A decade of bliss...Yarns From Australia

[glitch_oz]

2010...Xmas-New Year...Mt. Buller, Victoria

More rain and flood damage everywhere in Victoria made us lock up the bikes and grab the cage and walking boots

Having the use of a ski-lodge at Mt. Buller about 100mi from Melbourne, made it an easy choice.

This one's mainly a pictorial then.

What a pearler of a week to close the year!!


More alpine pics (incl. the whole series of that sunset):
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3350

 

[glitch_oz]

2011...National Strom Meet in Bright , Victoria

Early March saw the V-Strommers Annual Bash in Bright.

A 3-day weekend looked after the time-slot, some great dirt and twisties proved the key entertainment side of things.

Mt. Hotham

Pete got adventurous, taking a dip in Bright....and squirted through the eye of a needle from 10ft away for the next few days.

Cheers girlz...Mrs. CeeBee13 and Mrs. Hayesy .

More:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3452

 

[glitch_oz]

2011...Forum Rally Wynyard, Tasmania

Late March, 2 weeks

What a cracker of a time!!

First a meet at Wynyard with a couple of rides together...then roaming the northern half of the Apple Isle for the best of the gravel spiced with the tightest and curliest of the tar.


Folks came from halfway around the country...and enjoyed every second.


Awesome breakfast BBQ's with all the trimmings.

Punctures, busted tyres..... and cracked chains (Andy/ DonQX) on day1..... to cruising the backroads near Interlaken

Some rough and rocky stuff, running into the dark and thunderstorms without a headlight

Lighting fires under someone's bum

Beachriding at Musselroe Point and lateron at Strahan...


Mt. William National Park

Rode some lonely roads in the West

Watched a Steam-loco pushed by hand

Discovered the story behind this one

Carved more twisties

...and finished up in Wynyard again

WOO-BLOODY-HOO!!!

For the whole package of words and pics: :glu:glu


http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3494

 

[glitch_oz]

2011...Winter-Gold_Melbourne to Brisbane the long way

Mid-July....9 days

Melbourne to Rainbow Beach/ Qld via the backroads. 2000mi of bliss and discovery.
Then flying home...Fergusson Transport took care of the bikes.

A bit of a sentimental affair, as this was going to be last "Big 'Un" for the WTF1000...."The Dishrack" was waiting to get put on the road and take over.

And it wasn't just bikes...we rode a ferry across the Murray River

Discovered some (new to us) roads

Found a cricket game where nobody had moved for years

Bombed on the Bridle Track, then took the "Scenic Tour"

Rediscovered the Bylong Valley

Ran the Old Grafton Road and along the Clarence River for a while

The Paddys Flat Rd. to the Qld border.... and were enchanted by the Spring Creek Rd.

Met Christo and Brian (bb63)

...and rode the Cooloola Beach from Noosa to Rainbow

What a great ride!
For the whole yarn in words and another ~200 pictures:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3679

 

[glitch_oz]

2011...Yarra Valley Spring

Late August...and spring's early this year.
Just a little pootle not far from home.



Near Glenburn, Toolangi State Park

More here:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3720

 

[glitch_oz]

2011...Western US

September

Jimbo had sweet-talked us into another 3 weeks, this time for more dirt, more out of the way places, brilliant weather, lots of laughs, lots of backroads, some wild'n whacky places and some smooth cruising wrapped in the STUMPING!! ~7000km loop.

Apart from that, the KLR was still sitting there waiting for another ride... now joined by a modded DRZ400 for Goodie.


As all good things...it started with a BANG.
Of Jimbo's brandnew TKC80 rear hoop, that is.

We skimmed the South Oregon border through the Klamath Mtns

Trusted some shady characters

Checked out the "Painted Hills" of John Day Fossil Beds

Cruised one of the endless South Fork, or was it a North Fork?, roads, this one in the Malheur National Forest

Had the most bizarre overnight stay EVER...at the (now in receivership) BearCat lodge in Seneca

The "Little Dragon" produced tears of joy ...and one HELL of a DR650 v. KLR650 paint-swapper.

Frequented classy neighbourhoods

Met Wyatt Earp in the tiny hamlet of Ola, loaded 6-shooter in the waitband, Stetson and all.

Folks enjoying Hot Springs at the side of the road

From Idaho, into Montana and quickly through Yellowstone into Wyoming
....ohhh man, LOVE that place!

Jackson Lake, Grand Tetons N.P. in the late afternoon

The backroads into Capitol Reef N.P....bloody speechless, what nature can come up with.

 

[glitch_oz]

2011....Western US cont.

Bryce Canyon

...and the red roads of Zion N.P.

No ride around here without some mystery

Fixed this 'n that

Back into California, Bear Gully and Sonora Pass, Ebbett's Pass....and into the Sierra Nevada proper.

Lost our hearts at Lassen Volcanic Park

Had enough bends??
For a while!! Wore the glove to shreds, bugga!

For another tour-de-force ride report and around 800 pics :

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3787

 

[glitch_oz]

2011...Photo Ride, Melbourne area

The forecast sounded crappy for this late November Sunday.

And boy, how well did it turn out in the end??


As always, discovered a few new stretches

Doug (dougman1) was there....and Tim (TimC)....Jeremy (aussieflicker)...and Steve (stevegt738)....more?

T'was a bloody good day! :glu



More here:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3826

 

[glitch_oz]

2012....Dust, Sweat 'n Beers- Vicorian High Country

Yet another "inofficial" Australia Day Long Weekend, late January.

Off into the hills with tents and gear...


Starting off into the Strathbogie Ranges.

The first proper trip for "The Dishrack"

Dave, knackered after The Paps steep and loose, rocky climb in temperatures around the 40 C/ 100+F

Rode the byways of Tolmie

...went up Mt. Buller...

...had guests at the camp...

....checked out the thick redgum slab as counter top at the Tatong Pub, had a long dip at Lake William Hovell.

....and watched the blackbellies roll into Swanpool....and out again.

Brilliant weekend....with quite a few surprises...and a ton of laughs.



Lots more here:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3899

 

[glitch_oz]

2012...Trials at Three Bridges

Melbourne outer regions:
Early February and the worst heat had subsided for a few days...

Richard (K1W1) and I went for a short gawk at those guys who can get bikes up sheer roackwalls and across 4 foot logs.

Just a quick run through the backblocks of Kurth Kiln and Gladysdale before we dove into the apple-orchard, onto which the Trials terrain borders.


Those guys are just incredible !!

And that includes the kids!!

...and some of the visitors

More pics, at far better quality, here:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3907

 

[glitch_oz]

2012....Bright Australian ADVtravel Film Festival

Late February

It had gathered steam very slowly... and then they came from all around Australia !!

What a meet up, what a show....GREAT STUFF!!
Fantastic to see so many new and old faces, see the travel-passion in those glowing eyes, the crowds on the grass of the river banks watching the movies late into the night....this was old-school "Good Time" stuff....BRILLIANT!!

Even getting there and getting back wasn't shabby...the Sat morning ride a bit of a rush along main roads, but the return trip was fun with a capital F.

Chasing a bunch of roadies up Mt. Hotham and getting them so involved that they wanted to turn onto the Dargo High Plains dirt with us

Then the re-discovery of a long-forgotten pearler of a road through Gippsland.

Richard (K1W1) was along....and Rowan (Row1) on the Tiger

One of Richards shots

More:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3943

 

[glitch_oz]

2012....Long White Cloud__New Zealand Spectacular

March
2 weeks of New Zealand's South Island backroads....which felt like 2 months. Yes, there was that much packed into it, despite the fairly short distances travelled each day.



What an absolute RIPPER of a trip!

Things had taken a while, there was so much to do and dig up. Info wasn't too thick out there and in the end it was a bag of bits which had to be cobbled together into a 2-week ride on the spot and on the fly.

2 stumping weeks, that still get me into instant dreaming the second some NZ image flits past my eyes...it's all back there, right in front of me.

The laughs, the valleys...the mountain ridges and endless water, clear as glass...the dodgy Clarks Junction Pub after the day on the Danseys Pass and the rivetting, boggy High Plains of the Old Dunstan Road.
That pub...and THAT sunrise!!

The backroads into Waiau

The stunning Port Underwood

The "Molesworth"

The one that wraps it all into one

Until the next one comes around and leaves you gobsmacked again!

The Maruia Saddle was a gem

THe crew got me a new bike

Up the McKenzies, the Haka, the Meyers....

 

[glitch_oz]

2012....Long White Cloud__New Zealand Spectacular

Big Sky Country

The morning at Milford

...and nature's most stunning at the Mavora Lakes

...and riding past the brumbies into paradise near Walter Peak, to ship the bikes to Queenstown across the lake on the old Lady Earnslow steamer.
Christ, what a superb day!!

Breathtaking stuff on the way back up north

Nearly ran "the ton" on the Haldon Rd.

Skimmed above the fog of the Canterbury PLains at Mt. Hutt

...and yours truly nearly threw it into the Okuku River on the last day.

Reckon, we all have one thing in common: we LOVED IT....every bloody second of it!!

All the juicy bits and ALL OF THE ~1600 PICS
TO LEAVE YOU STUMPED!!


http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3990

 

[glitch_oz]

2012...Bayles Victoria

Another Bayles meet on the first Sunday in May...
50 miles east of Melbourne

Some outstanding shots in this thread:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4039

 

[glitch_oz]

2012....The 'Hood #1, Victoria

Another local Melbourne Ride SUnday

Early June saw this one kicking off, hopefully, a series of local rides, discovering the smallest and narrowest thoroughfares of the local neighbourhood.


The numbers were certainly a surprise.

Cold and grey turned into a great day.
Rode all day and were never more than 40km from home.
And barely knew half of it :glu

Lots more here:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4082

 

[glitch_oz]

2012....Recce-Drive, Victoria

Due to the previous bad weather and some flood-warnings and being one bike short for technical reasons, this early-July bash turned into a "recce-drive", scouting for new roads and through-routes for a later-in-the-year ride.

Certainly found enough "new material" for at least one day- ride!

Combined with some other "goodies", there's easily enough exciting stuff in the bag for a weekend, not far from home.

More pics and route info:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4121

 

[glitch_oz]

2012.....Yarram and Grand Ridge Mudfest, Victoria

Late July....
....and what a weekend this turned out to be. An overnighter to Yarram, where "roadies" and "muddies" would merge again to bullshit the night away.

A whopping 20 rocked up for the weekend, pretty much a forum record for a weekend ride.

The bleak skies abscured the views, but it was all hands on deck anyway as the slipping and sliding was pretty intense. To say the least.

Derek showed up on the "Tripod".....

Discovered some brilliant road, dodged and weaved to stay on the Grand Ridge and enjoyed the Sunday morning stretch immensely.
We'll certainly run this one again when things are a little drier through Spring/ early summer.

Pinching Matt's shot here....he didn't really have to hurry to take the pic.... it was just about impossible to stand up straight, never mind lifting the "The Dishrack" back on its legs. :muahaha:

More here:


http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4168

 

[glitch_oz]

2012...Strath Creek Pub, Melbourne, Victoria

Early August
Another ride to try and string together some of the roads and places we'd scouted on those rained-out Sundays in the car.

Great to see some more new faces....and Moike, who'd de-cobwebbed the BM for this one, yeeha!

Some surprisingly good and dry dirt after the heavy rains...

Cheers, boyz

One of the best spots in Victoria on a sunny Winter-afternoon.

Brilliant day, lots of fun and some choice backroads with hardly a soul around anywhere.

More pics and snippets:

http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4199

 

[glitch_oz]

Well....and that finally brings things up to date.

Hope that the one or other enjoyed some of the pics or even followed the links to the full story.

Maybe, it even sparked some interest in riding some Aussie roads, or New Zealand, Tasmania or even the Euro-Alps.

As for the usual question of : "wots next?"
There are 2 New Zealand rides on the cards, one all set for 10 days in November checking out some dirt and twisties of the North Island, another South Island fortnight in March next year, for which only the flight-tickets are missing....and then another Euro-Alps ride just hit the boards for Sept. 2013, 3 weeks of the Western half of the Alps down to the Mediterranean.

Life's short, gotta keep chipping away at that bucket-list.

 

[glitch_oz]

012...Fathers Day Follies

Another day ride with the Melbourne gang...and some great weather after 2 weeks of heavy rains.

It was muddy, there was snow, a whole day of sunshine and just about any surface one could conjure up.

A round of 10 showed up, some awesome riding, a crappy lunch and loads of laughs.

Where the hell's the track?

Lots more here:
http://www.austouring.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4234