At the International Rally at Horsham last year we were lucky to meet Jim Parker and Lyndel, his wife, who were on holiday from Melbourne, Australia. When we mentioned that we hoped to visit Melbourne in the Spring of 2005 Jim told us of the rally around Tasmania and very kindly offered us the loan of a bike if were interested.

Well it goes without saying that we were DEFINITELY interested, the plan was hatched and we had the flight booked a few weeks later!!! From then on there was great excitement in the Jeffery household. We left a dreary England at the end of February and after catching up and having a great time with friends, Saturday March 5th finally arrived.

We met up with Jim at his shop in Melbourne and he introduced us to the 1945 military Chief that was to become our trusty companion for the next eight days. It was chucking it down when we left Jim’s for the ferry terminal so Tony took it really easy, getting himself accustomed to the big Chief. At the terminal we met up with more bikes-a veritable Indian posse-and under a double rainbow (a sure omen for a good trip) we boarded the Spirit of Tasmania for the overnight crossing through the (very rough) Bass Strait to Devonport.

After disembarking we were given our Survival Bags, which contained an assortment of interesting things like earplugs, (for people with severe sleeping disorders or for wearing under helmet for engine rattle control)! Alka-Seltzers and Panadol (hangover control) and Bull Shit Catcher (a mouth mask for own use or to be applied to others when necessary). There was also the threat of the Tassi Idiot plaque to be worn around the neck, which was to be presented on a daily basis to the unfortunate person who did something untoward to earn it. Surprisingly we got away with that one!! And so off we set after our briefing, the first day of the rally, and headed eastward around the island, stopping off at various places of interest until we reached our first night’s stay at Low Head

From then on each day we rode together, followed by the back up trucks (God bless em), getting to know the bike and getting to know our fellow riders. The wonderful diverse scenery of Tasmania delighted and surprised us every day. The beaches are beautiful and deserted, the air clean and unpolluted, and the light sharp and clear giving us the most glorious skies. We wound through gorges (tree ferns to die for), passes and stretches of road with plenty of bends to lean in to - we were in bikers paradise and living the dream.

One very memorable day we took in a 35-kilometre dirt road (that was an experience never to be forgotten) but us and the bike arrived intact at the end of it!! We had Frank Kletschkus who contributes to Classic Bike magazine riding with us and he was always ready with his camera to capture plenty of action shots throughout the rally.

When we arrived back at Devonport it was with some sadness that our long awaited adventure was over. Highlights of the trip were many, too many to mention here, but a big one was the flight in the seaplane from Strahan that we took with Jim, Red Fred and Steve Kavanagh which took us over the rainforest, the towering Huon pines and the Franklin Gordon rivers.

In total we were 23 bikes, made up of 18 Chiefs, 1 Power Plus, 1 741, 1 101, 1 Sports Scout, and 1 Four, people with a love of Indians, riding on an average 150 miles a day. We would like to say thank you to all of them for giving us Poms an unforgettable time, thanks to the back up guys and gals who worked so hard and never complained, to Peter and Toni, to Steve Auld for showing us the beautiful island of Tasmania, but above all to Jim who "fixed it" for us and last but not least to that indefatigable Chief who never missed a beat in all of those wonderful miles.

 Linda Jeffrey