4 - 7 January 2010 - Wandiligong Grand Tour

Tuesday 4 Jan.

Marcus (on his Ducati Monster) and I left Traralgon at 10:00 and headed for Bright via Mt Hotham. First stop was coffee at Wa-De-Lok cafe and Winery in Stratford. Beautiful sunny day but quite a strong wind. Next leg was to Bruthen for petrol and then up the Great Alpine Road. Next stop was Omeo and lunch at the bakery. The pies etc at the Omeo bakery are outstanding as was my sausage roll. From Omeo the road climbs steadily and when you reach the orange snow poles at the side of the road you know we're up in the high country. Within the hour we were cruising through the Mt Hotham village ready for the descent on the other side.

The run down into Harrietville has all the 'twisties' anyone would want in any one day. We arrived at the Wandi Holiday Village at around 4 pm for a welcome beer or two. After catching up with all the family Marcus and I walked to the Wandi Pub for dinner. A great evening and a nice way to finish a great day's riding.

Wednesday 5 Jan.


Sunny calm weather again and we started the day with a very nice breakfast in Bright. Having breakfast squared away we headed to Porepunkah and up Mt Buffalo. A very clear day, traffic not too bad and an enjoyable ride. Great views from the top.

From Mt Buffalo we headed to Myrtleford and on to Beechworth with the world famous bakery being the main attraction. Once again a nice lunch and coffees on the upstairs verandah which for once was totally deserted. From here we decided to ride to Yackandandah and back to Bright via the Tawonga Gap. Returned to Wandi late afternoon for a well earned beer or two and joined the family and guests for a fantastic chicken vegetable soup (well done Leah) and Dutch pancakes (complement John and Marie). More beers and cigars and chatting until fatigue eventually had its way. Another great day.

Thursday 6 Jan.


Time to head home. Another fine day which promised to become quite warm during the day.
Left Wandiligong at around 10:00 without breakfast which we planned to have in Oxley.
The planned route was via King Valley, Mansfield, Alexandra and Healesville. The road between Oxley  and Mansfield crosses the mountains which surround the King Valley and this section of the ride was particularly spectacular. Filled the bikes with petrol in Mansfield and then pushed on to Alexandra. Crossing the bridge at Bonnie Doone (you could feel the serenity) proved a pleasant experience - Lake Eildon is full of water again at the moment - and there were plenty of holiday makers and boats taking advantage of this rare event.  Pushed on to Alexandra for a well earned rest and lunch at a very nice cafe in the main street. Hadn't been here for some years and was pleasantly surprised how busy and attractive it looked - lots of nice eateries and interesting shops.

After lunch it was time to head to Healesville via the Black Spur.

Took a break in Mooroolbark at a friend's place before finally arriving in Port Melbourne at Marcus' house. Dinner at our favourite Indian place (Spirit of India) in South Melbourne. A great meal greatly improved by a number of ice cold Kingfisher beers and the end of our ride together.

Friday 7 Jan. 


Left Marcus' at 10:00 for the return trip to Traralgon. First half of the trip was in gale force winds which is interesting on a busy multilane highway. When I reached Officer on the Pakenham bypass I noticed a police car following me. After a kilometer or two the red and blue lights came on and we pulled over. Pretty sure I hadn't done anything stupid but it turned out it was part of a campaign to have a chat with motorcyclist. After chatting about the trip for a while and a compliment about the bike and my riding I was on my way again. The high winds gradually abated and I finally arrived home in Traralgon at 12:20.
Altogether a very memorable trip.

Total Distance 1180 km.

30 December 2010 - Yarram and Tarra Valley

Another fine day and a late decision to take a ride. An old favourite this time - Yarram via Gormandale for a coffee and Apricot Crumble at the Yarram Bakery. Then a leisurely ride over the Strzeleckis via Tarra Valley and Balook. All this with Robert Miles' "Dreamtime" rumbling in the Earmolds. Got home just in time to light the BBQ.

Total Distance 130 km.

29 December - Mirbo Nth and Boolarra Sth

First day with fine weather and no commitments elsewhere. Took a quick run to Mirboo Nth, returning through Boolarra South. A bit windy but still a nice ride.

Total Distance 120 km.

17 December 2010 - Back in the Saddle

Saw the doctor today, had the stitches removed and declared the operation a success. Well, that needed a fairly long and demanding ride to check it out. Weather looked OK and decided to go up the mountain to Licola. Also a good chance to try the Drift camera out. Tried a few mounting positions including on the handlebar looking back. From the results I can see that the major challenge will be finding a mount which damps out engine and road vibration. Captured some good footage though. Anyway the weather held out and the shoulder, while a little tender worked fine.

Total distance 175 km.

6 December 2010 - Taking a break!

Going into hospital today for some repair work to my right shoulder. Expect to be grounded for at least a couple of weeks. No motorbike - bummer.

By the way, a few people have contacted me to say that leaving a comment on my blog is difficult. I've checked and updated the settings to include "Anonymous" comments. So now when you click on "Comment" you can choose Anonymous as an ID. Go ahead and try it!

2 December 2010 - Mirboo Nth

Despite the dire weather predictions at noon today it was both warm and sunny. Decided on a quick ride to Mirboo Nth and back using the scenic road through Thorpdale and Trafalgar. All that went well and it was still sunny sitting outdoors at the Bullock Dray Cafe in Mirboo North. Headed towards Thorpdale to the strains of Pink Floyd in the Earmoulds - it doesn't get much better than this. The weatherman was to have his revenge though. By the time I reached Thorpdale the sky in all directions had turned black and flashes of lightning appeared in the distance. Stopped the bike and donned the wet weather gear, just in time! Within minutes the rain started hammering down and the lightning seemed to come from all directions. I could hear the thunderclaps over the sounds of Dave Gilmour wrenching the intro to Shine On You Crazy Diamond from his Stratocaster. Now this might seem like hell on wheels but it was actually an enjoyable experience although somewhat surreal. Riding through total chaos inside the bubble provided by the gear and the helmet to my own soundtrack was a weird but exciting experience. Coaxing the bike down the winding descent into Trafalgar with sheets of water running over the road required some concentration though and I was glad to return to the straight roads from Traf to Traralgon. Quite a ride!

Total distance 135km.

1 December 2010 - Maffra

Worked a half day today and as it was quite mild I decided to clear the cobwebs with a ride into the countryside. Over the decades I've driven and ridden through Maffra many times and admired this attractive town but have never made a stop. It seemed timely then to ride to Maffra and check out the coffee. Although it was a bit windy it was a very pleasant ride and in no time I was enjoying a coffee at the Maffra Bakery Cafe. Maffra had and has retained a number of substantial and attractive buildings. The Metropolitan Hotel, shown above has been recently renovated and looks absolutely brilliant. The return trip was through Tinamba, Glenmaggie and the back road to Cowwar and Toongabbie. Copped a few minutes of heavy rain but once it stopped it took only a few minutes to dry out again.

Total Distance 140 km.