The Great Alpine Excursion

In late December 05 and early January 06, a small band of iron butt wannabes undertook an adventure in the New South Wales and Victorian high country. The idea was to ride as many of Australia's best motorcycle roads as possible including a number of the top rides from the Australian Motorcycle Atlas (AMA). Unfortunately, the weather was fairly unkind to us for most of the trip. The story goes something like this:

Day 1 - 28/12: Brisbane to Armidale. Geoff (R1200RT), Bill (VN800) and I (Tiger) left Brisbane on the Mt Lindsey Highway bypassing Beaudesert via Bromelton House and Sandy Creek Road and back on the Mt Lindsey for the excellent tight run up the Border Ranges (AMA Ride 6). At the top of the ranges we took Summerland Way and its open sweepers down to Kyogle and on to Casino and then a relatively boring run to Grafton for fuel and lunch. By the time we got to Grafton it was uncomfortably hot. After lunch it was west over the Gibraltar Ranges on the Gwydir Highway which is a mix of fast sweepers a tight climb up the range and fast sweepers again into Glenn Innes. One of Australia's best kept secrets when it comes to motorcycling roads. The heat wasn't as bad climbing the ranges but it was still uncomfortable in Glenn Innes. Roy (VFR800) joined us in Glenn Innes as he had been staying in Warwick with his family. From Glenn Innes it was south on the New England for the run into Armidale where we stayed the night at the Cedar Lodge Motel or Tattersall's Hotel. We arrived in Armidale and managed to get the bikes stowed and unpacked a full five minutes before the usual afternoon thunderstorm hit. We also met up with Bob (VFR800) in Armidale. Bob lives in Sydney and had ridden up to do a couple of days of the ride with us. All in all the day was about 560 klms. Map.

Day 2 - 29/12: Armidale to Mt Victoria. We left Armidale on the New England highway to Uralla where we turned left on Thunderbolts way to Walcha for a coffee stop. Unfortunately the bakery in Walcha was closed for renovations, but the good news is that it should be back bigger and better next time we are down that way. It was already hot in Walcha but not so bad as we headed over the Nowendoc Ranges to Gloucester. This section of road is relatively recently completely sealed and it is absolutely magnificent for motorcycling. By Gloucester it was hot again and just got worse as we headed south on the Buckett's Way to Stroud Road where we turned right to Singleton via Dungog and Gresford. This is a relatively narrow country backroad that has a high fun factor. We stopped for fuel in Singleton and had lunch at Macca's hoping to escape the heat but the air conditioning wasn't even coping that well. We headed down the Putty Road (AMA ride 19) but the heat was so bad we couldn't really enjoy it. Geoff's ambient temperature gauge read 48 degrees at one point though Roy's showed a maximum of 44. To avoid the outskirts of Sydney, we turned right and headed through East Kurrajong to the Bells Line of Road (AMA ride 9). At the top we turned left onto the Darling Causeway and headed into Mt Victoria where we stay at the Imperial Hotel for the night. The outside temperature was quite comfortable in Mt Victoria but we were all drained from the heat during the day and the outside temperature didn't get into my room so it was still too hot to sleep well without air conditioning. All in all the day was 602 klms. Map.

Day 3 - 30/12: Mt Victoria to Tumut. We left Mt Victoria early and rode through the Blue Mountains to Oberon. This is a really lovely ride. The roads are excellent and quite twisty and the scenery is lovely. From Oberon we headed south to Goulburn. This is mostly in the Blue Mountains with the descent closer to Goulburn. The first part of this section is typical Blue Mountains with nice scenery but not too tight. This is followed by a section of recently sealed road that is quite fast fun and then a section of about 10 klms of good quality gravel road and then the descent and a relatively dull run into Goulburn where the heat was unbearable again. We stopped for fuel and coffee in Goulburn where Bob left us to head home to Sydney. The rest of us took the Hume Highway to Yass where we escaped the heat with another Macca's lunch. At Yass we decided to split up. I wanted to head over the Wee Jasper Road (AMA ride 20) to Tumut but the others were concerned about the 65klms of gravel road that way so they decided to continue on the Hume Highway to Gundagai and then head down to Tumut. To be honest, I think they made the right choice. The first 50klms of the Wee Jasper road was fantastic. Reminded me very much of the Mt Nebo road in Brisbane but with scenery around the mighty Murrumbidgee River. Then came the gravel section which I suspect hasn't seen a grader in some years and was very challenging to say the least. Probably the second worst piece of road I've ever ridden on and quite tight to make it worse. The last 30klms was fantastic again. Reminded me of the Advancetown raceway only tighter. I met up with the others again in Tumut where we stayed at Tumut Valley View Motor Inn which I would recommend. The motel had a pool so we all cooled off after another hot day. 431 klms. Map.

Day 4 - 31/12: Tumut to Jindabyne. Given the heatwave conditions we decided to get on the road early and stop for breakfast along the way. From Tumut we took the Batlow road and headed through to Tumbarumba where we stopped at a cafe for breakfast. This road was quite nice. It was well shaded and was typical of a country road in an area with lots of hills. From Tumbarumba we took the Elliot Way to go over the top of the Kosciusko National Park to Kiandra via a detour to Cabramurra, Australia's highest town (actually more of a ski resort than a town), where we stopped for a coffee. The Elliot way is in the mountains so its quite tight and gives access to some of the Snowy Hydro facilities such as the Tumut 2 power station. From Cabramurra we headed down to Kiandra which is no longer a town though there is a memorial there. After a quick sprint north on the Snowy Mountains Highway to check out the road, we headed south to Adaminaby where we stopped for lunch and fuel. The garage had a thermometer and it was 35 degrees in the shade which is really unusual for the high country. After lunch we headed off to Berridale and Jindabyne where we stayed at the Banjo Patterson Inn. The hotel has been recently refurbished but nothing in Jindabyne is air conditioned. My room had a spa bath so I was able to cool off for a while in that. Late that afternoon we went for a sprint up to Thredbo for a coffee. For a ski resort in a heatwave, Thredbo was packed. We celebrated new year's eve at a Chinese restaurant in Jindabyne. 285 klms. Map.

Day 5 - 1/1: Jindabyne to Albury - Given the heat and the noise of the pub, I was unable to sleep at all new year's eve so I got up at first light and took a quick spin down towards Bega (AMA ride 10). Once past Cooma, this road is very fast sweepers until you get to the Brown Mountain Descent which is a very tight 10klms and then its sweepers again into Bemboka where I stopped for coffee and then turned around to go back to Jindabyne and meet up with the others. The trip down was perfect in the cool of the early morning. The trip back up wasn't quite so good as the wind picked up rather badly ahead of the cool change that was predicted to come through. Unfortunately, it wasn't a cooling wind. Still, 270 klms before breakfast isn't a bad effort. By the time I got back to Jindabyne and sat down to breakfast, the others had come up with some ideas to change the plan to try to escape the heat. Bill had decided he had enough of the heat so he was leaving us to head off home. Geoff and Roy suggested that, as there was no air-conditioned accommodation available in Jindabyne, we should head off to Albury and get some appropriate accommodation there. After another cooling spa, we took the Alpine Way (AMA ride 8) from Jindabyne to Khancoban. This is now one of my top two favourite roads. Its tight, its long and its well surfaced. Fabulous fun factor. The heat wasn't too bad in the high country but by the time we got down to Khancoban it was oppressive again. We stopped for lunch in Khancoban and then took the Murray Valley and then the Murray River road (AMA ride 27) through Walwa and Bungil and, after a much needed drink stop at the Hume Weir on into Albury. This road is not so tight but still quite fun as it follows the not so mighty looking Murray River. Unfortunately, it was just too hot and too windy to really enjoy the road. In Albury we stayed at the Town Centre Motel which was very comfortable and had a pool so we were able to cool off on arrival. 580 klms. Map.

Day 6 - 2/1: Albury to Bairnsdale. The cool change had finally come through and it was a perfect day for riding. We had a reasonably light day to get to Bairnsdale since we had travelled to Albury the day before which wasn't planned. After a very light breakfast in our rooms we headed out to Hume Weir for a look (we'd virtually been there the previous day but hadn't looked at the weir). We then headed south to take the Gundoering road (AMA ride 28) but I missed a GPS instruction and we got a little lost on a very pleasant road that unfortunately turned into gravel eventually. Backtracking, we managed to find the Gundoering road which took us to the Kiewa Valley Highway and into Mt Beauty where we stopped for breakfast. The Gundoering road was a disappointment. It was quite straight and I can't see why it would make the top rides list, though it is now all sealed (the AMA suggests a dirt section). After breakfast we made an unplanned detour up to Falls Creek for a coffee. This is an excellent piece of road. 30 plus kilometres of pure racetrack. We came down from Falls Creek and then headed across to Bright which is a gorgeous little town where we stopped for lunch. The road over from Mt Beauty to Bright was another excellent 25klms of twisties. From Bright we took the Great Alpine Road up to Mt Hotham (you actually go through the ski resort). The road up here is very scary if you don't handle heights well. In parts its above the tree line and there are very big near vertical drops away from both sides of the road and no barriers to stop you riding off the edge (shudder). The road down the other side of Mt Hotham is much less scary though. All in all its a fantastic ride though, corner after corner. Interestingly, the alpine road surfaces are an incredibly soft compound in summer so it doesn't break up in the winter. Its so soft that you can't stand in the one place for long or you sink into the road. You actually feel it give under the bike as you ride. After Mt Hotham it was on to Omeo where we stopped for a coffee and then down the Omeo Valley Highway which forms the southern part of the Great Alpine Road. The Omeo Valley is just the most beautiful part of the world and the road more or less follows the river so it is another delight for motorcyclists. The road ends up in Bairnsdale where we stayed at the Town Central Motel. 470 klms. Map.

Day 7 - 3/1: Bairnsdale to Narooma. From Bairnsdale we took the Princes Highway through Lakes Entrance to Cann River. Originally I thought this would be a particularly boring piece of road. However, it was well surfaced, had plenty of bends and not much traffic. What traffic there was would generally pull over onto the shoulder of the road and let us past even on double lines. This was something I really noticed in Victoria. Drivers seemed to be much more motorcycle aware and had a much better attitude to motorcycles than Queensland drivers who we have to assume are actively trying to kill us. They would almost universally pull over onto the road shoulder to let us past and they would make room for us to lane split at traffic lights. This combined with what we know about the very sensible approach to motorcycle parking in Melbourne leads me to believe that Victoria is the bike friendly State. We stopped for fuel in Cann River and then turned north onto the Monaro Valley Highway to Rockton (which turns out to be a "locality" rather than a town, meaning there isn't anything there except an intersection). This turned out to be another surprise of the trip. The Monaro Valley highway, at least as far as Rockton, is another fabulous fun factor road with sweeper after sweeper, excellent road surface and gorgeous scenery. At Rockton we turned to go down the Mt Imlay Road (AMA ride 16) to the Princes Highway again and on to Eden where we had lunch. The Mt Imlay road was a bit of a disappointment. It was quite tight which was good but the road surface was relatively poor so again, I would not classify it among a list of top rides. From Eden we took the coast road through Merimbula, Tathra and Bermagui to Narooma where we spent the night. The map showed part of this road as unsealed but it was sealed all the way and it was another good fun factor road with lots of ups, downs and twisties and much less traffic than I expected given the season. In Narooma, we stayed at the La Salle Motel. 453 klms. Map.

Day 8 - 4/1: Narooma to Mt Victoria. From Narooma we took the Princes Highway north to Bateman's Bay where we stopped for fuel and then headed up the King's Highway (AMA ride 11) to Braidwood where we stopped for morning tea. Braidwood is a gorgeous little town, well worth a visit for a coffee. We continued on the King's Highway as far as Doughboy where we turn north to Goulburn where we stopped for fuel. We had planned to lunch in Goulburn but were not quite hungry after our morning tea stop so we pushed on and stopped for lunch in Taralga. Then, once through the gravel section, it was back into the beautiful Blue Mountains roads through Oberon and Mt Victoria to Katoomba. We had planned to stay in Mt Victoria but we were less than happy with the accommodation there on the way down so we decided to stay in Katoomba for the trip back. We stopped on the way into Katoomba for a coffee at the Hydro Majestic Hotel which is a very old and stylish hotel that has been refurbished beautifully in recent years. The weather had started to look threatening during the afternoon but we had been lucky. It started to rain while we were at the Hydro Majestic though it was more a mist than a rain. In Katoomba we stayed at the Town Central Motel 480 klms. Map.

Day 9 - 5/1: Katoomba to Gloucester. We left Katoomba and headed back up to Mt Victoria where we stopped for fuel and then went north on the Darling Causeway to the Bell's Line of Road (AMA Ride 9) which took us down to Kurrajong where we cut across to the Putty Road (AMA Ride 19) and on up to Singleton where we stopped for fuel. It rained pretty much all the way from Katoomba to Singleton. We had planned to do the Hunter Valley for perhaps a tasting and some lunch at a winery but the rain had us pretty much wanting just to get on to the motel. Roy left us at Singleton to head home for some prior commitments so we were down to just the two of us now, Geoff and I. We decided to press on through Gresford where we stopped and took our wet gear off and then to Dungog where we stopped at the bakery for lunch. After lunch it was on to Stroud Road and The Buckett's Way to Gloucester where we stayed at the Buckett's Way Motel. The weather continued to threaten all afternoon but we didn't actually get any rain after Singleton. 455 klms. Map.

Day 10 - 6/1: Gloucester to Armidale. This was planned as one of the best day's riding of the trip with Thunderbolt's way and then the Oxley Highway (twice). The weather looked ominous as we left Gloucester via Thunderbolt's Way, but apart from some heavy fog at the top, we didn't get any rain at all on the way to Walcha where we stoped for fuel. Geoff decided to head home from Walcha as his back was playing up and the spirited riding in the twisties wasn't helping. As if Thunderbolt's Way isn't a great ride in itself, I headed off to go down the Oxley Highway (AMA ride 18) to Long Flat and then turn around and come back up to Walcha. Despite having ridden so many wonderful roads in the past 10 days, the Oxley is still my favourite. Its just a really brilliant piece of road. Unfortunately it was raining at the bottom of the range but most of the tight section was ok. some of the road was wet but it wasn't actually raining until close to the bottom. I refuelled again at Walcha and then it was on to Uralla and Armadale where I stayed at the Cedar Lodge Motel again. No more rain that day until after I was safely parked up in the motel. 502 klms. Map.

Day 11 - 7/1: Armidale to Brisbane. I left Armidale via Waterfall Way with the weather threatening again. By the tight run over the Gibraltar Ranges it was raining heavily and the rain continued all the way into Grafton where I stop for a coffee and some respite. I took the back road to Maclean and then up the Pacific Highway. It was still raining when I got to Woodburn where I had planned to turn off for Lismore and then on to Mullumbimby for Lunch. Given the rain, I decided to stay on the highway and stopped for fuel in Ballina by which time it had fined up. From Ballina I continued up the highway and then took the old road over the Burringbar ranges to Murwillumbah. I had planned to go up through the Numinbah Valley to rejoin the Pacific Highway at Oxenford for the run home but the weather looked suspect in the hills so I returned to the highway and after a fuel and food stop at Mudgeeraba I headed straight home where it was good to see the family again. 570 klms. Map.

All in all it was a fantastic trip and we got to ride some really great roads through some wonderful country. The weather was unkind to us with a record heat wave for five days, followed by three good days and then rain for three days. Though you have to expect rain on any decent ride. It was also a long trip and I don't know if I would do both the NSW and Victorian highlands together again. Perhaps just one or the other and make it shorter. However, I'll definitely be going again, perhaps not in December / January though. Some of those roads are too good to only ride once in your life.