Knockerbocker...hot bends at freezing point

Both Omeo and Mitta Mitta are gearing up full tilt for the stream of cash-cows that are soon going to rush through their doors...there's hardly any shared accom under $50-60/head/night. Pub rooms are $120/night for 2...$80-100 for a single!! GULP!!
$5-6 beers (off tap) and $25-40 pub meals are the standard, as are the traditional "ride-fare"of bacon+eggs breckys, now at $12-20 in Cafe's and other places along the way.

Omeo Caravan Park charged $15/head/night despite 1930s sanitary facilities etc.
(there IS a new amenities-block going up as of this week, completion date ~ March 2014).
I guess it's still better than a patch of grass in Bright for $40....
No surprise people take their $$ overseas...



The Mitta Mitta pub is getting the full treatment with a total rebuilt. It sure needed one, but boy, there's serious $$$ getting poured into the place.















At least "Ray's Fat Worms" are still around








To wrap it up...

All sealed from Omeo to about 15km north of Bogong HP/Falls Creek turn-off.

Currently 13km wiiiide gravel and roadworks to the old asphalt.

All existing asphalt stretches south of Mitta Mitta have been connected and are now continuous (and continuously double white-lined).

Can't say that I'm too happy with the reduced speed limit either.

glitch said:

..... the Bruthen-Omeo stretch, which is now reduced to 80km/h pretty much entirely between Bruthen-Ensay...~40k's of plain stupidity. Boredom will cost lives here, no question....

Click to expand...

Boredom? Only for the unskilled rider ......

glitch said:

.....

Click to expand...

Solar powered headlight?

Even the Trappers Track had some "improvement" thrown at it....but thankfully, double-whites don't last too long in the dust.

Things were looking good on the climb out of the Mitta valley.





It only lasted a few k's, then it was back to the usual rocky-bumpy.





Some nice views though...




Across the Happy Valley to Myrtleford and off the main drags again to Lake Buffalo for a sweet tootle along a not too dusty Rose River Rd. into Cheshunt.

2 sets of pedals going round and round..." OI, ya lost one!!"






A quick visit at Kelly's tree off the Tolmie-Tatong Rd. while poor, old SF was 'loosing his head"...well, eyes and schnozzer, anyway.






Like most of the weekend, there was hardly anyone around at the Midland Caravan Park just south of Swanpool...






....checking out the facilities which certainly beat those in Omeo by about 100 years or so










Adding insult to injury, it's another frosty night, we're a half-mile from the dunnies and SF copped a load of stomach bugs which made the midnightly squirt-sprit to the loo a million-tiny-steps-in-the-howling-wind-affair.

He WON!!
So he told us...

Kitting up for the tootle home...





New friends....Goodie and the Klacka





A sweet bit of riding along the Glen Creek Rd. gravel to catch the Hwy at Bonnie Doon for a few k's, back into the backblocks along a smooth and quick Coles Rd. towards Alexandra next.


Finally found the bridge that the Williamson's ST-RoadTrain went over the other week despite the weight-limit sign of 12tons







Missing Doug now, it's along the Acheron and Donna Buang into the "Outer Suburbia Fringe" of the Monbulk strawberry patches, ducking into our local farmer to check if there's enough crop for a pick-up run later that afternoon.


And so, 4 days of twisties, sunshine, hail-showers in howling wind at Dinner Plains, great vistas, glorious twisties and sweepers, the endless plains of the High Country, laughs, one-liners to wet yourself, the odd drink or 3, bouncing frontends up rutted tracks and a handfull of 'oh shiaaat" moments end in a couple of trays of juicy strawbs.

Hell, what a weekend, THANKS guys!!

Williamson said:

Can't say that I'm too happy with the reduced speed limit either.
Boredom? Only for the unskilled rider ......

Click to expand...

Those without a radio in the dash, plugs in their ears and a Big-Mac on the tankbag you mean? Or sitting on the bike backwards while knitting?
Think I better book in for some advanced courses and get some better gear
(or a KTM, one never has to worry about the riding duck+run, Fuzzy's after me with a club in his fists)

Williamson said:

Solar powered headlight?

Click to expand...

Yo...but busted.
Aldi!

glitch said:

..... Like most of the weekend, there was hardly anyone around at the Midland Caravan Park just south of Swanpool...

.... SF copped a load of stomach bugs ....

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Is that the same camping ground we stayed at on the Oz Day weekend in 2012? You know, the one where I got the food poisoning!!!

Looks like a place to avoid, at least for Frank and me.

glitch said:

.... Finally found the bridge that the Williamson's ST-RoadTrain went over the other week despite the weight-limit sign of 12tons

Click to expand...

Looks like I'll have to avoid carting the odd extra slab of beer or cider around Lake Leake next March.

Williamson said:

Is that the same camping ground we stayed at on the Oz Day weekend in 2012? You know, the one where I got the food poisoning!!!

Looks like a place to avoid, at least for Frank and me.

Click to expand...

Haaang on...Saint Frank! for the start!...and he and Doug had the same dish, served at the same time and most likely, out of the same pot.

Now...Doug had no trouble whatsoever....apart from that hour or 2 where he was climbing that tree with stomach-cramps and howled down the local Bull-Koala with some awesome mating-calls.

Williamson said:

Looks like I'll have to avoid carting the odd extra slab of beer or cider around Lake Leake next March.

Click to expand...

It's orrite...won't tell anyone, promise

glitch said:

Think I better book in for some advanced courses and get some better gear
(or a KTM, one never has to worry about the riding duck+run, Fuzzy's after me with a club in his hand

Click to expand...

Bah. I must be in a karma coma methinks. 2 punctures and a broken bike in a month.

Pity I wasn't able to catch up with y'all, though I did have fun keeping up with the sports bikes at Jindi. Wouldn't have had to tow the bike as far either

Glad you had fun!

glitch said:

Now...Doug had no trouble whatsoever....apart from that hour or 2 where he was climbing that tree with stomach-cramps and howled down the local Bull-Koala with some awesome mating-calls.

Click to expand...

After the noises coming from Sir Franks tent, I thought I'd put out a mating call to see if the "Exped" would migrate with me.
Honestly folks, it sounded like a herd of Elk was thundering through the park when Sir Frank climbed into bed.
Just the down filled matress squawking in dispute, so I am told!

dougman1 said:

After the noises coming from Sir Franks tent, I thought I'd put out a mating call to see if the "Exped" would migrate with me.
Honestly folks, it sounded like a herd of Elk was thundering through the park when Sir Frank climbed into bed.
Just the down filled matress squawking in dispute, so I am told!

Click to expand...

OK so now that the trip is over I can confess, the exped is silent....the noises were coming from me...

I've never been a fan of staying in caravan parks in tents (the limited camping I do is usally bush/remote when the tent is the only option) but Omeo did highlight the sometimes false economics.

Cost of tent site and buying a cooked breakfast was more expensive than staying in the grungy pub with a cooked breakfast.

In fairness, the midland park was priced right at $7.50 each, had reasonable quality amenities and did a slap up dinner/breakfast at very friendly prices.

dougman1 said:

Honestly folks, it sounded like a herd of Elk was thundering through the park when Sir Frank climbed into bed.
Just the down filled matress squawking in dispute, so I am told!

Click to expand...