Nagambie – Goulburn Weir Monday 13th June 2011
Willem Vandeveld |
Honda ST1300 |
Cliff Peters |
Kawasaki ZX12R |
Misho Zrakic/Pina Garasi |
Honda CBR1000 |
John Willis |
Kawasaki ZX1000 |
Tony Stegmar |
Honda CBR1000 |
Roman Biaroza |
Kawasaki GPx250 |
Paul Southwell |
Honda CBR1000 |
Phill Hotschilt |
Suzuki GSX13000 |
Michael Balshunou (2nd ride) |
Honda CBR1000 |
Duane Rafferty |
Suzuki GSXR1000 |
Ben Warden |
Honda CBR954 |
Cindy Lee |
Suzki GSXR750 |
Dave Chisma |
BMW F800ST |
Marc Marais |
Triumph 675 |
I’d originally planned to do an
overnight ride on the Sunday and Monday (13th) with some friends but
that fell through leaving me thinking I’ll be missing out with only one ride
planned for the long weekend – that being the Sunday 12th ride. I
was more than pleasantly surprised to hear that there was another ride on the
Monday. A long weekend of riding bliss; what more could one ask for? I spend
quality time with my son on Saturday, did the MSR Sunday ride and (feeling
slightly guilty about sneaking another ride in on the weekend) woke up Monday
morning, made the family some pancakes, cleaned up (that should put me in
credit for a while) and set off with a clear conscience.
It was off to the meet point at
Whittlesea again – Sunday’s ride left from here too - which meant a long slog
on the freeways from home. This time it wasn’t as cold as Sunday - or as foggy.
It was looking to be great day out and the weather was looking like it was
going to play along too.
After the usual pre-ride
formalities we headed off towards Flowerdale. I was looking forward to the fast
sweepers going up the hill but as we approached we turned left off the main
road. Ben was hoping to visit Toorourrong Reservoir but the gate was closed, a
sign indicating the road still unrepaired from the Black Saturday fire damage.
So we returned to the main road.
I was expecting to get back onto
those nice sweepers but it was not to be. Instead we headed up the Humevale
Road, a bumpy, suspension-punishing, kidney-busting track up the side of the
mountain. It joins up with the Whittlesea-Kinglake Road. I’d always wondered
where this little track went and now that I know where, there’s no need to
revisit it!
The road to Flowerdale was once
again a pleasant one, dry for the most part and with those nice sweepers going
down. We had some fog at the next decent section of the road – Junction hill - with
a bit of wet road and the unnerving signs warning the area is prone to ice on
the roads. I backed off a bit, even though this is another of my favourite
parts of this road, to be on the safe side.
A few kilometres before Yea, Ben
turned left and took us off to the west. The intersection was difficult to see
and just over a crest. Ben was in front (being the leader), with John and Misho
behind him. At the last second Ben saw the turn and hit the brakes. Misho and
John overshot – slammed on the brakes, leaving a ‘cager’ quite upset at having
to brake hard too, particularly after just
being overtaken by the bikes. I marked this corner while Misho, Ben and John
continued on. More riders overshot the corner even though I waved my hands
frantically as they came over the crest. (Yes, I did position myself as best I
could to be seen).
There was about 6 km of good dirt
on this bypass. The surface was hard packed with not much loose gravel.
We rejoined the main road again
heading towards Yea before picking up the Highlands road – a challenging road with,
as always, stones strewn across some corners.
We ended up at the famous burger
place in Seymour and even though it was a bit before lunchtime, most had lunch.
‘Burgers with the lot’ was the most common order and they’re definitely worth
it. The plan originally was to stop for lunch outside the station but the
bakery has closed down.
After clogging our arteries we
headed off to our destination – the Goulburn Weir. But it turned out to be a
bit harder to find than expected. It wasn’t signposted (once we eventually
found it), after a few U-turns including up to Murchison to fill up before
going to look for it again. (This was the first fuel stop at around 187 km).
We passed a discretely parked blue
camera car just over the bridge heading out of Murchison towards the servo,
looking for all the world like a fisherman. I saw it this time! After 8 points
in the last few years to bloody cameras, I’ve hopefully learnt to keep my eyes
open (the last 3 points was in Tyers – 71 in a 60 – what a waste!) Anyway, it seems Dave Chisma didn’t see it. I’ve
no idea if he hit the jackpot but time will tell. Good luck Dave.
Heading back south again, Ben
turned off the main road onto a little dirt track. I was thinking “great, more
dirt”, when I saw the Weir up ahead. A very picturesque scene: blue lake, blue sky,
gushing yellow water, a long row of giant silver mechanical valves. As we
walked over the old metal grates along the weir wall, giant spiders and their
webs could be seen just underneath. The sheer volume of water flowing out
through the sluice gates was hypnotising to watch. Mysterious, menacing
whirlpools formed on the dam side where the water was being sucked down.
After a few photos we were off back
to Nagambie.
By this point we had already lost
one rider – Paul decided he was tired of searching for the Weir and, I think,
had a nice cold beverage at home in mind instead ;)
We went over Kirwin’s Bridge – an
unusually long and curved wooden bridge – which is heritage listed. Due to its
length and being single lane, it has turn-outs to allow traffic to pass. We
stopped for a photo op and then set off for Heathcote for coffee. Some riders
had a late lunch here, not having had lunch at Seymour. Three riders left the
group from here (Michael, Duane and Dave).
We headed down the highway to
Tooborac where we were passed by an officer on a marked bike. Of course
everyone was very well behaved. We continued on, taking the first side road out
of Tooborac down to Emu Flat where we turned right towards Baynton. It was a
narrow and bumpy ride until we picked up the Burke and Wills Track down to
Lancefield. Highway until Romsey where Tony and John left the group to start
heading east, homeward bound via Whittlesea.
Then mostly straight roads till
Wildwood Road which provided welcome final twisties (I just can’t get enough.) We ended the ride at Bulla under the flight
path to ‘debrief’ and watch the planes coming in to land – always awe-inspiring
to watch. A few minutes earlier, just as we climbed out of the valley, we were
treated to a spectacular view of Melbourne city buildings bathed in bright
orange sunlight (the rest of the scenery in cloud) with the airport to the
right and a huge A380 jumbo coming into land right in front of us. It would have
been a great shot.
The final rider count at the end
was four! Ben, myself, Cliff and Roman. Misho, Pina, Willem and Phill left near
Clarkefield.
A great day out. Thanks for putting
on another ride for the public holiday, MSR! And thanks to Ben for leading.
Marc
Marais