Myrtleford via Falls Creek and Omeo Mon. 27th Dec. 2010
Kurn
Bridgeman |
Honda
CBR600 |
Ben
Warden (leader) |
Honda
CBR954 |
Ron
Johnston |
Honda
CBF1000 |
John
Willis |
Honda
XL1000 |
Misho Zrakic |
Honda
CBR1000 |
Pina Garasi |
Honda
CBR600 |
Paul
Southwell |
Honda
CBR1000 |
Cliff
Peters |
Kawasaki
ZX10 |
Ian
Payne (rear) |
Honda
CBR1000 |
|
9 bikes, 9 people |
Route
(according to Ben):
·
Leg 1 :
Bright, Tawonga Gap, Mt Beauty, Falls Creek – stopped
at upper motel café, sat outside
·
Leg 2:
Falls Creek, stopped at Rocky Valley Reservoir for photos, down soft, fine
gravel road , Omeo for lunch.
·
Leg 3:
Omeo, Mt Hotham, stopped to admire views at side of
road, glorious weather – though cold, Harrietville
·
Leg4:
Harrietville, Tawonga Gap, Mt Beauty, Kiewa Valley highway for 9 km then Tamgambalanga Road
running parallel up to Dederang, across Happy Valley
Road towards Ovens, picked up Rosewhite Road to Mudgegonga and then Myrltleford
Bakery
·
Leg 5: Myrtleford to Porepunkah, 30 km.
Total 479 km for the day
I had been looking forward
to our club Christmas camp for the last couple of months, with fond memories of
a decade ago, when the same event used to get moved around to a different
location each year. Halls Gap comes to mind, with spirited rides to Zumsteins, Mt. William and around the Grampians.
I had borrowed a mate’s bike trailer and arranged to
take mine and Ron Johnson’s steeds to Porepunkah. The trouble was I hadn’t done a trial run, and arriving at Ron’s on
Boxing Day morning, it was obvious to blind Freddie (whoever he is or was ) it
wasn’t going to ‘appen. The mudguards fouled the bike’s
exhaust. So Ron was going to have to ride up, with Julie following in the tin
box. My bike was okay in the centre of the offending trailer.
Robbie Langer was good enough to share his accommodation
with me, an on-site cabin he has had continuously for the last 12 years. Under
the trees to keep the worst of the heat off, on hot days.
The Johnson clan were installed under an enormous tent
city, Ian Payne in a cabin, sharing with Ha Du and Chris Pointon
on various nights. (Now just you stop that! It was all completely innocent.)
Ben and Julie, Pina and Misho,
Kurn, Peter and Liz with ankle biters in tow were all
under canvas. Paul and Jo had rented a house just around the corner. And so the
scene was set for a great week’s riding un stuff.
Half a dozen of us started off as we meant to continue,
with a quick blag up Mt. Buffalo, with a full road width of gravel on a 20 km/h
blind left hair pin to give us a wake up call. Further
up, road works were still happening where half the road had departed down the
mountain after recent heavy rains. The
view was as good as I remembered from the top.
First day out was started at the local servo at 9am
for a fill up and tyre pressure test. Kurn had put in
a prior request (he’d been sucking up to Ben big time) for the day’s route,
taking in all his favourite bits as he had come up for only one night and two
days. Now that’s keen. So orf we set to Tawonga
Gap which is a climb up some nice twisties to the
lookout and down the other side, about 20 kays of
good stuff.
Next bit was my favourite of the day, the run up to
Falls Creek, motorcycling heaven on a stick. Paul (black Fireblade)
was proving difficult to pass with all that
horsepower. I spent a few kays up his clacker, then went for it, into a left hander leading directly down to
a single lane bridge. I was rather hot entering the 90 degree corner to say the
least, but past I was, and that’s where I was staying. Get you behind me, thou evil
black Blade.
Morning tea was taken at the Alpine Village Hotel cum
coffee shop. Then the terrifically good black top was consumed at a great rate
of knots on the way to Omeo Bakery for food, and petrol for people with normal
type fuel tanks. The Varadero takes 25 litres and is
good for about 400kays. Come to think of it, if I only half filled it, maybe I
could get by Pauls Blade without the desperado move next time. A few kilos less
ballast - or just eat less ice cream.
Up and over Dinner Plain to
Mt. Hotham where obligatory photos were taken. I tried
to imagine the joint in mid-winter with a blizzard blowing hard horizontally
across the scenery. It’s enough to make your nether regions shrivel up and drop
off, a la brass monkeys.
Heading down the mountain, the bitumen was a bit on
the ordinary side, the bikes walking some what upon
its softish surface, backing off a tad the preference.
(By the by, all the typos in ear are sposed 2 b of a slitely umur arse nature in case yor wundrin abowt
my prow ess in the spelin deap art munt. I actually managed
sum ow not 2 ever get ex spelled at skool, by the skin of me teef, I
reckon. Awfly sorry if it takes a bit of de sifer ing. Praps I need a few
more Scrabble games with Mrs Ben.)
And so it was, peace descended on the land. All was
well with the world. The annoying buzz of four cylinder machines has ceased, and
the world would have to wait till tomorrow before they could once again be
thrilled by the deep throated rumble of proper two cylinder thumper bikes,
passing sedately down their leafy lanes.
John
Willis