after a maintenance day preparing for the trip , oils changed in engine and differential and a quick go over the bike inspecting for any issues , found a bloomin nail straight through the rear tyre .
I searched for a suitable replacement locally , Inverell and Armidale , a local friend had a possibility being a rather hard sport demon in nearly the right size or an alternative a anarchi 3 with a better feel and tread , so we fitted that up , a few hours later it was flat , late that hight we found a removed nail hole patched and refitted all ok ….with a sigh of relief .
First day was pretty uneventful really . a trip down familiar territory, namely the Thunderbolts way into the gloom of a rather humid and misty lowlands to Gloucester and onto Newcastle , destination Toms place for an overnight stay.
A great meal and good nights sleep after a few shared beers of corse .
Nest day we achieved the meet point on time, after picking up Jacko along the path .Found Gaz and Ulli at the meet point at Branxton (never been on the new freeway that way before – excellent ! )
Not far into our trip we achieved Bylong village and pulled in for fuel – coffee , at about the same time 2 other travelling biker groups also arrived (on all sorts of machines ) noticeably another r90 pd and some early r bikes as well , some known faces amongst the travellers .
Onto Bathurst to meet Bob at lunch time , wonderfully scenic roads through Sofala etc on the way and Bobs bike was a pretty good beast indeed .
Southbound still and off towards Crookwell on new to me roads were delightful yet again , a drinks stop at Bindi then a right turn off to our destination Boorowa some 70 odd ks off .Accommodation found drinks , dinner and banter followed .
Next day off early for a full day of travel ,
The roads down through Harden towards Cootamundra fantastic , coffee at Adelong and onto Tubramurra heading towards Walwa
After lunch over the hills and twistys through Granya . towards Tallangatta with a leisurely ride along the Murray river valley , a southerly turn had us heading towards Mount beauty over fairly flat and uninteresting roads baking in the heat of the day .Again a drinks stop was welcomed before the hill climb onto Falls Creek ,
a plethora of winding twisty corners greeted us on the hill climb , awesome … the winter playgrounds of the resort taken over by the masses of downhill pushbike riders during the summer months , exploring the surrounding hills and tracks seemed to be the main traffic around the area .
From the apex of Falls Creek a dubious road of sorts led us across the peaks of the hills before plunging us downward into the surrounding valleys , winding roads clinging to the creek channels led us towards Omeo …and a welcome stop after an amazing track through those hills .
quite a few bikes and riders already at the rest stop and suitably charged , the place was rocking .
A quick change had us in the main bar , then out to the verandah enjoying a good brew or two , before a welcomed hot meal and more drinks , banter all the time with new acquaintances and the challenges of past experiences .
Accommodation was good overnight and another earlish start had us retracing the road back down the hills , this time passing the uphill to falls creek but onto Mitta Mitta ….that next part was just the best with constant curve radiuses over and over on superb road surfaces letting us wind down the hills for ages leaning further and further into the corners , about 100ks of pure brilliance …I was impressed with toms and bobs cornering skills , bob far more confident on the big r1200 .rather than his previous k100 rt.
A stop at Mitta Mitta had many bikes filling up – coffee break before we continued on to Kancoben for lunch and the start of the climb into the nsw snow fields along the Alpine Way Another massive run of about 100ks through the hills with extraordinary sights of massive hills either side of us , the occasional power generating station in the depths of the valleys …
“Siberia” achieved …lol well just over the high point of the valley of Dead Horse Pass being the head of the valley leading to the snow resort of Threadbo , I would imagine with the right weather conditions the chill factor just over the hill during a good blizzard would earn it name .
a good run down the hills p[ast the resort had us at Jindabyne well before dark
fortunately Sharon and Judy (bob wife and daughter ) were there to greet us , with a few furphys (beers )
a little later off to the pub for dinner and a few beers ..then home for a good night in self contained cabins with great bedding and all the extras .
last day in the snowies , had us heading homeward , me with a flat tyre requiring refilling , a slow leak but manageable , that blooming rear tyre ….again !! .
our good fortune for fine weather had departed us , with a bit of wetness between jindy and Cooma ,.
The group headed on as I detoured into Canberra for a family visit , back on the road a few hours later and Goulburn achieved , with rain starting to fall , by about Sutton forrest the rain was quite heavy so donned the wet weather gear , although already soaked .
It continued right into Sydney suburbs with the crazies in tin boxes doing acrobatics along the path …honestly …bad weather brings out the devilish in them I fear ..
Fortunately for me my daughter had a warm home and a visit to the grandkids was most welcome relief from the wet afternoon in the suburbs of Sydney .
Off again next morning Early and again rain escorted me out of the great metropolis of Sydney town .
A diversion at the Hawksbury had me travelling the old Pacific Highway along narrow and twisty roads through the hills (old main highway some 40 + years ago now ) and another detour had me heading to Ettalong …a beach – riverside colony along the Brisbane waters .
Ettalong is directly opposite the bay where my grand folks lived some 50 years ago so was a welcome adventure to explore the what seemed like distant shore to a 10 year old at the time …
Was good to see , at last .
Onto Newcastle through some showers again , to catch up with Tom and lean that their travel route was not so bad over the track in the hills , it was primarily along the coastal strip that had the bad weather .
With that in mind next day , I decided the inland route through Muswellbrook and Tamworth may be drier , and indeed it was . picking up a spare part from Gaz to deliver further up the road ahead , and also dropped off a script for interpretation by seanii whilst passing through Guyra , along the path
home
for me about 3,100 klm round about . and most enjoyable .
I think Gaz chose an excellent route for this venture , with varied and interesting sights to be seen and visited .,. thanks mate , appreciate the effort in the planning and experiences to be shared with us all ,
Cheers to all
Re: Snowy/Southern ride, Sat 16 March 2019 Thu Mar 07, 2019 10:44 pm
ROB the Red Old Bike 
