward. 

From there, my target will be Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria. (How can you not go to a place called Karumba?!) Thereafter, the plan becomes really vague and will depend largely on what I learn about some of the Developmental Road conditions in both far northwestern Queensland and the far northeastern reaches of the NT. I'll keep you updated as soon as my plans become clearer.

Most importantly, between now and 25 April, I need to shed some Kgs. I currently weigh in at a very healthy 102kgs... Every kilo I can lose before I leave means I can hold a gear for just a few more metres on the up hills and I can carry a litre or 2 more water. If I don't post a 'brag blog' about losing weight between now and then, you can just assume I still weigh in at 100+ kgs....I won't be bragging about that! 

Finally, I am blown away by the funds that have already been raised for MFS in support of the Postie Geezer. Over $2,500 already!!!  Very humbling and truly appreciated. Thank you to all of you for your generosity and support.






Count down = 56 days

Tuesday 1st Mar
It’s now just under 2 months until I depart on my epic journey around Australia on my Postie bike. This has been a long time coming….over a year since I purchased the bike to do this. Of course, all the Covid uncertainty over the past 24 months hasn’t helped much.
Some of you will know that I have done a few ‘test rides’ to test out both the mods and changes I’ve made to the bike as well as the camping gear I will be using. Space and weight are critical considerations when motorcycle camping, even more so when it’s a tiny 110cc Postie bike!
The bike is set up about as well as I think I’ll get it, especially since I fitted the fully adjustable rear shocks. They made a huge difference to the bike’s rideability (read safety) and ride comfort. I also feel a lot more confident in its ability to cope with the load it will be carrying on this journey that I expect to take several weeks. Since my test rides, I decided to change out the luggage panniers I was using. These were 50 litre Wild Heart soft panniers. My issue with them was that the material was too thick and heavy making the bags difficult to close with a good waterproof seal. I have replaced these with a pair of ADVWorx Trekk Soft Panniers (30 Litres a side) from Adventure Moto. Pricey, but really good quality and well-designed kit plus I scored 10 litres more space.
The camping gear I used on my last ride out to Pennsylvania State Forrest in NSW was spot on. The only thing I’m adding is a pair of extendable lightweight poles for my tarp. Not too many trees to hook a tarp up to in the Outback.
Finally, thanks to some generous early donations, I have managed to collect almost $1,500 for Médecins Sans Frontières. My target is a modest $5,000 so please consider donating via this page. I realise it’s still a couple of months before I depart but, their need is urgent, especially with the most recent developments in the Ukraine.

A Postie & Ural head off - Camping gear test

Thursday 24th Feb

Mods and changes made to the Postie

Sunday 13th Feb

Ride to Pennsylvania State Forrest. Thanks for the video, Keith.

Tuesday 8th Feb

Another Test Run - Some different Kit - Different issues.

Tuesday 8th Feb

Thursday, 3 February 2022 saw me undertaking yet another shortish (560km) test ride……Just as well!

Aside from testing out, under load, the new VOPO adjustable rear shocks I had fitted and the adjustments to the front forks, I also wanted to test a much lighter tent and camping kit arrangement. I have swapped from the voluminous (and heavy) motorcycle camping tent of my previous video to a 3 person Naturehike Cloudup 3 tent plus offloaded my Helinox camp bed altogether in favour just using the inflatable sleeping mat. All of these adjustments worked perfectly.

The suspension delivered a much more comfortable and safer ride. Probably 100km+ of the trip was riding on gravel surfaces with some really loose gibble and a couple of kms of rough rutted track leading to our campsite. Very few tweaks needed there, if any.

The tent is fantastic! Super lightweight, compact and spacious. Setup time was literally 6 minutes (1st time around)!

That doesn’t mean that the trip (undertaken with Keith, a long-time adventure riding mate.) was uneventful. About 80 or 90km out from our campsite, I noticed the bike squirming each time I changed up or down (which you do frequently on a Postie). This also happened under braking….almost like a tyre had lost pressure or was flat. I stopped and checked but everything looked good. After riding a bit further with the issue still evident, I thought that perhaps one of my newly fitted rear shocks had somehow parted company with a stud/mounting point. Nope. A much closer inspection revealed that the left-hand chain tensioner had broken which caused the rear axle to move under torque. Not good for the chain, sprockets, bearings or rideability.  Of course, this is a part you never think will fail, so I had no spare. After much thinking and discussion, Keith proposed the trusty cable-tie be called upon. (Well, gaffer-tape wasn’t an option here!) The idea was to jamb the end ‘block’ of the tie into the space between the axle and frame on the forward side and cut the otherwise ‘useful’ ratchet strip off.  We did that, and then tightened the axle bolt as tight as 60+ year-old arthritic hands could manage. It worked for the time being, but was it going to last? It did! I rode out the rest of the trip (probably 400km) with the cable-tie-end doing its job of keeping some reasonably good tension on the chain and the rear wheel tracking straight…enough.

The second issue to befall me was with the left-hand kickstand. I don’t believe that the stock kickstand is designed to hold the kind of weight the bike now carries when fully loaded. Also, they are quite short which means the bike leans over to the left a fair bit, placing even more load on the stand. The net effect of this was the base/foot plate bent under the weight resulting in a tip-over of my bike at one point. Fortunately, the bike has a centre stand and, yes, a right-side kick stand as well. You're a bit spoilt for choice as far as stands go on a Postie! Still, I will fix this issue. Motorcyclists are left-side kick stand users by habit. A repair job also gives me an opportunity to haul out the MIG welder.

The final equipment failure I experienced was with my new wireless microphone setup. In order to give me the ability to provide commentary while on the move, I invested $280 in a Saramonic Blink500 Pro wireless mic kit. It worked great on a couple of test videos I shot in my workshop, however after returning from this ride, I was surprised to discover zero sound/commentary on any of the GoPro footage I took . Nada, nothing, zilch! So, I am now in the process of returning this dud to Amazon for a refund and have already purchased a replacement RØDE Wireless Go II set up. Seems to be much better kit and offers more functionality such as, keeping a rolling backup recording on the transmitter unit itself….useful for when things go wrong. Obviously, the upshot of this is that the video I took will need to be edited with voice-overs and music to replace any commentary I provided along the way. However, that means losing the spontaneity of live commentary….so I won’t. Fortunately, Keith runs his own YouTube channel (Creaky Rider https://www.youtube.com/c/CreakyRider) and has kindly permitted me to link his video of this ride to my MSF page. Please enjoy. Thanks again, Keith. The Amateurish drone footage in Keith’s video was shot from my new DJI AIR2 S. Yet another learning curve for me.

Well, that’s about it for now. I’ll be undertaking the repairs to the Red Peril over the coming days. If anything of interest arises, I’ll be sure to post another update.

Take care and stay healthy.

A test ride at last!

Monday 6th Dec

A Rookie Mistake

Saturday 27th Nov

My boots filled up with water!  This happens when your rain pants pull up over the top of your boots in the bucketing rain. I thought I’d get away with wearing a light pair of high-ankle hiking boots as I rode off this morning for a planned 3-day test run with all my gear aboard. A real rookie mistake for an old geezer. Less than 30kms into the ride, my left boot was all but overflowing. I found out that Gortex is just as effective at keeping water in a boot as it is at keeping it out.

I certainly wasn’t about to spend 3 days camping and riding in cool hinterland weather wearing soggy boots. Trip abandoned….and I hadn’t even left greater Sydney! I headed home for a wardrobe change and to wait out the snotty weather system impacting New South Wales. This ride will have to wait for a few days.

With space, weight and horsepower at a premium on a postie bike, you really want to travel light. I don’t want to be carrying more pairs of shoes than I absolutely need to, so I thought I’d take a dual-purpose footwear strategy. Use hiking boots to ride and walk about in and then I only need a pair of thongs as my alternates. Wrong! That’s why they make motorcycle boots the way they do I suppose. You really want them to be well up under your rain pants when you’re getting washed out in pouring rain and car spray. Lesson learned. I’ll need to factor in additional pair of footwear.

The Launch

Wednesday 24th Nov

I don’t bend easily anymore and  ‘I ache in places where I used to play’ (to quote Leonard Cohen)  At 65, I sometimes question whether you get smarter or dumber with age. Well, in truth, I know the answer to that.....Heck, I'm going to ride a Postie bike around the Great Dry Continent!

I once responded to a neurologist who treated me 15 years ago for nerve damage I suffered after yet another motorcycle "off"; "You can fix my injuries, but there's no cure for stupid."   This was in response to his question as to whether I had decided to get rid of my motorcycles following that specific accident. Of course, I wasn't. So, in the spirit of that very stupidity and with the support of my wonderful partner, I will be putting myself and a 2012 Honda CT110 Postie Bike to the test by undertaking a circumnavigation of Australia in April 2022.

To make the whole ordeal a worthwhile enterprise, I will be using the ride to draw attention to and raise funds in support of the wonderful and selfless work done around the globe by Medecins Sans Frontieres. Please be sure to follow my journey next year and, if you are able, donate generously to this fantastic organization. Thank you.

The Current State of Play

A series of COVID-19 lockdowns during 2021 have put me well ahead in my preparations and the “Red Peril” is eagerly awaiting the challenge of hauling all my gear plus my fat arse for an estimated 15,000kms around this incredible land. My planned departure date is 25 April 2022 when I intend to head north from Sydney following an anti-clockwise route that will hopefully see me traverse the severe northern regions during the cooler months.

At this stage I’m not certain how long my journey will take. To help me gauge this, I will be doing a test run of 1000kms during the latter part of November 2021 to test things like fuel range, average speeds and my ability to sit on this tiny machine for hours on end as the scenery slowly slides by. I will post an update upon my return.

Thank you to my Sponsors

$105.50

Dave Mckeough

$200

Michelle And Mark Hohenberg

Well done Gavin!

$5k

Manager Asp

$42.20

Nikki

What an amazing thing to do! Well done Gav, you are an inspiration :)

$527.50

Vicki Grace

Brilliant effort Gav Congratulations

$63.30

Alexandra Knights

$31.65

Maria Walton

Great cause. Wishing you endurance and strength and best wishes to Vanessa too x

$105.50

Albion Ashes

Inspirational - keep on going !!

$211

Grace Family

$211

Gavin Kleinhans (cash Donations)

Cash donations received and rounded up. Thank you one and all for your generosity.

$52.75

Anonymous

Good on ya Gav watch out for the dingoes and yowies and Stormy Daniels from Lyndons mad brother and his mate

$105.50

Trevor Kleinhans

Well done Gavin, so proud of you.

$26.38

Gareth Lentle

Congratulations Gav that's call that half way 👏👏👏

$1,000

Judy Harris

Vicki and Phil told me about your challenge. What an inspiring commitment you have made. I hope the journey is successful. Judy Harris

$422

Gav Kleinhans

All the generous cash donations I've received along the way so far to Narrowmine plu a bit. Thank you one and all. I am blown away!

$10.55

Anonymous

Just saw you on the road on the way to Narromine. Good in ya! 👍

$31.65

Teneale Cameron

Go Gav! so lucky to have your support.

$105.50

Hayley Millner

We saw your bin out the front of our Geurie Inn, we think you’re amazing!! My kids are cheering you on, we wish you a safe and beautiful walk in the bush. PS did we say that you’re amazing!! Have a wheelie good time :)

$105.50

Gareth Lentle

From my mum and partner (Shirley and John) they wish you all the best and good luck but they think your crazy

$26.38

Gareth Lentle

$25 for 250ks call it a progress payment, hope I can leave another message in another 250k

$31.65

Anonymous

$527.50

Bathurst Motor Inn

Goodluck on your travels and hope you enjoyed your stay with us at Bathurst Motor Inn regards the Merediths

$21.10

Anonymous

$26.38

Michael Andersen

Take care.

$31.65

Patricia Osborn

Good luck

$44.31

Matt Alchin

Fantastic effort for a great cause

$200

Anonymous

You are amazing

$31.65

Tony Lewis

$52.75

Gerhardus (gerry) Bloemen

$31.65

Dave Stanton

I hope you get there! I spoke with you outside the markets at springwood. Have posted on Facebook

$100

Alan Field

Go Gav!!

$500

Ivo Frias

Good luck mate!

$31.65

Melissa And Greg Devine

We just drove past you on our way to work and saw you walking through Bullaburra. You have taken on an amazing challenge and it’s great that you are raising funds for a good cause as well. All the best for the rest of the trek!

$31.65

Javier Rodriguez

Hey! I'm the fella who spoke with you as you passed thru Hazelbrook in the Blue Mtns, approx 956 from Broken Hill.

$44.31

Patricia Ann Kleinhans

Goeie genade, Gawie! You're crazy! But, it's all for a good cause, so I wish you well. Best of luck with this next big adventure.

$105.50

Lyndon Marshall

One day at a time

$44.31

Lola & Leighton

Good luck for your walk Grandpa G!

$527.50

Phillip Fiebig

(don’t) break a leg mate

$105.50

Richard H

Richard bumped into me on one of my training walks, wished me well and insisted on donating a green note. Very much appreciated.

$105.50

Gavin Kleinhans

$100

Tracey Dodd

I cant wait to watch your adventures!

$1.58k

Coleen Blomkamp

May the road rise up to meet you; May the wind always be at your back; May the sun shine warm upon your face; and May the flies leave you alone.

$31.65

Matt Bilson

I saw you early on a recent weekend morning training, and was curious why someone was pushing a wheelie bin with "Bondi to Broken Hill" on the side. Looked up what it was about. A great cause. Wishing you best of fortunes in your challenge!

$31.65

Al X

This is bold. Go Gavin!

$100

Allan Murray

Go Gavin. Looking forward to following your journey.

$105.50

Marcia Dowden

Good luck, Uncle Gavin! You are an inspiration! Love it 💜

$80

Revesby Ladies Group

$105.50

Melissa Anderson

$125

Revesby Workers Garden Club

$31.65

Michael Andersen

$184

Probus - Oatley

$30

Bangor Combined Probus Club

Postie Geezer talk gift.

$105.50

Graeme Borlace

Good cause

$100

Normanhurst Probus

$31.65

Robert Norval

From one motorcyclist to another, amazing trip.

$50

Revesby Probus Club

$50

Ingadine Probus Club

$100

Simon Dale

I enjoyed hearing about your ride. Quite an achievement. Fundraising for MSF is good, too.

$10

Glenn Diehm

Hi Gav Much enjoyed your talk last night at the Hills Ulysses meeting held at Castle Hill RSL. Cheers Glenn

$52.75

Chris (cjvfr - Netrider)

$52.75

Steven Roberts

Donation From one of my friends and a fellow Motorcycle Rider Mark Dempsey from Sussex Inlet

$21.10

Anonymous

$52.75

John Shepherd

What a great adventure Gavin! All power to you (110cc) mate - delivering a little peace all round Oz. Shep

$42.20

David Jorritsma

Hoping that you have a successfully and fun trip

$42.20

Steve Roberts

For your achievement in crossing the Western Australia border

$42.20

Steven Roberts

For the Epic crossing of the Northern Territory Border

$44.31

The Grandkids

You’re doing great Grandpa G, keep it up! Lots of love The Grandkids

$31.65

Barbie E Maurizio

All the best on your inspiring adventure Gav!!

$44.31

Mussell

Keep up the good work!!

$44.31

Steve Roberts

Qld Border Crossing Donation

$31.65

Allan Mccorquodale

I had a mate and his wife who used postie bikes to deliver pamphlets because thy were so easy to ride. I also know another guy and his son who did the Postie bike challenge

$100

Gerald De Haan

Hey adventurer…fellow ‘Postie’ Gerald here. We met on day one in a Macca’s car park at Richmond. Good to see you are going strong 👍

$52.75

Mussell

Looking forward to your videos. Stay safe.

$116.05

Ian Best

Amazing! You get a dollar for every engine CC from me. Best of luck with your ride!!

$105.50

Cjvfr - Netrider

Good on you, a worthwhile cause. I was directed to your page by one of our site members (netrider.net.au) who spoke to you in Narrabri. Drop in to the forum and say hello if you get a chance.

$105.50

Steve Howell

Good luck with the ride, great cause.

$31.65

Michael Andersen

Looking to follow your trip,hope I will be doing some of it too.

$31.65

Craig Richardson

Best of luck!! As a big bloke with a postie bike I’ll look on with keen interest 🛵

$263.75

Farrel & Karen

A very BIG achievement "you" are doing for "Honda bikes.".. I hope they "Donate big time".

$50

Helmut Abt

Great and worthy cause and good luck on your adventure. KTM need to build a bike fit for a Postman!!

$263.75

Niki & Jase Pereira

Dear Gav, Good luck on your travels. We hope you have a fun and safe ride. Love Jase, Niki, Matt & Harry

$527.50

Pam & Michael

Good luck Gav! Enjoy the scenery and ride safe. Amazing fundraising efforts for such a good cause. Look forward to the stories on your return.

$527.50

Philip Tunstall

We are very proud of you Gav and excited about your venture. All the best mate

$31.65

Nigel Whawell

Good on you

$896.75

Michael Smithee

Happy birthday for 5th April!

$42.20

Bob

All the best for the trip. Take it easy and enjoy. Regards Bob

$15.83

David Reucassel

Go for it Gavin, good luck. David & Lyn

$250

Mike Gardiner

Scott is going to give me $250 I didn't ask for nor do I need so I decided to put it to better use. Best wishes for the trip

$21.10

Al

$52.75

Patricia Kleinhans

Best of luck to you, Gav, as you embark on this massive adventure. And well done on doing so for a worthy cause.

$31.65

Anonymous

$31.65

N Da Ros

Safe ride, good luck

$100

Chris Lilley

From one biker to another - well done and enjoy the ride.

$527.50

Vicki Grace

Big big love for an amazing journey. Stay safe XXXXXXX

$527.50

Phillip Fiebig

Have fun, stay safe while you're doing good Gav.

$31.65

Janine Doyle

$105.50

Gav K

Just to keep it flowing....

$105.50

Al Murray

Happy travels

$896.75

Dougal Mcfee

Keep your feet dry, mate.

$105.50

Lyndon Marshall

Smelling the roses

$31.65

Mike Potter

Good luck!

$105.50

Marcia Dowden

Love this!! Good luck and big hugs x

$105.50

Gavin Kleinhans

Just to kick things off