Cycling the Ross River road and visiting Emilys gab, Jessies Gab, Corroboree Rock, Triphina Gorge and Ross river station in 2018. Kangaroos, cattle, dingoes, horses and a very unique landscape is the charactatic of the East MacDonnell Range.
Bicycling the red center of Australia probely the trip of my lifetime :-)

The story of "Fish"

Terry Michael “Fish” Gill, aged 44, died at dusk on August 23, 1998.
He was riding his Harley Davidson motor cycle about five kilometers east of Ross River, in that awful light just after sundown.
Going quite slowly he might have glanced into the rear vision mirror, to see where fellow biker Trevor “Poodge” Packham was, when Fish hit a camel, was knocked backwards and most likely had his spine snapped when it struck the number plate mount sticking up from the rear mudguard.
When Poodge, who’d seen the sparks of the crashing bike ahead of him, got to Fish seconds later, he was lying dead by the side of the road.
“He’d passed away,” Poodge last Saturday told 200 people on the spot “where Fish had his accident”, as his brother Bryan “Beez” Gill puts it.
“There was nothing we could do for him,” recounted Poodge.
Fish’s orange Harley Shovel Head 1978, only slightly damaged, was restored and Beez rode it on Saturday to lead a pack of more than 80 bikers in the eighth Fish’s Run, a social phenomenon in The Centre, and proof that Alice is still a small, caring community.
The crowd, some having arrived in cars and utes, stood in sad silence as Beez played “High” by the Lighthouse Family, one of the songs played at Fish’s funeral.
“He’s here,” said Beez: the cairn on the accident site is a mock-up bike, only the handle bars and petrol tank coming from the crashed Harley.
Half of Fish’s ashes are in the left-hand fuel cell.
And the Gill family buried Fish’s dog, Sleepy, which was 16 years old, behind the cairn last week.
But the moving service each year is only part of what the Run is all about: the other part is a boisterous celebration of the life of Fish.
The odd thing is, it’s not only his many friends who’re attracted to the Run. There are many who didn’t know him at all, but are motivated to join in by the devotion of this biker’s mates.
The one thing they all have in common is a love of motorbikes, not just Harleys, which made up about half the rigs.
And it’s a night out for people from all walks of life, from all social backgrounds, income ranges and ages, who want to be, well, bloody wild.
Riding in a pack of more than 80 bikes isn’t for the faint hearted.
You’re doing up to 120 km/h, riding in two lines, and with about three bikes within five meters of you.
Don’t suddenly run out of gas!
Political correctness is left at the gate of the Ross River Homestead campground which becomes the playground for kids aged five to 80.
The dress code is strict: generally black from helmet to boots.
Beer bellies are proudly worn like well-earned trophies, encased in tight-fitting T-shirts, black of course, some of which have seen better days.
Tats are highly desirable, but nothing’s obligatory.
Beards are an advantage, the bigger the better. Grey is OK. Bandannas are optional.
One biker wore a death mask over his face. I was told it’s to spare the public the view of what’s underneath.
Grown men on $30,000 bikes compete with 10-year-olds for the playground.
The kids try to roll paddy melons into a helmet on the ground.
Then the adults say, it’s our turn.
Kids ride push bikes.
Adults compete in a slow race on Harleys: the second out of two across the finish line, without putting either foot on the ground, is the winner.
Cheeky banter from MC Poodge is acceptable, nay, applauded as the ladies compete in the sausage sucking competition: it’s girls grabbing Frankfurters dangling from a string with their teeth while riding pillion.
The f-word’s OK but there’s not a harsh word spoken all night. No fights.
If more proof is needed that these bikers have a heart of gold, $3000 says so: that’s the amount raised by this year’s run for the Butterfly Connection, headed up here by Rachel Haines, supporting kids who need medical treatment away from their home town.
The money was raised through sponsorship, an auction, raffles and the sale of Fish’s Run merchandise.
Cash and prizes came from Fish’s stepsister Robyn and husband Randy Nash from Boise, Idaho USA; Bojangles, Todd Tavern, The Overlanders Steakhouse, System Homes, Kurlben Painting, Alice Springs Electrical and Red Sands Concrete.