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Getting the hang of it
Yesterday I decided to sneak around the back of Baw Baw, which doubled the distance and halved the speed, so it ended up as a more epic journey than I expected.
I am so familiar with this beautifully curvaceous section of the Thorpdale road that I have not previously bothered to document it.
The Moe-Erica road is also a beauty.
I had lunch in the Erica pub, where there is a chainsaw sculpture of........ a chainsaw! I call this "redneck recursion".
The road passes across the wall of the Mighty Thomson Reservoir. None of that water has needed to be desalinated!
After the dam the bitumen narrows, and ends here at the Walhalla road. I was sure that I had travelled this road from Walhalla years ago, and had intended to use it, but had not looked carefully enough on the google maps to find it.
The other end of the Mighty Thomson Reservoir.
The dirt road ends up very narrow by the time it reaches Aberfeldy. The town (hamlet?) appears to have declined to a handful of houses a few years ago, but now they are outnumbered by new houses. I saw no horse, so it appears to not even be a one horse town.
They certainly get some views!
I was hoping that the inhabitants came in and out via Matlock, so the road would improve. I was deeply disappointed as most of the way to Matlock alternated between nast pointy rocky bits and giant potholes. I met a bloke coming the other way on a KLE Klacka with knobbies and no luggage. He too was not having a fun time of it. I would have done much better with more aggressive tyres, a bashplate and a bad attitude! The GPS wanted to go up the track to the right. I did not allow it to!
Another example of mountain settlements that disappear without trace.
At least by now it is good dirt!
Forest near Marysville, still not regenerating.
Track and photo locations:
http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1482883
I am so familiar with this beautifully curvaceous section of the Thorpdale road that I have not previously bothered to document it.
The Moe-Erica road is also a beauty.
I had lunch in the Erica pub, where there is a chainsaw sculpture of........ a chainsaw! I call this "redneck recursion".
The road passes across the wall of the Mighty Thomson Reservoir. None of that water has needed to be desalinated!
After the dam the bitumen narrows, and ends here at the Walhalla road. I was sure that I had travelled this road from Walhalla years ago, and had intended to use it, but had not looked carefully enough on the google maps to find it.
The other end of the Mighty Thomson Reservoir.
The dirt road ends up very narrow by the time it reaches Aberfeldy. The town (hamlet?) appears to have declined to a handful of houses a few years ago, but now they are outnumbered by new houses. I saw no horse, so it appears to not even be a one horse town.
They certainly get some views!
I was hoping that the inhabitants came in and out via Matlock, so the road would improve. I was deeply disappointed as most of the way to Matlock alternated between nast pointy rocky bits and giant potholes. I met a bloke coming the other way on a KLE Klacka with knobbies and no luggage. He too was not having a fun time of it. I would have done much better with more aggressive tyres, a bashplate and a bad attitude! The GPS wanted to go up the track to the right. I did not allow it to!
Another example of mountain settlements that disappear without trace.
At least by now it is good dirt!
Forest near Marysville, still not regenerating.
Track and photo locations:
http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip/1482883