A quick Snowy loop

nev

Super Térrarist
An aunt who lives in Canberra hasn't been well and was admitted to a nursing home recently. Two of my sisters decided to drive up to visit her, and catch up with some of our cousins who live there. They arranged to stay with a cousin in a new estate north of Canberra. I didn't make any arrangements, and only told them the day before that I was going to join them. Sunday they left Melbourne early and stopped in to visit another aunt and uncle in Wagga. I left home late Sunday afternoon and shot straight up the Hume Hwy,

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a quick detour into Wangaratta

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and stopped in Wodonga for the night, but only after checking out some of the local Bills Troughs in Albury.

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and Wodonga.

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nev

Super Térrarist
Monday morning was the boxing day holiday. I rolled out of Wodonga at 6am and I could count the number of cars I saw between Wodonga and Adaminaby. The number of wallabies looking at me from the side of the road would take two hands.

A quick stop in Tallangatta

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The Mechanics Institute hall in Cudgewa, a bit more modern than most.

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Up the Elliott Way, IMHO the best road in the Snowy mountains.

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Spotted some wild horses on the Elliott way.

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The road follows the river valley before rising up to Cabramurra

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A huge solar farm on the Monaro hwy

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nev

Super Térrarist
My sisters had used all of the available beds in the house in addition to my cousin and his family, and was panicking about where I was going to sleep. I think he got quite a shock when I volunteered to sleep on the garage floor. As it happened, the garage was carpeted and the temperature was quite mild, so it was probably the best night's sleep i've had in the swag since I bought it.

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I had planned to stay in Canberra for a couple of nights, and then maybe spend a couple of days heading back to Melbourne, but when I woke up on tuesday morning and looked at the weather forecasts for the next few days, my mind was quickly made up. The forecast for Tuesday was 28, wednesday 35, thursday 39.... I decided to head straight home while the weather was still bearable for riding. After catching up with more news around the breakfast table I was on the bike at about 10am and heading south again.

The previous day I'd needed my thermals over the Snowy mountains but today the weather was perfect. I took my jacket liner out at Cooma then headed back through Jindabyne and Khancoban.

Got to Khancoban right on lunch time so stopped there for the Switchyard Special.

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Along the Murray valley Hwy to Tarnagulla for fuel then out towards Wang. I had passed the signpost to El Dorado many times, and every time I said Next time I'm here, I will go take a look at what is up that road. Today was the day. I took the turn. I was quite surprised. I expected it to be just a few rural properties with no actual "town" but there was quite a busy town with a shop or two and quite a few houses, a hall, some old churches etc.

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Next out to Allens Flat and into Yackandandah

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Took some back streets and found the old hospital building in Beechworth (and a detour around the main shopping centre for future reference)

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Back onto the Hume at Wangaratta and was home in daylight a bit under 10 hours door to door.
 

ant

AngryAnt
The Elliot Way is an awesome road. Had a run-in with a brumby foal there once myself, up the top end near the turn-off to Tumbarumba.
 

John_Johnny

Long Timer
I had passed the signpost to El Dorado many times, and every time I said Next time I'm here, I will go take a look at what is up that road. Today was the day. I took the turn. I was quite surprised. I expected it to be just a few rural properties with no actual "town" but there was quite a busy town with a shop or two and quite a few houses, a hall, some old churches etc.

Went there yesterday Nev. Wouldn't exactly describe it as a busy town. General store had practically nothing. We stayed hungry until Beechworth. There is a dirt road between Eldorado and Woolshed Falls. We got told of a secret location along that road and Johnny will scream blue murder if we don't go past there so he can add to his collection of gold. Yesterday was our 3rd visit this year and the same sheila in the acubra was still camped there. She helped Johnny to use his new gold panning dish and 'sniffer', which is used to suck the gold out of the dish.







And there IS gold!

This was yesterday's haul. The nice acubra lady gave him a little glass bottle to add to his wares.

So if anyone is thinking of cruising around Eldorado again, give us a hoy. Johnny's keen to get back there, and he may agree to tell you where the gold is, so long as you keep his secret.

edit. Oops, Johnny tells me there are 5 bits in that bottle and my pic only shows one. ;)
 
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