|
|
LOOPING OZ |
|
The Last Leg By Al
|
|
|
We’re on our last leg! The last bit of the trip started off well with a 9am start from Hendrik and Di’s house in Adelaide. The weather the bikes and our health were absolutely superb.
We were adequately prepared for a magic day looping the Fleurieu Peninsula. To add to the perfection we were led by two very capable guides from the local Adelaide FRATS - Carl and Evan. Carl on his V11 Sport and Evan on his u beaut Quota. Of course having some of the local boys leading the trip meant we just had to start with some of the better twisty roads the Adelaide Hills have to offer. All secret, sorry – otherwise there would be lots of motorcyclists and it wouldn’t be fun anymore. Well, maybe!
As we wound our way up into the hills (some minutes from the city centre) we actually got decent glimpses of Adelaide city and other things like the beaches. And, believe it or not, you could see for miles out into the gulf. Yep, it was a clear sunny day, pure magic, and a fabulous way to leave a fantastic city.
Of course before we left we did let Evan and Carl know that our old bikes were rather sedate. I don’t think they realized how sedate until we reached the more open roads and started heading down the peninsula to a place called Cape Jervis via lots of little towns on the way, all as cute as each other and steeped in history.
To get to Cape Jervis we passed through famous McLaren Vale and stopped for a breather at some beach place that I can’t remember the name of. It might have been Sellicks Beach? The ride down was absolutely fantastic with long sweepers and views to die for. The grass was very green and the cattle fat. Hard to believe that only a couple of hundred kilometers north cattle are sucking on pebbles for their daily nutrition. We stopped a couple of times to take pics and take in the views. It was at one of these stops Evan commented “you know, when you go slower you actually get to see things”, and that’s exactly why we chose to use the V7’s to circumnavigate good old Oz.
Of course the V7’s aren’t just the ideal reliable tourer they are also very resourceful and this was about to be demonstrated as we moved on from Cape Jervis for Victor Harbor. We had been riding so hard that Carl’s V11 Sport (very new and still shiny) couldn’t handle the pressure and gave up crying out for attention. Of course it was the mighty V7’s to the rescue with their spare oil bottles. On the side of the road, not far from Victor Harbor, we fished out lots of bits of oil to top up the very low level of oil in the V11’s sump. This just happened to be enough for Carl to limp the Sport into town where it could be given further attention. Don’t worry I got it on camera.
We arrived in Victor Harbor just in time for some late lunch (Subway) with a coffee and a few beers from a local pub near the foreshore. It was also at Victor Harbor where the boys headed off, Evan back to Adelaide and Carl to a mates place in town where he could nurse his bike back to good health.
That evening Meredith and I visited the Granite Island Recreation Park to check out the penguins. Yes, we did see some and it was a well worth it type of effort. And, not only did we get to see some penguins, we were presented with a fantastic sunset across the bay. I tried pretty hard to take a few snaps with the trusty camera, of which a couple actual worked.
The next morning Carl with a mate from town came over and kicked our tent to get us up. It was breakfast time and he, as well as, us needed to eat. So we packed the tent and headed into town to find a coffee shop that has been “feeding Victor since 1888”. I took a photo because M’s dad has a dog called Victor. A hearty brekkie over and a coffee drunk we parted company with Carl and headed out along the coast to check out Lake Alexandrina and the red salt lakes along its coast.
We passed through many little towns and took a couple of ferry rides to get to our next stop – Meningie. From Victor Harbor we followed the coast as close as possible traveling through Port Elliot – Goolwa – Currency Creek and veering off onto Winery Rd – Finniss Clayton Rd – Coxs Rd to arrive at Clayton. An interesting ride through some rural country that included vines and some views of the lake trapped between the mainland and a land bar. From Clayton we headed north to Milang along the edge of Lake Alexandrina. At first you can’t help but think this is the open ocean with very small waves. There is also evidence the lake is or has been used by not only lots of birds but also humans who have setup camp along the waters edge and dug lots of irrigation channels and built their dream homes. I believe the Rann government wants to setup some weir which some local’s recon will upset the current ambiance? Ah, progress.
From Milang we headed north to Langhorne Creek along Richmond Rd. Langhorne Creek is a premium wine region with lots and lots of vines all planted in lots and lots of long rows to prove it. From Langhorne Creek we headed straight to Wellington which is an interesting little town just south of Talem Bend. At Wellington we boarded a FREE ferry to cross the mighty river that separated us from our goal of heading further south and where we had been. The ferry ride was pretty uneventful but fun all the same.
From the ferry we headed south along the Princes Hwy toward Meningie. Once again, along the highway there were lots of bright red salt lakes and the terrain was looking much drier than where we had been prior. We didn’t get too far south when we were stopped by a police blockade some 20kms north of Meningie. It turned out some character had decided to attack an electricity pole with his backhoe whilst dredging. Unfortunately his backhoe came off second best when a grass fire was started from the lines that dropped from the poles. The result was a raging grass fire with lots of black smoke, a huge queue of waiting vehicles along the highway, and one shaken backhoe operator.
We sat on the side of the road in the queue of cars, trucks and motor bikes for quite some time. The weather was warm, the surrounds uninteresting and the scene was set for a good time to chat with people you wouldn’t normally meet. However, this was rudely interrupted by the local cop who had decided enough was enough and to clear the waiting traffic turned us all back up the highway to take a detour around the fire.
While we were waiting in the queue watching the raging grass fire we got chatting to a local bloke who had offered us some strawberries, which I gladly hoed into. He suggested that if we were going to head to Meningie via a detour we should go through Narrung, which we did. Glad we did as it was a very interesting ride even though it was nearly all gravel.
Our detour via Narrung required us to turn off the Princes Hwy just north of Ashville. For the first few kilometers this is sealed, then it quickly turns into gravel, mostly nice and flat and not sandy. However, there are parts where holes in the road get quite close to each other and hard to dodge. All this said it was fun.
Just before Narrung we had to take another FREE ferry trip across Lake Alexandrina (a small channel crossing actually). When we arrived at the ferry stop for some reason the ferry took quite some time to arrive. It turned out the thing had stalled part way across the channel, and was a few meters from the other bank and the operator had lots of difficulty getting it restarted. No, we weren’t nervous.
We took the outer roads from Narrung via Point McLeay to Meningie. Not much to actually look at other than sand dunes, paddocks and dream homes other than to say we had been there done that. Narrung itself is a very small place with a few houses and not much else, but glad we had taken the side step to check the place and surrounds.
Eventually we arrived in Meningie and setup camp at the caravan park just out of the town centre on the lake. It was sort of blowing a gale (again) and the owners of the caravan park were really helpful and strongly recommended we shelter behind some shrubs situated in the middle of the park rather than on the foreshore with all the lovely views. We didn’t argue as I doubt we could have set the tent up anyway in the howling wind. Other campers were already leaving.
As it turns out Meredith had complained about starting to feel sick when we left Victor Harbor, and she had continued to mention the pending sickness regularly during the day. The sickness turned out to be true as we ended up staying in Meningie for the next three days. Not only did this put the cap on the lid for making it to the Phillip Island GP it also meant a weekend in a very small country town without a TV to watch the said GP. The consolation prize was to meet the butcher, the baker, and the candle stick maker in town whilst Meredith slept and felt ill for the ensuing period of our stay in Meningie. Not only did I get to meet the butcher and the baker, but I got to meet the local coffee shop owner, went to buy a newspaper, check out the museum, and watch some of the GP with a bottle of red at the local pub on Saturday. Not a bad spot Meningie, everyone was very friendly and asked regularly how Meredith was going.
Eventually Meredith was well enough and the cold front had moved on slightly so it was time to move on. The day before we had contemplated giving the whole idea of tripping around the bottom bump of Oz a miss. The weather had been foul. We had had storms with hail and the wind hadn’t stopped over the past three days. However, on the said morning of deciding north or south it was overcast but still. I had also been watching the weather forecast and the prediction was a few days of clear weather, even sunshine and possible warmth. On that decisive morning I lead the way and it was south. It was also the day I started to feel ill.
So, on a very cloudy and cold Sunday with Meredith still recovering we made it to Mount Gambier leaving the Princes Hwy at Kingston SE to Robe and Beach Port and back to the Princes Hwy at Millicent. On the way we stopped off for lunch at the BP roadhouse in Kingston SE where there is a TV that was tuned to the GP. Somehow in the mayhem of travel, sniffling, and a late lunch I was actually able to see Casey Stoner crowned king!
The next day, as predicted, the weather was fabulous and the bikes in the morning were dry even though the yellow bikes differential was leaking oil all over the side of the tyre. We had stayed at a budget motel on the southern side of Mt Gambier where we could park the bikes on the verandah. From Mt Gambier we took the Portland Nelson Rd to Portland. The road is a must do if your in the area as it goes up and down and around and around. Seriously, it’s a good ride.
From Portland we rejoined the Princes Hwy and headed for Warnambool, the Great Ocean Rd, the grand state of Victoria, and most importantly a stop of for lunch in Port Fairy. Port Fairy is a must see. It has some grand old hotels, lots of eateries, and lots of history. I also got the camera out and took some happy snaps, that’s how good the place is.
From Port Fairy we headed straight for the border, crossed into Victoria and turned off the Princes Hwy around Allansford for the Great Ocean Rd. The trip to the coastal strip is interesting but not as interesting as the road along the coast. Oh, what a treat! Even feeling as sick as I was, the trip along the Great Ocean Rd was fabulous as we wound up and down the hills and along the coast to Apollo Bay. On the way we pulled over and did some happy snapping with the camera and video so we could keep our own memento of things like The Twelve Apostles and the twisty bits of road through Otway National Park.
We arrived at Apollo Bay where we decided to stay. We found the Information crowd located in a bus in a carpark (building renovations) where we got a list of the various accommodations in town. Apollo Bay is not cheap, but we did find an onsite cabin for a reasonable price. We ended up staying there for a couple of nights as I was getting pretty bad with the flu and Apollo Bay is a nice place to spend a couple of days, even if you're sick.
Fortunately we had opted for a couple of days as the next day it was blowing a mega gale. We had received a call from more FRATS who were making their way back from Phillip Island on their trusty T3. We had arranged to meet for breakfast in Apollo Bay and when we met Andy and Kate they described the 10 to 20 minute trip into Apollo Bay. Apparently, the wind was blowing so hard on one corner they ended up with one foot each on the road and the bike stopped with no way of moving forward. Luckily, there was a break in the wind and they were able to regain balance and get the bike moving around the bend. Sounds unbelievable! No. That morning we walked into town to meet them and we were extremely glad we had decided to stay put.
We left Apollo Bay on a sunny day continuing our way along The Great Ocean Rd. Even though I was very sick and Meredith recovering we had decided to take advantage of a couple of warmer days to scoot across the bottom of Victoria before the next cold front hit the coast. The road from Apollo Bay to Lorne is fabulous with some fantastic views of the coastal strip and wonderful vegetation. The road is also very windy and luckily not busy so we were able to relax and take it all in.
In Lorne we stopped for a bit of brekkie at a coffee shop in the middle of town and had a chat with some blokes heading back to Perth from the GP. One on a Le Mans Mk V. After an average and expensive coffee and feed we headed along the remainder of The Great Ocean Rd to Geelong. The front tyre for my bike (yellow v7) needed replacing. When we had stopped at Lorne the bloke on the Le Mans had given us details of a good place to go rather than head into Melbourne itself.
I rang Road and River M/C’s in Newtown to check they would have a tyre that would fit and to determine if there would be any delays. Yep, we have a tyre and nope there won’t be any waiting if you take the wheel off and refit it yourself. Done deal. We headed for Road and River M/C’s to get the new tyre. Of course this meant we could dodge the city of Melbourne and take the ferry to Sorrento, which this time wasn’t free.
We stayed at Queenscliff at a B&B, a cute place in the main street. The owners even let us park the bikes in the shed out the back which was even better. We did some walking around the town taking in the sights. Queenscliff is a fabulous spot with interesting buildings, an interesting train station and an interesting fortress.
After a big hearty brekkie we headed down to the ferry. Here we met a bloke on a KTM who had just got back from Europe on a motorcycle holiday. He offered to show us around Sorrento and along the cape. The trip across the channel from Queenscliff to Sorrento was quite cold as we had to stay with the bikes down below.
When we unloaded we were given a bit of a cooks tour from Sorrento to Flinders where we took in some views of Phillip Island and the local surrounds before continued up the coast to Hastings where we said tu ru.
Originally, we were going to head along the coast but there was another cold front coming and it was already windy so we decided to head north and east and see if we could outrun the bad weather. After a while you get sick of being blown around and getting wet.
So, we left the Sth Gippsland Hwy to Nyora and headed north to Drouin then Warragul then north again through some absolutely gorgeous countryside on some equally gorgeous winding roads which the old V7’s had been longing for since finishing The Great Ocean Rd.
From Warragul we headed along Brabdy Creek Rd north with the bright idea of cutting through Buln Buln but missed the turn off. Before we knew it we were nearing Neerum Sth. So to try and correct our little error we followed our nose along lots of little back roads across to Willow Grove (don’t ask for directions as there we’re too many to remember). All through this area is absolutely fabulous and one that we will be returning to.
From Willow Grove it was down toward Moe and across to Yallourn Nth and its huge cooling towers for the power station. Heyfield via some backroads through Tyers and Glengarry. At Heyfield we tried to get a camping spot but there was none so we moved on to Maffra to the local caravan park where we had stayed some time ago.
If we had known better we would have given the caravan park at Maffra the big flick. It is expensive for the conditions in the park compared to any other park we have stayed at in Australia. We won’t be going back.
Anyway, after a shit house night and a crappy shower we headed off to Bairnsdale for yet another surprise. Here it was the coffee. The coffe was the worst that I had had in Australia until I got to New South Wales a few days later. The coffee was so bad I took it back just to get issued with an almost equally crappy replacement. I sort of sipped a bit of it but left the rest just incase it incited a case of indigestion. I won’t be buying coffee in Bairnsdale again.
After the coffee I was spurred into action. Regardless of the fact I felt like shit from the flu, and a panging sensation of being ripped off by the crappy coffee and a crappy caravan park. I decided it was time to hike as quick as possible for New South Wales and greener pastures. The weather was changing with clouds rolling in and the odd bit of drizzle. It was also starting to cool off and I was starting to panic about getting sicker and getting laid up in some spot I couldn’t get a decent coffee at. So we headed east as fast as the old V7’s could take us.
From Bairnsdale we decided to follow the Princes Hwy rather than take our chances over the mountains to Bombala or Omeo (the preferred routes). Firstly, we had never done the Princes Hwy up the east coast. Secondly, we were hoping for warmer and drier weather which appeared to be just on the other side of the ranges.
Our hunch had proven correct. We arrived in Eden where we stayed for the night, camped next to some Plovers who had nested in the camp ground and didn’t quite understand that we had no interest in the eggs. Eden is a great place with friendly people.
From Eden we continued on up the Princes and Pacific Hwy to Brisbane just so we could say we had been there done that. In essence we just blasted up the highway at about 100km/hr stopping for nights at Nowra, Sydney and Kempsey on the way. We also stopped for the worst coffee on our trip at Kiss The Cook in Moruya. The coffee was so bad I didn’t even attempt to drink it. We won’t be going back there either.
It was lovely to be back on the east coast. The weather was warmer and there were more motor bikes on the road. In NSW the police were targeting “Speeding Motorcyles” which made me feel nice to be noticed. Even though the traffic was a bit denser it wasn’t a big hassle. In fact there was only one camper van that caused us any grief from Adelaide to Brisbane. And, we made it back to Brisbane before the storms hit.
Looping Oz is complete after 21,000kms. Would I do it again? Yes, more than likely on a bike that is; reliable, sturdy, very comfy, easy to ride, economical, and easy to maintain and repair (sounds like a V7 to me). |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
