18 January - Snowy Mountains Ride Day 2

The plan for today was to ride from Bombala to Corryong via the Mt Kozciusko National Park. For overseas readers it is worth noting that this area not only features fantastic snowfields and wilderness scenery, it is also the home of the Snowy Mountain Hydro-electricty scheme. This undertaking which began after WWII, attracted thousands of European migrants to Australia, most of whom then settled permanently.

Sleep at the Imperial Hotel in Bombala had proven to be somewhat patchy. On Friday nights most of the able-bodied population seems to gather here. Then, as the beer starts to flow, the music is turned up to the point where everyone has to shout at each other. If you ever needed proof that alcohol makes you neither more eloquent nor more rational, try sleeping in a room above the bar of a country pub.

So by 09:00 I had quietly rolled Honda down the road before I fired it up and started the short trip to Cooma. Stopped for breakfast at the bakery in Nimmitibel, and then for fuel in Cooma, before heading toward the National Park.

The ride thorough this rugged country, above the snow line, was incredible. Every corner provides a new vista and you are continually torn between watching the view, watching the road, and avoiding the occasional 4x4 many of which are not content with just using their half of the road. After following the high road to Cabramurra, the road then plunges into a few deep valley which contain the lakes and ponds which are part of the hydro schemes and the underground power stations. You always know you're near a power station when you see a set of high voltage transmission lines emerge from the side of a hill and up the mountain.
Eventually the road reached the point where I actually rode over the top of the Tumut Pond Dam.

After the dam, the road rises again to cross the next mountain ridge before finally descending into Khancoban, and warmer temperatures. From here it was just a short ride to Corryong and by then it was only 2:45pm.

As the plan was to stay in Corryong I looked around for somewhere to get some lunch and good coffee, but found out that the whole town seemed to have taken the afternoon off, so with plenty of daylight left I decided to ride on to my next destination, my sister's house in Wandiligong near Bright.
So, another 2 and a bit hours on the bike and I arrived in Wandi a day early. So now the plan is to have a rest day tomorrow with family and then to undertake some local rides in the Bright area on Monday before riding over Mt Hotham on Tuesday. Altogether a long but magical day on the bike.

Total Distance 540 km