The Cormanus Chronicles: 2022

Tamworth — 05

Day 5: Grafton to Brisbane

24 June 2022

Master Map

There are no photographs from Day 5. Chancing my arm a little in the will-I-run-out-of-fuel department, we rode to Kyogle for another late breakfast and fuel. I don’t know quite how NoRoomtoMove does it, but he uses considerably less petrol than me.

We’d planned to ride over the Lions Road, always pleasant, but it seems to have been closed for some time. Initially it was shut when the borders were closed for covid, but it appears the massive rains earlier this year caused a landslide that has blocked it near the border. I suspect it isn’t a priority road for repair.

The alternative route past Mt Lindsay Highway is very pretty and just as much a fun ride, although the surface through the twisty bits on the Queensland side of the border leaves a little to be desired. Then it's onto the flat, gradually into the traffic and home to Brisbane.

Epilogue

NoRoomtoMove spent the weekend with us. Graham T generously drove us to Oakey to look at the Australian Army Air Museum. That was a pleasant outing and, given it was chilly by Queensland standards, it was pleasant to retreat to the comfort of GrahamT's car.

On the Monday morning, I rode to the freeway with NoRoomtoMove to point him south. I managed about 50 kms before we had to stop for fuel, after which we said our farewells and I rode home. He made a remarkably quick journey south, but that’s his story to tell.

For me, it was a real treat to be back on the bike for more than a short ride and with some purpose in mind. It was also a treat to catch up with Pterodactyl, NoRoomtoMove and Jalalski after too long. May it happen again soon.

A final postscript: my last ride of note was aborted due to covid at my planned destination. On that occasion I travelled a little over 1,100 kilometres and it cost $83.80 or 7.54 cents/kilometre. The 1,500 kilometres this trip cost $182 or 12.1 cents/kilometre. Thanks Vlad^*.

^* 'Vlad': the esteemed leader of Russia who took it upon himself to invade Ukraine in pursuit of a historically invalid nonsense. Aside from the hideous consequences for the people of Ukraine, it had a nasty impact on the price of world-wide fuel.

Tamworth — 04

Day 4: Tamworth to Grafton

23 Jun 2022

Master Map

NoRoomtoMove had declined all offers from me to post his CB1100 Forum calendar. He was determined to come to collect it so he could realize a long-held ambition to ride from his home in Victoria to Brisbane. He’d tried in July 2019. We’d met in Sydney and made it as far north as Walcha before, for some reason I can't remember, he turned home. Every time it looked like he might make it in 2022, something got in the way, so it was a satisfying feeling when we both turned our noses north from Tamworth.

After 90 or so kilometres, we stopped at the wonderfully named Alternate Root Café in Uralla and warmed up with an excellent plate of poached eggs and a hot drink. We didn’t hurry as it was cold on the range.

Our next stop was Ebor Falls which were pretty after some rain.

We then proceeded a few hundred meters to Fusspots Café in Ebor which, despite being somewhere near the middle of nowhere, was doing a roaring trade. A hot cup of tea was welcome. After refuelling up the street we made our way along the lovely Armidale Road which tracks diagonally down the range to Grafton. We’d been told by a bloke at the café that he’s never been on such an awful road; that the potholes were everywhere and frightening. I must have misunderstood him, I think, and he must have travelled a different route as, while there were some potholes near Ebor, the road was in reasonable condition. Some parts had been reconstructed since I was last there eighteen months before.

Breezing up to the Roche’s Family Hotel in Grafton, where I’ve stayed a couple of times in the past, we were dismayed to learn that not only was there no accommodation, we’d be lucky to find any in Grafton due to an influx of flood relief workers. Luckily, several phone calls landed us a very comfortable room in the Abbey Motel.

Tamworth — 03

Day 3: Tamworth

22 Jun 2022

Jalalski was in Tamworth for business, so I had planned a bit of a ride for the CB1100 riders. It was sunny and cold and, by the time we had caught up with more of each other’s news and put the world to rights, it was time to go in search of coffee and a very late breakfast. Afterwards, a brief ride to the Powerhouse Motorcycle Museum and then to the Oxley Lookout, provided sufficient entertainment for one day and we returned to the motel for a well-deserved rest.

I didn’t take any photos at the museum as I’ve been there before and posted pictures. See here.

Here’s one of three CB1100s at the lookout.

And one of part of Tamworth and the Macquarie Plain. Somewhere in that general direction in early 2000 the CB and I met a very slippery patch of mud in an encounter that did not end all that happily. See Chapter 13 of The Three Strikes Ride.

Tamworth — 02

Day 2: Casino to Tamworth

21 June 2022

Master Map

Although cold, it was a lovely morning. After filling up with petrol, I set out for Grafton, 100 kilometres or so to the south. From there I would turn west and ride along the Gwydir Highway, up the side of the Great Dividing Range, through the Gibraltar Range National Park, and across the plateau to Glen Innes where I would turn south to Tamworth.

There are better motorcycle roads than the Gwydir Highway, but it remains one of my favourites. Aside from the ancient forest on the range and some lovely corners on the steep ascent, the road across the plain leading to its foot is lovely as well as winding enough to be interesting.

I took one picture as lanyard cam is tricky to operate with heavy gloves on and impossible without the additional lug on the on-off switch which fell off somewhere around Casino. It’s a view of the CB1100 with the lower hills of the Great Dividing Range in view.

By the time I got to the top of the range, the cloud patches were increasing. I was glad to reach The Coffee Incident in Glen Innes, where I had a cup of tea and lunch.

Relying on NoRoomToMove’s First Law of Motion and Fuel Consumption, I bravely pushed on to Guyra where I refilled the tank for the final 150 kms to Tamworth. I was greeted by Pterodactyl with a bottle of beer — a gift from the management of the motel — and soon joined NoRoomtoMove and Jalalski for a drink and catch up.

Some time later I made it to the shower where I realised that I’d got colder than I thought on the way.

Tamworth — 01

Day 1: Brisbane to Casino

20 June 2022

Master Map

It’s been a while. Over a year in fact. It was exciting to have a plan to chuck a bag on the CB for a couple of day’s riding out of the state. Even better, I’d get to meet up with Pterodactyl, NoRoomtoMove and Jalalski, a Triumph-riding companion from other adventures. NoRoomtoMove would return to Brisbane with me to get the CB1100 Forum calendar he had insisted on collecting in person.

It came to pass that I set off from home in the late morning and made my way gently down the motorway to Nerang, where I parted company from traffic and set out on the back roads to the border. Knowing I was not at all “riding fit” and recognising that it was winter and would get colder as I headed south and up, I planned two shorter than normal days.

This freeway is a familiar sight at the start of any ride, although I didn’t quite like the look of the vehicle to my left. I was worried it might be proactive in drumming up business

It was good to be off the highway and into the country

My route took me through the Numinbah Valley to the border.

A minor border crossing from Queensland to New South Wales

Soon after I stopped for the first time at the Chillingham store for coffee and a sausage roll. The weather was looking more and more ominous.

From Chillingham, I rode the short distance to Murwillumbah with the sky darkening. As I turned west towards Kyogle, the first drops of rain landed, but soon stopped. I hoped it would continue to be the odd sprinkle.

Welcome back to life on the road, Cormanus. Within 10 kilometres, I was under a tree, hopping from one foot to another, as I pulled on the flouro, onesie waterproof to keep the rain out. It continued intermittently from there to Kyogle, putting a bit of a damper on a usually very enjoyable romp through a pleasantly winding road. More of a damper was added by the consequences of the massive rains that hit this part of the world earlier in the year: road damage here and lots of road works.

By the time I reached Casino, it was getting towards dusk so I found a billet in the Commercial Hotel.