Eskdale 2016

nev

Super Térrarist
Saturday

Jo and I left Melbourne on Saturday morning in light drizzle which only lasted until we got over the range at Kinglake. Stopped for breakfast in Yarck where we were passed by Williamson, A86, Dougman and TimC. We continued to Eskdale, got off the main road at Mansfield and took the Old Tolmie road and rejoined just past Tolmie, then off again at Whitfield and through backroads to Edi Upper, Carboor and stopped for lunch at the 2 Cooks cafe in Whorouly. This is a great spot to stop for lunch and a good alternative to Whitfield. Then we took Happy Valley Rd to Mt Beauty and Trappers Gap over to Mitta Mitta where we refueled and stopped to chat with and Jack, a couple of Monarchs also on their way to Eskdale.

Trappers Gap Rd

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These guys are really interested in something over the road

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It must be this

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nev

Super Térrarist
On Sunday I joined Glitch's group for a dirty tour. We hit the Yabba Rd, Granya Gap,

Mt Granya

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The River Road to Jingellic

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Then over the back of Walwa via the Cudgewa Nth Rd to Tintaldra, over the bridge and back along the River Rd to Jingellic and Walwa for lunch. After Lunch out the back again, this time to Shelley.

Tim performed some bike maintenance

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Brad seemed content

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Marty conquered some mountains

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nev

Super Térrarist
Monday Morning in Eskdale

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We headed down the Mitta Mitta Hwy

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Security was looking after the bikes at the Blue Duck Inn

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Up Mt Blowhard

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and down the other side

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across Lake Omeo

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After Lunch in Omeo, back up to Falls creek,

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Marty Brad and myself took Trappers Gap Rd back to Eskdale.
Rumour has it this section of that road is good for $1.30+ on a Husky

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nev

Super Térrarist
Tuesday morning every one else left back towards Melbourne.
Jo and I headed out for more riding.
First stop was Dartmouth Dam

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Then up the Mitta Nth Road, Lockhards Gap, Bryants Gap and up the Tallangatta Lookout

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Granya Gap and over the Wymah ferry again, then turned left and headed back towards the Hume. Off the hume at Tabletop and into Jindera only to find that the petrol station has closed down and their new servo hasn't been built yet. So into Lavington for a splash of fuel then back out to Howlong via Bungowannah.

The put in Howlong had a good Australia Day lunch, and also sheep shearing and yabby races.
We went south, through Barnawatha and through the indigo valley and Mount Pilot Park. Some good roads through there (Watchbox Rd, Elligates Rd, Honeysuckle Creek Rd, Old Coach Rd) provided a dirty route to Wooragee.

Watchbox Road has seen some recent bushfire activity

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Left to Yackandandah and south onto Back Creek Rd, Schmidts Ln, Back Creek Rd, Hillsborough Rd into Stanley, then into Beechworth for the night. All of the roads through the pine plantations there were in good nick and next time some further investigation will be required.

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nev

Super Térrarist
Wednesday the alarm was set for 7am. The forecast was for heavy rain in Beechworth/Wangaratta in the morning.

The motel didn't have any covered parking, but I managed to wheel both bikes under the shelter of a small 1metre wide verandah over the rooms to keep them out of the rain.

We were woken at 4am by the sound of a hailstorm pounding the motel. I never really got back to sleep much after that.

6:30am it's starting to get light. There's just light rain. I check the BOM radar. There is a huge storm over Yarrawonga heading this way, right on cue. BOM says it dumped 55mm on Yarrawonga between 6 and 8am. I wake Jo up and we pack up and were on the road before 7am. Most of the trip home was just light rain or no rain aside from one big storm north of Seymour which we rode through in a few mintues which limited visibility quite a bit.
That storm turned the centre divide of the Hume and the sides of the road into rivers of water. BOM says 70mm of rain got dumped there just before we arrived.

After Seymour the skies are blue so we're off the Hume and home via Flowerdale.
 

nev

Super Térrarist
I took out my prefilter today to change it after the dusty weekend, to find it looking like this, with a big hole in it, and a dead wasp attached.

Not sure whether the wasp got stuck in the filter and tore it apart trying to get out, or whether he started eating his way through it, only to find that cotton, foam filter oil and dirt didn't agree with his insides.

Either way, the second layer of the filter sock continued to perform all filtering functions and when I pulled the pod filter out, the pod filter and inside of the airbox were still both clean as ever.

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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Yo, seen that before.
It might be time to find a sturdier material ( non-cotton-mix??)
 
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