Loving Every Piece of Victoria

So a little while ago I arranged to have a week off to go and see Al in Winton for a mixed grill at the Tatts - then I wasn’t going anymore but decided to take the week off work and just relax at home… well I got sick of that by the Monday so after an appointment with Knebel Kitchens (yes really….) at lunchtime on Wednesday it was time to get on the road again.  I had been watching the weather forecast and with some route suggestions from Rosie in hand off I went - DESTINATION - THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD!!!

I finally got away about 3pm on Wednesday and toyed with the idea of taking some backroads south but in the end just slabbed it.  Stopped at Tarcutta for fuel and visor change then Glenrowan for fuel and dinner before pulling into Euroa for the night at about 9pm.  It was the Hume… nothing exciting at all. 

Thursday morning dawned fair and cool - suited up for a bit more of a slab - not far to Melbourne and I really had no idea where I was going - Melbourne is a little hard to navigate if you don’t know where you’re going, all the exits are just street names or numbers don’t tell you where they go?  Eventually I saw a sign that indicated which way to Geelong… sweet.  Fuelled up at Geelong and then followed the signs to the Great Ocean Road… hurrah!  Was about 11am when I was at Geelong. 

Was a fair bit of traffic heading down to Torquay and then into Angelsea but eventually it thinned out a fair bit and I wound my way around the hills and took in the scenery… it’s a completely different road in the dry! hurrah!  Still too much traffic for my liking, tourist buses suck arse and the trucks!  At least the trucks pull over and let you past… 

Anyway wound my way along through Apollo Bay and then I was in new territory, when Mamma Leen and I came through in 2007 we went up the Forrest Road to Colac.   Beautiful scenery through here in a completely different way from the rest of the road.  Still a fair bit of traffic unfortunately but that’s okay.  I felt like a rest so stopped at some lookout somewhere for a bit before continuing on.  I passed the first turn for Johanna and thought bugger but then I saw the second one so I went down there but before long it turned to dirt  ah well.  Went to Lavers Hill instead where I had a Mongrel (a hot dog with ham and cheese) and a good break before heading up to Colac.  This was a nice bit of road but there is a fair bit of road works going on at the moment, basically they just seem to be sealing the shoulder but there is a fair amount of loose gravel everywhere.  No matter, I just cruised then fuelled up at Colac before heading back to the coast on the Forrest to Skenes Creek road.  It’s not all that exciting into Forrest but after Forrest… bliss.  beautiful corners, beautiful scenery.  All to quickly I was back at the GOR.  I turned left and there was heaps less traffic now - fkn awesome.  Had an absolute ball from there to Lorne. 

GOR

At Lorne I found the caravan park - $25 to camp - youch - but set up my tent by the creek and it was lovely.  Had neighbours, a couple from Tassie with their caravan to one side and a couple from Batemans Bay in a Winnebago to the other.  Oh and the ducks.  Lots of ducks for company.  Talked with my neighbours for a bit, had a can of Jimmy while holding court with the ducks for a bit then wondered into town for some dinner before turning in for an early night (was cold!!!!!). 

Lorne

Woke up around 7am Friday morning - had thought to try and get back into Melbourne to try and find the KSRC ride that Mal was organising (glad I didn’t - he had moved it to Thursday lol) but decided it was too cold to get out of bed so stayed there for another hour.  Eventually dragged myself out of the tent and it was cold and foggy as.  Bugger.  so I hung around, held court for the ducks again (the ducks all just came and hung out with me) and eventually around 10am gave up on waiting for the fog to lift so set off up the hill heading for Deans Marsh.  Another spectactular bit of road!  Before long I was out of the fog and into beautiful bush and beautiful roads.  I even stopped to take some pictures!  Deans Marsh came along all to quickly and then into erm whichelsea?? for a bacon and egg roll and a map consult.

Deans Marsh

I had been thinking of cutting through Melbourne and then heading down to Wilson’s Promontory for the night.  But after texting with Seph the night before where he was trying to get me to do the black spur I changed my mind (women’s prerogative) and decided I WAS going to do the black spur.  So I looked at where it was and what freeway I might like to take to get there… fail I ended up on the M1(?) heading south east so took an exit and found where I was on my map roughly and made it up from there.  I eventually ended up in Lilydale which was right then onto Warburton where I got some fuel, not knowing how far it was around the spurs and not being bothered to do the maths to work it out. 

Reefton Spur = awesome.  Except for the bushfire damage :(  It’s not that I had forgotten that the fires happened I just didn’t make the connection that I was riding where they happened.  I didn’t really want to go and see but I was there.  So sad.  The road was really good except for some fine gravel here and there.  No traffic going my way and only two cars and four bikes coming the other way.  Perfect.  The end came all too soon and I stopped and took a couple of piccies.  Then I headed for Marysville and the fire damage just got worse and worse, I just felt like crying. 

I thought about stopping at Marysville but I didn’t, I just headed for Healesville and the black spur.

Yes, Mel finally rode the Black Spur.

Now Tess, I know this is your favourite bit of road and it is a really nice bit of road… but the traffic!  Yuck.  So I headed down to Healesville and got stuck  behind lines of cars all over the place.  When I wasn’t stuck behind cars it was really nice.  So I got to Healesville eventually and then another map consult.  I had wanted to be back in Canberra Saturday arvo to go to a mate’s bbq for his birthday so I thought I would head back up the Black Spur (maybe there would be less traffic in the opposite direction?) and stop the night at Alexandra.  There was less traffic heading back up so had a fairly decent run (with a seriously scary moment when a dude on a 7 pulled out from behind a truck to overtake him on a corner and I thought he was gonna come right at me - but he pulled it back in - phew).  another moment coming around a corner to find a truck with two trailers doing about 20km/h.  Eeek.  Got into Alexandra just on sundown and rode around looking at the pubs (the caravan park was a fair way from food).  There was a dude on a bike outside the Shamrock Hotel so I pulled in there too.  $35.00 for a room and I’d have someone to have dinner with.  Introducing Theo on an ST1100 (I think) from Ballarat.  A hot shower and I was feeling human again so downstairs where the bourbon was calling and as soon as you finish and put your glass down the barman is there again offering a refill … ooops.  So a few bourbons were had and yes, I ate dinner even though i didn’t really want to by that stage lol.  Then a few games of pool with some of the local boys and suddenly it was 11:30 and I was druuuuuunk.  Ooops.  Up the stairs to bed where I put every available blanket on the bed and then tried to roast myself with the electric blanket lol.

Woke up feeling not too shabby about 7:15am, thought I’d have five more minutes and woke up at 9:15am.  Ooops.  Over a can of V I consulted the map to figure out where I was going.  I really didn’t want to slab it back and I had thought of going over Mansfield to Whitfield then onto Bright so I could do Tawonga Gap and Granya Gap and through Tumbarumba to home.  But I again changed my mind.  I instead headed back to the Black Spur lol (so now I have done it three times)!  Traffic was still pretty average even at 10am on a Saturday morning, though I had been expecting to see a lot more bikes, I saw hardly any.  Perhaps Melbournian riders like to sleep in??

I then headed for ummm Woori Yallock??? and I stopped outside a takeaway for a map consult and found my new favourite thing - battered and deep fried dim sim.  Yum.  OK so I was heading towards Noojee and then onto Moe.  On my map these roads looked kinda dull - it was just to be an alternative to going back to the freeway.  WRONG these roads were fkn awesome as well!  Twist twist wind wind through state forests.  Beautiful.  Through Noojee and then there was a sign saying 39km to Mt Baw Baw.  Sounds interesting but I didn’t have enough fuel to get up, back and into Moe, thought about heading back to Noojee for fuel but nah.  Road to Moe was nice too at the start, no warning signs though but I am getting better at reading corners without signs.

Got into Moe and to a roundabout with NFI where I was supposed to go from there, so I went straight and came to a 100 zone that can’t be right so uturn and left at the roundabout saw me in town but still no idea where to go.  Eventually I came to a T-intersection and there was a roundabout sign saying some town name and I was trying to think about whether it was a town in teh direction I wanted to go, then I was confronted with a one way sign so not able to actually get onto this roundabout then I think a car came over the crest or something I don’t know but then I was going dooooooown :(.  Ooops.  Hit the kill switch picked up the tank bag that had come off, took off my gloves and then there was a dude there who picked up my bike for me - thanks dude!  Put everything back on and a quick inspection of damage - nothing really so rolled down the footpath to a car park where I figured I earnt a smoke and a closer look at the bike.  Damage - bent clutch lever, scratches on the front fairing and the side fairing, small scratch on the tank, engine cover(?) and a small bit on the tail piece as well.  Nothing major at all.  So I consulted my map, down the road, uturn at the roundabout then I slabbed it to Traralgon for fuel and I also called my mate and said I wasn’t gonna make it back as I was a bit sore through the neck and shoulders now.  Was gonna just slab it north but instead took the backroad through Maffra and Heyfield and all that and saw a patrol car out here  not that I was doing anything wrong.  Anyway into Stratford then the Bengworden road to Bairnsdale where I stopped for a pie (at Jarrod’s bakery - after 3pm all their pies are $1!). 

Then through Bruthen and onto Orbost where I tried to get a room at the pub but apparently they were all booked out  so I pushed onto Cann River and it was dark and very hard to see and I was very paranoid about animals (only saw one though).  $50.00 saw me a room at the motel (I didn’t like the toilets at the pub at Cann river hahaha) including breakfast and the lady took pity on my and gave me a chocolate bar with my breakfast tray as well to cheer me up after my day (I told her how we fell over) which was reallly lovely!  Took my book over to the pub and had some dinner then back to my room where I read and then slept like the dead.

Had thought of riding up the coast to meet Tess & Co. at the bay but couldn’t really be arsed so just headed up the Cann River Road and straight home, got in about 1pm. 

Now I want to go and do it all again (except the moe lie down)!

East FarRide #10

I had left planning for this FarRide until the very last minute.  In the week leading up the FarRide I found a KLX300 in Yarrawonga (about 100km from Albury) that I wanted to have a look at so I decided to tie them both into the one trip.  I was due at Yarrawonga at 9am.

Friday afternoon, 4pm, I finally decided exactly what I was gonna do.  Home for a bit to pack, then start the clock about 6pm and slab it to Wangaratta where I had booked a motel room before continuing on south in the morning to Benalla, then Shepparton, Yarrawonga and into Thurgoona for lunch before heading home in the arvo, a round trip of 1012km.

So I got home from work, adjusted the chain, checked the oil etc, then chucked a few things in a bag and set off - a little bit behind schedule, my start receipt was about 6:15pm.  As soon as I crossed the Victorian border it started bucketing down - Welcome to Victoria indeed!  Apart from that it was an uneventful run to Wangaratta, getting there about 11pm.  I was supposed to be on the road at 6:30am the next day and was only five minutes behind schedule, after hitting snooze about a hundred times (it was so warm in bed).  On the road, south to Benalla then onto Shepparton where it was raining on me on and off.  I had wet feet but everything else was okay, despite not having wet weather pants on. 

Stopped at Katamatite (about 30km before Yarrawonga) to use the toilets and had a voicemail message from the girl about the KLX  - someone else had been out to see it that morning and had left a deposit… bugger!  She said that I was still welcome to come around and have a look to see whether the KLX would be suitable for me (we had chatted a fair bit on the phone).  So I went around and it was much bigger than I expected.  I couldn’t kick start the thing (mind you I was trying to do so while sitting astride it - I reckon I could have if I was doing it off the stand… its a bit hard to get any weight behind the kick when you can’t even touch the ground properly!).  I thanked them for their time and we chatted for a bit more and then I went and found maccas for some breakfast (I still had heaps of time up my sleeve).  I also had a really bad headache that just wouldn’t go away.

I continued up the Murray Valley Highway and crossed over at Corowa.  My headache was really starting to annoy me so I stopped at Howlong to buy some Panadol which I downed and I was just getting ready to get back on when another of the FarRiders rode past - big waves and I hopped back on, he was already out of sight.  I caught up just coming into Albury.

Then onto Thurgoona where there were already a couple of bikes there… and then they just kept rolling in and rolling in and rolling in.  It was huge!  There was quite a queue for check in and then it was order lunch and wait.  It was good to catch up with Skip and Charlie and Rick and Large who I had lunch with but all too soon it was time to rush out the door (pretty much as soon as Davo stopped talking I was gooooooorn  ).  From there it was across the freeway to get some fuel, then Gundagai for fuel and a quick snack (where I ran into Dazza - hi Dazza! - who had also been out looking at trail bikes!) then home.  The headache was still bugging me so more panadol at Gundagai and by the time I got back into Canberra it was fading.

Got home, got changed, then up the road to Gos’s to catch a lift over to Mamma Leen’s party (which was a hell of a lot of fun!) :o)

I was really disappointed that I did the FarRide this way and in future I will make my 1000km up all before lunch so I can hang around and chat.  I only got to say gidday to RoadBandit and FazerKate (who I hadn’t met before) and Daisy was there from Tassie!!!!! who I didn’t recognise at first and by the time I did the speeches were on and then I had to run away so I didn’t even get to talk to her :( 

Oh, I didn’t take a single photo this trip!

KSRC Halls Gap Hell Tour 09

It was to be the usual suspects from the HCC heading to Halls Gap this year until four days before we were due to depart and I saw Gos at coffee… he’s probably not going… WTF?  How can we go to HG without Gos?  Spewing.  I made a bit of a joke comment saying how I wouldn’t get a go on the 12 then and somehow it ended up that I might ride the MFP12 to HG.  I thought about it, spoke to Gos about it and we decided that I would!  I thought it would be great to at least have Gos’s bike there if Gos himself couldn’t be there :o)  So he softened off the suspension for me and dug out his ventura rack and dropped round Thursday arvo so I could take it for a quick spin to get a feel for the beast.  He took posession of the 9 and I locked the 12 up for the night.

Friday morning dawned clear and not too cold (about 6 degrees).  I suited up, loaded the bag onto the MFP12 and set off for the servo to meet Mick C and PC.  PC was already there and I was already worried about being on the 12… riding it was one thing, how the hell was I going to park it????  PC offered to move it from the pumps for me but I managed.  Mick C rolled up and after  a quick chat we were underway.

We rode straight through to Wagga where we fuelled and stopped for morning tea - at a different cafe to the last two years! We also learned that in Wagga you are not allowed to smoke at any table outside a cafe anymore and it is a $110.00 on the spot fine (the cafe staff told us, we didn’t learn the hard way). 

Wagga

After we were fed it was off again, through Lockhart and Urana and onto Jerilderie to top up the fuel again then Deniliquin for lunch at the usual spot.  Yes I ate lunch this time though it was so big I could only eat half (and yes I still blame not eating lunch for last year’s friday night shenanigans).

Round the corner to get some fuel and then the bike whoring began - Mick C hopped on the 12 and I got on the Crim  :D  :D it was just like being back on Jimmy!  :D  :D through Barham and onto Kerang where we had to stop and consult the map again (damn we missed you Gos!! hahaha).  Mick kindly let me continue on the crim (yesssssssssssss I got to do THE corner on the Crim!) and we pulled into the servo at Charleton with the fuel lights on both the zeddy and the MFP12 flashing and the crim not even on reserve yet (its good to ride like a girl ).

Fuelled up then onto St Arnaud (patron saint of biscuits) then Stawell for a final top up before the final dash into Halls Gap, arriving at 5:30pm.  and there were only two there?  Seiko and Dutch but where the hell were the rest?  Stace had bike problems so they were on their way. 

The HCC have arrived!

Said gidday and then I spotted it… the sexiest 7 I ever did see so I had to go drool over that for a while. 

Dutch's 7

The rest turned up soon after and then the bourbons came out and a fun night was had by all (I believe - I know I had fun!)

Saturday morning dawned bright and fair… I presume, I didn’t get up until about 10am!  Most had wandered down to town for breakfast so I sat around talking with the few who remained then jumped on the back with Billy to see what the others were doing - they were heading back so back to the motel room.  I had planned to go down to Dartmoor to get the FarRider tag and Mick C and PC had decided to come with me so we saddled up and off we went, with me leading for a change!  We went through Hamilton and then Digby(?) and onto the A1 for the 3km into Dartmoor. 

Got the tag photo

Dartmoor

and then the silly photo 

fuel and then it was bike whoring time again.  PC hopped on the 12, Mick C on the zeddy and I was on the Crim again (damn shame).  I had thought we were going to stop for some lunch at Hamilton but PC was having a turn at leading and he just didn’t stop.  He missed the turn off for the way into Halls Gap that we had come but if we went straight it would take us to Halls Gap anyway so we continued on.  In places the road was single lane and only widened out on the corners and it was pretty bumpy… and the crim handled the bumps just like Jimmy! :D  I was very aware that I had Mick C behind me and that I was on his bike though… eventually we wound our way back over the range (so glad I wasn’t on the 12 for this part!) before back on the main road to Halls Gap… I have to admit I was having very irresponsible thoughts on the crim heading along here… PC said later that he kept expecting me to go flying past cuz everytime he looked in his mirrors I was up his arse… but responsibility won out and I didn’t.

Back into the motel, time for some left over pizza from dinner the night before and then it was bourbon o’clock.  Fires and bourbons and good company and by midnight it was time for bed.

Sunday morning was foggy and dark!  Breakfast wasn’t open yet so we had a quick coffee before starting the bikes and waking a few up (Billy and Funky came out to say goodbye  ).  We froze our way into Stawell to fuel up again and then the return route was the same.  We stopped in Kerang to try and find our bakery, eventually we found it… and it was CLOSED!!!!!! We found another cafe that was just opening up so some morning tea and we were back under way.   Lunch at the roadhouse at Jerilderie where I was so full I couldn’t keep my feet on the pegs anymore once we left cuz my belly was hurting so bad from overeating :lol:. 

Bikes at Charleton

Got back into Canberra… can’t remember what time now.  Said our farewells and I had intended to buy a six pack of jimmies to take to Gos to say thanks for letting me take the MFP12 (and being one for each time I took his bike over 200) but I plain forgot.

I had an absolute ball on the 12 on the Sunday, I really clicked with it, it didn’t feel big at all and I swear that thing has the comfiest seat I have ever sat on.  But I think a crim will be my next bike 

The MFP12

Got back onto the 9 and it felt tiny!!! for the huge trip home from Gos’s place.

Another Local Weekend

The weekend of 2/3 May had been set aside for “house stuff”.  The kitchen is in terrible need of replacement so we were going to trawl through the kitchen showrooms etc.  Saturday we did this - except most were closed.  Knebel Kitchens was the only one of note, and then we wandered around the furniture shops in Fyshwick and found THE couch.  4 - 6 weeks and it will be here.  Anyway, that’s a bit boring.

Sunday 3 May dawned fine and cool and sunny.  Met Leen, Dazza and Lee at the rest area on the Barton and off we went heading towards Yass via Namina Road or whatever it is called.  The 9 was complaining about the cold *cough splutter roar* and we got onto the Hume, through Bowning and into Binalong where we were to turn off for our first exploratory road (yes we were investigating some of the local back roads we hadn’t done before!).  After a very short time it turned to dirt.  We debated going ahead but decided not to.

So back onto the main road and into Harden for morning tea (pies at the Milk Bar in Murrumburrah(sp?) are pretty good!) and then some back roads (I have NFI where we actually went :lol:) and into Cootamundra for some fuel.  We had been planning on having lunch at Coota but it was waaaaay too early so more back roads were the plan!

We left Coota and turned up this little road - it was narrow, single lane and rather interesting when a 4WD towing a horsefloat comes the other way and won’t give any ground :shock:.  After a fair while the dreaded sign “gravel road ahead” appeared… straight ahead was a pretty rough looking track and to the left looked like someone’s driveway :lol:  the driveway had a sign saying “to Hume Highway” so what the hell we took that one.  It wasn’t too bad, just a little track winding through Farmer Joe’s paddock - we scared about a thousand cows and a few sheep as we rode along - it was in quite good condition really.  Finally we came to the Hume and onto the tarmac.  (on my next ride I looked at this and if I had of seen it from the Hume no way would I have thought it was a road!). 

We slabbed it into Jugiong and went to stop at the cafe but there was a group of people we had been avoiding already there so we went to roadhouse instead.  Good choice, they make an awesome chicken burger 

I had planned to just slab it home from there while the others went off exploring but ended up going exploring as well… glad I did!  Up the Hume for a little bit more then we turned left and this road was pretty good for a country road, up, down, left, right, it was interesting!  Eventually we came to a + intersection… Leen stopped to consult the map and I said fark it lets go left so we did and ended up opposite the turn off for Galong on the Binalong Road. 

As far as I knew the plan was to go back the way we came from there but nooooo Leen went straight at Binalong so it was home via Boorowa (almost). 

We stopped at Murrumbatemen for a drink and chat before we all went home.  It was a good day out and good to do some local roads I hadn’t done before!