Chapter 4: Melbourne to Brisbane
Day 16: Melbourne to Mt Beauty
31 October 2017
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Pterodactyl:
That evening we boarded the Spirit at Devonport and next morning arrived in Melbourne. The weather had turned to wet and cool, cold in the mountains. We rode northward from Melbourne over some interesting roads in the Healesville to Marysville area. Mind you, in the dry they would have been a whole lot more interesting. The area itself is heavily forested so wet bark and leaf litter made for a cautious but enjoyable ride. Reaching Marysville we then skirted the Snowy Mountains region and rode to Mt Beauty for the night. Once again, we did some serious pondering regarding the next day’s ride. Marysville Tavern (Victoria), Rhododendrons, CBs and Cormanus
Pterodactyl, CBs and Mt Beauty
There’s two other things to say: first, thanks, AussieFlyer, for the recommendation about the Reefton Spur road. It was spectacular, although rain and leaf and tree litter necessitated careful progress. Perversely, that was a bonus as hurtling through there would have meant missing the scenery.
Secondly, I do not recall an earlier night on the trip.
Day 17: Mt Beauty to Boorowa
1 November 2017
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Pterodactyl:
Leaving Bright1 we headed north west to Ebden on the banks of the Hume Reservoir, formed in 1936 by the damming of the mighty Murray River. After some good seasons (thanks Bob, you helped) it was brimming and surrounded by lush green countryside. After breakfast at Ebden and a short stop at the dam itself, we rode the delightful Murray River Road2, well described by Cormanus in previous Seat Time threads. Hume Dam, VictoriaOur initial plan was to ride to Corryong then, due to the uncertain weather, skirt the Snowy Mountains and head north towards Sydney. While having lunch in Corryong both Cormanus and I kept casting glances to the east towards the Snowy Mountains and tried to convince ourselves that the weather over the mountains was improving. Surely it was. Wasn't it? Surely that cloud looks as though it is lifting. Doesn't it? Well, to quote young Oscar, "The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” So we did. Thirty minutes later we were blasting up Swampy Plains Road climbing into the Jagungal Wilderness. The clouds had indeed parted and the road surface was dry. Talk about Twist and Shout. This was serious fun. Concentrating on the road ahead took the mind away from the cold and we were elated when we stopped at Cabramurra, Australia's highest town, for a self serve refuel and a little sight seeing from a nearby lookout. Another hour on we had descended to Gundagai and were headed for the Boorowa Hotel where Mike, the Kiwi Irish publican, helped us wash the dust from our throats. Several times. Later we played darts with Mick and a couple of friendly locals. The rules of the game I never did comprehend but apparently everyone has a chance until the last few throws, I think. I slept well. Boorowa - from the hotel verandah1 It was actually Mt Beauty. But who cares?
2 Nope. I’ve only ever ridden a bit of it before. But, again, who cares?
There are days when the riding is special. This was one of them. It just got better and better and better. And the stretch of fast sweeping corners from Jugiong to Harden was sublime.
En route to Ebden
Lake Hume at Ebden
Bridge across the Murray River leading to that road
Murray River Road
That’s the snowy mountains to the left of Pterodactyl. If you blow up the picture, you can see touches of snow
Approaching Boorowa
This last photo is for Inhouse Bob. We took him to Boorowa. On this section of the road you could barely see the headlight bucket in front of you it was raining so hard. This is what it should have looked like, Bob.
Day 18: Boorowa to Denman
2 November 2017
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Pterodactyl:
Well, good readers, if you have stuck with me to here I thank you. But all good things must come to an end. We rode out of Boorowa through Crookwell and the Abercrombie Gorge, all good riding, to the Tarana Hotel. After a killer burger for lunch, it was time for Cormanus and I to go our separate ways. For Cormanus another 1000kms to Brisbane and home; for me a mere 180kms to home for a total of about 5150kms for the ride. It is always a privilege to ride with Cormanus and I have to thank this forum for introducing us. We have ridden many tens of thousands of kilometres together since June 2014 and I do hope that we have a few more rides left in us. Just in case you think I am being too kind to him, remember he was the dolt who accidentally deleted my Milestone thread and then replaced it with his own. I have therefore, by Pterodactylian decree, declared his Milestone thread unauthorised, even provocative. I have taken offence and thus sought a safe space in the General Discussion section for my Milestone post.
That just might be the end of a once beautiful friendship. We’ll see. ‘Dolt’ indeed!
From Tarago I rode north through Bathurst and Sofala and found my way on to the Bylong Valley Road. Last time I rode it was north-south with Pterodactyl a year or so ago and it pelted with rain all the way down. This was the other way and the weather was glorious and hot.
Some Bylong Valley scenes
I spent the night at the Denman pub which is nothing to get excited about, in spite of the good-looking beer and the sunset in the photograph below. I booked a room and headed upstairs to find a room with no windows (what do you want when it’s cheap) facing onto a foyer with a TV set and tea and coffee making facilities. I had a welcome shower and went downstairs for dinner.
The beer and the sunset may well have been the best thing about the Denman pub
I really didn’t need the chips with this very average lasagne
Eventually I decided to retire upstairs, only to find four or five blokes watching the television. A couple of them were slightly dull of eye and I wondered how long I’d have to endure the television before they went to bed. Noise cancelling ear buds helped until they eventually turned it off and went to bed.
I was asleep when the fire alarm went off. It was one of those old, mechanical things about 6-8 inches in diameter with a clapper that beats the stuffing out of the bell itself. Of course it was mounted high on the wall above my door.
Eventually the fire people turned up: huge young men fully suited and quite daunting in appearance. One of them knocked on my door. When I opened it, he mumbled something about checking detectors and then wandered off again to talk to the fellow in the room opposite who had, it appeared, brilliantly set off the alarm in the first place. After a couple of minutes I got sick of standing at the door and asked the firemen whether there was anything else they needed. ‘Nah, mate, yer right,’ they said so it was back to bed.
Day 19: Denman to Armidale
3 November 2017
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My uninspiring companions from the night before were up and away incredibly early and, of course, woke me in the process. That was OK because I got an early start and was soon on my way to Singleton and the lovely road between there and Dungog.
Passing through Singleton
On a ridge between Singleton and Dungog. The surface isn’t always great, but it’s a fantastic ride.
I stopped at Dungog for a cup of coffee and a brief meditation about whether I was really up for some gravel riding. My step daughter and her family had driven down for a wedding to be held in the Barrington Tops National Park. In the end I decided it was worth a look and, if the gravel were too alarming, I’d come back.
It was a glorious ride up. Reasonable gravel, pretty forest and farm land and my granddaughter was very surprised to see me turn up there. I had a cup of tea and a chat, looked about and then confronted the less-appealing gravel on the different route out. I didn’t fall off and I was soon back on to Thunderbolts Way on my way north.
Some pretty scenes from my gravelly detour
I’ve now ridden on Thunderbolt’s Way a number of times and I’ve always promised myself I’d take a detour into the town of Nowendoc just to see what was there. I can’t now think why I bothered except that I got some petrol and a cool drink. The grandly named Maxims of Nowendoc turned out to be a grease shop with bowser.
So I pushed on and decided to ride down the Port Stephens Cutting to Tamworth because I’ve done it only once before, it was a pretty ride and the stretch of the New England Highway from Tamworth to Uralla is agreeable.
Port Stephens Cutting
Pretty eucalypts beside the New England Highway
I spent the night in Armidale at a motel. I know I bought petrol and walked over the road for dinner where I sat in rather splendid isolation in a large dining room with not many other people. I can’t remember what I ate.
Day 20: Armidale to Brisbane
4 November 2017
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I was again under way early on my way down the oft-reported but ever lovely run to Grafton. It was cold and there are no photos until I got to Grafton where I stopped for a late breakfast.
I rode past this on the relatively quiet road from Armidale to Grafton and then realised I should have stopped to make sure no one was left inside. I went back and of course there wasn’t. Trying to take a sharp left-hander way too fast, the driver had lost it
Not long after this I came across a large carpet python lying most of the way across the road. I pulled over to try to take a photo, but I was pointing downhill, a car came along which I persuaded to drive around it, and it all got too hard. I suspect the poor thing was there because it had been run over.
A milestone reached in Grafton
Grafton is famous for its jacarandas. Students hate them as their flowering says it’s time for exams
From Grafton it’s a straight, reasonably flat and not vey interesting ride to Kyogle where I turned off along the road to Murwillumbah, also written of often in these chronicles. It’s now excessively speed limited but a lovely ride nevertheless.
First view of the border ranges and Mt Warning
It’s such an unassuming border marker on this quiet back road much loved by motorcycle riders
First sight of Brisbane from the slab
Then I was home. There were another 7,647 kilometres on the odometer, memories of some more great times with Pterodactyl, noroomtomove, AussieFlyer and other folk met along the way.
