Harley Dreaming-Cairns Australia

We peeled into a sharp left hander that climbed steeply and led into yet another more gentle left, the Heritage Softail’s Vance & Hines pipes letting you know precisely what the engine was doing as they reverberated off the steep mountain face on our right hand side. As we exited the turn we were greeted with the view of a majestic flood plain opening up several hundred metres below us. It was hard to believe we were a mere 25klms from the Far North Queensland coast home of the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef. This is what most people come to Cairns for but as a motorcyclist the real beauty lies inland of the turquoise ocean that the region is renowned for.

We picked up our Heritage Softail from Eagle Rider located in the centre of Cairns and being time limited we only had the bike for the weekend and were keen to explore as many of the twisty mountain roads as we could. We immediately headed North and visited the Mossman Gorge before heading back along the stunning coast road for a bite to eat and watch the fashionable people who swarm to Port Douglas to show off their latest designer shoes and jewellery. As the sun was getting low in the sky we made the 70klm journey back down towards our accommodation on the south side of Cairns. There is plenty in the centre of town with some excellent evening entertainment in a lot of the pubs. Cairns itself is Mecca for backpackers as well as local and international tourists so there is plenty to choose from to suit all budgets when it comes to dining out.

Cairns is effectively at the foot of the Northern most part of the Great Dividing Range that runs from North to South adjacent to the Eastern coastline of Australia. The Range is conveniently close to the coast in Cairns, which puts a wide variety of mountain passes at your fingertips. On day two of our hire we opted to do the Gillies Range Road to Atherton and back, a trip total of about 160klm's.  The climb up the mountain was a sensational road that is well frequented by motorcyclists on any weekend when the sun is shinning. This also means that it’s fairly heavily policed and we passed an un-marked highway patrol car heading both up, and again back down. You’ve been warned. Cairns also acts as a gateway to amazing rainforests as well as plenty of Australian heritage, from indigenous history and artefacts up until more modern European settlement.  We like most other tourists arrived with only one thing in mind, the reef.  It is definitely worth heading in land as well whilst your there though.

Ross & Anna Burgess have been Harley enthusiast for many years and decided to combine their passion with their work and started Eagle Rider Cairns a little over a year ago (article written in June 2016). The store is clean, tidy and well presented but the thing that struck me the most was the condition of the bikes, they were immaculate. Being locals Ross and Anna are more than happy to offer some suggestions for self guided tours with Ross knowing all the relevant distances of the various loops around the region off the top of his head. So if you're just planning on taking one for a day ride it’s as easy as walking in, handing over your credit card, picking Ross’s brain for a few minutes and heading off to explore this beautiful part of the country. Being a tropical climate means that winter is definitely the best time of year as the region gets battered with heavy rain and tropical storms in the summer, my suggestion would be April to about September.

The team at Eagle Rider has also started doing escorted tours for those that don’t want to have to worry about carrying all their gear on the their bike. The next 2,500klm tour takes place in September 2016 and can be booked over the phone or via their website. Heading south from Cairns the tour takes in all that is incredible about this part of the country from the stunning coastal roads to the highland tablelands of the Atherton plains. Staying in three to four star accommodation along the way, you wont be doing it tough on this ten day adventure.

We opted to pay the extra $28 for the reduced insurance excess, meaning that in the event of an incident my excess was only $1000 as opposed to $3000 had I opted not to worry about the optional Damage Excess Reduction. Money well spent.

At the time of writing rental prices ranged from $221.00 up to $255.00 per 24 hour period, or for those wanting longer, $1335.00 up to $1542.16 per seven day period. They also offer one-way hire to one of the other Eagle Rider outlets in Brisbane, Sydney or the soon to be opened Melbourne store. The crew from Eagle Rider Cairns will also store your luggage for you at no extra charge.

For a truly unique experience on the tropical Far North Coast of Queensland, Australia drop in and see Ross & Anna Burgess at Eagle Rider Cairns, their enthusiasm for your adventure is both refreshing and infectious.

*prices are correct at the time of publication but as always we recommend doing your own research.