High Country Dreaming

Melb Eastern Subs -> Dargo



With only a few days on our hands and no plans of any kind, we just threw some stuff on the back of the bike and went east, towards the hills.

Tent, fartbags…a handful of maps and a full tank.

It was also the first bigger trip for the “Shrek”, a bit of a shakedown run before Khancoban later this month. Would the homemade pannier racks hold up, or anything else come adrift?

The roads often ridden, always forgotten….just out the “backdoor”, 5 mins from home.

Silvan Farm-Country


The back of Launching Place


Towards Powelltown






Whoohoo…would love a set of those brake-pads!!


Keep going east…the road towards Mt. BawBaw






The clouds were low; going up to the Mt. BawBaw Village didn’t make sense.
So we stuck to the South Face Rd. towards Rawson/Erica/Walhalla.
The gravel was a bit coarse on some stretches, but pretty good all up.
(note: the stretch D-> E on Google maps does NOT represent the route taken….Google hasn’t got the SouthFace Rd. showing)







Rawson seems to be re-awakening from the dead….the shop was open and well stocked, there were quite a few newish buildings and facilities, and the always-obscured Caravan Park is sprouting a huge sign along the main road now. Good to see!!

King parrots going for a feast….


…as does the other galah. Talk about country-burgers….AWESOME!! This one’s a 3-course meal wrapped in an Uber-bun!



Tacking south towards Tyers, there’s the Walhalla-Cowwarr Rd. turn-off. 30k’s of good gravel road through some of the bush-fire affected state park….the signage is a bit wonky, just point east and things are fine. There also must’ve been some high winds lately, branches and twigs litter the track.
Some great views at the eastern end, before dipping into the ‘flats” a few k’s short of Cowwarr.

Deliberately, we take some non-main roads through the flat farming country…all well sealed, some narrow, some unexplainably wide and generous.
Break and refuel opposite the Briagolong Shop


To our surprise (and also a little disappointment), the route through Stockdale to the Dargo-Rd. junction at Glenaladale is all sealed.

While not really curvy, it’s a little roller-coaster into the foothills that keeps you on your toes. Most certainly enjoyable and scenic.


As usual, the road into Dargo is a scratchers wet-dream….and apart from a couple of quickly dispatched 4WD’s, void of traffic. It just can’t get much better than that.b

Can’t go past that…free camping at the Dargo River Inn. It just feels a little strange that we’re the only campers on that 15acre paddock….and that, at this time of year??








Ah well…things will change in a few days, I guess.


Not the flashiest place… but who cares. It’s all there…somewhere in that junkyard.




The steaks are huge, the beer is COLD and the local Akubra and R.M. Williams “crowd” is friendly….pretty damn good for a start, eh?

Dargo -> Tawonga/ Mt. Beauty


There’s a great one looming









“It just needs a coat of paint….”


Let’s have some fun…


The first 18 k’s of twisties up the Divide are sealed…and there are some magic views.






Then the 5 k’s of good dirt to what’s left of an old gold-town named “Grant”.




The burnt gums are shedding their old bark, a fresh coat and young life underneath.










A bit further up the Dargo High Plains Rd……what a surprise!!
Nev and Jo coming the other way.



We sort-of arrange a “lunch”-meet in either Omeo or the Blue Duck, then each goes their ways.

For us, that’s toward Mt. Hotham. Overall, the dirt is good and fairly quick….while the views certainly invite to stop and stay!!














Getting back onto the asphalt of the Mt. Hotham Rd. just doesn’t feel right.
Looks like someone else thought so…his/her mates are standing near a couple of piles of plastic shards that could’ve been anything…anything red, that is.
:bang:


The easy sweepers down to Omeo are thankfully broken up by some good views and the ever-changing colours of the stunted snow-gums.
Jo and Nev roll up at the servo, just as we’ve paid for our juice and shifted quarters to the next-door bakery. Some good stuff here, folks…..definitely worth a stop!!
Gosh, how things have changed….and for the better this time!

Then the ~30k’s of twisties-orgy from Omeo to the Bogong HP Road turnoff….you want it tight?? You’ve GOT IT!!

This isn’t one for the half-baked wannabe-Rossi’s. There’s loose gravel, there are bumpy bits and mid-corner bathtubs…twigs and branches, fist-sized rocks, sandy wash-overs at the apex.
You wanna run this quickly, you better be ALL EYES…. and damn fast reflexes.

A tech-road at its best and Jeez: the vistas are stunning as well !!
bb






Bogong High Plains Road turn-off.






The new asphalt from June this year is already breaking up, there’s LOADS of loose gravel everywhere.

But the views….ohhhh, the views!

Nev and Jo continue on to Bright, Goodie and I find the dirt road up onto the ridge, along the tops above Falls Creek.




The twisties into Mt. Beauty are a bit of a tootle…the valley is stinking hot, we’re out of fuel and a cold beer would go down real well. We find a spot on the Kiewa River to pitch chateau-canvas, then dodge the booked crowd at the Tawonga Pub for some decent tucker and a few coldies…THAT’S the life, baby!!

Beauty... you've surely had good time!

While here we didn't see anything apart from pissing skies for the last 2+ weeks. Every day!

Noice.
As always great words and pics, looks brilliant so far.
Had a fantastic steak at the Tawonga pub a couple of years ago when staying at the motel across the road.
Cheers Brian

Eugene said:

Beauty... you've surely had good time!

While here we didn't see anything apart from pissing skies for the last 2+ weeks. Every day!

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More to come, mate....and don't fret too much about the weather, at least the rain will wash the roads clean for the run to Khancoban.

BB63 said:

Noice.
As always great words and pics, looks brilliant so far.
Had a fantastic steak at the Tawonga pub a couple of years ago when staying at the motel across the road.
Cheers Brian

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Yo, not a bad place at all for some grub....it's come a loooong way from where it was ~20 years ago, when the joint was falling to pieces and they couldn't even get a bowl of chips right

The Mt. Beauty Shops and Falls Creek Rd. is starting to become a bit of a "Lycra-HQ"....loads of panorama-coloured pushies about.:bang:

The High Plains really got to us yesterday…we just HAVE to go back up there.


Mt. Beauty -> Whitfield


































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Pulling into one of the camp-sites along the way, there’s Adrian (on his own Xmas break).
We have a cuppa and a yack…great to see ya, mate!!



More billy-buttons in the High Country…


….then the 30odd k’s of dirt of the Omeo Hwy towards Mitta Mitta

…which is broken into 2 sections (22+12k’s) by an INCREDIBLE 18k’s of sealed twisties!!
More high-intensity riding!



There’s a constant stream of 4WDs at the MittaMitta store.
After a long break and plenty of drinks it’s down-valley via the back-roads to Eskdale and across the Lockhard Gap onto the Redbank Rd. for a few k’s, before cutting across to Dederang and Myrtleford, again via the backroads.

Smooth, quick….and stinking hot!!

We run into Tim and his mate on Myrtleford’s main drag…





…there’s no way to escape the heat. Myrtleford’s BAKING!:kna:kna

But the place is too big and busy for us… up the valley and along Lake Buffalo then, then onto the dirt for the ~25-30k’s through the pine plantations across the ridge to Whitfield.


Apart from one short downhill-section which is drowned in coarse 1”-2” gravel, there’s isn’t much “4WD” about the track.

As always, Graeme at Gentle Annie CP on the King River just outside Whitfield comes good with a nice shady spot. Magic, mate…

Wow, OMG and all that good stuff. FAntastic ride.
Have you been holding out on me? Leading me to believe I've got to meet up with you a few 1000 kliks east to ride? And I confess it's been a while since I've visited...nice looking rat bikes. hehee. Looks like a wonderful time. "T minus 60 days" ;/)

Dusty said:

...nice looking rat bikes. hehee.

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RATBIKES!!:devil: That'll cost ya a Steinlager or 2 !!

Dusty said:

"T minus 60 days" ;/)

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Oh yeah!! T minus 60 it is!
Hello NZ!!

Dusty said:

Have you been holding out on me? Leading me to believe I've got to meet up with you a few 1000 kliks east to ride?

Click to expand...

Hey Jimbo, the offer to come to Aussie-land still stands. Don't know why you never took it up - especially since Pete still owes you 20 bux...

Whitfield -> Euroa (stupid Google reckons the road vanishes in Lake Eildon for a bit, therefore 2 maps)
Part 1 Whitfield -> Bonnie Doon
Part 2 Bonnie Doon -> Euroa

Another gorgeous morning….above Whitfield.
There just is something about being on a mountain, somewhat above the rest of the world....




Enjoyed the twisties to just before Tolmie, then went around the back of Mt. Tolmie (yep!!) along Brunstons Rd., a sweet, little dirt road which skirts the widespread township and offers brilliant views across the Mansfield lowlands and onto Mt. Buller/ Mt. Sterling.

All the while moving along under a shady, leafy canopy…


Down the Old Tolmie Rd. and a quick dogleg onto the main Mansfield-Whitfield Rd. to the Mt. Samaria turn-off.


We’ve been across Mt. Samaria a long time ago, in a Patrol 4WD…. and it was fairly rough then.
Not difficult, but rough. Let’s see how the Stroms will go…
It didn’t take long before the soft, freshly “ploughed” climb through the pine plantation started.

It was like a mixer having scooped up dirt, roots, grass, bushes, pine-cones, gravel, rocks and all sorts of other shit, mixed it well and just laid it gently back onto the ground, about 6” deep.
:kna:kna
If the pelting sun wasn’t enough….this certainly drove the sweat!! And on and on it went…for about 3-4k’s. Eventually we passed another “State Park” sign and things got back to hardpack and rock.




A nice tootle along the ridge


Near the northern end, where the road circles a small rocky outcrop, before a fairly steep descent.
Brilliant views across the lowlands, Bonnie Doon, Lake Nillahcootie and into the Strathbogie Ranges….boulder country!




The cracker comes at the end, after exiting the State Park.

Driven by our rapidly melting despite open jackets, open boot-zips etc. we followed William Road out towards the Main Hwy at Lima South. Sounds harmless enough, eh?


It’s steep, it’s TIGHT, it’s rocky, it’s SLOW….and it’s a bloody handful!! A few lousy k’s that seemed like an eternity…but eventually widened up and leveled out. Cold drinks in Swanpool!

Then up into the Strathbogies via the initially smooth and quick dirt of the Lima East Rd., dropping across the ridge and the bumpy dirt of the Tallangalook Rd. and some picnic/ camping areas towards Bonnie Doon and some fuel.


Dry Creek Rd. proved a hoot…. when do you get a dirt-road smooth enough to just about wind-out 4th on the VEE?

Another break and fill-up in Bonnie Doon, then back onto the dirt of the Barjarg-Glen Creek Rd…another of those, we’d never done before.
Too easy….up Ferraris Rd then and onto the main plateau of the Strathbogies.
Barjarg Rd…then Bonnie Doon Rd. which was full of the small, pebbly gravel which had made us plough down to Barjarg a few weeks ago, nasty shite.
At least on the Tourances on the thou, that is….. Goodie seemed to have a ball though.

From Tooroor, the Bonnie Doon Rd. changes face….another exhilaratingly quick and supersmooth dirt ride.
Back onto asphalt for some sweet twisties from Murraweeney into Violet Town.
Where we found that the local Caravan Park doesn’t like Campers/ Tents at all !!
No pitching tents here….and CHRIST, we're melting in our gear!

Take the easy option down the Hume to Euroa then, where a grumpy CP manager reluctantly comes good with some shade….and space enough for 100tents.
The pub with cold beer is only 100m up the road…and YES, they offer pint-sized glasses…that’ll do!b