Over the Hills and Far Away.

Me, Simon and Darryn head  out over the hills for a backroad blast, amazing, wicked biking roads. Darryn has a lovely red Ducati and Simon was on his SV650. Bluey is the odd bike out in this company, but I still think he looks rather handsome in a purposeful sort of way. Trying to keep up with the racey duo is like mud-wrestling a water buffalo at first, until my new tyres scrub in and warm up. Then I settle into a nice rhythm and have a blast! It is with a bit of a lump in my throat that I part company with the boys after a nice winery lunch.

Springtime near the Alpine ski resorts.

Shortly after this the road was closed with snow!

 I strike out on my own. Mansfield, Myttleford, Bright and Mt Beauty come and go as I swoop along the twisting roads, climbing ever higher until I’m passing snowy peaks and huge perpindicular drops. At Falls Creek the snow is a metre deep beside the road and regrettably my planned onward travel is impassable. The town is deserted in the early evening – where is everyone? A glacier slowly melts across the main road and hotels cling to the side of perilous drops to the valley floor. Back down the mountains I go – at least it’s a fun ride, swinging from bend to bend.

Mt Beauty is my camp for the night, and it’s well named. Lovely mountain scenery, a river full of trout apparently, and great facilities for weary campers. The country’s just come out of 7 years of drought and bushfires destroyed trees, farms, whole villages, swept along by strong winds and fuelled by the tinder-dry undergrowth. Some say the undergrowth should be controlled by er.. controlled burning to remove the fire’s fuel. But for now the country is green, warm and in the full bloom of Spring.

A bird outside sounds like someone cracking a stockwhip. I pack up and get on the road, passing more dead wombats today than you can point a stick at. I thought the Great Ocean Rd was the best road so far, but I might have to revise that after riding the Great Alpine Road. An absolute must-do road for bikers. Simply magic, and for 300kms I’m in motorcycling heaven. The Princes Highway winds it’s way around the SE of Victoria and by Tuesday I’m back where I started in NSW! Riding on an almost deserted road at 7am the road sweeps along majestically under a tall canopy of towering Eucalypts, then out into lush rolling farmland till  I come upon the Tasman Sea again at Eden, NSW.

I had to straighten the handlebars (ahem) after a silly fall off the sidestand while I was checking tyre pressures. My ignition switch has developed an annoying habit of sometimes not wanting to turn on. Just out of warranty, naturally.  Detouring off the Princes Highway I take the slower scenic route through Merimbula and Bermagui, a place made famous by the novelist Zane Grey for it’s marlin fishing (ah-ha!) It’s a fabulous detour, an excellent sweeping road with enough hazards (lumps, bumps, loose metal on corners) to keep things interesting. Lovely rivers and inlets and little harbour towns. A place to linger if you have time.

Back on the main road the traffic gradually builds in intensity. Road works, caravans and traffic lights! Another 500 km day brings me to Bulli, just 150 kms to Sydney. Rain is threatening, horrible towering purple thunderclouds are building up in the North. I take a walk on the surf beach before the spits start and I speed home to the luxurious shelter of my tent.

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