Day 1: Pomona to Kyogle
2 October 2014
Master Map
The inaugural LionsTT was scheduled to run over the first weekend in October 2014. Pterodactyl and I became founding members in June or July and I went on the July founders ride. There's a report here with details of the history of the Lions Road.
My mate, Pterodactyl, couldn't make that weekend, but we managed another ride along the road and other parts of NSW during August.
The first part of my ride wasn't exciting: straight down the main highway to the Gold Coast where I was to meet an old acquaintance I hadn't seen for at least 35 years. We had an unmemorable lunch (turkey, brie and cranberry sandwiches lightly toasted) in a chain café on Southport's trendy Tedder Street.
I cleared out about 1330 and set off towards the Gold Coast hinterland so I could ride through Natural Bridge, Chillingham and Murwillumbah on my way to Kyogle. I'd ridden the road in the opposite direction earlier in the year and really enjoyed it. A few straight bits, lots of twisties, a spectacular view as you cross the border from Queensland into NSW, and then the final winding road around the hills leading to Kyogle. I find the country just south of the Border Ranges amongst the prettiest bits of Australia and the quality of the roads means that riding a bike here is bliss. Even though the surface on the final bit of the Murwillumbah-Kyogle road leaves a bit to be desired, it's still a hell of a lot of fun.
I had the camera out and managed a few shots on the way.
Mt Warning
It was a glorious day and I had a glorious ride, arriving in Kyogle just after 1600 to find Pterodactyl enjoying his first beer at the Commercial Hotel—for some reason a favourite Australian pub name.
We set up camp under a tree at the Kyogle Showgrounds.
Having parked the CBs under cover, we returned to the Commercial for very ordinary beer-battered flathead and chips. There was no Shiraz! On the way home we stopped at the Exchange Hotel (another perennial Australian pub name) for a cleansing ale. There was an acceptable band playing.
Sleep was not hard.
