6 April - Sydney, Australia

Once again, we're on holiday for a few weeks so no motorcycling. We are on a cruise, with friends, from Melbourne, Australia to Hong Kong. I thought a few of the regular visitors to this blog might enjoy catching up with the highlights of our trip even though the mode of transport has changed somewhat.

We boarded the Golden Princess at Station Pier at about 3:30 pm on Monday, just in time for lunch. Unlike other cruises our cabins and luggage were already available so after a quick look around we were able to settle in to our new home for the next 23 nights.
Tuesday was spent at sea in a gentle swell which let you know we were at sea although it was not uncomfortable. Went to the "Welcome Aboard" show in the evening which was terrific. When we woke this morning we were berthed in Sydney right next to Circular Quay.
This is the view from the back of the Golden Princess.

We had a leisurely day looking around the area and the Opera House before catching a ferry to Manley for a bit of shopping and a mandatory visit to the Royal Copenhagen Ice Cream shop. It was very hot here today and I realised I didn't bring a hat so had to buy one.

Right now we are just enjoying the afternoon and the wonderful Sydney Harbour views from the Princess. We sail this evening sometime after 6 pm, bound for Brisbane. I'm hoping for some good sunset photos of the city skyline before that.

11 March - Warburton

A medical appointment planned for today fell through and provided an unexpected opportunity to get on the Honda for one of my favourite rides - the Warburton bakery. The weather started off cool and foggy but the clouds soon parted and produced a bright warm day. Almost no traffic on the roads and I was able to cruise along at a snail's pace to really enjoy the day and my surroundings. Lunch and coffee at the bakery were excellent as always and by 1 pm it was time to turn back and head for home. On the way back I took the opportunity to get some closeup photos of the static locomotive display in Noojee. These old relics of the past have always fascinated me partly because I can remember travelling on steam trains which makes me a relic of the past too.

Only one event threatened the serenity of the day. Entering Noojee the engine suddenly stopped and resisted all attempts to restart it. My immediate thought was to call 'road side assist' but then the methodical part of my brain kicked in and I checked all the things which can kill the engine. I got it in one - the 'kill switch' was in the off position which was a complete mystery. The only explanation I can think of is that someone fiddled with it while the bike was parked and left it in an intermediate position. A bump in the road was then enough to move it to off. Glad I checked before calling for help.

Reached home around 3:30 after a very relaxing and enjoyable ride.

Total Distance 270 km.

7 March - Bulga Park, Tarra Valley and fish and chips in Port Albert

Met my brother Luke this morning for a bike ride through Tarra Valley. Although the skies warned of rain and the road was wet in places. we never actually saw a drop. We rode through Callignee and then on to Bulga Park for a walk down to the famous suspension foot bridge. Being a week day we were the only ones there and the only sound was the screeching of the black cockatoos. We continued on down the winding Tarra Valley road to Yarram and then continued straight on to Port Albert to visit the famous Wild Fish fish and chippery for a light lunch. As always, this drew plenty of attention from the local seagull population which seems to appear from nowhere when you open a packet of fish and chips.

After a pleasant lunch and a chat I tried for a few more seagull photos but without food they soon lost interest in us.

The return trip was straight up the Hyland Highway through Gormandale and  home to  Traralgon.
It was good to get out on the bike.

Total Distance 170 km.

20 February - Port Albert

Not many rides the last few weeks apart from a trip to Bairnsdale to get the 30,000km service on the Honda carried out. Just a quick return trip of around 240km. Today promised to be the last moderate day before another stretch of really hot days so I took the Honda over the Strzeleckis to Port Albert, with the aim of getting some fresh air and hopefully a photo of boats at the pier. Rode off in overcast conditions and by the time I reached Port Albert it was still quite overcast with a bit of rain in the distance. Walked around the boats for a while and snapped a few pictures on the RX100M3 and then continued on down the South Gippsland Highway.

Back through Meeniyan and lunch at the InLine 4 cafe in Mirboo North (http://inline4cafe.com.au) where the special of the day was German Curry Wurst. Irresistible!

After finishing the wurst and an excellent coffee it was time to head towards home.

Total Distance 235 km.

23 January - Beemer Time

Bit cool and overcast today but OK for a ride and the Beemer hadn't been out for a while so I took off for Mirboo Nth for lunch at the InLine 4 cafe in Mirboo North today. Glad I did. Parked outside was a beautifully restored 350cc Ariel motorcycle.
Chatted with the owner for a while. He has owned it for over 25 years and restored it himself. He was also wearing a period helmet with brass goggles. He really looked the part.

Not sure how good it would be to ride, no suspension other than a sprung seat, and drum brakes, but it certainly looks like a classic motorcycle from years gone by.

After feasting my eyes on this beautiful machine and a tasty lunch I carried on to Meeniyan. One of my favourite stops there is the Chess Cafe owned by Gunner an elderly Norwegian gentleman who is alway good for a great coffee and a chat. Toward the end of last year I visited frequently only to find the place locked up and I became quite worried about Gunner's health. Today he was open and it was great to catch up. He had indeed been sick with pneumonia but has fortunately made a full recovery.

Total Distance 150km

15-17 January - Mt Hotham and Wandiligong

Over the past few years, January has usually been the best time for a ride across the Australian Alps to Bright and Wandiligong to visit family there. On the right day, the usually forbidding (for motorcycles anyway) Mt Hotham becomes a spectacular motorcycle ride providing lots of winding road and spectacular views. Luke and I set off from Traralgon at 09:00 with our first stop for coffee and fuel in Bruthen. The little village of Burthen marks the beginning of the great Alpine Road through Omeo and 'over the top'. At this stage the weather was fine and crisp. By Omeo though, the temperature had started to drop and looking up the mountain it seemed likely that a lot of our trip would be in fog. Time to don another layer of clothing and then we headed up the mountain. Although it got quite chilly on the way up we were pleased the find that we were still well below the cloud layer and we wouldn't have to ride in fog, which is never fun on a winding mountain road. By the time we reached the Mt Hotham ski resort the clouds had completely cleared and as we descended into the Ovens Valley on the other side the weather turned decidedly warm. We reached Wandiligong just before 3 pm and ready for a beer or two. Altogether a wonderful ride and a new experience for Luke.

The plan for the next day was to undertake some little rides in the area around Bright, and after getting into all our motorcycle gear, I found I couldn't move my bike. Looked down to find a flat front tyre. So, I sent Luke on his way to explore the local area so that I could deal with the flat tyre. By now it was 11:30 am on a Saturday morning with most businesses closing at noon, which could have meant an extended stay in Wandi. Contacted a local tyre dealer (and biker) Adrian Smith who said he would stay back to fix the tyre and yes he had a new tube - things were looking up. The road side assist truck showed up and we loaded the Honda and soon Adrian had the front wheel off the bike.

Up to this point I had assumed the tyre and the tube had been punctured but what we found astounded me. The issue was that the tyre valve had vibrated loose and let the air out. Adrian explained that it's a common issue and usually occurs when you check the tyre pressure. The best way to protect against that is to use only metal valve caps. These will seal the tyre even if the valve is loosened whereas the plastic ones won't. Too make doubly sure we immersed the tube in a water bath and checked the tyre for nails etc. but found nothing.

So, an hour later everything was back to normal and I was on the road again. I decided to kick back and take a rest day after all that. I am very grateful to Adrian Smith of Smith Tyre Service, Bright for giving up part of his Saturday afternoon to look after me. Great to see there are still people happy to help out and provide a great service.

Yesterday, after another great evening sitting around a campfire and catching up with family, it was time to take the non mountainous route home. We were on the road by 08:00 and the first stop was breakfast at the Millawa Bakery Cafe right in the middle of some Australia's best wine and cheese country. Continued down through the King Valley winery region around Whitfield and then a fuel stop at Mansfield at the foot of Mt Buller. It was almost perfect riding weather and it was a pure joy to travel through this marvellous scenery and then down to the Black Spur for afternoon coffee in Healesville. The Beechworth bakery in Healesville has become a Mecca for weekend warriors - there must have been 50 bikes parked in the car park. After a relaxing iced coffee it was time for the final leg home via Yarra Junction, Powelltown and Neerim. Even with the flat tyre incident a magnificent motorcycle outing.

Total Distance 860km

5 January - The Start of a New Year

The New Year has started with days that were too hot to ride followed by days which were wet. Still managed a few short rides here and there. My main focus of the past couple of days were to complete my photos of the old Cowarr house before the remains are demolished and gone forever. As I mentioned in my 22 December blog, I managed to catch up with Steve the owner of the land and received his permission to enter his property and take whatever shots I wanted. Because the house is in such a dilapidated state I checked it out this morning for hazards on a grim and drizzly day.
This actually provided a photo opportunity because everything looked so bleak.

As always there is a much better version of this photo located here.
While I was inside the old wreck I also took this image (Room with a View).

The Flickr version is located here.
As I suspected, all the flooring and support timbers are in an advanced state of decay and I didn't really fancy staggering around inside, in the dark with a lot of lighting equipment. The floor seemed unable to bear my weight so I planned the location of my lighting for the night shots by using some sheets of corrugated iron laying around.
Went back this evening just on dusk and placed three flashes inside the house with wireless triggers and finally managed to get this shot.

I was very happy with the outcome but not with the blog version of the image. Much better to check out the Flickr version is located here.  

So that's it. The next time I ride past here it will be a pile of ashes and all that history will be gone.