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At the end of my trip, I needed to send my bike back home. Air freight appeared likely to cost around AUD 2250, whilst sea shipping was closer to AUD 500. Both methods will attract further clearance costs on the UK collection end of things, however these will be detailed once the bike is picked up at the beginning of May (shipping time is approximately 39 days).

The procedure that I followed is as below:

1) Called Stewart at Tradelanes Global on 03 9330 0090 or 0418 730 676 to confirm quote. Received a booking number, drop off address and date. It seems that ships sail to Tilbury, London on Thursdays with the bike needing to be dropped off the Friday before. I also confirmed that it would be OK for me to pack up the bike at their warehouse in Port Botany. You also need to give Stewart a list of all items packed on the bike for some customs stuff that he needs to do.

2) Arrange a crate in which to package the bike. I initially called BMW , but they did not have any available. I spoke with Sydney City Motorcycles in Kogarah (GPS co-ords S33 58.258 E151 08.016), which is around 20 mins drive from Port Botany and they provided me with a metal one free of charge (note that if it is wood, it needs to have been treated and stamped for quarantine). Sydney City Motorcycles are at 46-48 Princes Highway. Tel 02 9587 3000. They gave me a Kawasaki one measuring 2.3m x 1.15m x 0.85m (l x h x w) and it fit my Dakar almost perfectly except that even with the screen removed and bars turned downwards, it was 1cm too tall. Not an issue though as I marked on the box that it should be 'Top Load only' and nothing would be put on top of it.

3) If you need to get a carnet stamped out, go to the Customs building at Sydney Airport (GPS co-ords S33 55.997 E151 09.840) with your Carnet, booking reference number and address of the warehouse in Port Botany. Arrange a time and date for the inspection.

4) Clean the bike (I am not sure how clean it needs to be going back to the UK, but will find out in due course!).

5) Arrange for the crate to be taken to the cargo warehouse. Rather than hiring a van, I just got a 'man with van' to save time. I found Karl (0405 360 158) on Gumtree (a classifieds website) and paid AUD 50. It only took half an hour in the end and he helped me to load and unload it. I rode to the bike shop and met him there and then he followed me to Port Botany to drop off the bike.

N.b. at this point, you should be judging your fuel so that it is pretty much empty when you arrive at the port.

6) At Port Botany (GPS co-ords for the warehouse that I used were S33 58.861 E151 12.881 and the address was ACFS, 1 Simblist Road), go to the warehouse and ask them where you can unload the crate to and do the packing. Tell them your booking reference number. Start packing it up whilst you're waiting for Customs to arrive, but make sure that they can still see the engine and frame number. Stick a page on the box saying the from (I used the warehouse) and to (your home) address. Note that they use the home address even if it is just going to the docks in London.

7) When Customs turn up, go through the Carnet.

8) Finish packing up the bike including disconnecting the battery. I locked my helmet to the bike and put it in plastic bag so it will hopefully not get too damp. Take some photos (both for old time's sake and in case of damage or things missing at the other end).

9) Go into the office and get a receipt that you have dropped off the bike.

10) This is the tricky bit! You now need to get out of the port on foot. See if you can get a van to drop you at the bus stop and take an L09 or 309 towards Redfern and the City. They are pretty infrequent and cost AUD 4. Or you can take a taxi to the airport or the City, which is probably a fair bit more.

10) Give Stewart at Tradelanes a call with final dimensions and he will issue and invoice, which you can pay by finding a branch of his bank and the account number that he gives you. He will then put you in touch with the people in London and email you documents including a bill of lading.

Details of collection will be added in 5 weeks time!

Total cost: AUD 485

Freight - AUD 270 ($120 per cubic metre for 2.25 metres cubed)

Documents - AUD 215 (this is a flat fee)

I expect to have to pay GBP 120 at the other end for customs etc if I am clearing it myself. If I were to use an agent, I was told that it would cost around GBP 250 to get it released.

FYI, I did also contact a shipping company called (1300 884 562 speak with Michelle). They originally quoted me $120 per metre plus only $95 for docs, but seemed pretty inefficient over the phone and prices seemed to move around, so I didn't use them. Perhaps it was just an off day... They were the shipping branch of Universal Air Cargo (Alan Rogers on 02 8304 4740), who quoted me $2200 for air freight and seemed to be very efficient and experienced.

I was also given details of a crating service, but I expect that they are significantly more expensive than a free one from a bike shop. Bill on 0419 236 886 www.crating.com.au.

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