first bike hoilday

WALLY53 · 01-11-2008, 4:57 AM

The night before
Hi all
there’s a story of our first bike holiday. Traveling down the south
Funny thing the night before you can never get to sleep.

Well we woke up 4.30am checked everything had a coffee and left at 5.00am
The ride to Goulborn was boring. Had breaky at big M next to the big ram.
Stopped at Yass to fill up. Looked like it going to be a nice day slight breeze only passed one cop so far.

Next stop gundagai
Were the ride starts. Got to gundagai at 9.30am. Had another coffee. We left gundagai heading towards corryon we got lost well not lost just went the wrong way I wanted .
We found our way to baltow and got some photos at the lookout.
I didn’t like the ride from baltow to tumbarumba the road was very quiet and lonely not even a house. Well we got to corryon and stopped at the pub just as u get into town. Wanted to have lunch but the lunch shop was closed on Monday settled for a B&coke
The ride from corryon to Albury on the Murray valley rd is great nice corners,
Smooth road . The day turns out to be a little too nice in the 40s.
The dam is not very full taken so photos of the dam of just how low it is.
By the time we got to Albury we had an enough so we hit it to wangaratta and found a hotel with a spa.
The miss was getting the Shits… and was not sure about the rest of the trip I had planned. We had all ready done 800kms on the first day mostly in the 40s. Who could blame her.
Well I’m off to sit in the spa.
Day Two

We planned to ride too Omar along the great alpine rd and back to wangaratta.
We started down the great alpine rd at first it was boring straight road for as far as u could see.
Passed a few towns and arrived at Mt Buffalo. The road was great, nice and tight would of loved to have a go with out the miss’s on the back.

The view from the top was great got some nice photos.
Walk around a bit talked to a few other fellow push bike riders they suggested try Mt beauty.
The trip down was fun knew a few of the corners and stopped at the waterfall down the bottom where I thought about walking up river to the larger waterfall.
Next time the miss’s said

After Mt buffalo we went to bright nice town stopped to get petrol and the miss’s seen one of those power glider out the front. We decided to have lunch at bright subway. asked for the directions to get to Mt beauty
We found it no worries started going up a lot different to Mt buffalo a lot faster with some tight corners. I gave it a hard go going up. Its only 23km to the top and it was a short 23 kms. Sitting down at the top the miss’s said she was a bit scared coming up. Had a few drinks there’s nothing up there just a look out.
We rang the Power glider and they said they were book out how about tomorrow? Were not going to be here then after a few mins of silence on the phone they said what about 7.30pm? Great said the miss see u then.
The miss’s wasn’t to keen on going up and said u go. I was having fun riding around all these roads its only fair u go. I talked her into it after a bit.
It was only 12.00noon what’s to do for 7.00 hours RIDE!!!
We started back down Mt Beauty just as hard and turned off towards Mt Hotham along the great alpine rd still the great alpine rd was not living up to what I had thought it would be. Stop at a little town call Harretville got some petrol and water.

Well form here on in the road change got narrow and corner after corner now I’m liking it.
Started getting confident and started riding harder maybe a little too confident you know the black tar glue on the road. Well being a hot day the glue was slipply. I could feel the front slip a bit. So I slowed down a bit. Can’t go to hard got to get back home. After a few kms well 10kms the road got better a lot better now. I could get into the groove. Not that there were grooves on the road far from it just the groove of taking the corners. Riding on the top of the mountains was great. Got to the top of Mt Hotham and look around had some more drinks. By drinks I don’t mean alcohol drinks. I would be blind by now just the soft stuff. Mt Hotham was nice 31 deg and a slight breeze got some more photos. What can I say I love taking photos.

And what a beautiful place to take them.

The miss was getting the shits with me stopping and taking photos all the time. The ride back down was fun knowing the road a bit helps after coming back down. We stopped at Bright again and looked for a place to swim. We stopped at the pub and got some real drinks and asked the guy behind the counter where a nice water hole is with out been in town. He told as a place and off we went we had a few hours to waist before the miss’s had her flight.
Took a bit to find the place and what a waterhole won’t find these around Sydney not to many people around.

Not too many people around.
Wasn’t the clearest and not that cool

The miss’s got changed behind the trees before we went down. I just sat down and a few drinks and a smoke. Then walked up behind a bank to get changed there were house around. And had a swim after about 2-3 hours of swimming, talking. I walked back up behind the bank to take off my swimmers and under pants little did I know the people in the house were looking out the window at my big but ar well. We got ready and headed back to bright for dinner. Stopped at a restraunt and ordered a meal.
Sitting down waiting for our meal to come. I had seen a clock on the wall reading 6.05pm lots of time before her flight.
Well half way through dinner I looked at the clock again 6.05pm great the clock didn’t work. We pulled out the phone 6.50pm great we scoffed down our meal we would have looked like pigs. Race to the airfield in the nick of time and up she went. 30mins later down she came. Told him to leave her up there. By this time 8.10pm. we had to get back to the hotel and payed for the room. And before it got to dark Note to self don’t leave without a clear visor.
The hotel closed at 9.00pm and we were 80kms from there with it getting darker and darker by the min. we stopped at a town and rang the hotel letting them know we were coming back and would be late. And would like to pay up so we could leave early. No problems the guy said.
We rode back not to thrill about riding back with a dark visor at dust.

We got back to the hotel at 9.15pm not bad run.’
Was a great day had lots of fun well its 11.00pm i’m off to bed .
Till tommorow

Day 3

Here we go up at 6.00am left at 6.30am.
The guy came out and said buy and have fun.
We started out for wodonga had our morning coffee and smoke. Then started for corryon down the Murray valley hwy. What a way to start the day good weather nice road a lot better than Murray valley rd. Maybe because of the heat on Monday afternoon and it was nearing the end of the day. It was a fast road with lots of corners, nice views of the lake. Well we got to corryon and full up wasn’t sure how far the next petrol station was we had already travel 160kms after talking to the guy in the station we were off to mt koso national park now this is a road what can I say but LOVE IT. Would do it again any day. The road surface was great the weather great and that all I needed the first bit was tight and narrow we stop at the power turbines.

Met up with a guy from England over here for a bike holiday. He had started out in Sydney and was off to Melbourne. Asked him what he had though about his ride so far he answers loving it u know when u get to a sign saying next 65km of corners your in for a good time. From here it got better lots of corners longer ones and faster. Leaning the bike over to one side then straight back to the other over and over again.
Not long after I felt a sharp sting on the back of my neck. ask the miss’s to see if she could see anything? No she said.

Not long after we stop at a river.

We came to the conclusion that it must have been one of those really big flies , see I had my jacket half done up to let the breeze in. we seen a lot of bikers riding thought Mt koso natalion park.
We came up too 3 other bikers riding 2up on cruises got passed them giving them a wave. Riding along thinking I would not like to meet a truck coming the other way. most of the sharp bends were marked.
65km = 80-85km
55km =80-85km
35km =60-65km
15km =35-40km
the 15km corners were the hair pins doubling back on the road.
Getting up the top u could get some really nice views and photos as well.

A bit later we came up too a truck. Don’t know why he would want to come this way. I let him know that 3 more bikes were coming up soon

Thredbo was coming up soon and I was hoping to ride up the top of Mt koso. Didn’t see any turn off. But we did see a chair lift running up to there. But I want to ride to the top

The road from Thredbo to Jindabyne was open 100km speed limit in no time we were at Jindabyne lake got some nice photos.

We stopped at our destination jinbdyne for the day. had lunch and looked around. The miss’s wasn’t to keen on staying at Jindabyne for the night. So the next place was cooma. No worries lets go.
Started over the dam that had no water near it and over the hill. From here on in it was windy, very windy only 60km to cooma. Not long after leaving Jindabyne, I felt another sharp sting on the back of my neck this time the miss’s seen a sting and I stopped quite quickly and she pulled it out. Took my jacket off and looked for what Stung me. But after looking found nothing ar well done my jacket up tight this ant happen 3 times today. On the way we started talking about cooma and where else we could go Canberra? Wasn’t were we had plain to stop the next day. After coming up to a sign post we worked out that bega was the same distance as Canberra. So that was it Brown Mt here we come.
Got into cooma look around and headed for bega still very windy and a bit of traffic on this road too. The road was good and the long grass look like waves as the wing blow over it. Too windy to take photos on the bike sorry.
Well an hour of riding was good for me got the feel of the bikes behavior well not long and we were coming up to Brown Mt lots of low level clouds as we approach the Mt started down now this is a great road. We got to the lookout and stop and changed our visors.I had tinted ones and the cloud cover was making it a little too dark. We put our thermos on too.
Putting my jacket down to zip up my thermo and what did I find a wasp ar that’s what Stung me.After a few mins a few other bikes stopped. They were visitors from VIC up here on holidays at bega. They had two bikes and they were decked out . I asked them were they have been and were they were going. they were off to Albury ar I said that’s were we came from. How long did it talk he ask? Iv been on the road since 6.30am it was 4.00pm by now told him he going to love Mt koso nation park. I’m looking forward to that he said. He told me about brown Mt and to take it easy. We look around brown mt and said our good byes. Off we go again down the rest of the MT this next half was tighter and stepper low gears and let the bike do the work. From the bottom to bega the road open up again and a light drizzle started not an enough to stop and put on wet weather gear yet.
Did we stop at bega? NO lets keep going she said.
Were to know? I ask
Bermagui ? she said
OK
After a few kms the rain started to get heavier. So we stopped and put the gear on. and pressed on to bermagui.
By the time we got to bermagui the rain had stopped.

Time to find a place to sleep. Motels full, caravans full didn’t look good wasn’t looking forward to riding to Bateman’s bay. We stopped at a caravan park just outside of town called wallaga lake.Were in luck got a cabin not cheap for what it was. I am sitting in a school chair writing this. By this time it was getting close to 6.00pm and he had to find somewhere to eat pub to full to sit down and eat. Found a fish and chips shop and ordered dinner. Now I’m not a fish eater but that was the nicest fish I have ever eaten we sat down near the boats and ocean. While eating fish and chip there was a few seagulls there was one chasing all the rest away reminded me of my dog chasing the birds away had a good laugh.

Well what a day
Left the heat of wangatta to the nice air of Mt koso to the windy parts of cooma to the low level clouds of mt brown to the rain near bega.

It was the first time riding the blackbird in the rain as well as being 2up. Not that I won’t ride in the rain.

All in all a great day of riding
Were too next I hate to say it home.

Day 4

Woke up late got ready had our morning coffee and off we went left Bermagui and headed north on the princes HWY. It’s a sunny, windy day we got to Bateman’s bay. Stopped at the big M and had a break/lunch seen a HWY patrol getting the same thing. It’s the first cop I have seen in3 days. I through it might be wise to stay under the speed limit 100km. It was a good idea riding pass a HWY patrol getting petrol around another 3 more along the way to nowra. Riding for nowra we headed for husskisson. While in husskisson we thought about hiring a boat for a few hours. We found the boat hire and they were packing up for the day. It was only 12:00noon I said. I got a migraine he said sorry. No problem and ask him were we could hire a other boat? Try Greenwell Point he said.
Away we went I was looking forward to a swim and a boat trip. we turned off at nowra towards Greenwell Point found the boat hire and rented a boat for 2 hours.
We had fun cruising around in the boat before we new it it was time to head back. By this time it was 3:30pm. We set off towards home
We got home around 6:00pm
Ill wash the bike torrow
All up we had done around 2200kms in 4 days not bad for our first holiday.
We didn’t get to where I had planned to go but we winged it. I like it like that.
Just ride to u find a place u like and stop.
Were all ready planning our next holiday maybe sep or oct
Thanks for reading
Bye
Dave & Rebecca
i did have lots of photos as well back i dont know how to post them

Nutter67 · 01-11-2008, 5:10 AM

Great trip, cant wait to see some photo's

WALLY53 · 01-11-2008, 7:28 AM

I have added some photos on myspace
my user name is myspace.com/hondaxx

just click on pics

CanadianBird · 01-13-2008, 11:43 AM

This thread is useless without pics.

WALLY53 · 01-13-2008, 11:22 PM

Ok I'm sorry for not putting up pictures
i know it helps tell the story
I'm i forgiven?

Maxx409 · 01-14-2008, 1:10 AM

Thanks for the write up Wally. Nice pics. 1300 mi. in 4 days is pretty respectable. Glad you had a blast and the missus goes with you.

Nutter67 · 01-14-2008, 3:52 AM

You are forgiven.

CanadianBird · 01-14-2008, 8:48 AM

Nice pic, you're forgiven. Aren't you hot in that black helmet sucking up the Aussie sun and that dark jacket? It must be in the 30's + down there during the summer months.

TWEET · 01-14-2008, 10:15 AM

Nice pics Wally

I suggest if you like those roads, you visit: http://www.ozblackbird.net
The gang is having our annual rally down there 10-13 April inclusive.

If you ever want to come for a run up the Putty, there are a few local bird riders who always have a blast, they are members here and on the Oz site, would be great to have you along.

PJNXX · 01-14-2008, 11:26 PM

Nice pics. Looks like a great ride.

By the way, did you come across the Toecutter and his gang riding their KZ1000's out on those desolate roads?

Nutter67 · 01-15-2008, 4:32 AM

Sorry, MadMax took care of them.

If you look closely, the director (as a tribute) left the scene in where the stunt rider actually died (was run over by a truck)

WALLY53 · 01-16-2008, 7:09 PM

Yeah tweet i'm in anytime just let me know When and were and illbe there
thanks
wally