Traralgon to Seymour (via) Tyers, Yallourn North, Neerim South, Neerim, Neerim Junction, (lunch at Powelltown), Yarra Junction, Launching Place, Healesville, Kinglake, (a cold drink and ice cream at Strath Creek), & returned via Yea, Glenburn, Yarra Glen, into the burbs down the Mountain Highway to Glen Waverly (for a well-earned cold shower, meal and sleep)then off to zig zag through the Dandenong Ranges (lunch at Olinda – yum) and again back through Powelltown, (a cold drink at Noojee), Hill End, Willowgrove, Yallourn North, Tyers and home.

After seeing that a Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk had been officially opened on Saturday and having all the servicing done we decided to ‘get out of dodge’ and climbed on the bikes on Sunday and headed for Seymour.

We were very impressed with the Memorial. It was tastefully done and in the time we were there (late in the day) there was a constant stream of people coming quietly through.



Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk (double sided) amongst a planting of several hundred Rubber trees which will one day form a dense leafy canopy which will be reminiscent of the jungle no doubt.

To say the weather was brutally hot would be a gross understatement. The ride along the river valley to Powelltown was a welcome break of comfortable to deliciously cool moist air and our lunch at the Powelly Pub (Powelltown) delicious as always. A good spot this, warm welcome, great coffee spot, lovely veranda amongst magnificent ferns and really generous and yummy pub meals as well as snacks. Definitely worth a look.

The only photos I have taken were at the Memorial as it was just way too hot to consider stopping and spending time we didn’t have to but I will definitely come this way again in cooler weather to take some pics of what the areas we passed through have to offer.



The Listing of those who didn’t return

We were well and truly overheated by the time we got to the Novotel Hotel at Glen Waverly which is one of our homes away from home. They are undergoing a big refurbishment program and we had one of the new rooms which was lovely. The food is always good and the bed magnificent ….. until 12.20am when the fire alarm went off. Bottom line we didn’t have to evacuate, there was a Wedding on and this was reminiscent of another occasion a lot of years ago when the same thing happened. That time a party reveller had broken a fire alarm box, don’t know this time. Happy to report we both slept well when we got to return to bed.



A Plaque which is self-explanatory.

Tips to remember for the roads we covered:

The roads we travelled on were in good condition and very little traffic (on all the roads we were on) we assume the rising cost of fuel is biting into people’s budgets. The road surface, camber and alignment was overall good and roads well signed where there was anything out of the ordinary. A nice comfortable ride all round.

Services available:

Large towns:
Fuel: Multiple choices including Premium Unleaded, most BH but also some 24hr
Accommodation: Hotel, Motel, B&B and Caravan Park and Camping options and maybe some Serviced Apartments
Food: Multiple choices from small cafes to bistro’s bars and fine restaurants
General Store / Supermarket: Multiple choices, small to large

Small towns:
Fuel: Limited and often BH only if any at all
Accommodation: Limited Hotel, B&B and Caravan Park and Camping options
Food and General Store / Supermarket: Limited and not necessarily open on weekends

Small isolated Localities:
Fuel: Not likely
Accommodation: If you’re lucky and have done your research
Food and General Store / Supermarket: Unlikely so bring your own

Traralgon to Shepparton (via) Morwell, Moe, Trafalgar, Yarragon, Warragul, Drouin, through the burbs via the Monash Freeway through the tunnel over the Bolte Bridge, around the Ring Road and up the Hume Freeway to the Goulburn Valley Highway and headed for Shepparton through Nagambie & returned via Euroa to Merton, (a coffee at Yarck), Alexander, Marysville, Lake Mountain, (lunch at Warburton), Yarra Junction, Powelltown , (Neerim Junction for fuel), Neerim South, Nilma, (cold drink and nap at Yarragon), Trafalgar, Moe, Morwell and home

We headed off to Shepparton to attend a nephews Wedding and had a great ride there and back though it was very hot hence the photos are limited (to the extreme) so will return at a future date when the weather is cooler to take some pics of some of the sights to be enjoyed along the way.

On our way home we investigated Euroa and were delighted by the number of old and quirky buildings and will definitely come back to explore this area in the future.



The third National Bank built (in Euroa we assume) which is National Trust listed and believed to be the best example of a Queen Anne style building in Victoria



The Euroa Hotel a stately old building. To the right side of the building is the Soldiers memorial Hall unfortunately abandoned and falling into disrepair and across the street another intriguing building which was the one we spotted from the highway which prompted us to explore the town.

Tips to remember for the roads we covered:
The roads we travelled on were cambered well and good surface overall and well signed with targeted advisory speed signs. Lots of long straight stretches and very little traffic. Lots of nice curves and climbs as we headed through the ranges.

Services available:

Large towns:
Fuel: Multiple choices including Premium Unleaded, most BH but also some 24hr
Accommodation: Hotel, Motel, B&B and Caravan Park and Camping options and maybe some Serviced Apartments
Food: Multiple choices from small cafes to bistro’s bars and fine restaurants
General Store / Supermarket: Multiple choices, small to large

Small towns:
Fuel: Limited and often BH only if any at all
Accommodation: Limited Hotel, B&B and Caravan Park and Camping options
Food and General Store / Supermarket: Limited and not necessarily open on weekends

Small isolated Localities:
Fuel: Not likely
Accommodation: If you’re lucky and have done your research
Food and General Store / Supermarket: Unlikely so bring your own

We decided to again source Yamaha bikes since we are familiar with them and they are good and reliable and after tracking down Yamaha Dealers in the USA we decided to base our departure for our trips in Chicago for convenience for at least the first two trips we have planned and have found a dealer now who has sourced a couple of bikes for us (pictured below).

DuPage Honda Yamaha
27 W 215 North Avenue West Chicago IL 60185
Phone: 630.231.8700
Fax: 630. 231.0215

http://www.dupagehonda.com/default.asp



My bike – Yamaha 2010 V Star Tourer (Colour - Seashell)very similar to the Champagne of the bike I had in the UK, go figure!

We are dealing with Robert Moretti at DuPage Honda and Yamaha who has been terrifically helpful so while we are finalising the route, insurance and all the legalities, the Du Page folks will take care of them until we arrive and also take care of fitting handgrip heaters and more comfortable touring seats to the bikes and a power source for our GPS units as well as panniers to Norm’s bike which just gives us better capacity to stow wet weather gear and covers for the bikes…….and some shopping if I ever get the chance! They will store the bikes for us between trips as did the Faversham Bike Shop in the UK.

We are also eternally indebted to our nephew Kevin in Louisianna who is running inteference for us with some of the arranging which needs to take place. Couldn't do it without him. Thanks Kev! One of the great advantages in having such a huge family.



Norm’s bike – Yamaha 2012 V Star 950 (Colour - Liquid Silver)

Norm will again make use of our association with our local Yamaha Dealer so he can take the measurements he needs of a 950 they have in stock so he can manufacture brackets to secure our suitcases to as we did on the UK bikes.

TRARALGON MOTORCYCLES
319 Princess Highway, Traralgon, Vic 3844
Phone: 03 5176 2399
Fax: 03 5176 2530

http://www.traralgonmotorcycles.com.au

While we are showcasing the people who make these trips possible we should include our Sign writer Neil Krutop who has done our French sign (2011) and then the English one (2012) which we will use again in the USA for the back of my bike since Norm is the ever faithful leader when we are overseas.

NAK SIGNS
43 Eastern Road, Traralgon, Victoria 3844 Victoria ,3844
Phone: 03 5173 3104
Mobile: 0427 743 104

http://www.naksigns.com.au

And last but by no means least our faithful Travel Agent extraordinaire Sue Ritter. She is magic at converting our dreaming into solid routes without forgetting spectacular sights including our ‘must sees’ in both Transport and Logistics related arenas as well as geographic and architectural along the way and has done this for all but the first two of our overseas trips both with and without the bikes.

TRAVELPLUS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
Pinewood Shopping Centre, 33-45 Centreway, Mount Waverley Vic 3149
Phone: 03 9887 8836
Fax: 03 9887 8555

Travelling (via Morwell, Moe, Trafalgar, Yarragon, Nilma, Crossover, Neerim South, Neerim, Neerim Junction, Powelltown, Three Bridges, Gladysdale, Yarra Junction, Launching Place, Badger Creek Healesville, Buxton, Taggerty, Acheron, Alexandra, Yarck, Kanumbra, Merton, Bonnie Doon, Maindample, Mansfield, Whitfield, Tolmie, Moyhu, Docker, Oxley, Milawa, Markwood, Myrtleford, Porepunkah, Bright, Germantown, Tawonga South) & return (via Bogong, Falls Creek, Anglers Rest, Omeo, Swifts Creek, Ensay, Tambo Crossing, Bruthen, Sarsfield, Bairnsdale, Bengworden, Perry Bridge, Clydebank, Wurruk, Rosedale



Meeting in Maca’s car park before we headed off on our trip



The Powelly Pub at Powelltown of course for coffee which they do well, also meals though we didn’t have one today

Well we had a great ride this weekend with the Traralgon Easyriders. To a large degree we retraced the trip we had done into the high country after Christmas but it was still great. Initially we were to return home from Mount Beauty via Mount Hotham but with fires in the Harrietville and Hotham Heights area we stayed well away. On our way from Falls Creek to Omeo this morning we encountered some rain so I hope they got that on the fires. We had a great time and travelled on some road from Bairnsdale towards Sale I hadn’t travelled on before so enjoyed that and I loved the long stretches when all the bikes could travel together in formation it looked awesome! I also realised that I am a lot more comfortable riding in a group than I was on our first ride…it’s a lot different riding in a group than just the two of us, soooo many more factors to slot into the awareness level. There were 12 bikes with 5 carrying pillion passengers as well and we had a lovely relaxed night at Mount Beauty.



The lovely leafy main street of Mansfield which was our lunch stop



The bikes were a magnet for the locals in front of the pub at lunchtime

The group worked well together with ride leaders, Ken to Mount Beauty and Graham home and tail end Charlie being Tombo with a number of corner markers it ran like a well-oiled machine and it is good to report that the emergency back up in the ute plus bike trailer with Polly and Karen was not needed (must have been a long drive for them both) so well done to the whole crew for safeguarding their own safety. Thanks also to the Bruthen Pub who kept the cook back to cook our late lunch and I enjoyed the best steak sandwich I’ve ever had which was great following on from a delicious egg and bacon roll in Mount Beauty for breakfast.







A welcome break on the top of the Tawonga Gap

Tips to remember for the roads we covered:

The roads we travelled on were cambered well and good surface overall and well signed with targeted advisory speed signs. The exception with the advisory signs is from Falls Creek to the Omeo Highway being a reasonably minor road so ride accordingly but overall it was a good road and surface, just had to watch for a bit of gravel washed onto the road at some corners…as you do.



A glorious fresh morning at the Motel in Mount Beauty as we got ourselves together to head off for breakfast.



A break for a stretch in Falls Creek and to compare notes about a lovely ride through some truly spectacular country!

Services available:
Large towns:

Fuel: Multiple choices including Premium Unleaded, most BH but also some 24hr
Accommodation: Hotel, Motel, B&B and Caravan Park and Camping options and maybe some Serviced Apartments
Food: Multiple choices from small cafes to bistro’s bars and fine restaurants
General Store / Supermarket: Multiple choices, small to large

Small towns:

Fuel: Limited and often BH only if any at all
Accommodation: Limited Hotel, B&B and Caravan Park and Camping options
Food and General Store / Supermarket: Limited and not necessarily open on weekends

Small isolated Localities:

Fuel: Not likely
Accommodation: If you’re lucky and have done your research
Food and General Store / Supermarket: Unlikely so bring your own

I treated myself to repeating the ride yesterday so have added some photos to give you a taste for the area so go back to the previous entry and check them out. Enjoy!

Travelling (via Morwell, Thorpdale, Mirboo North, Dumbalk, Meeniyan, Koonwarra, Inverloch, Wonthaggi, Dalyston, Kilcunda, Anderson, San Remo, Newhaven, Rhyll, Cowes) & return (via Newhaven, San Remo, Anderson, Kilcunda, Dalyston, Wonthaggi, Inverloch, Leongatha, Mirboo North, Morwell)

We set out on a club ride on Sunday with the Easy Riders Social Motorcycle Group (Traralgon) and then met up with some East Melbourne members at San Remo before heading to Rhyll for the best fish and chips I think we’ve ever had (Tides).



The first glimpse of some potato country in the midst of plantation timber and paddocks for beef cattle on the way to Thorpdale

We had a beautiful ride taking the long way there and striking off to Thorpdale as we headed for Mirboo North. The road from Thorpdale to the Mirboo North Road is a pearler and we travelled through beautifully maintained farming country with beef cattle and potato crops in evidence. The last part of the road before joining the Mirboo North road is a treat of gently cambered and aligned corners. Very nice!



Mirboo North is known for all sorts of quirky murals on the sides of buildings. This is a very creative one being a combination of mural and relief in the courtyard of the Bullock Dray Café (for obvious reasons)

The San Remo / Phillip Island region is a great place for a family holiday with all sorts of opportunities for swimming, fishing, surfing and other water sports and many other attractions both without cost and commercially available and huge choice of accommodation of all standards and a great range of prices. Lots of options at Wonthaggi and Inverloch also.



Moos at Meeniyan – a nice deck at the back was a good spot to sit in our bike gear and gave a good view of passing traffic

From Mirboo North we headed down the Meeniyan Mirboo North Road which is a lovely ride, a bit steep and winding amongst some spectacularly beautiful country and well maintained farm properties and gardens along the way and we had a welcome coffee at Moos of Meeniyan and sampled their delicious nougat. Superb!



The old rail bridge at Kilcunda now a footbridge but still a delight to glimpse the ocean through it as you pass



A view across to the Kilcunda Beach from the car park in front of the Kilcunda Pub. I have great memories of spending what seemed a long time with my aunt and uncle as a child exploring the rock pools at the base of the cliffs below where I was standing. Great memory!

The traffic increased the closer we got to Phillip Island as did the wind but we thankfully stayed dry in spite of predictions of rain.



The bridge from San Remo (Mainland) to Newhaven (Phillip Island). A couple of attractions not far over the bridge are 1. A Chocolate Factory on the RHS not far past the Visitors Information building and before the turn off to Churchill Island, and 2. The Vietnam Veterans’ Museum 1.6km past on the LHS



An obligatory shopping visit to Bikers Gear at Cowes



A view from the grassy shade beneath the pine trees on the water’s edge to the jetty at Cowes. The fish and chips in the little café are also delicious

The trip home through farming land through Leongatha is pretty as always and no matter where we looked throughout the ride we were spoilt for choice of picturesque farms and gardens and great sweeping views to the ocean and up into the foothills to the Strzelecki Ranges.



One of the lovely old buildings in Leongatha

Tips to remember for the roads we covered:

The roads are all sealed and overall well aligned with good camber. The sad reality however is that maintenance is not keeping up with progressive deterioration so there are sections which are literally falling apart. MOST of these are signed but we also came across some shocking examples which weren’t so be aware and ride accordingly. Again, these are farming (dairy) areas so large milk tankers are commonplace on roads as are livestock and other trucks.

Services available:

Large towns:

Fuel: Multiple choices including Premium Unleaded, most BH but also some 24hr
Accommodation: Hotel, Motel, B&B and Caravan Park and Camping options and maybe some Serviced Apartments
Food: Multiple choices from small cafes to bistro’s bars and fine restaurants
General Store / Supermarket: Multiple choices, small to large

Small towns:

Fuel: Limited and often BH only if any at all
Accommodation: Limited Hotel, B&B and Caravan Park and Camping options
Food and General Store / Supermarket: Limited and not necessarily open on weekends

Small isolated Localities:

Accommodation: If you’re lucky and have done your research
Food and General Store / Supermarket: Unlikely so bring your own]

We managed to combine an opportunity to catch up with a number of intrastate and interstate family in Wantirna South, chilling for a couple of nights on a houseboat with friends on Lake Eildon, and celebrating the New Year with our regular travelling companions (Sharen & Ken) before we struck out to again catch up with family in Tawonga South and Falls Creek on our way through to Omeo. Stayed on the tarmac all the way so a good thing for the cruisers. A great trip all round. Lots of photos below.



An example of rationalisation of services in regional areas. The mail boxes on Buttercup Road between Mansfield and Merrijig – 25 in all including the one laying on the ground.

Tips to remember for the roads we covered:

We travelled over a lot of Alpine roads which for the most part had a good surface and were well signed re suggested speeds for corners and rock fall areas requiring caution. There were few advisory signs from Falls Creek on the Bogong High Plains Road to the Omeo Highway so exercise caution. Having said that it was a beautiful ride with good to reasonable camber and corners from big sweeping corners to tight steep and switchback and every possible variation in between so a great ride.

Riding the Bogong High Plains Road on the way from Falls Creek to Anglers Rest around the Basalt Hill area which gives a good example of the terrain and foliage as well as vision of the silver spars which remain post 2003 fires and the recovery - http://youtu.be/RP4O8nLzP_c



One of Norm's favourite shots of me rounding a corner on the Omeo Highway (also my new screensaver on my phone)

Services are few and far between (e.g. No fuel from Mount Beauty to Omeo) so you need to be self-sufficient and given that weather and temperatures can change rapidly in Alpine areas you need to be prepared. It goes without saying that there are little or no shoulders beyond the fog line (if there is a fog line) before precipitous drops to who knows where so ride accordingly. Also remember there are other travellers (including log trucks) on the roads so don’t expect them to be on their own side of the road and you should be right.

Bonuses of travelling through the summer in Alpine areas are that you will encounter fewer people, you can find some excellent accommodation deals and the temperature will be a lot more friendly.

On the way to Mt Buller, a small waterfall near a ‘rock fall area, and of course the inevitable motorbike http://youtu.be/7t-UCt637Xc

First leg: Traralgon straight down the highway to Wantirna South (Melbourne Suburb) and up the route known as ‘The Slide’ along the Maroondah Highway through Lilydale, Coldstream, Healesville, Narbethong, St Fillans, Buxton, Taggerty, Thornton, Eildon to Lake Eildon.

We felt good to be out on the road and breathing in our surrounds from the lush ferns and foliage of Black Spur to the vast river valleys and plains as we headed north. We had a restful couple of days with Ian (Mac) & Annie, Ian (Nico) & Margaret on a houseboat moored on the bank of Lake Eildon and in spite of pretty hot weather the breeze off the water made for a comfortable temperature. A couple of jaunts across the Lake in the run-around showed the Lake (now near enough to full) to be a staggering size with tentacles of water snaking in all directions.



The Black Spur Inn which we have travelled past in trucks for years. It has been in existence since the early 1800’s and in the late 1800’s sported a separate building on the left hand side called the Narbethong Hotel / House since women were not allowed into Public Bars. It had an adjoining door and by the 1930’s it was all one building for all patrons. Not sure if women were better behaved by then, or if the old boys club couldn’t put up with the complaints or they all just got practical.

Second leg: Lake Eildon, Eildon, Thornton, Alexandra, Koriella, Woodford, Bonnie Doon, Mansfield to Merrijig

We headed off after yet another sleep-in and then decided coffee in Eildon was in order…as you do! From here we continued to enjoy the beautiful riding through great sweeping river valleys enjoying the massive river red gums and vast paddocks climbing up into the hills and beyond. We got into Merrijig late in the afternoon and were glad to get into a cool building.



A view up the hill from our accommodation towards Mt Buller, typically lovely

We were impressed with the Mercure Pinnacle Valley Resort where we stayed in a 2 bedroom chalet which was great. We had our own space but had access to the restaurant where we had dinner on 2 nights and it was excellent. Guest facilities were extensive and lots of variety for children of all ages. We also shared the site with upwards to 60 (at least) all sized grey kangaroos once dusk settled in and the morning we departed we were actually up early enough to see the stragglers before they headed back to the cover of the bush. The third night we travelled a few hundred meters towards Mt Buller to the Mill Inn where we had a delicious dinner of their homemade pasta. Yum.



Some of the kangaroos before they retreated to the bush

Side trip: Merrijig, Sawmill Settlement, Mirrimbah, Mt Buller & return – 180kms



Mt Buller Chalet and a couple of good looking bikes.

On our 2008 High Country trip we stayed a couple of nights in the Mt Buller Chalet and decided to ride up and see what (if anything) had changed. They have a new resort centre which looked good and there were heaps of people and pushbikes about. They had a mountain bike challenge of some sort on. I felt like a wimp looking at all the huffing and puffing and being grateful for my motor!



The Resort Management Centre from the steps of the Mt Buller Chalet

Side trip: Merrijig, Howqua, Jamieson, Kevington & return – 200kms

We decided to head out to have a look at Jamieson never having been there before and had been told there was a great old Pub at Kevington so decided that would be the spot for lunch. The ride out was beautiful. We travelled along the valley and often close beside the Delatite River and the glimpses of river and rocks and lush shady patches along the way were beautiful.



The Jamieson Public Hall, a lovely old building

Jameson had been a grand town at some stage but barely surviving now with a lot of homes looking like they are holiday ones though the local café was doing a good trade with holiday makers. Between there and Kevington we were staggered by the number of camp sites (formal and not) and people and boats and people fishing and holidaying and the Kevington Pub established in the early 1800’s was not a letdown. The food was plentiful and good and the place was all kinds of quirky right on the banks of the river. Their busy season is apparently from Christmas to the June long weekend so good to see it being patronised.

The area was established by the timber trade as well as mining though most batteries were abandoned by the Second World War and apparently Sims Metals came and retrieved them to melt down and use in the manufacture of warships or so the publican told us.



The name on the roof is self-explanatory.

Third leg: Merrijig, Mansfield, Tolmie, Whitfield, King Valley, Edi, Docker, Oxley, Milawa, Markwood, Myrtleford, Eurobin, Porepunkah, Bright, Germantown, Tawonga South, Mount Beauty, Bogong, Falls Creek, Anglers Rest to Omeo.



View from the top of Tawonga Gap – a very nice ride up and down.

We enjoyed our ride through the King Valley, Milawa and Alpine Valleys wine regions with the spectacle of the contrast between yellow paddocks of dry grass beside lush grapevines as well as many tobacco drying chimneys (or whatever they're called) along the valley from a bygone era.

We stopped in Myrtleford for a coffee and picked the busiest shop available apparently so lost a lot of time there then headed for Bright and the Tawonga Gap road which is a beautiful and satisfying ride.

From there we moved on to catch up with family in Tawonga South and it was great to see them in their own space. We haven’t managed to catch up much since they moved there. We had a good chin wag and lunch then headed off for Falls Creek to catch up with the other half of the relationship which was great. I was surprised to hear that Falls Creek has the greatest skiable area of all our Alpine Resorts and was impressed with the development which has taken place since 2008.



A couple of old bikers in front of the Information Centre / Resort Management Office at Falls Creek looking out to the silver spars of trees burnt in the 2003 fires. As the sign behind says it is 31kms back to Mount Beauty and 77kms to Omeo from this point.

The afternoon was moving on and we wanted to get into Omeo before the kangaroos decided to start venturing out for their evening meal. We thankfully didn’t encounter any.



A nice cool lemon lime and bitters was in order when we got to the Blue Duck Inn at Anglers Rest.

It was good to get off the bike in Omeo where we stayed at the Colonial Motel just down the hill from the Post Office. Unfortunately it has changed hands. The previous owners ran a killer restaurant across the street which is now a café and not open for dinner. Boo hoo. So, we walked to the Golden Age Hotel for a nice meal instead.

Home leg: Omeo, Swifts Creek, The Walnuts, Doctors Flat, Ensay, Wattle Creek, Tambo Crossing, Bruthen, Sarsfield, Bairnsdale, Stratford, Maffra, Tinamba, Heyfield, Cowwarr, Toongabbie, Glengarry to Traralgon



A shot I got as we arrived in town last night down the main street of Omeo with the iconic Post Office on the left and the mountain in the distance

The morning started with breakfast at Twinkles Café and fuel for the bikes as well as some air (20lbs) in my tyre which had gotten quite flat overnight (glad I have tubeless tyres as regular tyre services / garages don’t provide service for motorcycle tyres).. After breakfast and loading our gear we pumped another 20lbs into the tyre since 20lbs leaked out in around 30 minutes and we headed for Swifts Creek (me very tentatively) and pumped another 20lbs into it there (apparently riding didn't increae the loss of air...phew). It didn't feel good to hear Bruthen was around 50 minutes away. Norm decided to ride my bike in and I rode the Rocket. Thankfully it got there and Norm added another 20lbs and we had a coffee by which time we did it again and headed for Bairnsdale 15 minutes away and to a bike shop for assistance.



A couple of tourist attractions side by side in Bairnsdale – St Mary’s Cathedral known for the striking painted ceiling and McDonalds known for their yummy coffee and easy parking. Ha ha.

It was a hot ride from Bairnsdale to Stratford with close to bumper to bumper traffic and boats and caravans and campers and no one in too much of a rush to get anywhere so we decided to stop in Stratford for a cold drink and head for home along the back road off the highway through Maffra and it was a good choice. For the rest of the trip we were able to maintain a constant speed and the temperature was cooler likely a combination of that, a smaller surface area of road tarmac to reflect the heat, fewer vehicles giving off heat, travelling a good part of the trip beside irrigation channels and paddocks which had been irrigated so probably a moister atmosphere and an occasional bit of shade from an overhanging canopy of trees.

Side trip: Bairnsdale to Paynesville & return – 40kms



A view across the inlet from Paynesville to Raymond Island with the ferry in the background and the Rocket in the foreground

Since the temperature was hot and we had at least 45 minutes to wait for the tyre to be replaced we decided to head for Paynesville on the Rocket to have lunch. Neither of us had been there for quite a few years and were a bit surprised that suburbia has crept out as far as the cemetery. In any case it was a nice ride along the river and we found a handy café (one of many now) and had a delicious lunch and watched with amusement (me) / tremendous pride (Norm) at the amount of interest the Rocket caused the passing public.

A short section of typical road and the Rocket III from Anglers Rest heading for Omeo http://youtu.be/PQlHyq8i2Ik

Services available:
Large towns:
Fuel: Multiple choices including Premium Unleaded, most BH but also some 24hr
Accommodation: Hotel, Motel, B&B and Caravan Park and Camping options and maybe some Serviced Apartments
Food: Multiple choices from small cafes to bistro’s bars and fine restaurants
General Store / Supermarket: Multiple choices, small to large

Small towns:
Fuel: Limited and often BH only if any at all
Accommodation: Limited Hotel, B&B and Caravan Park and Camping options
Food and General Store / Supermarket: Limited and not necessarily open on weekends

Small isolated Localities:
Fuel: Not likely
Accommodation: If you’re lucky and have done your research
Food and General Store / Supermarket: Unlikely so bring your own

I came across this photo this week and was annoyed I had forgotten to add it to the trip debrief. This is what I discovered in our ensuite the first night we got home ….... Norm’s attempt to prolong the holiday experience. Ha ha. I love the man, he is such fun!



Keeping the dream alive

Learning what works and what doesn't to streamline future trips.

Toll devices for the bikes – After using Toll devices last trip we checked our route for the UK and Ireland to discover that in the majority of places motorbikes were free so didn’t pursue them this year. One less thing to organise and just made sure we kept a credit card and coffee change handy in a pocket.

GPS – We continued to enjoy having a GPS unit each and would recommend this to anyone who is travelling overseas. Even so we found that both cards which were purchased at the same time had an occasional variation of route between them….so just as well we don’t have inter-helmet communications or Norm could have been offended by my commentary. Ha ha. We use Garmin ZUMO 550’s and they are a good size to see and have lots of things other than just routes so an invaluable resource.



GPS – also a good speed readout at eye level instead of having to look down to the fuel tank at the speedo on the bike

‘Australians on tour’ sign – We used another sign this year this time in English of course and again got lots of waves and many queries when we were parked up asking if we really were Aussies on tour and one comment that ours would be one of the few countries where citizens would be comfortable putting such a sign on the back….and when we think of the European history of divide / conquer / destroy and rebuild with different owners / regimes we could see his point.



This year’s sign got lots of notice as did the French one last year

Experience shows – We both enjoy the fact that the more we ride, and ride together the more fluid we are and our routine is recognised better by each other so made for less stress again which was good as we discovered many narrow winding lanes with gravel and other obstacles to be traversed.

Notebook for blog – I continued to use my Sony Vaio notebook for the Blog which works well. It’s amazing really how much electronic gear we have to take with us with different chargers for everything of course and cameras and the like. Adds a lot of weight and uses valuable luggage space. I think we were charged for Wifi and only one hotel and it was free everywhere else we stayed and available in just about every hotel or café we dined in. A big change in two years.



Where the blog was launched from and enabled some Skype contact as well though speeds are often frustratingly slow for Skype but at least we can talk even if the vision is a bit like a slow cartoon view.

Comfort levels - Comfort levels are key to enjoyable travel being that rather than an endurance test at times. One of the best investments we made was Oxford handgrip heaters. We use these heaps and not just in particularly cold weather. They can make a difference between needing to stop and don warmer clothing sooner than you want to stop and keeps the hands and arms comfortable with warm blood moving about instead of cold white hands that don’t want to unwrap from the handgrips. Couldn’t recommend them too highly. We also have them on the bikes at home. We also got some long johns to wear (Norm’s wool – mine not). His were more effective so I will have to try them and make sure they don’t make me itch before the next trip.



God bless our grip heaters, yummy and warm and adjustable. The switch is nice and handy in the centre of the handlebars.

Packing – Yet again I packed things I didn’t wear but I was conscious that we had mostly one night stays this trip which can make getting washing dry a trial and we had a drama in Belfast getting things returned from the laundry so remains a work in progress for next trip. I’m getting better at buying things I can screw up and shake out without looking scrunched..

Packing / Gear on bikes – One of the things to remember about what you take with you is that everything you wear when the weather is cold has to have a place to fit when the weather is hot and you peel what becomes unnecessary layers off. We have a waterproof pack and zip tied to Norm’s parcel rack to hold the waterproofs and when we put them on we replaced them with the small back pack Norm carried with all our documents (insurance policies rego papers, passports, accommodation details for the night etc.). He also had a couple of basic panniers fitted to his bike to stow our bike covers which is a security measure (takes more commitment from would be no hopers to damage or fiddle with a bike) and protects them from the weather. It also meant we had room for essentials like polishing rags and Plexus and some motor oil and the like as well as ample room for waterproofs and anything else we wanted room for. It also means on the side of the road in a sudden downpour you can access or stow your gear and stow without having to be super precise. The mix works. (See the pic above with the signs). We will have to work on this again next year in a new country.

Goodbye to our UK bikes – We were delighted that since our bikes were known to the shop and they knew they were well maintained (they maintained them) the bike shop at Faversham bought our bikes off us before we headed home. The plan had been to sell them (2 years – 3 trips) and then tackle the USA so that is what we are doing and planning for next year and sorting out if we will hire or buy over there though buying and storing gives us better certainty re luggage capacity and carrying as well as the bikes being a known entity. We will see. Watch this space for further developments.



The bikes as we collected them….was hard to hand them over as we left. They served us well as did our association with the Bike Shop personnel who have become good friends....but that means we are about to start planning for the USA next year.

• Well we were awash with children and grandchildren yesterday which was great and I cannot believe how much our youngest grandchild Stella had grown in 6 weeks….she was 6 week old when we left and she definitely looks older than 12 weeks now..…as well as incredibly cute. All the other grandchildren have grown as well and Bayley is now taller than Norm so he is pretty impressed about that. Big change in a short time.
• Our trip home went pretty well and we slept in fits and starts but oh my God was it ever good to be in our own bed last night. Went to bed at 6pm and didn’t get out until 8am this morning. PERFECT!
• Onto the bikes this morning to go and see Norm Snr and cut his lawns then home through Noojee and Willowgrove. Nice to be back on our local roads and enjoying our own scenery.
• We are progressively unpacking and packing away what we need to so will get to a debrief of the trip eventually.



Nice to see some familiar local colour…..and the bikes look good as well. Ha ha.