I started out at 0630 from North Lakes and met up with SSD(Paul) at 0700. Traffic was pretty horrendous until we made it to Toowong and then it started to open up. We arrived at the Amberley rendezvous in plenty of time for the meetup with Jamie at 0900. Nice ride to Tenterfield for a meal break and a meetup with some friendly local Magpies, who got a free feed.
Rode on to Glen Innes and booked into the vey average motel and then off for coffee, bickies and chin wag with Charlie at his place. Had a very pleasant feed at a local hotel suggested by Charlie then back to the motel and another meetup with Charlie. Next day we went off to Harrington via Guyra lots of roadworks interspersed with good and bad roads and some excellent twisty bits. Unfortunately part off the run between Urunga and Harrington was 184 Km of very boring highway
. Really nice clean hotel at Harrington right on the water. The room was clean and freshly painted with a fridge coffee and tea facilities just outside the door. Clean and renovated shared bathroom was just down the hall. The room had a door out onto the verandah with tables and chairs. Unfortunately the room was let down by lack of furniture only having a case rack and one bedside table and one double power point. The meals and service were excellent I couldn't finish my chicken schnitty.
-31.202714400093576, 152.41925860938966The next morning we had a short side trip to Crowdy Head to view a lighthouse with an inferiority complex at the end of a really pot holed road.
After this we had a short run to Nabiac for brekky and then on to the Museum which is rather big, with a mixture of restored and unrestored bikes. I'll insert pictures when SSD sends them.
We then set off for Tamworth only having to stop on the top of the mountain to allow a storm which Jamie had spotted to pass. There were shelters that partially sheltered us. Arrived in Tamworth to view the Powerhouse Museum, a small private collection of fully restored bikes. Apparently a bigger building is in the wings as the current collection has to be rotated due to the size of his fleet. The Almond Inn Motel was just down the road and a definite upgrade from the Glen Innes unnamed motel. Both SSD an I availed ourselves of the pool. Jamie booked an Uber to take us to dinner driven by a very friendly and chatty African girl. We were joined by a father and son whom Jamie had been chatting with at the motel. They had been going to bike shows towing a trailer with three bikes on the trailer and one in the van. Great feed which we then walked off by walking back to the motel. On retiring I found that I had a water bed the mattress was soaked due to being under the leaking A/C. I went up to the office and knocked on the door. The owner came and had a look and went off to get the handyman. She came back with the keys to a 2 bedroom apartment. Jamie and SSD were already settled for the night so I had it all to myself and I didn't have to wear earplugs. :1B:At midnight there was a bit of a barney going on between a couple of tradies from the motel and some townies. Police were called and the Motel owner had to supply the tradies names as they had told the Police a couple of different names. SSD and I slept through the ruckus.
The next day we decided to set off for the Inverell Transport Museum which turned into an adventure safari. First we had to stop while some farmers on Quads herded a mob of cattle down the road past us, I think one was eyeing off SSD's red Brick as a potential mate. The road chosen which had shown up as bitumen on the map was in reality a partially corrugated coarse gravel (small rocks) with smaller loose gravel ridges track. After a dusty teeth rattling 15 K's we found an oasis in the form of a very very short stretch on concrete. Jamie pulled over on the oasis and we were discussing the situation when a 4WD wagon came down the road. I flagged down the 4WD and asked the two very nice ladies onboard how much further the gravel went. Thankfully only 3 K's. They were very helpful and enquired whether we needed any assistance which we declined. This was the second of only two cars we encountered on this stretch the other being a homicidal Subaru driver. We made it to the museum on mostly intact bikes SSD's bike eventually losing a side stand foot and further on his top box springing open. Jamie's slightly weeping fork seals were now leaking and his handling had deteriorated. My bike had its front mudflap battered to destruction. Off to Bunnings to buy a bucket today to make a new one.
Transport Museum was worth adding to the trip with more cars than bikes. SSD liked the train set where you could press a button and get three trains to run around the setup. Good ride to Goondawindi to the Gunsynd Motel, the best so far with undercover parking for the bikes. It was close to the main street and just a short walk to the Royal Hotel for another good meal.
Next morning off to an early start due to me forgetting to change my watch back to QLD time. Stopped off at Warwick for brekky. I had to stop on the way back due to my top box lid opening due to the safety cord getting into the locks hook. Jamie stopped near Ipswich and we said our goodbyes. SSD and I continued over Mt Glorious to encounter drizzly rain, the roads were still pretty dry. SSD and I split up near Petrie only to come together in Kallangur. The rain started to pick up as I went through Kallangur in order to stop off at my wife's work. By the time I left the rain was picking up. Shortly after arriving home the sky's opened and I don't think we could have ridden in it. It was a great trip with good company my total mileage 1990 Km. If we did it again we would omit the highway and the gravel.
Regards Martin.
Kweensland K Kronies March Nabiac run. Wed Dec 07, 2022 8:36 am
