Day 8: Thornton to Walwa
13 February 2024
Master Map
Having received a text from AussieFlyer that he was on the way, Pterodactyl and I leapt into action: we made a cup of tea and then sat around talking.
AussieFlyer arrived and it was not long before we were under way to introduce him to the Eildon – Jamieson Road. As we turned onto it, I waved him past. By the 7th corner he'd vanished and was cooling his heels when we finally arrived at the petrol station. We didn't tell him we'd stopped at a lookout and taken lots of photos.
Where did he go?
We retraced our route to Myrtleford, stopping at the Hobbledehoy Distillery and Café for coffee and avoiding yesterday's gravel. The flat, straight bits were flat and straight and hot; the other bits were fun.
The lovely still at the Hobbledeyhoy Distillery & Café
Fuel at Myrtleford after which I do not want to record the conversation I had with the GPS when it persistently took me places I did not want to go. I seriously considered stopping at Tallangatta for the night as it was getting on, but the other two wanted to keep going. A quick call to the Walwa Hotel assured me we'd have somewhere to sleep.
Back in 2016 on a day when Pterodactly was famously caught out by a dud K&N oil filter, and I met NoRoomtoMove for the first time, we rode through Walwa in the pouring rain to be confronted with a road closed sign. Pterodactyl assured me it was now open and sealed all the way through. In spite of my reservations, I pushed on past the Granya Gap Road (always a fun ride). We turned and I was not totally thrilled to be greeted by a sign telling me the road ahead was in diabolical condition and to drive with great care.
Bits of the road were indeed in poor condition, but the rest of it was a hell of a lot of fun and in reasonable condition. It was a great 80 kms or so to finish off an excellent day. The first drink was very welcome indeed.
A corner on the Shelley Road through Guys Forest
Did I say something about finishing off the day? Ha! No such luck. Having de-parched our throats and unloaded our gear, we moved the bikes to the back of the hotel. AussieFlyer thought his rear tyre looked a tad shiny. Indeed he realized it was caused by a light coating of oil. Turned out the recently rebuilt rear shock absorber had blown a seal. Oil was dribbling down the piston.
Bikes at Walwa. It is possible to discern a tiny splash of orange at the bottom of the rear shocker on AussieFlyer's bike. It was a piece of rag strategically placed to prevent more oil dripping on the tyre and to see how bad the leak might be.
If I hadn't had other, event free, trips to Walwa, I'd be wondering whether Cormanus, Walwa, leaking oil and rear tyres went together.
At that stage of the day, there was nothing to be done, but eat, cool down and tell the sort of tall tales reserved for riders of the Honda CB1100. The morning and a phone call would sort out the next steps.
And the band was again a trio.
