Murray Bridge and back - August 2018

Saturday 25th August, 2018

 

The whole trip

Oyster Bay - Gundagai - Holbrook - Jingellic - Lake Hume- Beechworth

Day 1

Time to hit the road again. Victoria and South Australia. The aim is to get to Murray Bridge in SA. It’s only 70 Kms from Adelaide, but its far enough. Still winter, but the last trip up north was so bloody cold that North in winter and south in summer no longer holds water.

Saturday 25th August finally arrived and I hit the road at 7.40am. An overcast morning with a prediction of long overdue rain for Sydney. I got a few drops around Mittagong, but nothing of note. by the time I got to Yass the Sky was clearing into a sunny day. But chilly.  Had not got above 12c by then.

I carried straight on to Gundagai before I stopped. The Hume highway is so boring I was in danger of falling asleep so I decided to stop for fuel, food and coffee. After refueling I found the famous Niagara Cafe in the middle of town. At first I thought it wasn’t open, but I stuck my head in and there was one customer in there so I entered. A very reasonable steak sandwich and a double shot flat white got me me going. Biggest problem was getting into and out of the booth. It was built for much smaller people.

Back on the road through Tarcutta and on to Holbrook. Boredom set in quickly this time and I was again in danger of falling asleep. I had researched a side trip from Holbrook but decided not to do it because it added an extra 100 km to a 600km trip. But by this stage I was desperate to get off the Hume, so I turned off at Holbrook and took Jingellic road south to the small town of Jingellic on the side of the Murray river.

There is a bridge across the Murray and then I turned right on to Murray River Road which follows the Murray River down to lake Hume, the Hume Dam and then Wodonga. Murray River Road would have to be one of the most beautiful roads I have ridden. It twists and turns along the side of the river, looking over the changing widths of the Murray flood plain, all of it covered in lush green grass. No sign of the drought here.

Eventually came to the upper reaches of Lake Hume, but continued following it until I came to the Hume Dam. Stopped for a photo and then continued on. Only 15 km from Wodonga by this stage but the GPS made sure I didn’t go through it and took me to Beechworth by a few back roads.

In to Beechworth about 3.30pm after 700 Km. I was ready for a shower and little lie down which I enjoyed. I was in a different motel in Beechworth this time, the Beechworth Carriage Motel, and I must say it was a big improvement, and still very close to the center of town.

As it turned out, my friend Richard was in Beechworth with some old friends for a week of cycling the rail trails. I met Richard at the brewery for pre-dinner drinks and then we met his 3 comrades at the Empire Hotel for a fabulous meal and a good chat. An unexpected pleasure.

Brewery in Beechworth

Richard in the brewery

Beechworth in the morning

Motel in Beechworth

Sunday 26th August, 2018

Beechworth - Benalla - Shepparton - Bendigo - St Arnaud - Horsham

500 km

Day 2

Bacon and Eggs in Beechworth to get me going and I left town under a beautiful sunny, blue sky. 9c. a bit cool, but I was prepared.

Straight to Wangaratta where I got onto the Freeway to Melbourne. I was very keen to leave the freeway and finally took the Benalla exit and then followed some lovely country roads to Shepparton and on to Bendigo. And lots of very small places between these bigger towns.

The traveling was going so well that I went 400 km before my first stop at St Arnaud. Refueled an had a pie and coffee at a bakery. Small population, but a pretty town with some lovely old buildings.

 

St Arnaud

This left only 100kms to get to Horsham, my stop for the night. About 10kms before Horsham I went past the Horsham Motorcycle club that had literally 1,000s of people present and cars and trucks to match. It turns out that Horsham is hosting the world Junior Motocross championships this weekend. the first time they have been held in Australia. Fortunately I had booked a Motel room yesterday without any trouble.

Had a walk around town, checked out some possibilities for dinner and bought a few beers back to my room to start blogging.

Horsham

Horsham - Two Chinese restaurants side by side ?

Horsham

Horsham

Monday 27th August 2018

Horsham - Dimboola - Nihill- Bordertown - Keith - Coonalpyn - Tailem Bend - Murray Bridge

360 km

 

Day 3

Found a nice spot for breakfast in Horsham, Cafe Jas, that provided poached eggs with grilled capsicum, chorizo and feta on toasted sourdough. Very nice.

As I was leaving the motel some European gentlemen came to say hello. They had come from Europe for the Motocross championships and were staying at the same motel. One of them told me he had a KTM 990 back home and asked me a few questions about the bike and where I was from and where I was going. Very nice fellows.

As I left Horsham it was a beautiful crisp morning with a clear blue sky about 9c. I was well prepared for the temperature so the conditions were excellent. I was smiling in my helmet. First stop was only about 30 km away. Dimboola. Those of you old enough will probably remember that back in the 70s there was a very popular play called Dimboola about a wedding party in a small country town. It was then made into a movie in 1979 starring Bruce Spence and Max Gillies and a raft of other well known faces from the 70s. I didn’t realise at the time (1979) that there was a real town called Dimboola and that many scenes were actually filmed there.  today I had a cup of coffee there. It didn’t take long to have a look around.

 

Dimboola

from there it was on to Nihill, a quick ride through town and kept going. As I approached the South Australian border I started to see signs about quarantine stations and that no fruit was to be taken over the border. Then it dawned on me that I had a couple of punnets of blueberries in my bag that I had bought the night before in Horsham. I found a nice rest area with tables and chairs and toilets and I stopped and ate the blueberries. It turned out that the border was only another kilometer down the road and the quarantine station was closed. Oh well. I did the right thing. 

Park near VIC SA border - Green isn't it?

The first town cross he border was Bordertown SA which, amongst other things, boasted of being the birth place of Bob Hawke. Apparently you can visit his house, but I didn’t find it. Straight on to Keith where I stopped for fuel and then on to Coonalpyn.

This is a very small town where I wasn’t expecting to stop, but in the middle of town I suddenly saw right next to me some huge silos painted with a mural of kids. I did a double take. I had to stop and get some photos. I have seen these things on TV, but to be right beside one is just amazing. They are much bigger than I imagined.

 

Amazing.

Next stop was Tailem Bend which is on the Murray not far before it empties into Lake Alexandrina. Nice little town with lots of history. Found a nice coffee and friand.

 

Tailem Bend- Car ferry across the Murray in the distance

That only left 24 km to Murray Bridge, my destination for the night. Had a good walk around town. Lots of history to be seen here. An early dairy industry collecting milk and cream from surrounding towns by cart, river and rail and turning it into butter. Amongst many other things. The river is enormous at this point and it has played a crucial part in the development of the town.

The motel I’m in has a rather nice looking Vietnamese restaurant downstairs. Don’t think I’ll be going far tonight.

 

Murray Bridge

Murray Bridge

Murray Bridge

Murray Bridge

Murray Bridge

Murray Bridge

Tuesday 28^th August, 2018

Murray Bridge – Tailem Bend – Lameroo – Pinnaroo – Underbool – Ouyen – Redcliffs – Mildura

 

Day 4

400 Kms

Found a very tasty breakfast in Murray Bridge at The Davery. On the bike and out of town about 8.30am. Another crisp morning with clear blue sky.

First 25k was a retrace of my steps to Tailem Bend, Then I took the Mallee Highway through lots of small communities. Much of the mallee in this are has been cleared to grow enormous grain crops, but you could still see patches of mallee along the borders.

Slightly unusual country side for me which made it interesting. Good roads, not much traffic and most of it 110kmh limits which kept me moving along nicely.

My first stop was Pinnaroo where I found the local bakery did a nice coffee and I indulged in a finger bun. They shouldn’t be allowed to leave them next to the cash register right under your nose. While parking the bike, I was next to a couple just getting back on their Harley to continue their journey home from Darwin as part of the 2018 Top End Black Dog ride in support of mental health. That’s a big ride. Pinnaroo is very close to the SA/VIC border and soon after leaving town I was in VIC and the clock went forward 30 mins.

 

Pinnaroo

Pinnaroo

I also had a stop at Ouyen where I think I saw the same couple back from Darwin saddling up for their next leg. Ouyen to Mildura takes you through some real, native mallee where you get a good idea of what the country is like.

I had tried to book into Robinvale for this night, but the local motel was booked out. Apparently there is a large solar farm being installed and the tradies have booked everything out. Still, Mildura is probably the best consolation town I can think of. Got in about 4pm and after all ablutions performed, reacquainted myself with the Mildura Brewery Pub and found dinner at Stefano’s Spanish Grill. A bit meaty, but very tasty.

Mildura

Mildura

Mildura

Wednesday 29^th August 2018

Mildura – Robinvale – Balranald – Hay – Narrandera – Ardlethan – Temora

600 Kms

 

Day 5

I didn’t realise when I started this run how far it was. Not my biggest day, but not much to see on the way. Certainly nothing I haven’t seen many times before.

I did manage a lovely breakfast at Stefano’s café before I left town. About 80Ks down the road I made a quick detour to have a look at Robinvale where I had tried to book in for the previous night but it was full.

On to Balranald where I stopped for a coffee. Small, quiet town that hasn’t changed. Then Balranald to Hay. No more trees and dead flat as far as you can see. Amazing sight for the first 15 minutes, then it gets a bit dull.

In Hay, I went passed my brother’s house who happened to be sitting on his verandah reading the paper. I pulled in, completely unexpected, and had a chat for about 20 minutes. He was surprised to say the least. With his advice “don’t be on the road after about 4pm” ringing in my ears (kangaroos aplenty) , I didn’t stay long and set off towards Narrandera.

A fairly dull run to Narrandera and the turned north to Ardlethan and on to Temora. All very familiar country and roads here and I was happy to get into town and relax for a while.

I had planned to stay at Wagga this night, but just for something different I thought I would try Temora. Seemed like a nice town. I won’t make that mistake again. Dinner was a bit of a hurdle and I finished in the Ex-Servicemen’s Club which seemed to be the only option. Crumbed cutlets once again. First time this trip.

Thursday 30^th August 2018

Temora – Yass – Gunning – Goulburn – Oyster Bay

 420 Kms

I was happy to be heading home by this time, so after breakfast at the White Rose Cafe I was on the road and heading to Yass. Seemed to be police cars everywhere today so I was being a very careful rider.

Straight through (around) Yass and onto Gunning where I stopped for petrol and coffee. Lovely little town, my second stop now and more to come.

From here on it all becomes a bit of a chore on the freeway as the traffic grows and grows approaching Sydney. One day I might find  a better way into and out of Sydney. Every way I have tried so far has been a pain.

Got home about 1.30pm ready for a nice lie down. Another successful trip and at 3,050 km, the biggest yet. 

3,058 kilometers at an average speed of 98Km/h in 30 hours and 8 minutes.