THE MILE MUNCHIN' STORY
Adventure is not a young persons game, there is no age which can stifle the desire to explore, learn and discover. Perhaps as a person ages we understand who we are and what we are meant to be doing with our lives. For me this came in my mid 40s after a life changing trip.
A BRIEF HISTORY
In 2015 after admiring motorbikes from afar I finally purchased my first motorbike, yes at the age of 43 I nervously asked my wife what she thought of me getting a motorbike. To my surprise she answered “if you want,” two or three weeks later I had my first motorbike. A Suzuki 2010 DRZ400E which had just over 1,081 kms on the clock. Fast forward two weeks I got my learners permit, and 7 months later I did my first big motorbike adventure trip. A 7,300 km trip over 21 days from Torquay in Victoria to Uluru and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.
The person I have to thank and to blame for this trip is John Kempton a dairy farmer in Camperdown. His wife and my wife have been friends since kindergarten. John has ridden motorbikes all his life, our families camp together three times a year, in fact we have a group of six families who camp together. In total there are eighteen children ranging from age 5 to 17 years old. These kids hang out for these camping adventures, and in truth so do the adults, we all lead busy lives and these short camping trips are a great chance to relax.
Since purchasing my first bike I’ve added 33,000 kms to its speedo. I’ve traveled through the high country multiple times, to Innamincka in QLD, the Flinders Ranges in South Australia and extensively through the Otway Ranges in Victoria. I’ve also ridden in Indonesia around Bali and Lombok. My DRZ which I call Dozer, is my mate, my companion, we’ve had so many great adventures together and he’s never let me down. There are better bikes, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a more loyal trustworthy bike that just gets the job done.
MEETING PAUL KOCZAK
In 2017 I purchased another motorbike, a 2013 Sherco 300 4-stroke. This bike allowed me to ride much tighter, snottier tracks, it opened my eyes to Enduro and I fell in love. I joined Otway Trail Riders and made new bike riding friends. I became the Secretary of a new motorbike club Otway Enduro Club in 2018 and extended my community of bike riding friends and boy what a community.
It is at this club I met the founder and inaugural President Paul Koczak. Through our love of dirt bikes, his, a lifetime love affair, we bonded with a passion to build the club and hold events our riding community would enjoy riding.
Through this friendship I help Paul with his new business venture Adventure Bike Shop with design and marketing and he helps me with Mile Munchin Adventure Tours, by seeking great riding routes and leading most rides and passing on tips to riders who join us.
WHAT'S MY PASSION
I get out of bed in the morning because I like creating things, a Graphic Designer by trade I started a business called Brown Ink Design in 2001. Creating brands and telling client’s stories has been part of my profession for a long time. Having had a production company in the early to mid 2000s, I saw my business partner in that business travel to Cape York with three mates and make a bloody great film about the trip called “Up Top Down Under”. They did this trip in 2003 before Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman did their first adventure trip “Long Way Round”. In my eyes they were pioneers of sorts, this was a long time before GoPros, iPhones and action cameras which make it so much easier to film nowadays.
When I did my trip with John to Uluru and back I said to him I’m going to film the trip. I’d like to make a feature length film out of it. John said, OK but I just want to ride. I filmed the trip with a GoPro 3+ and iPhone, my accessories included a selfie stick, a tripod, portable hard drive and laptop. When I returned from the trip I spent a few days organising the files and made a film trailer for my “Coming Soon” Road, Rocks & Ruins” film. I uploaded the trailer to my new You Tube Channel called Mile Munchin Adventures. John actually used this term a few times on the trip. He’d say “time to munch some miles Rodney.” I liked it, so the Mile Munchin name was born.
The videos I captured sat on a hard drive for nearly three years before I found time to put a feature film together, it actually turned into a nine part series I released on You Tube. The Road, Rocks & Ruins series was uploaded to my channel after some films I’d shot from other motorbike trips, these included Mission Innamincka and High Country Heat.
I’ve been surprised how well my films have been received, the positive comments are really appreciated and has given me the confidence to create more content. Through these films I’ve also communicated with many people getting into adventure and enduro riding. I don’t profess to be an expert but I now have many friends with a lifetime of motorbike experience. I ask them many questions and often!
Just recently I decided to do a series where I go in search of old ruined timber mills in the Otway Ranges. This really has got me excited, I mix riding with exploring ruins and I tell the story through film on You Tube. I don’t know how it will turn out when I set off and I guess that is all part of the adventure.
Like everything I do in my life, I don’t do it by halves, I’m all in or not at all. Dozer gives me the ability to HAPPEN UPON SOMETHING NEW… and there are very few better ways of doing it than on a motorbike. With my tours I want people to also experience the wonders of adventure.
The sheer essence of adventure I would describe as when you "Happen Upon Something New." Discovering, experiencing, seeing or exploring new terrain brings with it the excitement of the unknown.