The Group: Rhys Williams – ZX-7R Paul Tallents – YZF600 Ian Payne - RF900

After a less than satisfactory nights sleep due to the local footy club celebrating till about 2am (they had just picked a new team after not having one for the past five years), we packed, had a coffee and decided to forgo breakfast till later. Due to overnight rain the roads were still wet but it was warm and they were drying quickly so we headed back down the Cann Valley Highway to Rockton Junction and then east along the 56 kilometres of magic road to the Princess Highway. Rhys was leading the group for today as I was suffering a bit after some intense physiotherapy on my neck the week before. This was good timing on my part as with the wet/dry conditions and kangaroo’s playing on the road it was much easier to follow than lead! "Thanks Rhys",

Up to Eden where enroute we had a bit of a scare as we rounded one bend and were confronted with an Emergency vehicle complete with flashing lights and wildly gesticulating driver! Turns out it was just to alert us to the "Clean-Up-Australia" people along the road. After our late breakfast and some petrol we continued on to Pambula & Candelo where the abundance of approaching traffic on this narrow winding stretch of road kept you on your toes. Bembroka came & went then the challenging piece of bitumen up Brown Mountain, which unfortunately now has a 60 kilometres per hour speed limit! We stopped at the Fred Piper Memorial Lookout, (Fred was the Bega to Cooma bus driver for 28 years until in 1957 he had a heart attack while shovelling snow from under the bus. He died at this spot so hence the memorial). We checked out the view then continued on through Nimmitabel to Cooma for a late lunch.

With just on 250 kilometres covered so far and only 50 klms to go, we scanned the map in an effort to find some extra mileage, but most of the loops were just too big. So after some discussion and feeling a bit tired due to lack of sleep last night we decided to head straight to Adaminaby, book into our accommodation and watch the end of the F1 GP.

We left Cooma for the first real taste of the Snowy Mountain Highway and ‘what a road’, SENSATIONAL! The views, the road, the weather, it was great but all to soon we were at the lodge. Our host ‘John’ made us most welcome, opening up the back yard for us to park the bikes and giving us each a double room with ensuite. We unpacked, made ourselves comfy in the lounge and with some refreshments from our convivial host settled in for the duration of the race.

After the F1 telecast, Paul thought a walk around the ‘town’ would be a good way to pass the time, that took 5 minutes, so we then headed up to look at the old church that had once stood at old Adaminaby (now under Lake Eucumbene). It had been dismantled piece by piece and rebuilt here prior to the flooding of the old town.

Time for dinner and being the only ones staying here meant good service & generous helpings, all for little cost. Our host was quite a conservationist and could even recall the last time the MTCV had stayed here and that the Ulysses Club had recently stayed with him, so motorcyclists are always welcome. After dinner we settled back in the lounge, had some drinks and planned tomorrow’s route home. We then watched the end of the movie before heading off to bed to catch up on some sleep. All in all a very good day covering some exceptionally good roads with good weather and this perfect overnight stop. "If you’re ever up this way the Tanderra Lodge at Adaminaby is highly recommended."