The end of the road for Compass Exxpeditions
The end of the road for Compass Exxpeditions
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The end of the road for Compass Expeditions 
It is with a profound depth of sadness that we announce that after millions of kilometres ridden around the world, the trail has ended “in a dead end” for Compass Expeditions. We have been forced to make the incredibly tough decision to close Compass Expeditions due to Covid 19 and subsequent collapse of forward bookings coupled with complete lack of business confidence going forward.

Currently Compass Expeditions is in a financial position to refund ALL deposits paid for ALL tours booked, however this will not always be the case if we choose to “hang on”, and all indicators point towards Australians not being permitted to travel internationally for a long time yet, it is therefore only prudent for us to refund all monies owed and close the doors, now, considering 75% of our clients are Australian.

Are we panicking? We don’t think so, pre Covid 19 had seen a distinct downturn in future bookings, then Covid 19 arrived, we offered the option to roll over deposits until 2021 / 22 or refund deposits, 95% took the refund option, which is what we would have done if we were in the same situation, however this has left us financially vulnerable. We have decided to cease operations now and still be in the position to refund all deposits owing as soon as possible.

Everyone with current deposits has been contacted personally and refunds have been organised.

When we look back at the last 13 years it is barely possible to believe what we have experienced. There is an incredible “Compass family” that we have laughed with and cried with. This family have become our friends, and we shall so sorely miss riding with everyone.

We understand that the world is full of people in a far worse situation than us and life will go on, but the overwhelming sense of disappointment, sorrow and emptiness is hard to put into words, our only hope is that you will never forget the times you rode with Compass Expeditions and that the name Compass Expeditions shall live on for a while longer before being consigned to the pages of history.

We have been overwhelmed with wonderful, appreciated, words of encouragement over these last two months but sadly it takes money to go into stasis. Closing down and dismissing our incredible staff until everything opens up again is not an option for us as they are the business as much as the owners, we do not wish to continue on without them.

We would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank our incredible tour leaders who led the way in motorcycle touring: Hugo, Juan Carlos, Juan, Sarah, Justin, Bayne, Ellis, Felix, Danny, Peter and Pieter, we were blessed to have such amazing committed crew, our office staff: Craig, Alison and Jordan, whose investment in our business was an example of the very best an employer could ever hope for. Our South American team: Sayda, Ana Maria, Simone and Eddy, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the endless challenges of operating tours in South America didn’t affect the rides too much, our amazing service providers scattered across the globe, from the B&B operator in the remote mountains of Kyrgyzstan, the ger owners in Mongolia, our hotel booking agent in Russia to our bike supplier in Cape Town, the list is endless - but most importantly it’s our guests who made Compass who it was and what we became, our profound thanks to you all.

We think back at all the incredible people we have met along the journey, the Herero & Himba women in Namibia, whom we always visited and dropped off needed supplies, the children on the high altiplano of Bolivia whom we have been supporting since pre Compass days, over 20 years ago, Isaac the gardener at the Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe and Otgoo, the effervescent manager of the wonderful ger camp at Khovsguul Nuur, Mongolia. The list is utterly endless, we will miss these people dearly, knowing that in all likelihood we may never see them again.

In the words of the Garth Brooks song “The dance”, “I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance”, yes this is painful beyond words but the dance over the last 13 years was so worth it.

Goodbye my friends and thank you for the ride.
Mick, Veronica, Jerry, Ryan, Brendan and the crew of Compass Expeditions.
Farewell and thanks for the ride
Farewell and Thanks for the ride - 13 years of adventure with Compass Expeditions.
Farewell and thanks for all of the good times
It is not so much the fact that I will not be able to continue doing this job that I love and have invested myself in, fully, for the past 5 years that is hard to comprehend. It’s the dawning realisation that motorcyclists, the world over, have lost the chance to experience what Compass Expeditions has offered us for the past 13 years. 

Sure, there are other motorcycle tour operators out there but none that can show you the wonders of riding in incredible parts of the world in just the unique and confident way that Compass has done for so long.

It is testament to Mick, Jerry, Veronica and our team of tireless tour crew and administration as well as our network of suppliers, partners, helpers and fixers across the globe that our tours were constantly referred to as “life changing” and among the greatest accomplishments of people’s lives.

It took me some time working for Compass Expeditions to realise that it was all of the hard work, commitment, stress and sometimes chaos that went on behind the scenes that actually created the magic of the final experience for our riders on tour. Once I understood that, I appreciated my colleague’s extreme dedication to the task so much more and revelled in the chance to work alongside them and experience the excitement and variety of every day in this unique organisation.

It is evident that Compass Expeditions has been responsible for creating lifelong friendships and wonderful shared experiences for a great many of you reading this, our last Newsletter. As Mick mentioned above, we are grateful to all of you.  Many of you have become our friends and this has made the decision to “pull the pin” so much harder.  

The tours that I have been lucky enough to take part in and our annual Reunion Ride Events have been some of the greatest highlights of this role for me, not only for the chance to ride motorcycles in absolutely incredible places and experience the world in such an exciting manner but for the amazing people who shared the sensation alongside me and often became my friends.

So, I part with thanks, to Mick, Jerry, Veronica, Ryan and Brendan for the chance to work for and with you in this challenging but always rewarding role. To my workmates and fellow team members in Melton HQ and across the world, who through their commitment and enthusiasm made Compass Expeditions tours a delightful product to sell and to you our riders. To the motorcycle and tourism industries who welcomed me into their fold and the friends that I have made at shows, via email and on the phone. And finally to the readers of this Newsletter, thank you for showing interest in what we do and for trusting us with your adventures.

Be safe, ride well and I hope to see you on the road again soon.
Warm regards,

Craig Jackson
(The marketing guy) 

Beyond Siberia Adventure Plus Beyond Sahara
Are you ready for Adventure Plus?
Have you exhausted Netflix, Stan and your Foxtel subscription while binge watching under lockdown?

Adventure + is a new platform offering a world class selection of outdoor adventure films and live events ready for you to stream any time.

Compass Expeditions is proud to have our award-winning documentary, Beyond Siberia chosen as the film to launch the first Adventure + “Moto Monday” series of motorcycle adventure related films. This will be followed a week later by our Beyond Sahara documentary. The weekly Moto Monday program will kick of in md-June so stay tuned to Adventure Entertainment of Facebook for more details.
The documentaries along with hundres of other adventure related films will then be available to stream at any time with your Adventure+ subscription.
For more information visit: Adventure+
Western Motorcycle Service and Repair WMSR WMSR
The Garage Sale
13 years of running tours and major expeditions all around the world has left us with a mountain of equipment, parts, camping gear and other assorted materials not to mention fleet and support vehicles.
Over the next few weeks and months we will be sorting through the accumulation and listing it all for sale.
If you would like to be kept in the loop regarding this opertunity to snap up some adventure travel equipment bargains then email us at info@compassexpeditions.com
WMSR
Need tyres, parts or a service for your BMW in Melbourne?
If you live anywhere near the west of Melbourne, you are still in luck!
Compass Expeditions may be closing down it's tour operations but our workshop Western Motorcycle Service and Repairs remains open.

Western Motorcycle Service and Repair is still open for business and offering our “Social Distancing Special” of free pick up and delivery for any service booked from within 60km of our depot located in Melton and we also offer a great selection of new and used BMW parts and can supply and fit tyres from most popular brands.

We offer complimentary fitting and balancing for our range of new, in-stock tyres and also carry a large range of good quality second-hand tyres for most Adventure bike sizes if you are on a budget or need a replacement in a hurry.

Western Motorcycle Service and Repair also stock a comprehensive range of second-hand BMW parts for your GS or RT.
Remember that Jordan, our BMW trained mechanic, is always on hand to undertake any servicing, maintenance or restoration work on your beloved BMW.

Check out our website, email or give us a call for more details:
Web: www.westernmotorcyclebmw.com
Phone: (03) 9747 2379
Thank you - keep well.
Compass Expeditions and staff want to thank all of you, our Compass family, for your wonderful support during these challenging times and for the ongoing trust that you show us every time you chose to travel with Compass Expeditions.
Please, stay safe, practice good hygiene and social distancing to ensure that we keep this epidemic as short and in-check as possible for all of us.
Write a review
Write a review of your Compass Expeditions tour experience.
(Why not?, It will be nice to leave a good parting impression)
Western Motorcycle Service and Repairs
2/21 Glenville Drive | Melton, Victoria 3337 AU
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