Melb. to Syd. the long way round. Pt 1

[DJ Downunder]

I just got back from my biggest ride ever...Melbourne to Sydney and back...the long way round....8 days of dawn to dusk Summer riding.

My friend Ian (Twig) and I have been mates for about 15 yrs and done heaps of windsurfing and Mt bike riding together..even did a trip to Hawaii together..anyway..a week or so ago he said he has just bought a bike..a new Aprilia 650 Pegaso ( http://www.aprilia.com.au/images/site/trail650a.jpg )..and also his friend Guy has also just bought a new BMW 1200 GS..a nice black one.

Twig said that they are running their bikes in..in preparation for their big ride to Sydney..and asked if I would like to come along..I thought why not..My Dad now lives there..and I don't get to see him much now since my Mother died and he has re married and moved to Sydney.

You could ride to Sydney in one day..straight up the Hume Hwy..but what a boring trip..we plan to take 3-4 days and go the long way..arrive in Sydney for New years eve..and stay at a friends place to watch the fire works on Sydney harbor.

They (Twig and his girlfriend Rachelle and Guy) would stay on in Sydney a few days and return a different inland way..and I would visit my Dad and head back alone..along the coast..and check out all the beaches that I have never seen.....and that's what we did.

I left last Thursday morning..and got home last night (Thursday night)..many days were from dawn to dusk..I've taken heaps of pics to post for you guys..many of them from my handle bar mount while riding...my problem is my photo site will only take about 40-50 pics at a time..so I will post them in three lots.

Here's lot one...the first two days.

I met the others at a farm house where they were staying..about an hour out of Melbourne..the weather was perfect..here we are about to head off.



Rachelle gives me a little wave from the back of Twigs new Aprilia.



We soon found ourselves where the fires have been..most of the fire was on one side only..they must have fought hard to stop it crossing the road.



We stopped and walked through some of the burnt out forest..it was very eerie.





Our first real stop was the Whitfield pub..to check if it had been burnt down (it hadn't)...and check the map.



After a few cold drinks..and some food...and we were off again.



We then headed for a town called Bright..we passed a few fires still being fought and burning strong..this is the road heading into Bright.



What better way to cool down than ice creams..here's Twig and Rachelle.



And Guy..(the alien)...and looking like he's enjoying it..not sure if that grin is because of the ice cream or the new GS.



The road out of Bright is beautiful with all the trees.



Headed for our next and last stop for the day..Harrietville.



As we approached Harrietville you could see heaps of smoke in the air.



And also smell the smoke..the fires were close for sure.



I stopped in Harrietville for this pic..it looks like a sunset with the orange glow..but the sun was still high..but just an orange glow through the smoke.



We could see them dumping water on the fires nearby.



I found a spot to set up my tent while the others found a motel to stay the night in.



That's the end of Day 1....I'll post the day two pics tomorrow.

DJ

[sjbmw]

Thanks DJ, nicely done once again.


It's almost lunch time here, and for some reason I am really hungry too.

[taosports]

Thanks for the photos DJ. Think this is the first time I've seen your bike with system cases on! Anyway, looking forward to the next reports.

[mnnden]

DJ, Very interesting, am looking forward to the next set, Den

[DJ Downunder]

Thanks Guys..here's my pic's from day two.

The sun was just peaking over the hill so it was pack-up the tent time after a good nights sleep..btw..I did try and get my bike in.



We hit the road and smoke was still in the air as we headed through more burnt out forest on our way to Mt Beauty.







We saw a lot of cyclists that were out on an early morning ride..I hope I didn't scare this guy as I whizzed by.



Here we are at a lookout spot just before Mt Beauty..the town of Mt Beauty is in the valley below.





There was still a lot of Christmas atmosphere in the town as we looked for a place to have breakfast.



Breakie...geees Rachelle could eat..here's her breakfast..(just kidding Rachelle)..us guys didn't have the baked beans...for obvious reasons.



Here we are back on the road again and looking for the little side roads..we did this as often as we could..we found some great little roads.



This is what I mean by little side roads.



I took this while waiting for the alien (Guy) to catch up..he had stopped to water some plants.



This pic shows how our country is in drought..this is a main water catchment area..and normally a big lake..there's not much water there now.



Back on the road again..note the pine tree plantations..pine trees are not native to Oz and we often have these plantations for the pine tree wood.





We had these little clouds come and go..one minute clear sky..the next clouds everywhere.



As we passed through little towns we often saw the locals jumping off the bridges into the river below to cool off..it was stinking hot.



Gravel...oh no..not gravel...lucky we didn't get much of it.



More great roads and great views.







Twig decided to be very brave...and give Rachelle a go on his new bike..so he got on the back of Guys GS for a while..she did very well.





We passed this big rock on the side of the road and I stopped for a pic..it looks like some local kids had fun with this one.



Then I came across this road kill...they say big roos can stand six feet tall when on their hind legs..this one would come close.



We have Indians down under...but we fence them in and don't let them escape...kidding...I don't know what's going on here.



We stopped for cold drinks at this classic old Aussie pub in the center of town..the town of Tumit...They offered us rooms for the night for next to nothing so it was good to not have to put up my tent...Here's the bar.



We had a great pub meal there...here's the classic steak..with chips and salad.



That's about it for day two.

DJ

[johno]

DJ, how did the Aprillia go? Interesting bike, if a little expensive.
Looks like a great trip, but dont keep rubbing it in.
Cant wait to see the next lot of pics.

[Boxer]

DJ,
Great ride report as usual. I really enjoy the shots from the bike as if I'm right there with ya. Do you have the camera on a lanyard around your neck?

Keep'em coming.

[chris]

Great report DJ. Looks like you had a bloody awful time....
Wish I hadn't seen that bacon and eggs shot tho...even tho it's 10.30pm here I can almost smell it...
You using your camera mount again there? Works well.

Never realised roos had weapons like that...and Skippy was such a friendly little bugger...

[Biff's R]

We have Indians down under...but we fence them in and don't let them escape...kidding...I don't know what's going on here.



DJ

It looks a little like MAD MAX. There have not been any other cars, or is that just my imagination?

[wncbmw]

The usual good stuff DJ. I am definitely getting a rig set up to shoot some on board pics before the next group ride!