Back in my day their where only two ways to get across Sydney Harbour with out getting your feet wet, in a vehicle. Sydney harbour bridge, worlds famous coat hanger...or the Gladesville bridge. Then someone in their infinite wisdom reckoned that a 2 lane tunnel each way on the harbour floor might ease conjestion on both the harbour bridges..So they built em..both tunnels one north and one south. In the process completely screwed up all the traffic on the south side.  Cause the entry ramps and and exit ramps came out right in the way of the most southerly traffic thoroughfares . To bad, Sydney is now cosmopolitan we have 2 tunnels....

2000 Summer Olympics...Being a Police motorcyclist who happened to be still current..I was placed on a list of potential bike cops..to be transferred into to Sydney for the summer games. I made it number 12 on the short list...outa a potential of 175 police motorcyclists..Don't worry it wasn't my ability as a rider..I'm that old. They went by registered uniform  number, there were 11 guys older than me...for length of service that still rode. Right across the state mind you.
So orders came and off to Sydney we went. Here in the south we are all State Cops..We don't have local LEO's like they do in the States. So basically yeah anywhere within NSW is our place of business.
Luckily for me my mom was still living in Sydney..but she was smart enough to realise fast, Olympics or not Sydney was not the place to be...so her and the step father promptly left for Hawaii....for the duration, which meant that lil ol me had avhouse all to my lonesome..and her little cage for the days i wasn't working. The guys that didn't get to stay off campus were placed in the University rooms where Students got to hang with cops...and of course you know how that went....cops lost alot of gear...and a few noses were rearranged on alot of students....Still gets me why there is so much animosity between Uni students and the cops...but there is...scratchin head here....is it because while they are studying to become the assholes of the future, the ones that chose to be cops are busy protecting their civil liberties while they do their collective damnest to exploit the student rights to muck up on all levels....well i'll guess I'll never know..cause i never stayed there.
The cops compound was opposite Royal Randwick Race course...thats a horse racing place.  You stored your weapon there, and hot seated one of the many Police Cycles..based there for the Olympics...I think I saw my own motor there about 3 times in as many weeks...

The famed olympic torch relay.....this was the height of the whole trip. Whilst i never got to ride around Australia escorting it...riding HD's...I saw it in Sydney..in fact i got to hold it when it was dropped.... on the Sydney harbour bridge. But i was working on the south side...and a call came through for any back up on the northside..Usually a quick dash across the bridge was easy...Not this day they closed all but 2 lanes and they were both for southbound traffic....while the torch was run across the bridge by celebrities...So responding as i did I shot through the tunnel...the speed limit in the tunnel is 50 mph..or 80km/h...I blasted through at a 185 km/h....setting the RTA speed camera off and drawing the guy in the monitor room to try and communicate with me through my helmet, comms.......needless to say at that speed i couldn't hear anything but wind noise.

So I made it out the otherside and drove down lanes the wrong way..something I had never done before..it felt so strange...was like riding in the states. I got to the job..and even picked up the torch...met Greg Norman and the L:ord Mayor and his wife of North Sydney council...and when I came back in at the end of the day...I even got a roasting from the Traffic Boss for going through the tunnel at a 185 km/h....but Like i said to him..oh yeah when a cop calls for urgent assistance, you pull out all the stops...so you go tell that dopey pencil pushin RTA lout to eat crap and die. Cause if it happens again, I'll do it again. Regardless of what he thinks....I turned round to a standing ovation from about 30 other cops who were milling around listening.....the boss said ,He was just relaying a message...the crowd of cops said , maybe you outa relay the message back..exactly how it was addressed to you...The boss smiled...and laughed  and said nah....don't think so...but I'll pass on what was recommended...

And here ya are these days riding with a bunch of outlaw motorcyclist Jonesy..LMAO..Cheers big fella..

I love reading your stories Jonesy! Keep em coming!! I can just see you speakin your piece and the guys behind you giving you the praise for sayin what needed to be said!! Way ta go!!

Great story!