Day 1
Friday 4th November 2016
Oyster Bay – Berry – Nowra – Tarago – Bungendore – Cooma –
430km
It has been 12 months since I had taken friend Richard on a
bike trip to the Snowy and he has been very keen for another trip. We had set
down 4th to 7th of November and the trip was planned to
take in the Victorian Alps. Plus a new bike (KTM) to try out with pillion on
the long distance ride.
We were underway shortly after 9am and left Sydney on a
beautiful sunny morning heading south. An uneventful run down the coast through
Wollongong and Kiama to our first planned stop at Berry and back to the
favoured coffee shop/bakery (Berry Sourdough Bakery and Café). Richard had
mentioned their sausage rolls several times by the time we arrived and it was
no surprise when he ordered one without hesitation. I had some fruit toast
which I didn’t finish. The last piece was swooped from my plate, and although
he declared he didn’t much like it, my companion managed to devour all that
remained.
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| Huge coffee and sausage roll at Berry |
Back on the bike and down through Nowra before turning west
on to Braidwood Rd. A brief stop at Nerriga for a stretch and to give Richard’s
Bottom a chance to pop back in to shape. A procedure that was to be repeated many
times over the next 3 days.
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| Nerriga stop |
A good run through Tarago and on to Bungendore for lunch.
While at the usual café in Bungendore it was very obvious that there was a much
larger than usual number of motorbikes in town. When ordering lunch, the lady
serving asked if we were down “for the Snowy ride”. The Snowy ride is an annual
event involving a weekend riding around the Snowy District which attracts
thousands of motorcyclists. I had not done enough research or I would have
avoided this weekend. Too late now.
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| One steak sandwich, one salad, Bungendore |
After lunch we were back on the bike and just leaving
Bungendore when we passed a police car going in the opposite direction. Immediately
after passing us, the police car did a fast U turn, put his flashing lights on
and came up behind us. I slowed and moved left while trying to determine what
on earth the problem could be as I was well within the speed limit. Then he
overtook us and pulled up a tradie ute in front of us. Probably for a loose load. A few heart
flutters even for the innocent.
We stopped at Michelago for petrol and another bottom
popping exercise and then had a smooth run into Cooma where we found hundreds
of motorcycles lining the town. We went straight to our (fortunately)
pre-booked motel, ablutions to perform.
It turned out that Cooma was also hosting the National Busking Championships the same weekend and the town was abuzz. Post ablutions,
we found our way to the Alpine Hotel for a pre-dinner aperitif and then to the
dining room where we supped on fine lamb rump, duck legs and an expensive bottle
of red wine, all thanks to Almandin in the Melbourne Cup. Our expensive red
wine was plonked on the table by a young waiter without a word and with the top
still firmly in place. Slightly bemused, we managed to access the contents and
consume same. Back to the motel for a very early night.
Day 2
Saturday 5th November, 2016
Cooma – Jindabyne –
Thredbo – Corryong – Tallangatta – Yackandandah
– Beechworth - 350km
Richard awoke very early, and slipping quietly into his
active wear, disappeared into the morning gloom for what was supposed to be a
vigorous run. It became apparent later that there was no actual running
involved.
We walked up to the Lott café for another fabulous Cooma
breakfast before preparing for departure. After some discussion we decided to
install the thermal inserts in our jackets and pants expecting the weather to
be colder than the previous day. This turned out to be a very wise decision.
We left Cooma about 9am on another beautiful sunny day and
headed through Jindabyne and on to Thredbo. I had thought that Thredbo would be
so full of motorbikes for the Snowy weekend that it may not be a good place to
stop. We passed so many bikes on our way to Thredbo that I thought there couldn’t
possibly be many left. Wrong again. Still hundreds of bikes in Thredbo. But we
did manage to park and have a very good coffee. It was down to 6℃
by this stage.
Leaving Thredbo, we headed up through Dead Horse Gap and
around the mountain. At this point the KTM’s dash started to flash an Ice
Warning. The temperature had dropped to 3℃. Fortunately there was no
moisture on the road, so I was not overly concerned about ice, and the thermal
inserts were doing their job. We had an enjoyable run through the park and down
to Khancoban passing very few bikes. I think we were a bit early for most and
we were going in the opposite direction.
Another quick bottom popping stop at Khancoban. There were
quite a few bikes there already, having their cards stamped and enjoying a sausage
sandwich. We remained distant and aloof of course.
From Khancoban we headed west across the Murray and into
Victoria. Beautiful rolling green hills, sweeping valleys and winding country
roads under a clear blue sky. Doesn’t get much better in Motorcycling terms. The
temperature was back up to the teens and Richard was singing happily on the
back.
First stop was Corryong for lunch. Lovely old country town,
the first civilization inside Victoria. After a quick sweep of the main street
we stopped at a café called the Black Sheep which turned out to be a very good
choice. We both had salads for lunch, wary that anything fattening may be
photographed and forwarded to interested parties. Good coffee and a minuscule
dessert, a quick interview of the manager and we were off.
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| Two salads at the Black Sheep |
The beautiful roads and countryside continued on to Tallangatta
where the road follows the edge of Lake Hume. The lake had a lot more water in
it than the last time I came this way thanks to good winter rainfall. We
stopped for fuel at Tallangatta before heading off towards Yackandandah and
finally to Beechworth.
The original plan was to spend this night at Bright, but
when I rang to book a motel I was told “No mate. You won’t get a room in Bright
this weekend. It’s the annual Bright Hot Rod Run.” So I rang a Motel in
Beechworth, only to be told “We are full this weekend. It’s the Annual Beechworth Celtic Festival. Though you could try the George Kerferd up on the
hill. They’ve got a lot of rooms.” The George Kerferd did in fact have one last
room and that was our destination.
A crawl through Yackandandah to show Richard the quaint main
street, and then the final run into Beechworth.
Beechworth is a very old gold mining town with some fabulous
old buildings and street fronts. Very atmospheric. Even more atmospheric was
the George Kerferd Hotel, built in the grounds of a former Lunatic Asylum dating
from the 1860s. More info here. We were in a separate accommodation building
which had been the nurse’s quarters when the asylum was operating. The whole
building was sectioned by huge security doors designed to lock someone in, or
keep someone out. Not sure which. But the rooms were comfortable, the bathrooms
modern and we had a separate bedroom each which is always greatly appreciated
on these trips.
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| Old Nurses Quarters - George Kerferd Hotel |
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| That's a door - Inside the nurses quarters |
Following ablutions, we had a 20 minute walk down the hill
and into the town centre. Here we encountered the wash up of the Saturdays
Celtic festival, consisting of many people in full uniform including kilt. Some
had bagpipes under their arms. It looked like the members of a number of
different pipe bands, now scattered in small groups about the town.
A quick wander brought us to the Bridge Road Brewery,
accessed down a very old lane off the main street, and housed in an 19th
century coach house and stables building. There were quite a few people there,
including a number in kilts who would burst in to bagpipe renditions from time
to time for no obvious reason other than the fact that the beer was plentiful
and tasty.
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| The Brewery - spot the kilt |
After a few small beers, we approached a couple of
restaurants that were fully booked and could not accommodate the two weary
travellers. We finished up back in the Tanswell’s Commercial Hotel, right in
front of the brewery, where the Maître’ D in the dining room said he would have
a table in 10 minutes, forcing us to have another beer in the bar while we
waited. The table did indeed eventuate
and the food turned out to be delightful, washed down by a cheeky, local
Pinot Noir. Then we had to stagger back up the hill to the Lunatic Asylum,
during which I had to stop for a breather, much to Richard’s delight.
Day 3
Sunday 6th November, 2016
Beechworth – Bright – Mt Hotham – Bruthen – Orbost – Cann River
– Eden – 560km
Another early morning found Richard donning the active wear and striding forth for a brisk 20 minutes around the grounds. We had decided the previous night that we would leave early and seek breakfast on our travels.
We got away from Beechworth about 7.30am in a light drizzle
of rain and a temperature of 7℃. A lovely ride through Myrtleford
and on to Bright where we happened on a parking spot right in front of the
Blackbird Café, where I had previously enjoyed a very good breakfast. We found
a seat in the window of the café where we were able to watch the passing parade
of Hot Rods getting ready for the day. The café was quite busy and had a never
ending queue of people waiting for take away coffee. One rugged looking Hot Rodder
in singlet and thongs cleared his nose far too close to Richard causing great
offence. This was only expressed to me of course, and I had been oblivious to
the whole event. It did provide good rage material for the rest of the meal.
Leaving Bright, the Great Alpine Road heads south through Smoko
and Harrietville before beginning the long ascent to Mt Hotham. I have ridden
this road before and thought I knew what to expect. Almost straight out of
Harrietville the road rises sharply and begins a series of tight hairpin bends
and the drops on the side of the road get higher and higher. Eventually you get
to a point where one side opens up and you get magnificent views of valleys and
more mountains. When we reached that point we were in fog and could not see the
view at all. You then come to a section where you seem to be on top of the mountain,
but the road is still climbing and you have drops on both sides. At this point
the fog prevented us from seeing anything past the edge of the road. The road
by now was very wet, with pools of water at very low spots. Then the Ice
warning flashed again because the thermometer had sunk to 3℃.
This time I was very worried about the possibility of Ice. So we were travelling
at about 20 to 30 kmh , around hairpin bends, in thick fog, with sheer drops on
either side and pools of water lying on the road. This was the first point
where Richard was out of his comfort zone. Everytime I said something he
shouted “Shut up and watch the road”, which, despite the situation, really was
quite amusing. At this time the road is still climbing quite steeply and then
we started wondering what that stuff was on the side of the road. It was snow.
And by the time we reached the top there were very large sheets of it on both
sides of the road.
Once over the highest point you arrive at Mt Hotham. On the
entire trip, this was the happiest we were to reach a town. We found a pub and
parked. By this stage the thermometer on the bike was reading 0.0℃.
I don’t know if that was accurate or it just didn’t go any lower. The pub was
open and we had a nice hot cup of coffee in the centrally heated building. Very
nice. Obviously we still had the thermal inserts in, heated seats and heated
hand grips all on. That is the coldest temperature I have ever ridden at and it
really wasn’t an issue. It may have been if it was going to be that cold all
day, but for a brief time, no problem.
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| Mt Hotham - with snow |
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| Mt Hotham |
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| Mt Hotham |
After the pit stop we saddled up and continued down the
Great Alpine Road. The road is very different on the Southern side of Mt
Hotham. No more hairpins, no more fog and much faster travelling. Very little
traffic on the day. We made good time down to Omeo and then on to Bruthen.
Beautiful and dramatic hills and valleys down this way with every hue of green
imaginable on display. There is a long section before Bruthen where the road
follows next to the Tambo River along the valley floor. Amazing scenery and
great riding. Richard was well and truly back in his comfort zone by now and enjoying
the scenery
We stopped at Bruthen for petrol and bottom popping before
heading for Orbost. Shortly after Bruthen we joined the Prince’s Highway for the
run into Orbost. A bit on the dull side after the mornings effort.
We stopped at the bakery in Orbost, but the anticipated pies
had run out and we settled for a salad roll that did not meet Richard’s high
expectations. Back on the Princes Highway for the run to Eden with a small
bottom popper at Cann River. An uneventful leg which had very light traffic
allowing us to make very good time. Richard was counting down the last 50 Km into
Eden because apparently his bottom was insisting that we get off the motorbike.
We got into Eden a bit after 4pm and went straight into the
Motel for a much needed lie down before the ablutions. This had been the most
intense day’s riding and we were both a little bit tired. Once clean and
presentable we ventured into the Great Southern Hotel, a few doors up from the
Motel, where we enjoyed a couple of beers on the balcony while watching some
whales frolicking off the beach. Richard’s first live whale sighting. Ever.
Momentous occasion.
After getting over the whales, we found the Golden Ocean
Chinese Restaurant, between the pub and the Motel, and had our fill of oriental
delicacies. It was still quite early so we went for a walk down to the wharves
area to have a look at the fishing boats and reconnoitre possible breakfast
sites.
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| Sundown at the Eden wharves |
A climb back up the hill and we decided to have a nightcap
at the Eden Fisherman’s Club. The club, the pub, the Chinese restaurant and the
motel were all within 30 meters of each other. I like a tight grouping.
The club was very quiet. I think we increased the patronage
by 200%. We found a drink and sat down on the comfy lounge to watch a US presidential
documentary on SBS on the big screen. At one stage, at least 2 of the staff
were watching as well. Richard couldn’t resist. He put $10 in a poker machine,
got very excited when he won $10 and then very disappointed when he lost it
all. Should have quit while he was ahead. Last drinks were called and we rolled
over the road to the Motel and went almost instantly to sleep.
Day 4
Monday 7th November, 2016
Eden – Merimbula – Tathra – Bermagui – Narooma – Mogo –
Milton – Oyster Bay – 450km
We saddled up, sans thermal inserts, and rode down to the
wharf area where we found a nice little café which served a very acceptable
bacon and eggs and coffee. Richard managed to eavesdrop on a conversation from
another table that included a man wearing a Donald Trump t-shirt that upset him
somewhat. Fortunately I don’t hear that well.
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| Breakfast at Eden |
We headed north through Pambula, Merimbula, Tathra and then
had a coffee and petrol stop at Bermagui. I took Richard up to the headland
lookout at Bermagui to show him the beautiful rock pool below, and what do you
know, there were more whales frolicking just off the coast. A beautiful sight.
We continued up the coast through Narooma and Moruya and
then had a quick bottom popper at Mogo before continuing on to Milton for the
lunch stop. Favourite place here for both of us is Pilgrims vegetarian
restaurant. We had a great meal of spicy kidney bean pie with avocado, tabouli,
feta and olives, washed down with a huge vegetable juice each.
Then back on the road to home. The traffic from here became
heavier and heavier and all the fun was gone from the trip as we laboured our
way up the highway. Richard’s bottom was protesting loudly and it was a great
relief to finally get home about 5pm.
1,800 kilometres of some of the most spectacular scenery in
Australia made for intense days and relaxed evenings. Richard declared this
bike not as comfortable as the last. Either that or his bottom is aging faster
than the rest of his body. Either way, it may be a while before he starts
nagging for another ride.
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| Trip computer - 1,800kms, average speed 84km/h - total time 21:25hrs |
