Day 8: Mitta Mitta to Omeo
20 March 2017
Click on the image for a detailed map
Much to my surprise, it was another glorious morning. The forecast restored my sense of normality with promises of showers here and there later.
Pterodactyl was in considerable pain and decided with a bit of persuasion that he should talk to a doctor about it. The nearest doctor was in Omeo which was on our planned route, so we agreed to ride part of the way with him, execute part of the rest of the day’s plan and meet him at Omeo for the evening.
Then fate took a hand. As I filled my tank at the Mitta Mitta General Store, I noticed the pump was struggling. Noroomtomove failed completely to get the pump to work and did not have enough fuel to get to Omeo. He decided to ride back to Eskdale. Pterodactyl said he would wait in Mitta Mitta for noroomtomove and then ride to Omeo with him.
Thus it came to pass that Inhouse Bob, Tezza and I set off down the Omeo Highway. It is probably my favourite road in Australia. It’s pretty, the surface is good, the curves range from sweepers to tight, it climbs up above the snow line, much of it is beside a river, it goes for more than 100 kms and there isn’t much traffic. Bliss.
The Omeo Highway
The bulk of my working life was spent with government so I think I can fairly claim to have some insight into the mind of the regulator. Every now and again, though, they manage to confound me. An example is the Omeo Highway. It’s incredibly well signposted — partly because it passes into and out of the snowline, but also, I assume, because of the number of motorcyclists who have come to an unpleasant end on it. To be fair, probably a good few car drivers too.
From the Mitta Pub to the turn off to the Bogong High Plains Road, where we left the Omeo Highway, is 67.4 kms. Most of it can legitimately be called winding road and, as I recall, there is a sign telling drivers it’s windy for more than 100 kms to Omeo. Many corners have speed advisory signs.
But then, as you lift the bike coming out of one corner and prepare to drop it into the next, a sign flashes by telling you the next 3 kms will be winding road. After 3 kms, there’s another sign telling you the next 3 kms will be winding road. After another 3 kms, there’s yet another sign advising of 3 kms of winding road.
I’m sure you get the idea.
Why, for heaven’s sake? You’re riding on it. It’s obvious it’s winding road. There was a sign at the beginning that warned you it would twist and turn for 100 kms and so far that’s proved right. Yet, for some reason, the modern human is assumed to have an attention span of 3 kms and has to be reminded of the bleeding obvious that often. Either that or some idiot painted way too many 3 kms winding road signs and some other idiot decided the Omeo Highway was a good place to hide them.
After the said 67.4 kms, Tezza, Inhouse Bob and I turned off onto the Bogong High Plains Road. This was new territory for me as the only other time I’ve tried to ride it, a large gate blocked entry.
The surface is not so good, but it’s very pretty as it climbs up into the snow line to alpine heath and the ski resort of Falls Creek where we stopped for coffee. The highlights were many and included a snake and two large truck loads of concrete road dividers.
The regulators could have used some of the surplus 3 kms winding road signs here but mercifully didn’t
The dam creating the Rocky Valley Storage at Falls Creek
Falls Creek. It was largely deserted and the weather was not looking at all promising
After coffee we set off down the other side of the mountain, heading for Mount Beauty. Seems funny to me to go downhill to a town called Mount Beauty, but we did.
It’s a great road too, made better this day by the fact that the weather improved all the way down.
As we rode into Mount Beauty, I received a text from noroomtomove telling me he was also in Mount Beauty. Sure enough, I rode around the corner and there he was waiting in the service station. Pterodactyl had persuaded him to give chase and he had missed us in Falls Creek. At about the same time I had a text from Pterodactyl telling me he was moving on to Bairnsdale for an X-ray. At least he had some lovely riding to get there.
Leaving Mount Beauty, we rode over the beautiful Tawonga Gap to the Great Alpine Road which would take us back to Omeo.
Leaving Mount Beauty
Great Alpine Road
At about this point it became clear that we were riding past a convoy of older cars on some sort of rally. I started taking photos and ended up taking lots of them because I could and because the convoy went on and on and on.
All these cars were appearing against the backdrop of the Great Alpine Road which became more and more of a ride along a ridge. The signs on the posts to the left saying Keep Right of Posts were important. Heading to the left of them would have given one a deal of time to become intimately acquainted with the concept of gravity.
Eventually we reached Hotham, another of Victoria’s main ski resorts. At about this point, the run of good weather came to an end and we were showered upon.
The cars continued
noroomtomove
There’s something forlorn about a ski resort in autumn.
Showering again
From this lookout on a clear day one can see Mount Kosciuszko, the highest mountain on the Australian Mainland. By world standards it's not at all high; standing a mere 7,310 feet above sea level.
Looking down to Omeo
We stopped at Omeo for a cup of tea at the Golden Age Motel. There was no sign of Pterodactyl and I couldn’t raise him on the phone. It was getting late it was an hour and a half’s ride to Bairnsdale; and the likelihood of kangaroos leaping randomly on the road was increasing, so we decided to stop for the day. I was a bit tentative as I wanted to be sure Pterodactyl had made it in one piece before getting off the bike. It was not that I doubted his riding skills; rather, if circumstances had forced him to put his right foot down in a hurry, he was going to be in trouble.
Eventually I phoned the Bairnsdale hospital and they told me he’d been admitted. Shortly after that he rang and said he was still waiting to be seen, but had booked himself a room at the local saloon*.
Satisfied that he was safe for the night, I had a beer. And then another. Then we ate and had a glass of red or two. And slept.
*From Rocky Racoon by Lennon/McCartney
