Williamson
Part of the furniture
Mrs W and I left around 4:00pm on Wednesday 28 December, 2011 with Culcairn our intended overnight destination. This however was looking a bit optimistic as our speed was limited to 100km/h (due to trailer swaying ‘all over the place’), stopping a few times to redistribute the load (to no avail) and the extra concentration required controlling the bike was very tiring.
The 275km between Donnybrook and Wodonga used 20.6litres – that’s 7.5litres/100km – this looks like a fun trip – NOT!!!
By the time we got to Albury I was exhausted, so we stayed at the Boomerang Hotel Motel. At $66.00 for a double room, comfy bed, clean sheets, a shower with plenty of hot water and heaps of waterpressure, cold beers, good food, it was pretty good value. We’ll stay there again.
Next morning we headed up the Olympic Way with our first stop was at Henty for coffee and breakfast. Even at this early hour I need to find some shade for the Mighty CB:
The Main Street:
The off to Junee via Wagga Wagga. A nice (but not too) old Church in Junee:
The railway station precinct has some pretty nice old buildings. Outside:
The platform:
An old pub in pretty good nick:
After another coffee we were off to Gundagai. The Junee – Gundagai Road took us through some gently undulating country side, a few nice curves and very little traffic.
Lunch at Gundagai and a few locals suggested that it wouldn’t be prudent to take the Mighty CB, trailer and pillion over the Tumut – Wee Jasper Road. Before heading to Yass, the Mighty CB needed a thirst quench, and a tyre pressure check.
The trailer sway had been on my mind for over 600km by now (at least I had something to think about whilst travelling at 80 – 90km/h). Because of the extra load in the trailer (at least another 50kg from previous trips) I upped the trailer tyre pressures to 15psi (from 11psi), and this was the only thing that I could think of that was different with the trailer (well apart from the extra 50kg).
So, I dropped the trailer tyre pressures to 11psi. WHAT A DIFFERENCE when I get back on the Hume Highway, at 100km/h - no sway, at 110km/h – no sway. I reckon it would have been ‘no sway’ at 140km/h.
At Yass we get some last minute extras for the next four days or so, including a slab and two bags of ice – more weight. The Yass – Wee Jasper Road was as sweet as last year (well actually sweeter now that it’s all sealed – sorry guys and gals). The last 6.0km to Micalong Creek is still gravel (I wonder when it will be sealed?).
Micalong Creek:
Bernie (new DR650, lucky B) and Warren (DL650) arrive stay a couple nights, but head off before New Year’s Eve. I think they were heading to Sydney for a Mardi Gras get together with their new mate from Wednesday evening.
Steve (naked DL650) also arrives and stays a night or two, takes off and head for home via the sealed roads – I think he may not have been feeling well.
The Capitol Rally has been an ‘off again / on again’ affair all week so Mrs W and I have a plan B, ie. home via Cooma, Bombala, a few nights in Tathra, etc…. Mrs W doesn’t need much convincing.
We head to the coast via Tumut (overnight at the Royal Hotel Motel) and Adaminaby. The Mighty CB needed some more shade:
The view from Brown Mountain:
Tathra:
Some of our Tathra neighbours:
A few nights R & R at Tathra, nice coffee shops, club, pub, restaurant and fish & chip shop. The best feed of Flathead fillets I’ve had, and a say so to the lady behind the counter and ask if it was local Flathead, and she says, “No, the Flathead is from South Australia” Go, figure that!!!
Overnight at a nice B & B at Bombala (the old NAB) building, then down the Bonang Highway. At the McKillops Bridge turn off:
At a rest stop, where we had to repair a puncture:
The puncture repair was a chore. Trailer off, tools and repair kit out, find the hole, plug it, etc …. This would not have been achievable without the help of a Toyota Land Cruiser guy, his wife and small electric compressor. A tyre pressure check at Orbost (rear tyre is holding at 44psi) and then off to Raymond Island.
At RI we stay with friends. The view from their front yard next morning:
Mrs W and Dick going for a ride in his new toy:
Home on Saturday 7 January, 2012, ten nights away, around 2,500km, lots of sights seen and exhausted. We learned that there are lots of new and exciting places to find and see, still.
I learned – NOT TO FRIG AROUND WITH THE TRAILER TYRE PRESSURES.
The 275km between Donnybrook and Wodonga used 20.6litres – that’s 7.5litres/100km – this looks like a fun trip – NOT!!!
By the time we got to Albury I was exhausted, so we stayed at the Boomerang Hotel Motel. At $66.00 for a double room, comfy bed, clean sheets, a shower with plenty of hot water and heaps of waterpressure, cold beers, good food, it was pretty good value. We’ll stay there again.
Next morning we headed up the Olympic Way with our first stop was at Henty for coffee and breakfast. Even at this early hour I need to find some shade for the Mighty CB:
The Main Street:
The off to Junee via Wagga Wagga. A nice (but not too) old Church in Junee:
The railway station precinct has some pretty nice old buildings. Outside:
The platform:
An old pub in pretty good nick:
After another coffee we were off to Gundagai. The Junee – Gundagai Road took us through some gently undulating country side, a few nice curves and very little traffic.
Lunch at Gundagai and a few locals suggested that it wouldn’t be prudent to take the Mighty CB, trailer and pillion over the Tumut – Wee Jasper Road. Before heading to Yass, the Mighty CB needed a thirst quench, and a tyre pressure check.
The trailer sway had been on my mind for over 600km by now (at least I had something to think about whilst travelling at 80 – 90km/h). Because of the extra load in the trailer (at least another 50kg from previous trips) I upped the trailer tyre pressures to 15psi (from 11psi), and this was the only thing that I could think of that was different with the trailer (well apart from the extra 50kg).
So, I dropped the trailer tyre pressures to 11psi. WHAT A DIFFERENCE when I get back on the Hume Highway, at 100km/h - no sway, at 110km/h – no sway. I reckon it would have been ‘no sway’ at 140km/h.
At Yass we get some last minute extras for the next four days or so, including a slab and two bags of ice – more weight. The Yass – Wee Jasper Road was as sweet as last year (well actually sweeter now that it’s all sealed – sorry guys and gals). The last 6.0km to Micalong Creek is still gravel (I wonder when it will be sealed?).
Micalong Creek:
Bernie (new DR650, lucky B) and Warren (DL650) arrive stay a couple nights, but head off before New Year’s Eve. I think they were heading to Sydney for a Mardi Gras get together with their new mate from Wednesday evening.
Steve (naked DL650) also arrives and stays a night or two, takes off and head for home via the sealed roads – I think he may not have been feeling well.
The Capitol Rally has been an ‘off again / on again’ affair all week so Mrs W and I have a plan B, ie. home via Cooma, Bombala, a few nights in Tathra, etc…. Mrs W doesn’t need much convincing.
We head to the coast via Tumut (overnight at the Royal Hotel Motel) and Adaminaby. The Mighty CB needed some more shade:
The view from Brown Mountain:
Tathra:
Some of our Tathra neighbours:
A few nights R & R at Tathra, nice coffee shops, club, pub, restaurant and fish & chip shop. The best feed of Flathead fillets I’ve had, and a say so to the lady behind the counter and ask if it was local Flathead, and she says, “No, the Flathead is from South Australia” Go, figure that!!!
Overnight at a nice B & B at Bombala (the old NAB) building, then down the Bonang Highway. At the McKillops Bridge turn off:
At a rest stop, where we had to repair a puncture:
The puncture repair was a chore. Trailer off, tools and repair kit out, find the hole, plug it, etc …. This would not have been achievable without the help of a Toyota Land Cruiser guy, his wife and small electric compressor. A tyre pressure check at Orbost (rear tyre is holding at 44psi) and then off to Raymond Island.
At RI we stay with friends. The view from their front yard next morning:
Mrs W and Dick going for a ride in his new toy:
Home on Saturday 7 January, 2012, ten nights away, around 2,500km, lots of sights seen and exhausted. We learned that there are lots of new and exciting places to find and see, still.
I learned – NOT TO FRIG AROUND WITH THE TRAILER TYRE PRESSURES.