Mountains, Sweat + Beer...a trip to the tip!

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
A Melbourne Thursday, 8.30 in the morning...and setting the tune for one HOT weekend!


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Lake Eildon near Peppin Point from Dannys Pinch, up on Sonnberg Drive.
No relief from the heat here either after the hustle up Maintongoon Rd. :)


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Cutting the backroads....Eivind and the AT enjoying the "dry-weather-only" gem near Maindample :drool:


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The Paps, one of Mansfield's icons


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Aldous Rd.....cruising the shady canopy


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Good stuff, mate!! :cool:


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Mt. Buller in the distance....the massive, old gum trees in the paddocks and along the farm roads are just stunning.


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Western end of the Lake Buffalo-Whitfield Rd. near Edi Upper....Mt. Buffalo peeking through the saddle of the nearby hills



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Dropping out of the plantations near Lake Buffalo on true NZ-style gravel.... 2" thick, 5 inches deep


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Basso Profundo....the AT ploughing the rocks on wind-down. :drool::drool:


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A quick cool-down at Marshalls Ridge Park/ Lake Buffalo....Mt. Buffalo watching from the distance


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Back into those?? Argh!!


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Pizza, beer and bullshit at Chateau Myrtleford...Teflon-Rog wearing the first few bits of the promised weather-change. :)
A BIIIGG THANKS to the host for a fantastic night of laughs amongst the tree-tops above town :drool::glu


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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
A warm, clammy morning.


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Bike-shop...or pet shop ?? :eek:


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Ready for action...


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The locals snigger into their helmets as the "head-navigator" flies straight past the first turn-off of the day :killingme :doh:
...then sorta makes up (yeah, yeah :) with some Happy Valley twisties and a swag of delightful little dirt-tracks around the south of Yackandandah and Osbornes Flat/Allans Flat....namely the overgrown twin-track of the Craven Road and Miller Rd.
Another area that needs a thorough checking out one of those days...maybe even ask for permission from the farmer to use the track across Kergunyah Gap.
Anyways...great views and many quiet, scenic spots around the backblocks here.


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Across to Lockharts and Bryants Gaps for a quick zip up the Tallangatta Lookout...


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....which had a major refurbishment.:eek:



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Pick your style, pick your mood...and enjoy the single-laners. :drool:



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The southern entry to the Cravensville Rd. is a bit of a weird one...ride along the main road and find yourself belting headlong into a livestock loading area with heavy duty fencing all around :eek: :bs
The steel bars and lose, trampled ground take the focus off the small gap to the left....


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.... which is the start of the narrow, rocky climb past the burned out log-truck and up to the junction at the ridge. Great cruising under the shady tree canopy.

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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Justins Corner on the Gibb Range....and getting a shot of "The Fish" from the front takes a lot of careful planning, or just... luck!


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More Gibb Range fun while the sun turns up the dial.:kna:kna


"Dust Don't Stick On Me- Roger" and the other AT in the deck.


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Who says Waterboxers can't fly?


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Cool, calm + quick...


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:glu :clap:


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Chugga-Klacka :thumbs::woot:


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Looks like something vital has fallen out of the Africa Twin :eek::eek:


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Using the Nariel Gap for the run into Corryong, it's yet another pretty valley
full of rural scenics and the Back Thowgla Rd. sprouts a hairpin just above town with a turn-off to yet another, little lookout.
We'll leave that for the morning, once the temps have dropped below the 40C/ 105F again.

Some can't resist the lure of the pool, while others are off for the afternoon stroll up Mt. MittaMitta (aka Mittamatite) :drool::woot:


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Oh yeah!!


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Corryong at your feet.


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Embery's Lookout...
The shimmering heat blurs the views, but the Snowies and Mt. Kozzie are still visible. Stumping vistas through a 180 deg north-south arc are just the start...


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The last stretch into Corryong (and the beckoning pool + COLD BEER!!!) sees a couple of 43C on the dial, it's getting hard to breathe.

The newly refurbished Corryong Hotel certainly gets the stamp-of-approval, the tucker is a few steps above the usual, there's craft-beers on tap, the place is clean and friendly.
Should've had a look at their renovated rooms, too (not that there was anything wrong with the Mountain View Motel and their life-saving POOL!!)

Between the 2 of them (only 100m apart) they certainly knocked the old Courthouse Hotel in Main Street Corryong off its pedestal.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Early morning, Playles Hill Lookout above Corryong


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Both Petes agree it's tacky...and take the shots anyway. :wink:


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No pics from the Corryong-Benambra Rd....the 70k's dirt section is a fast gravel-highway into Benambra without a lot of features.
Getting into Benambra and knowing that Lake Omeo had enough water to prevent any lake-bed crossing, it was either the long-way-around-the western side...or taking a "shortcut" via a more unconventional route past the local tip!!
And just when it looked like Google maps Sat-view had thrown me a curved ball, there were a couple of faint 4WD tracks past the fencing and through the deep grass along the northern shore. Nearly broke the back of the little Husky when being the only dimwit to pick one of those humongous washouts/ holes that swallowed the entire front-end. It sounded like the fork-stanchions were whizzing past my ears...but no popped seal thus far, knock wood!



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Zoom into the satellite view



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Up Mt. Blowhard for another excellent lookout up and down the Omeo Valley



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dougman1

Part of the furniture
5 pm at Lake Buffalo. Temps in the high 30's. It sure was a welcome sight after our dusty trip.

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Some went for a paddle.

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Some went for a spin in the clouds.

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We had only recently arrived at Myrtleford, the next days planning had begun.

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glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Dropping down from Mt. Blowhart it's a short tack north to the historic Hinnomunjie bridge...


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...before another bite at the Parish Boundary Rd., the classic rollercoaster that had eluded us on the last attempt due to its rain-soaked red clay sections.
No issues this time....



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Despite being south of the Great Divide, temps are still up there and the break in a near-deserted Omeo is most welcome.
Avoiding all of the GAR-boreway, there's a quick look at the former South Ensay Hotel before the backloop of town, that turns out a nearly all-sealed gem. :drool:

The turn-off down the Buchan South- Ensay Rd....and back on the gravel.


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Magnificent backroad cruising on narrow, winding twin-tracks.


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The road ahead...and the same road in the distance.


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A quick peak at a bustling, re-incarnated Buchan Pub followed by the dash to Bruthen, pitching tents and going for a stroll through town to "entirely unexpectedly be faced with a welcome surprise" :whistle::
The BullAnt Brewery! :chug:

Smiles all around!


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