104 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDERTIME TRAVEL
“There is nothing here made after 1980. And nothing that
isn’t British; Triumphs, BSAs, Ariels and lesser-known
cycles are scattered about in various stages of repair, from
bare bones to the nearly-theres”most of it) in the workshop.
But this is work that requires patience.
Many of the bikes in the shop have been
there for years, with owners coming in
every now and again to put a few more
dollars towards the end product. Gary buys
some machines himself to restore and sell.
“They have to be cheap,” he says with a
grin. “With the cost of parts, the hours I put
in can’t pay too much for a decent return.”
Just recently, Gary overcame his
reluctance to take on triples (“I fi gured
they’d be more bother than they’re worth”)
and has an immaculate BSA Rocket 3 as
proof that it can be very much worth it.
This is sheer heaven for restorers and
riders of any type of bike. It reeks of age.
My fi nal question to Gary was — why the
hell Tarzali? Even locals don’t know exactly
where it is or why they’d want to go there.
“That’s usually the fi rst question,” Gary
says. “And the second is, ‘You actually make
money out here?’” He’s been doing it for 18
years. Whadda ya reckon? Gary and Kaye
welcome visitors, even groups — but phone
fi rst! They’re not always there, but may be
if you let them know. Ph: (07) 4096 5890.
OK, a er this visit to the rust-end of
the market and Gary’s amazing work,
how the hell do you get out of here? Sure,
there are many options, but for sheer fun,
go back through Yungaburra and down
the Gillies — this is a ride that’s totally
diff erent on the way down and begs you
to do it again.
Have fun. ARR■ The man and a machine■ Neat stuff in every nook and crannyARR112_102-104_Tarzali.indd 104ARR112_102-104_Tarzali.indd 104 2/3/2015 9:52:14 AM2/3/2015 9:52:14 AM