The Long Way to Adelaide

Tuesday, 20^th March

When we woke up it was raining. One thing I will say about our tent is it didn't leak. Like the sailing and bike riding we do, we are fine weather campers - bad weather cramps our style. Eating becomes a particularly difficult occupation. The camp kitchen always seemed full of foreigners with long faces. I felt like saying "has someone died," but they wouldn't have got the joke. We muscled our way in, made ourselves at home and enjoyed our tea and toast - we had as much right to be there as they did.

The rain would not let up so we put on our wet weather gear and got to work. Checkout time is 10am. I let the office know that we were running a little late due to the weather and they looked at me as if to say "just this once." I felt like saying "get a life mate." What difference is half an hour going to make if there is no one waiting to check in? Of course I said nothing. They certainly weren't going to let us have any preferential treatment even though we were Big4 members. The caravan park also had an internet cafe. The one and only terminal was out of order so we asked at the office if they would be so kind and look up the latest weather information on the net. Lets just say they were reluctant! No service above and beyond the call of duty.

Finally we were ready to leave. Our newly tuned motorcycles, together with roads wet and swimming in oil made us focussed and cautious. In the heavy city traffic we had only covered 25km in the first hour - we were ready to stop before the journey had even begun. We rested at the nearest bakery with a pie and a cup of coffee. This refreshing break didn't stop us from getting lost trying to find the Gippsland Highway. The weather cleared and before long we were riding along another great road and smiling again. We had hoped to make it all the way to Bairnsdale but somewhere along the way we must have been lost in a time-warp. We were filling up with fuel at Yarram, it was already 4pm, Bairnsdale still 140km away. So we made camp at Yarram. We had the camp kitchen all to ourselves this time. After dinner we lounged in some old cane chairs and watched The Bill on TV - luxury!

 

Lakes Entrance

Wednesday, 21^st March

By lunch time we were in Bairnsdale, the tent was up and we were ready to go riding in the place they call Gippsland. How sweet it is to slow down a little and spend more quality time exploring! We rode down to Paynesville. There were yachts, powerboats and house boats everywhere - great trailer-sailor country. We spotted the yacht Myvanwe which used to belong to our cruising friends Graham and Marika. She was looking a little neglected, nothing that couldn't be fixed with some TLC. Then it was back to camp for happy hour and a great BBQ tea.

 

Lets go up the hill

Thursday, 22^nd March

Being so endeared to food we decided to go on a food crawl. So it was the lovely little town of Metung for morning tea, Lakes Entrance for lunch and Bruthen for afternoon tea. The roads were great. The early rain had turned the hills emerald green and the area reminded us very much of England. Lakes Entrance is another fascinating place for sailors. A large fishing fleet work out of this port - in the words of Ali G - "respect." It is not a haven for deep drafted vessels as the bared entrance is shallow. We couldn't resist a seafood basket for lunch. We will miss the cold water fish from Tasmania and Victoria. It certainly appeals to our taste buds. We didn't arrive back at camp until late afternoon. Where we pitched our tent there wasn't a tree in site and it would have been far to hot to rest in the afternoon sun.

 

Jane crossing Livingston Creek

Friday, 23^rd March

We were due home in two weeks and home was along way away. We had spent all the time we could afford in the Gippsland area, but we will be back that's for sure. Our idea was to take the Great Alpine Road to Bright, spend a few days sampling the delightful roads in the Alpine region, then start heading west, breaking the journey for a few days in Adelaide before taking on the Nullarbor once more.

It is not true to say that we had become complacent about the weather forecast but we didn't take it as seriously as when we were sailing. We hadn't heard the forecast so we just packed our bags and hit the Great Alpine road. By mid morning we were riding in a savage westerly gale. The day was still quite bright, but the bullets of wind on some of the bends made us sit up and take notice.

Not unduly worried we stopped for the promise of a great pie at the wood fired bakery in Swifts Creek. We were disappointed to find the pie cooked in a conventional oven. There was no wood fired bakery. The guy who stokes the fire was busy helping to put out real fires in the national park! Not to worry, it was still a nice example of a pie! We got back on our bikes and off we went. The road enjoyable in every way despite the wind.

On our approach to Dinner Plain, out of nowhere the clouds came rolling in. We stopped to put on our wet weather trousers. Steve said "I don't like the look of this," neither did I. We were soon back on the road, riding in the kind of drizzle that will soak you to the bone without you noticing it! We took shelter in the refuge at Dinner Plain, made tea and chatted to other travellers. The staff in the resort were most obliging and assisted us with the latest weather information. A thunderstorm was sitting right over the top of us. The advice was wait half an hour then we should be riding in sunny conditions again. So we waited, and we waited. The conditions weren't severe, just persistent.

Caught out at Mt Hotham

We saddled up once more and headed to Mt Hotham only 11km away. Things turned ugly just as we were riding into town. A torrential downpour lashed at us with such force we stopped to catch our breath at the visitor centre. Of course the place is a ghost town out of the ski season. When the rain eased and the wind died to a zephyr, the fog rolled in. The densest fog I have ever seen, visibility 15m. We discussed our options. Take a room here at the resort, but for how long? The locals were tipping a possible early fall of snow! The temperature was 15oC, a far cry from the hot day down on the plains. The thought of being stuck at Mt Hotham was beyond comprehension and we made the decision to ride on. I went in front. We had only the snow poles and road markings to guide us. At one point Steve lost sight of my tail light and thought I had stopped even though I promised I wouldn't. Twenty minutes of mega concentration and we were out of the fog as if nothing had happened.

Our troubles weren't quite over. Steve boiled the brake fluid in his rear brake. Our visit to Bright turned out to be only long enough to make a few phone calls in search of a mechanic. It was 3pm on a Friday afternoon. What hope did we have of finding someone to help us before Monday. But we did. We found a very obliging guy at Wangaratta. He stayed open until we arrived and changed the break fluid on the spot. What service, we will never forget this level of hospitality.

We found a caravan park, pitched our tent and licked our wounds over an icy cold beer. After dark we walked into town and celebrated with Pizza on the pavement. It was still 32^oC!

 

Ned Kelly

Saturday, 24^th March

When in Rome do what the Romans do, right? So we went to Glenrowan and learnt about Ned Kelly. The town of Glenrowan is still being developed as a tourist destination. We noticed an unhealthy competition between the two museums, so much so that maybe neither of them will survive. I was completely taken by the Ned story, I felt quite teary as I walked around the museum. When I introduce my song My Lady My Lover, I have always used American outlaw Jessie James in my pre song patter. I'll be using Ned Kelly from now on. It is only through lack of knowledge that I hadn't used him in the first place.

 

Car park at Australian Super Bikes, Winton race track

Sunday, 25^th March

When we found out that the Australian Super Bikes were racing at Winton Raceway we couldn't resist another day at the races. What a fabulous track. There were no high fences and the track was so close to the spectators it made us step backwards a couple of times! From where we were standing you could see just about the whole track, amazing. It would have to be the most entertaining track we have ever been to. It is a wonder it hasn't been closed down with all the litigation talk. It cost $40 each for a day ticket. When the Super Bikes were at Wanneroo in 2006 it was only $25. Worth every penny though, and yes we will be looking out for opportunities to visit Winton again.

 

Mansfield - Whitfield Road

Monday, 26^th March

Up before dawn. The lights in the camp-kitchen only come on at night so we were drinking tea and eating toast by torch light. We were heading for home now, no doubt about it. We incorporated three of The Bears rides into the days riding. This kept us on the back roads, out of the traffic and enjoying some fabulous scenery along the way - what could be better. We had to negotiate Bendigo which was more difficult that it sounds with our level of road maps. A helpful Ulyssian gave us our final instructions and we were home and hosed. St Arnaud became our home for the night. That's a nice looking little town. The caravan park is situated high on a hill and had lovely views. After a full days riding we were too tired to walk into town. Next time around!

 

Tuesday, 27^th March

We had lost daylight saving by now. We missed it in the evening, made us want to go to bed at 7:30pm. By the clock we were up and away by 7:30am which was great for morale, Adelaide was 540km away. The extra early start had given us a big appetite and we were pulling into a Macdonald's car park by 9:30am. After that it was head down and bum up for a boring and busy highway ride. The trucks were horrendous. One truck over took me a little close for comfort so I gave him a toot. Why not, it's my arse on the line! A storm was brewing and we were riding in a gusty NW wind. The miles ticked by slowly. I wanted to stop for a drink at the Roadhouse at Murray Bridge. Steve wanted to stop for afternoon tea in Hahndorf. We didn't stop at all. Most of the time we are on the same wavelength but not on this day. It made us a little frustrated and grumpy. As luck would have it we managed to find the caravan park without a hitch. That first cup of tea sure tasted good.

 

National Motor Museum

Wednesday, 28^th March

With the east coast completely consumed by drought, the last time the bikes saw a hose was in Tasmania. In Victoria we weren't even allowed to use a bucket, only the headlights and wind shields could be wiped clean. In South Australia a bucket was still permitted so we sloshed some water around and tarted them up as best we could. My little pink panther, who has travelled with me for 25 years, needed a bath. He had enjoyed the entire journey tied to my handle bars and didn't look any the worse for wear.

After lunch we did the run to Birdwood. I was feeling lazy and took the pillion seat. The ride up Gorge Road was great, Steve wrote in the log "as good as Tassie." Birdwood is the home of the National Motor Museum. The museum has a fantastic display and included iconic cars like "The Last Statesman" to leave the production line before the Commodore styling took over.

Unfortunately we got caught up in the peak hour traffic on the way home. The locals sure know how fast they can take each bend and it wasn't the time of day for a stranger to be cruising around.

That evening we had a BBQ tea and relaxed around our camp site. Adelaide was turning out to be fun.

 

Thursday, 29^th March

There was no doubt that autumn had arrived and winter was just around the corner. We were wearing our beanies in the morning to keep warm.

We took Steve's bike into Adelaide for a new rear tyre. The old one had given up the ghost at 9,500km, such is the hard life of towing a trailer. While we waited we had the pleasure of ambling around the streets in an unknown city. We loved every minute of it.

 

National Motor Museum

Friday, 30^th March

We took both bikes for their last ride through the Adelaide Hills. We did the famous Corkscrew Road. At first we wondered what all the fuss was about, then it really tightened up. At times we were down to first gear, you wouldn't want to stall it that's for sure.

A light drizzle set in as we reached Mt Lofty so we stopped in the Visitors Centre to warm up and give the weather a chance to clear.

Lunch was a cup-of-soup and a home made ham roll in the town park in Hahndorf, followed by a rich example of a German chocolate torte. We agree with The Bear, Hahndorf passes the test on theme villages.

My prized F1 denim jacket was just the place to pin a few motoring badges so I was very keen to return to the motoring museum in Birdwood. The selection of badges was amazing. I bought four, Yamaha (my bike), Kawasaki (Steve's bike), Saab (our car) and Jaguar. The Jaguar badge is in memory of my Ma and Pa's 1968 Jaguar. I haven't found an occasion to wear this jacket but it is a great souvenir of our holiday.

We left Birdwood early enough to miss the peak hour traffic on Gorge Road. It was a great days riding and so close to a major centre - amazing.

 

Saturday, 31^st March

Our last day in Adelaide. It was a toss up whether to go to the car and bike show that had just arrived in town or to see the movie Wild Hogs. The movie was a more relaxing option and we really enjoyed it. To see it while we were away, two middle aged punters on our own road journey, made us laugh our heads off. Anyone who is remotely into bikes will enjoy this movie.

When we returned to camp we packed up as much as we could. It was hard to believe that the following day we would pitch our tent for the last time. Our road journey was nearly over and the trip goes down as one of the most enjoyable things we have ever done.