Day 1: Pomona - Dorrigo
8 October 2014
Master Map
I woke tired, after not sleeping terribly well. It was less than 48 hours since I'd got home from the LionsTT and I’d spent a bit of that on the road — a 100km round trip to get the bike serviced and another 300 km round trip to deliver my wife and her friend to the airport. Another 400 km day!
I planned to get away early and failed. Because I was going to be away nearly a month and had to include camping gear, I'd added an extra bag to my luggage and it took a while to figure out how it was all going to go on the bike. So, by the time I left Pomona it was mid morning and, although the weather was glorious, it was getting decidedly hot. For the fourth time in 3 days I took to the Bruce Highway and pointed my nose south, getting off the freeway after 164 kms when I turned onto the Mt Lindesay Highway just south of Brisbane.
That part of the trip was uneventful, except for one incident. I was getting near to stopping for fuel and a break and was approaching some lights when I decided to change lanes to get the jump on the cars in front of me. I didn't check carefully enough and was just moving to the left when I realised there was a large, white van, about to mow me down. Luckily, oh so luckily, I was in time to leap apologetically back into my lane. Moral? If you're getting tired and your concentration is starting to wander, get off and take a break. Don't wait for your planned stop.
I refuelled at Beaudesert and headed south trying to decide which of the Lions Road or the Mt Lindesay Highway I should ride again after a weekend spent traversing both. I decided on the Mt Lindesay Highway and a terrific, twisty ride to Kyogle, where I stopped for lunch. The place was beginning to feel like home.
You leave this mountain to the left on the way across the Mt Lindesay Hwy
This lot hang about on the right
The Queensland - New South Wales border. You only have to stop if you’re carrying livestock
When I stopped I discovered a water bottle had leaked in my top box so I took everything out and spread it on the lawn in a park to dry while I ate lunch. I was worried that all my tickets for the MotoGP and the ferry to Tasmania might be irretrievably damaged; mercifully they weren't, so I stowed them in a waterproof bag. My top box and containers with liquid seem to share a mutual antipathy, but more of that later.
It was really hot as I set off, aiming for Dorrigo. To get there, I had a straight ride of 132 kms to Grafton and then another slower 115 kms on the pretty and winding Nymboida Rd. I hoped to make it before kangaroo time and then dark.
By the time I refuelled in Grafton, the temperature had dropped and clouds were gathering. The forecast was OK and, if there was rain, it wasn't likely to be bad, so I headed out. It's a lovely ride through Nyboida and gradually up the side of the Great Dividing Range. The road surface is basically good; the scenery is lovely; and, even better, there's lots of twists and turns to keep a rider interested.
Of course, by then it should have been clear the day was not meant to go smoothly. When I was about 40-50 kms out of Dorrigo and searching for the Tyringham Rd that I'd turn on to for the final stretch, the drizzle set in and the light level lowered. I stopped and put on my waterproof gear. The last bit was no fun at all — drizzle, fading light, low visibility and an unlit country road. I was relieved to get to the pub in Dorrigo, have a shower, spread out the contents of the top box then get some dinner. It was a pizza and very good to boot.
