High country again again. March 2019

     

Time for an autumn bash. I couldn't go past another trip to the Snowy and Victorian alps before the weather gets too cold and snow starts to fall. I have a rough outline of what I would like to do including some dirt. Fate may have other things in store.

Saturday 16th Mach, 2019

Oyster Bay – Nowra – Nerriga – Braidwood – Cooma

400Kms
 

Day 1

 There was a prediction for rain and it was drizzling when I left town at a bout 8.30am. It stopped raining after about 20 minutes and things were looking up. New bike, new luggage. Lots of things to check out on this trip.

Packed and ready to go

The trip to Nowra was boring as usual and it being a Saturday morning meant there was some traffic about. Grin and bare it to Nowra. After that I was off on Braidwood road and enjoying the country side. It became more overcast as I got near Nerriga and the first section of unsealed road. I was in two minds about changing route and sticking to the bitumen. I didn't. The dirt section was dampish but no problem at all. In fact it was probably better than completely dry and loose.

Got to Braidwood and stopped for petrol and coffee and lunch. Great cafe where I found Hummus eggs which was an absolute treat. Decision time again. It looked like it was about to pour and I was heading for Cooma Rd which is mostly unsealed. I really couldn't face Queanbeyan and the Monaro Highway so it was an easy decision. Cooma road was damp but again, no problem. I really enjoy this road to Cooma. No traffic and only countryside to see in all directions. I made good time and got to Cooma about 2.30. The usual drill. Chinese for dinner.

Hummus Eggs

Sunday 17th March, 2019

Cooma – Jindabyne – Thredbo – Khancoban – Towong – Jingellic – Lake Hume – Beechworth

400 Kms

Day 2

 Breakfast and on the road by 9am. Heading for Beechworth. Straight to Jindabyne then through the National park to Khancoban where I stopped for fuel and coffee. Once across the Murray I took Murray River road rather than the usual way through Corryong.

Leather Barrel Camp area - Snowy Mountains

Again, less traffic and great scenery. I stopped at Jingellic for lunch. Found the Bridge Hotel which is where the old bridge used to be, but a bit removed from the new bridge. But well worth the effort. A great little country pub with a nice dinning room and a large out door area which looks over a small caravan park and then straight on to the river. You could really settle in here for a while. They do a good hamburger as well.

Bridge hotel Jingellic

From the pub, camp ground and then the Murray River

Pub dinning area

the bar

The front door

Back on Murray River Road which follows the river all the way to Hume Dam. Most of the way there is a large, green flood plan on your right with the river in the middle of it. A beautiful winding road just made for motorbikes. Eventually you get to Hume dam, which is not far from Albury. The GPS then weaves its magic and takes me on some small back roads for the last 50 km into Beechworth.

On a recommendation, I had dinner at the Ox and Hound Bistro which supplied me with a very fine prawn and chilli pasta with a couple of glasses of red to wash it down.

Monday 18th March, 2019

Beechworth – Myrtleford – Bright – Harrietville – Mt Hotham – Omeo – Swift Creek – Ensay – Bruthen – Lakes Entrance

230 Kms

Day 3

The plan for today was to go down Dargo high Plains road to Dargo on my way to Lakes Entrance. a predominately dirt road. The weather forecast said smoke and when I investigated that I found that there was a large fire burning near Dargo and the road was closed. Plan B.

Great alpine road through Myrtleford, Bright and Harrietville and then the climb to Mt Hotham. In the past I have struck severe fog on this road and today looked like it was going to be clear. I reached the turn off to Dargo High plains Road and a very large gate made sure it really was closed. By this time I could see a thin fog swirling about. By the time I was 10 Kms from Mt Hotham I couldn't see 5 meters ahead. Very slow, high beam, hazard lights, second gear, follow the yellow line on the side of the road, hope for the best. then some severe winds started blowing me from side to side. Not fun. Passed a few cars pulled off the road to wait. Didn't fancy doing that.

On the way up. didn't look too bad.

 Finally made it into Mt Hotham and the fog was still so thick I could hardly see the buildings on the side of the road and had trouble finding the pub. I found it. Couldn't see the police station across the road. Went into the pub for a coffee and to pass some time hoping the fog would start to lift. I met a guy who had a Harley parked out the front. He was hoping the fog would clear as well. He had been traveling on the bike for nine months and had done over 30,000 Kms. He had to be back in Townsville to go back to work in April.

From Mt Hotham Pub. Nothing to see.

After an hour or so the fog wasn't lifting so I decided to get back on the road. fortunately, after a bout 5 Kms it lifted enough to be able to see well ahead. on to Omeo, Swifts Creek, Ensay and Bruthen where I stopped for a pie. Still some drizzling rain but My gear was working excellently. reminded me of the saying “there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear”. To a certain extent.

Front of Mt Hotham Pub - Apparently there's a police station across the road.

Got into Lakes Entrance about 3pm. Straight over the road from my Motel is the floating Ferrymans Cafe seafood restaurant. Last time I tried to go there it was full. This time I got in and had one of the specials, delicious Ocean fish fillets. No indication of what sort of fish. Probably shark, but incredibly fresh and extremely tasty.

Tuesday 19th March, 2019

Lakes Entrance – Orbost – Cann River – Bombala – Dalgety – Jindabyne

330 Kms

Day 4

The original plan for today was to take the unsealed Barry way from Bruthen to Jindabyne. But it had been raining up there for 2 days. It's hard enough climbing dirt roads up mountains when they are dry, but wet was a problem I wasn't prepared to deal with. Plan B was the Bonang Highway, but this had about 10 Kms unsealed as well so I went straight to plan C.

Morning in Lakes Entrance. More fog.

Princes Highway to Orbost and Cann River and then Monaro Highway to Bombala. I'd forgotten what a delightful road this was and I had a very enjoyable trip. Stopped at Bombala for hot beverage and then on to Jindabyne along Snowy River Way. Another delightful road through wide open treeless country where some considerable speeds can be achieved as long as you know when the few tricky turns are approaching. A bit of drizzle on and off throughout. I find as long as you are confident you are not going to get soaked, riding in the rain can be very pleasant. Got to Jindabyne about 2.30pm and checked in for 2 nights.

Wednesday 20th March, 2019

Jindabyne – Bemboka – Bega – Tathra – Merimbula – Pambula – Wyndham – Bombala – Dalgety – Jindabyne

420 Kms

Day 5

The best part of staying 2 nights is that you can have a nice slow morning with no packing and no rush to be out of your room. After a slow breakfast I was on the bike and headed back down the wonderful snowy river Way towards for Bega. I went down Brown Mountain and this brings you first to Bemboka. Riding into this town is just beautiful. It's a lovely village set in a beautiful green valley of rolling hills and dairy farms. I don't know if they have had recent rain, but today it looked greener than ever. Just stunning.

Snowy river Way

Snowy river Way

I kept straight on to Bega where I stopped for petrol and then headed for Tathra. stopped for lunch at the wonderful, historic Tathra wharf cafe. Always pleasant. A few other diners and the usual group of people fishing or just enjoying the view from the wharf.

Tathra wharf Cafe

Tathra Wharf

Tathra wharf

After lunch I headed south down the Sapphire Coast Drive to Merimbula and then to Pambula. I was planning to stop for more coffee here, but it had just started to rain so I pushed on. At south Pambula I turned right onto Mt Darragh Rd and headed up the mountain. More beautiful green country side. More dairy farms. More cows watching my progress. through the small village of Wyndham with its collection of small weatherboard cottages.

Then up the mountain to emerge on the flat and continue into Cathcart and then on to Bombala. Another coffee before the push back to Jindabyne.

Back on The Snow River Way. This is third time in 2 days and I enjoy it more every time. You really can move on this road and I did make the most of it.

Back in Jindabyne just after 3pm. 400kms of very enjoyable riding. Fills in your day.

Jindabyne

Thursday 21st March, 2019

Jindabyne – Thredbo – Khancoban – Tumbarumba – Adaminaby – Cooma

280 Kms

Day 6

The best weather so far as I left Jindabyne. A bright blue sky and about 20c. Perfect riding weather. The second time I had done this track to Khancoban this week, and the familiarity let me relax a little more than usual and enjoy the ride. A few other bikes on the road, some of them coming in the opposite direction pushing their luck a bit and getting a fright finding me half way round a blind corner.

After Khancoban I took Tooma road towards Tumbarumba. Much more open country here out of the National park. Still great motorcycle country and the time and kilometers flew buy and I was in Tumbarumba before I knew it. Coffee and a muffin. Fuel and time to go.

Tooma Road, Snowy Mountains

Back in to the National park along Elliott way heading towards Cabramurra. Not far along into the park I passed a foal standing very close to the side of the road. I didn't see it until I was very close. Fortunately he stood completely still and watched me go past. There were a couple of farm houses in the area and I thought he must have wandered out of one of those. But a minute or so later I passed a herd of Brumbys wandering up a green creek bed close to the road. They took no interest in me.

Elliott Way takes you down to a O'Hares camping spot on the Tumut River where there always seems to be some campers about. I had a quick stop to use the public toilets. A very pretty spot.

From here you follow the River for a while before passing the entrance to the Tumut 2 underground power station and then climbing steeply up towards Cabramurra. From here on the road is called Goats Ridge Road and it is well named. At the top it becomes The Link Road which takes you passed the turn off to Mt Selwyn Ski Resort and on to the Snowy Mountains Highway. Turn Right here and off to Adaminaby. By this stage the sky had turned a very dark gray and it looked like I was in for a storm. Before long I could see lightning in the distance in front of me and hear the rumble of thunder. About this point I saw a group of moter bike riders pulled over, pulling on their wet weather gear over their jeans and leather jackets. I gave thanks to the god of expensive, waterproof motorcycle touring gear, smiled, and went a little faster. Before long the rain started. It was reasonably heavy, but only for about 10 minutes. After the the sky began to clear again and I got no more rain. Through Adaminaby. I didn't stop as it was not much further to my destination, Cooma.

Half way up Goat ridge road.

Into Cooma about 3pm for my last night on the road. Dinner at the Alpine Hotel. Crumbed Lamb Cutlets. A Cooma favourite.

Friday 22nd March. 2019

Cooma – Braidwood – Nerriga – Nowra – Oyster Bay

400 Km s

Day 7

Breakfast at The Lott Foodstore, my favorite and back on the road heading for home by 8.30am. I was again tossing up using Cooma Road because it had been raining for some days and it looked like it could rain again any minute. I chose the dirt. Couldn't bring myself to go on the busy highway. Cooma Road, once I reached the dirt section, was soggy, but no problem. I did take it a bit slower than usual, but it was quite good. Saw a number of Wallabies out on the road. The only one that could have been a problem I didn't see until I was beside him and then he came straight towards the bike at a fast hop. I was going quite slowly because of the road. But I still braced for impact. I wasn't sure he was big enough to knock me off the bike, but I was ready. Within a meter and half of reaching the bike, he did a U-turn without seeming to slow down at all and then hopped off in to the bush. I didn't know they could do that. And now that I do know I'm wondering why they don't do it more often. Unlike the wallaby I saw a short time later hop straight in front of a 4wd that was going quite quickly, didn't slow down at all, and made short work of the wallaby. There needs to be a U-turn education campaign amongst the macropod community.

Apart from that it was an uneventful trip. Great riding through Braidwood and Nerriga to Nowra. After Nowra it was highway hell all the way to Oyster Bay.

I was home by 2pm. 2,600 Kms all up. Another wonderful week of Motorcycle adventure. The new bike and equipment a resounding success.

Full trip - from GPS locator.

High Country, again. November 2018

 

Saturday 17th November, 2018

 

Oyster Bay - Nowra - Nerriga - Braidwood - Cooma

 

406 Kms

Day 1

 

Last trip of the year, back to my favourite area, the Snowy Mountains and Victorian Alps. November is a good time to travel to these parts, the snow is gone and it’s warmed up a bit but not too hot.

 

A few new spots planned for this trip and lots of old favourites as well. Saturday morning departure about 8.30, straight down the Princes Hwy to Nowra. Get the boring bits out of the way first. Mind numbing travelling on the highway, surrounded by idiots who don’t know how to drive properly. If that sound old and grumpy then yes, exactly.

From Nowra I headed South West on Braidwood road. Done this many times and always enjoyable and not much traffic. You really feel like you have left the city at this point. On to Nerriga and instead of the usual right turn on to Oallen Ford Way, straight ahead on Braidwood road, including about 30 km of unsealed. I did this for the first time in March  and I can’t see myself going any other way in future. No towns, no traffic, just beautiful bush. It had started drizzling rain just after Nowra and I was seriously considering not going this way, not sure of how the unsealed road would cope with a bit of rain. I think the bit of rain actually improved it. No problems at all.

Got into Braidwood and stopped for petrol and coffee. There was still some dark clouds about but a thorough scan of the radar convinced me that there was no or very little rain about.

Braidwood Cafe

From Braidwood I took Cooma Road. About 70 Kms unsealed. I had done this before in March as well. No towns and practically no traffic. This meant I bypassed Tarago, Bungendore, Queanbeyan and Bredbo, and all the traffic on the Monaro Highway. It was a great trip. A bit slower than the highway but a 100 times more enjoyable.

Cooma Road between Braidwood and Cooma

Got into Cooma at a reasonable hour, checked into the Nebula and after a little rest and a shower, made my way to the Alpine hotel for a couple of beers and some very fine Monaro lamb cutlets, lightly crumbed.

 

Sunday 18th November, 2018

 

Cooma - Adaminaby - Tumbarumba - Jingellic - Khancoban - Thredbo - Jindabyne.

403 Kms

Day 2

 

A beautiful morning in Cooma. A clear blue sky and about 12c. A hearty breakfast at the The Lott Foodstore and on the road about 9am.

There were lots of groups of bike riders having breakfast around Cooma, getting ready to take advantage of the perfect riding conditions.

Out the Snowy Mountains highway, one of the most highly regarded motorcycling roads in Australia, and I was able to take advantage of the weather, the road and a very powerful motorcycle. A fabulous cruise to Adaminaby, apart from one farmer who decided to turn in front of me from a side road. That’s what brakes are for. Straight through Adaminaby until a left turn onto Link road takes you straight into Kosciuszko National Park. the speed slows a bit from here as the road narrows and twists, but the scenery compensates.

Near Mt Selwyn

Tumut river

Past the Mt Selwyn Turnoff and onto Goat Ridge Road which winds down the sides of a mountain to a valley where you follow the Tumut River. The road becomes Elliott Way and rises out of the valley and eventually comes to a junction with Tooma road. Left takes you back to Khancoban, which I have done in the past, right takes you to Tumbarumba, which was on today’s menu.

Tumbarumba is a pretty town, and I stopped for a fresh juice and a cup of coffee. I can’t see the word Tumbarumba with thinking of “Stomp the Tumbarumba”, the 1963 hit for Johnny Devlin with backing vocals by a very young trio of Gibb Brothers.

Tumbarumba

From Tumbarumba I headed to Manus, a small town with a large correctional centre which until recently, housed a friend of mine in need of correcting. From there I followed Jingellic Road to the very small town of Jingellic, nestled on the Murray River. Across the bridge into Victoria and turn left to follow the Murray River back to another Murray river Crossing where Murray river Road becomes The Alpine Way and takes you to Khancoban. A quick stop here for some lunch and it was time to tackle Kosciuszko. From Khancoban, the alpine Way circles the Kosciuszko National park and the Mountain it was named for. Past Thredbo and on to Jindabyne. A beautiful sight, coming over the last hill to see lake Jindabyne stretching out before you under a deep blue sky.

Murray River near Towong

I have usually stayed at Rydges Resort in Jindabyne and finished up walking some distance to the Banjo Paterson Inn for drinks and dinner. This time I stayed at Banjo Patterson. a very positive move and I had a very pleasant Evening.

 

Monday 19th November, 2018

Jindabyne - Suggan Buggan - Buchan - Lakes Entrance

 250 Kms

Day 3

 

In March I rode the mostly unsealed Barry way from Jindabyne to Buchan for the first time. Although invigorating, it was also a very nerve wracking ride and I thought that I would not be doing it again. But I have been thinking about it quite a lot and I had decided that I would do it again. I looked for excuses not to right up to breakfast. The weather was perfect, the bike was running great and I was still keen. No excuses.

I headed down Barry Way about 8.30am on a beautiful sunny morning. I don’t know if some work had been done it, but the road surface seemed better than I remembered and I made pretty good time and was not too nervous.  I had several stops to take photos and there was practically no traffic at all. A very enjoyable ride through truly stunning country.

Barry Way

Barry Way Lookout

Bridge on Barry Way

Snowy River

Victorain Border Barry Way

NSW Border

Barry Way

I stopped in Buchan and partook of my survival kit prepared for the worst case scenario. Bananas, muesli bars and a bottle of water in the beautiful grounds of Buchan Caves Reserve Visitors Centre. It was only another 50km on to my destination for the day, Lakes Entrance. As I approached the town centre I could smell the salt air. How Lucky to be breathing fresh mountain air one night and sea salt the next.

Historic Trestle bridge near Lakes Entrance

Lakes Entrance

Wildlife, Lakes Entrance

Breakfast, Lakes Entrance

 

 

Tuesday 20 November, 2018

 

Lakes Entrance - Heyfield - Maffra - Licola- Jameson - Mansfield - Beechworth.

450 Kms

Day 4

I planned to head up to Beechworth for the night and decided to go through Mansfield, a bit west of my previous travels. I could see on the map a road that would go north from Heyfield, through Licola to Jamieson and Mansfield and on to Beechworth. The GPS refused to play ball and wanted to take me much further west towards Healesville which would have made it a much longer ride.

So I took it one town at a time to Heyfield and then on to Licola. Lovely windy country roads on the edge of the mountains had me in a good mood. I got to Licola and found a very small village. General store was closed for the day. I could see the one road heading out the other side of the town and there were signs saying subject to ice and snow in winter, carry chains and that the road was closed until 2nd November except for permit holders. No problems. Well past the 2nd of November. It did not mention the surface.

It was 90 km to Jamieson so I headed up the mountain on a pretty good bitumen road. 10 Kms in the bitumen stopped. I was feeling pretty confident from my dirt adventures the day before so I ploughed on thinking 80 kms to go, the last 20 or 30 will probably be sealed anyway.

A typical unsealed mountain road. Some sand. Some gravel. I took it nice and slow and kept going. I came to areas with lots of large potholes and corrugations. Country changed from climbing mountainside to a wooded plateau area on top. There was very little sign of traffic in the recent past and I was starting to wonder how long it would take to find help if something went amiss up here.

On the second half I started encountering very stony sections of road. Like very uneven cobblestones sticking out of the road and loose rocks the size of cricket balls all over. This had me crawling along in first gear with the front wheel bouncing all over as it slipped off the side of rocks. Every time I thought I was through a section of rocks it would start again and went on for quite a while.

Finally I could tell that I was coming down the mountain. The odometer said I had about 20 Km to go and still no sign of a sealed road. The gravel went all the way to Jamieson. I was very pleased to get back on the bitumen. That left 138 Kms to Beechworth and by the time I got there I was spent.

A lovely dinner at the Empire Hotel made me feel much better about the whole experience.

Wednesday 21st November, 2018.

Beechworth - Myrtleford - Bright - Mt Hotham - Omeo - Anglers Rest

200 kms 

Day 5

I had managed to book myself into The Blue Duck Inn at Anglers Rest. The Blue Duck Inn is the only thing at anglers Rest on the Cobungra River 30 Kms north of Omeo. I had read about it and was keen to try, knowing it would be a short day’s ride and giving me the afternoon to slow down.

It had rained most of the night at Beechworth and was still raining when I went to breakfast. by the time I was getting on the bike it had stopped. As I headed through Bright I could see that the mountains were shrouded in fog and knew I would hit that on the climb to Mt Hotham. I had experienced that before.

Leaving Harrietville I began the climb to Hotham and fog enveloped me. But it wasn’t too bad and I could see some distance ahead. Until I got to about 10kms short of Hotham. The fog was as thick as I had ever seen. Vision was down to about 2 or 3 meters. It was all I could do to follow the orange line on the left side of the road. Very, very slowly. Fortunately there was no traffic. No one else was stupid enough to be out in these conditions. Some parts of this road have sheer drops on both sides, but I never saw any of that. I was extremely relieved to reach Mt Hotham where I stopped for a pot of tea and a long sit. The barman said to me "you can sit here as long as you like mate." I don't know what he saw on my face, but he was on the right track.

By the time I left Hotham and headed down towards Omeo, the fog was almost gone and I could see blue sky above.

A lovely run down to Omeo. I stopped there for a snack and petrol with only 30 Kms to go to Anglers rest. I got there just after 1pm.

The Blue Duck Inn is a  beautiful old pub building which has kept all it’s historic charm. I checked in and made my way up to cabins at the back. First little surprise, no electricity. There were electric lights but no power points. There was a fireplace to light if it got cold and a gas stove to cook or boil the billy. No phone reception. So I turned everything off and settled down for a low tech afternoon and evening. I’m sure it won’t kill me.

Cabin at the Blue Duck Inn

Accommodation cabins at the Blue Duck Inn

Blue Duck Inn

Dining Room, Blue Duck Inn

Cobungra River beside the Blue Duck Inn

 

Thursday 22nd November, 2018

 

Anglers Rest – Corryong – Tumbarumba – Tumut – Gundagai – Goulburn – Oyster Bay

 

770 Kms

Day 6

A lovely dinner and a couple of glasses of wine and a technology free night. It rained most of the night and was still drizzling in the morning. There would be no breakfast available at the Blue Duck so I thought I may as well get on the road sooner rather than later. With no internet I was unable to check weather forecasts or radar images, but it was already raining so I expected wet.

I left Anglers Rest at 6.45 and headed north up Omeo Highway. The plan at that stage was to go through Khancoban, Cabramurra and Adaminaby and spend the night at Cooma.

It was slow going on the windy mountain road in the rain, but I was making reasonably good time. Going over Glen Wills I noticed the rain drops looked very peculiar. Then I noticed that the sides of the road and the trees were all turning white. I was being snowed on and not just a little bit. My visor started to ice up and I was continually wiping it clear. The thermometer on the dash said -.5c.

It was time for some serious slowing down. I was somewhat concerned at this stage about how slippery the road was going to be. The snow did not build up on the bitumen but seemed to melt away immediately. I crawled along in 2^nd gear for about 40 minutes. If I wasn't so concerned about slipping over I could have really enjoyed the scenery. Although my toes were starting to go numb. Not having been able to see any weather predictions before leaving, I hadn’t taken any extra warming precautions. I had nice thick socks and thermals in the bags going to waste.

When I finally started coming back down the mountain the snow eased and then stopped. The rain had stopped as well and I had a more pleasant ride through Mita Mita, Tallangatta and on to Corryong where I planned to stop for breakfast.

Coffee and a bacon and egg sandwich at the Black Sheep Café in Corryong and things were looking up. I was finally able to have a look at some weather forecasts. The forecast for the Snowy Mountains was snow squalls, rain, strong winds and about 1c. Friday's forecast was for strong winds all the way from Cooma to Sydney. Time for a change of plan.

I decided to go around the Snowy Mountains so I headed north through Tumbarumba, Tumut and Gundagai. I still got plenty of rain and wind on this route, but nothing too nasty. I was very thankful for my very expensive jacket and pants. They performed perfectly in the extreme weather.

I had filled up with petrol at Corryong so I didn’t need to stop for a while. I had considered stopping in Yass for the night, but since I reached there by 1.30pm I thought I might as well keep going. I had one final stop at Goulburn for coffee and petrol and then it was on to Oyster Bay. I was at home about 5pm with 770 Kms on the clock for the day. Probably my biggest day ever. After a 6.45 start, rain, snow and strong winds, I was very glad to be home. I won’t be thinking about another bike trip for while.