Take Kiwi's advice (sometimes) VIC

CamStrom

Tear along dotted line!
Ok folks, picture this........

Find out on the Weds 13th June that I have a day in Lieu on the Thursday. No time to plan anything, wife working, eldest at school and will be picked up after school, sorted! Other two are at Kindy on a Thursday so wife takes them in. I wont need to pick them up till about 5pm.
What to do, what to do?

Take the pushy out for a decent 1 hour ride, home by 1030.
Smoke a tab, pull out the map and 'plan' a little sojourn to the hills!
This is the first propper 'solo' ride ive done with the Strom and I've taken Kiwi's advice, "just point and shoot and see where you end up" or words to that effect.
I had to take piccies of all the turn offs I was taking as I had NFI where I was exactly.
Chilly day but great fun. Returned about 1615 in time to change, walk to kindy, pick up sprogs, walk them home, get dinner for all 5 of us and uplaod all the pics to FB.
What a day.

Anyhow I will try my best to give the route. Tried and failed to Google Map it as I've not much spare time, but I'll work on it.
Start,
Lang Lang C431 Westernport Rd
Right Turn onto Mt Lyall Rd (unsealed)
Left onto North Poowong Rd
T- Right then Left onto Timms Rd
Turn Right onto Standfields Rd (Unsealed) Slippery bits for sure!
Over Main South Rd onto Mountain View Rd/Mc Donalds Track (unsealed)
This is where I get a bit lost, The unsealed old road to Leongartha is out of action due to trees being felled across the road. Pretty sure I had to go towrdas Mt Eccles. Mt Eccles Rd prehaps?. Think Its Amiets Rd (confused yet)
By this time I had about 15-20kms left in the tank and hadnt seen any folks about. Oh No! at least still unsealed so sooo much fun!
Anyhoo, Made it to Leongartha, Refueled and off I went again.
Ok so travel along the B460 out of Gartha
Left onto Grand Rideg Rd/Yarragon Mirboo Rd (unsealed)
At Allambee South I turn off onto The same Mirboo road and take the right fork rather than the Old Yarragon Rd, why? I have zero idea! It looked funner?
This is a massive road and great fun. Some loose stuff in areas and was going quite well until I passed the Grader coming the other way. No near miss or anything, its just that it seems that these machines make the road worse for bikes after they have done their stuff. Seemed much harder :eek:going trying to negotiate the 'cleaned' road. Lots of damp areas on dark sides of hills etc made for some major concentration. I also find I go harder when I am alone and not in a group so was tensing up more than I should of perhaps.
Ok back on track,
At the T
Turn Left onto Leongartha-Yarragon Rd
Continue towards Hallston
Right back onto Grand Ridge Rd
Continue to Leongartha-Korumburra-Home
Simple

Frantically searching for a decent GPS after that day!:wow:
There are a bucket full of great day rides right there, with so few cars, unbeatable views (even with the average weather). I actually felt safer riding in the sticks than I do on the public highways!
Anyways, thanks for your time.:clap::gday:

For the full smezzole of piccies of that day including all or most of the Turn of sign pics (for spazzas like me) clicky linky...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151038238704402.488162.522389401&type=1&l=0c3618b958

Catch you soon I hope.

Cameron
 
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Anybody who follows any of my advice and is then foolish enough to publicly admit it has real problems but at least it looks like a good ride.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Anybody who follows any of my advice and is then foolish enough to publicly admit it has real problems but at least it looks like a good ride.


The reason the old hands never follow your advice....they just follow you.
Then beat you with a big stick when there's a dead end :bs
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Start,
Lang Lang C431 Westernport Rd
Right Turn onto Mt Lyall Rd (unsealed)
Left onto North Poowong Rd
T- Right then Left onto Timms Rd
Turn Right onto Standfields Rd (Unsealed) Slippery bits for sure!
Over Main South Rd onto Mountain View Rd/Mc Donalds Track (unsealed)
This is where I get a bit lost, The unsealed old road to Leongartha is out of action due to trees being felled across the road. Pretty sure I had to go towrdas Mt Eccles. Mt Eccles Rd prehaps?. Think Its Amiets Rd (confused yet)
By this time I had about 15-20kms left in the tank and hadnt seen any folks about. Oh No! at least still unsealed so sooo much fun!
Anyhoo, Made it to Leongartha,


Most of this could fit, going by descriptions.





Bit shaky on the Mt. Eccles/ Wild Dog Valley bit.
That tree across the road is a landslip on the Wild Dog Valley Rd.... the bottom, narrow bit.
The Ross and Witherdons Rd. has a small lookout near the western end, about 200m after the seal stops...with a big designer-house on the right, overlooking the hills, it sure is a prime spot.
Then again, you might've tacked further west towards Ferndale first, then cut south on the Mt. Eccles Rd, which also finishes in the Wild Dog Valley.







Refueled and off I went again.
Ok so travel along the B460 out of Gartha
Left onto Grand Rideg Rd/Yarragon Mirboo Rd (unsealed)
At Allambee South I turn off onto The same Mirboo road and take the right fork rather than the Old Yarragon Rd, why? I have zero idea! It looked funner?
This is a massive road and great fun. Some loose stuff in areas and was going quite well until I passed the Grader coming the other way. No near miss or anything, its just that it seems that these machines make the road worse for bikes after they have done their stuff. Seemed much harder :eek:going trying to negotiate the 'cleaned' road. Lots of damp areas on dark sides of hills etc made for some major concentration. I also find I go harder when I am alone and not in a group so was tensing up more than I should of perhaps.
Ok back on track,
At the T
Turn Left onto Leongartha-Yarragon Rd
Continue towards Hallston
Right back onto Grand Ridge Rd
Continue to Leongartha-Korumburra-Home
Simple

Adding the last part, it might've been close to this





160k's (plus commutes) doesn't sound too much...but boy, dirt roads take a lot more time!

Certainly agree with riding the sticks feeling safer than the highways...as usually the overall pace is lower, too.
Which is all part of the "shit, if I deck it here, nobody will find me for quite a while"....which makes for a different attitude.

Goodonya for getting out there and enjoying Gippy...once you add the dirt tracks, it's a near endless playground. :clap:

Then have a day like today, with patchy blue skies, some big, white cumulus and the odd blackbelly for extra-drama, adding to the rolling green hills and all those magic tracks and you might as well call it paradise.:glu
 

CamStrom

Tear along dotted line!
That pretty much sums it up Pete.
Not a lot of k's but as you say, the dirt makes it more interesting, if somewhat slower!

God knows when I'll be able to do it again but next time I'll try for the Strelzeki (sic) areas.

Cheers,

Cam
 
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