No excuses In May 1954, a young Keith Ralfs watched awestruck as, on a 10-inch black-and-white television, the Shell-produced documentary Back Of Beyond unfolded. The story of a Birdsville/Maree mailman and his incredible desert exploits in his battered old trucks held Keith captivated. From that day over 60 years ago his dream was to ride the Birdsville Track on a motorcycle. Finally, he made it happen.
I’m a marine engineer and have ridden motorcycles in many, many countries, but hadn’t yet conquered the Birdsville Track. My various bikes – my first made from bits’n’pieces when I was 14 – have taken me to some strange and interesting places.