Chapter 3 — Cobains to Brisbane
Day 8: Cobains to Moruya Heads
27 January 2026
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It was still cool early when noroomtomove and I got under way, but it promised to get hot later. It was hard to believe that, a little further west, it was going to get seriously hot. Melbourne recorded a temperature in the mid 40s Celsius. Yuk.
He generously gave me 10 litres of fuel to ensure I'd get to Newmerella where we planned to refuel.
We returned along the Bengwarden Road, taking the Bruthen road after Bairnsdale. It's prettier and a less busy ride. Bruthen sits at the bottom of the Omeo Valley highway about which too much has been written in others of these chronicles.
noroomtomove cruises through Bruthen
What you do when there aren't highway pegs
We refuelled at Newmerella as planned and then headed up the Bonang Road to Bombala. It's a better, prettier ride than I remember and I'm happy to report that the 12 kms of dirt that once graced part of the road has been buried under bitumen.
The Bonang Road
Eventually the road clears the forest and one is back on the high plains. By the time we got there it was hot again, but not murderously so.
We arrived in Bombala around 1 pm and made straight for the coffee shop for water, coffee and an ice cream. Very welcome.
We then refuelled and said our farewells. noroomtomove headed down the Cann River Road on his way home and I decided to retrace the route AussieFlyer and I had taken two days before. Almost as soon as I left Bombala I started riding into a very cool north easterly sea breeze which took much of the discomfort from the day.
There's lots of these wooden decked bridges in New South Wales. Occasionally they carry warnings to cyclists about gaps
Somewhere on the way down the hill I decided to ride to the coastal town of Tathra and ride up the coast for as long as I could rather than taking the Pacific Highway. While it's prettier than the section we'd ridden in Victoria, it's still a main road and there's traffic. I stopped in Tathra for a stretch.
Sometimes you get lucky. As I pointed and snapped, a wave hit the rocks in the distance and shot a generous plume into the air.
The coast road took me to Tilba Tilba where I rejoined the highway for the run to Moruya Heads where I was visiting friends. I was pleased to arrive.
Day 9: Moruya Heads
28 January 2026
I had a lovely day in Moruya Heads. Thanks for asking. Caught up with my friends, watched some of the Australian Open tennis, had a delightful swim in the Pacific Ocean and a rest. They invited me to stay another night which meant I had to exert myself to think about it.
Day 10: Moruya Heads to Windsor
29 January 2026
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All the thinking about whether to stay was rather trumped by the early morning weather forecasts which had a significant heatwave gradually extending east in coming days and threatened storms for later in the week. I decided to move. Even in the 50 or so kilometres from Bathurst to Lithgow there would be a significant temperature difference. That determined my route.
I took the main road to Batemans Bay and then rode up on to the range via the Kings Highway — another lovely southern New South Wales hill climb — before stopping at a café in Tarago for coffee and water. I then headed to Goulburn where I bought fuel and more water. The ride's more interesting after Goulburn and becomes really pretty after Taralga as you approach and then ride through the Abercrombie River National Park. There's a particularly pretty section of road where you drop steeply to the floor of a valley, cross the Abercrombie River, and then immediately climb steeply up the other side.
The photos above show the descent and then the bridge over the Abercrombie River. Not long after the right-hand corner in the distance, there's a sharp-ish U-turn and you're into the climb up the other side. There was road work going on, and the surface was a great deal better then when I was last there in 2024.
After that I rode through Duckmaloi (it's such a great word, I had to put it in) and thence to Hampton on a road I don't recall ever riding. The Hampton Halfway Hotel Motel provided me with coffee, water, a meat pie and a pleasant view while I ate and drank.
The view from the Hampton Halfway Hotel
I then pressed on to South Bowenfels, where I stopped for fuel, before heading to Lithgow and along the wonderfully named Bells Line of Road to Windsor.
On Bells Line of Road
Earlier I wrote about double demerit points. A speed monitoring device that's been used in Australia for many years now is the fixed speed camera. Authorities are very generous and give one plenty of warning, often with up to three signs in advance. Here's an example.
Then, a little further on is the apparatus itself. Those two boxes on top of the poles.
They've been there for years and they still catch people. There's so much conspicuous warning, it amazes me that people don't get the message and slow down.
I took a room in a not particularly good motel with a pleasant enough view of the Hawkesbury River, walked over the road and had a not terribly good pizza, before retiring and watching the women's semi-finals at the Australian Open tennis.
Day 11: Windsor to Mount Seaview
30 January 2026
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The view from my motel room: looking north over the Putty Road on which I was about to ride
Would you believe it was cool again? The mornings had been lovely and perfect for riding. My planned destination was Walcha so I could maybe manage a down and up on the best bit of the Oxley Highway, but that meant retracing my route north from Gloucester. But first the Putty Road, a pretty road linking north-western Sydney with the Hunter Valley to the north. The final stretch, known as 'the 10 mile', presumably because it has a better ring than 'the 16 kilometre', is a motorcyclist's delight. The other attraction of the Putty Road is a stop at the Grey Gum Café; not so much because of the excellence of its food and coffee, but because it's a motorcycling institution. My research told me it was now opening only a few days a week and suggested it would be closed when I got there. Sadly, so it was and I kept going to Singleton where I had a very pleasant coffee and a croissant.
On the Putty Road
I got to ride the lovely road from Singleton to Dungog again. When I'd ridden south, there was a detour in place. The GPS was still telling me to take it, but a resurfaced road was clearly open, so I took it gently to avoid nasty little bits of bitumen sticking to the bike. There was what appeared to be a new bridge along with the new surface. It took me a while to remember that I'd often seen a historic bridge on that road, anddidn't remember seeing it on either leg of this journey. As a result, I've wasted large chunks of the past 24 hours hunting in previous ride reports and on Google Maps for the missing bridge. I found it eventually. It's not quite where I thought it was and so there's a fair chance it's still there. I've written about it once before, but the photos are likely to have disappeared from the report, and, while it's a very minor curiosity, it remains mildly interesting. AsI spent a day tracking it down to demonstrate to myself that I'm not completely mad, it's not going to pass without mention!
Singleton to Dungog
Another milestone
I passed through Dungog again. I don't know what I'll do. It used to be the place with the worst road surface I'd ridden on. Trying to hold the camera and ride was a nightmare. The streets (except for a stretch 100 metres either side of the Council Chambers) all looked like this …
Now it looks like this …
Much more fun to ride on, but what will a Grumpy Old Man complain about now?
My plan to buy fuel at the Stroud Road General Store was thwarted by its general air of abandonment. Luckily I had enough fuel remaining to let me push on and I got fuel, water and a comfort stop in Stratford.
A break in Stratford
It was decision time. Would I press on up the road to Walcha or detour east to Nabiac to visit the National Motorcycle Museum? A quick check showed I could get about an hour at the museum. I decided to do it. As a bonus, It's a pleasant ride along The Bucketts Way to Krambach and Nabiac.
It's another eclectic collection of motorcycles. Most not in show room condition, but plenty of interesting bikes stored in three large sheds. It was hard to take good photos as most of the bikes were close together in lines with the front wheel out. But here's a few.
Blue bikes seem to be appearing everywhere. They're promotions for an organisation called Beyond Blue which aims to help people with depression, hence the number plate RUOK? Beyond Blue has a link with annual motorcycle rides called the Black Dog Rides
Bennelli 4-cylinder 250cc
Kawasaki W1
A local pharmacist made this model of a 1943, WW2 Jeep from more than 250,000 pieces of Lego. It weighs more than the CB1100 and will take the weight of an adult.
I got coffee and water from a café in Nabiac and called the Wauchope Motel which had no rooms. I then called the Mount Seaview Resort, a little way up the Oxley Highway. There was a room, so I booked it and set off up the highway. The pretty Bago Road which gets one off the highway for the final run into Wauchope was greatly improved since last time I rode it. I bought fuel in Wauchope and then headed up the start of the Oxley Highway.
The Oxley Highway is one of better-known motorcycle roads in Australia. Some say the best. There's 44 kilometres of winding road that climbs through a eucalypt forest to the New England Plateau. It's a lovely ride and I was looking forward to completing it the following morning. One gets just a tiny taste of the pleasure to come on the approach to the Mount Seaview Resort.
Long Flat at the eastern end of the Oxley Highway. The Great Dividing Range in the distance
When I got there, the place looked deserted. I wasn't the only guest, but close to it. I was certainly the only person in the restaurant that evening. There was no mobile phone Reception; nor did the hotel Wi-Fi reach more than a few metres from reception. I wasn't fussed about that, particularly as there was a large television in the room that would allow me to watch the men's semi-finals of the Australian Open tennis. Nah. The TV turned on fine, but there was no reception. I asked about it but nothing happened.
Dinner was a pretty ordinary hamburger with fries, but I got excellent service from the five backpackers staffing the place. I can't say much else positive; the resort was tired and had a slightly abandoned air.
Day 12: Mount Seaview to Brisbane
31 January 2026
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The road out of the Mount Seaview Resort
I was up early next morning, but a bit reluctant to leave as there was mist on the mountains I had to ride up. I left a little after 07:30 and was immediately engaged with this wonderful road. By the time I got there a tree that had fallen across the road had been cleared and I reached Gingers Creek Café just after it opened. Like the Grey Gum International Café, it's one of those places it feels mandatory to stop at. That's because it often has fuel and provides a great place for a break on the way up the hill. Not supporting it increases the risk that it will close which would be a big loss for all travellers on that road.
Early mist cleared quickly
I had breakfast and tried to persuade myself that I'd ride until I was tired, but the scent of home was in my nostrils and I set off up the rest of the hill. I prefer it slightly to the road to Gingers Creek. The corners a little more open, the speed limit a little higher and the riding feels just a little easier for the touring motorcyclist. Too soon, really, one bursts out of the trees and into cleared farming land on the plateau of the range and the road becomes less interesting.
On the Oxley Highway plateau
I stopped in a shiny new fuel station on the outskirts of Armidale, refulled (and watered; it was hot) and got moving again — through Armidale, along the pleasant and fast road across the plateau, through Ebor onto the delightful and oft-written about road to Grafton. I was quickly able to get past some slower traffic and pretty much had the road to myself. Lovely.
I bought fuel, ate, had coffee and water at Grafton then decided to take a slightly longer route to stay off the highway for as long as possible. Up the Summerland Way — again oft travelled — through Casino and Kyogle and then to Murwillumbah along a lovely road. Stopped at road works on the early part of the road, I was joined by a bloke on a V-Strom. While we waited for a traffic light he told me it had north of 200,000 kilometres on the clock. He also told me a funny story about a resident who had spent lots of time putting water on the spot where the police liked to set up a speed trap so that it became difficult for them to park. I think he said they'd put down a concrete pad, but I didn't see it. Given his blithe disregard for speed limits, it was good he was well informed about areas of risk.
V-Strom vanishes in the distance
The pretty Border ranges distinguishing New South Wales From Queensland. The peak is Mount Warning which is the first point on mainland Australia touched by the sun each morning
Murwillumbah was the end of the fun ride. The remaining 130 kilometres was main road or highway to be endured not really enjoyed. It was made worse by my music app misbehaving just after I left the final fuel stop. I couldn't be bothered stopping to fix it, so rode the final leg in relative silence.
Another great ride (aside from one little mishap). As always, great to see and ride with noroomtomove and AussieFlyer and sad to miss Pterodactyl. Just under 5,000 kilometres on the odometer and the worst of the heat wave avoided. What a great way to spend the final 12 days of January. The CB1100 is still lovely to ride — a new clutch pack, plus a fork rebuild and new steering head bearings made it even better than the last long trip I took.
I should do it more often.
