Escaping winter 2023

[nev]

Day 6.

I discovered when I was taking my boots off the previous day that some of the stitching on my Forma ADV Tourer boot had disappeared, leaving a direct ingress point for water into the boot. We borrowed a car and took a trip to a bike shop in Archerfield. They stocked Forma boots, but didn't have the ADV Tourer. The three buckle Adventure model Forma won't work for me, but I did find a set of AlpineStar Corozal ADV in my size which I bought. They are a very stiff construction, but should be well and truly worn in by the time I get back to Melbourne.

Day 7.

Another non riding day. We borrowed a different car today and took a drive to visit some elderly relatives and take them out to lunch.

 

[nev]

Day 8

Brisbane to Kyogle.

We headed out of Brisbane west, to Warwick, then reversed course, and headed east, through Killarney and onto the Mt Lindesay Road. This road used to be notoriously bad, but there is some road construction going on, and it looks like they've jsut about finished. All the way from Legume to Woodenbong is freshly surfaced and widened in some sections. Once the speed restrictions are removed and the lines are painted it will be a treat.

Stopped for lunch at the Pitstop Cafe in Woodenbong.



Continued on the Mount Lindesay road back into Queensland (this section from Woodenbong to Rathdowny is still one of my favourite roads in Australia). At Rathdowney we turned onto the Lions road, and followed it back into NSW.



Stopped at the Border Loop Lookout where we found another biker out enjoying the perfect conditions.





The bottom end of the Lions road had it's share of potholes waiting to be repaired.



Stopped for the night in Kyogle





The "dine in" option at the local Indian takeaway restaurant. 1 table only. first in best dressed., maximum booking 4 pax.

 

[nev]

Day 9.
Kyogle to Guyra.

A relatively simple ride today. South down the Summerland Way to Grafton, then west on the Gwydir Hwy to Glen Innes and south to Guyra. As with every other day on this trip, it's an easy day between 350-380km. The run south to Casino looks like a straight line on the map, but its a stretch of road I've ridden probably 10 times over the years, and I never get bored with it.

At Grafton we stop at a pie shop for breakfast, and enjoy the shelter in a local park for a few minutes while we enjoy our brekkie





Anohter of my favourite roads, the Gwydir Hwy, and one of my favourite places to stop and take a photo and enjoy the serenity, on the Mann River bridge.





Up the Gibraltar range there is no traffic except for a bus who we play leapfrog with a couple of times, but he moves over quickly to let us through. Next stop is at Raspberry lookout, another favourite...



Next stop is the standing stones celtic park in Glen Innes.











There's now a cafe here, so we stay for a light lunch.

.

 

[nev]

The road south on the New England Hwy climbs up to the Great Dividing Range, over Mt Ben Lomond to Guyra where we pull up stumps for the night. The weather isn't too bad, about 15c when we arrive, but the overnight low tonight is expected to be around -1c



It's early afternoon when we arrive, so we take a walk through town.




The old Holden dealer is now a car museum. The museum is closed, but we take a peek through the windows.





Some Murals in town





quite a few closed businesses in the main street



We found two different shops on the main street selling banjos. That must say something about a town. It's probably a warning.



At the end of town there's a Rugby League game between Guyra and Warialda. We stop and watch for a few minutes. Just long enough to confirm that we don't know anything about Rugby, or really enjoy watching it.



The two sides of the town are separated by a now decommissioned railway.

 

[nev]

This is just a side note. I've been collecting photos of the Mann River at Jackadgery since the first time I rode through here, 21 years ago, almost to the day. Back then it was just a disposable camera from the supermarket.

14 06 2002


16 06 2003


12 02 2011 (i got a bit lazy with this photo)


01 06 2014


23 10 2016


17 06 2023

 

[nev]

Day 10. Guyra to Bonny Hills

For those who read my ride report in 2006, you'll know that my Ventura rack broke on the road between Ebor and Guyra, and I took it off the bike and hung it on a tree. I've stopped at that spot a few more times over the years, first time I moved the rack and hung it on a branch of a tree on the other side of the road. The rack went missing a few years ago, but the piece of masonite I had strapped to it was still around. We slowed down but didn't stop at the spot this time, but it's fun to have a connection to a place, even if that is low level littering.

It was a beautiful morning again, and we rolled through Ebor for the second time on this trip (just as we passed through twice in 2006). Instead of joining the Waterfall Way there, we continued towards Grafton, up to Tyringham, and took the Dorrigo turnoff there. What a ripper little road. This brought us into Grafton via North Grafton, where it's obvious when you're approaching the Steam Railway Museum...



and even more obvious when you get to it..



It's a pity that the Musuem is not open to the public. I know Glitch & co got an entry into the museum yards there on a bike trip way back in 2006.
We took a few pics before continuing into Dorrigo for Brunch.







Waterfall way was a bit of a Sunday morning procession behind traffic, but not being in a hurry we weren't rushed. It was a bit of a change from the last time I rode it, which was back in 2015, at 5am on a Sunday morning.

A few backroads to Macksville then inland to Taylors Arm. Sunday lunchtime at the pub was going off. The pub here is known as "The pub with no beer" and is one of at least 2 different pubs in Australia which claim to be the pub sung about in the Slim Dusty song of that name.

There were a few mobs of dirtbike riders, plus dozens of day trippers in cars. The pub kitchen was under the pump, but we were in no hurry, and there was plenty of shade, and a live band playing in the beer garden.







Leaving there, we took the south road out, which is a dirt road which runs about 20km down to the Armidale-Kempsey Road.



From there it was a quick blast down the M1 motorway for about 50km. There were backroad options, but I was still wearing my thermals under my riding gear and I really wanted that nice 110kph breeze rather than start stop through the towns.
We have a 2 night booking in a cabin at the caravan park which is on the beach here.

 

[nev]

Day 11

Another non-riding day.

We took a bus in to the big smoke... Port Macquarie.



Wandered about and looked at the sights that the town had to offer.

A statue of Edmund Barton, Australia's first Prime Minister.



A church built in 1846



A seaplane doing short tourist joyflights.



Plenty of fish visible in the pristine clear waters beneath the pier.



Hundreds of painted rocks on a sea wall. Painted by holidayers, probably staying in the caravan park adjacent.











We decided to be proper tourists and take a joyflight. It's whale migration season, so they were pretty sure that we'd see some whales today.




Hard to see, but there are a couple of whales breaching the surface in this shot. Not sure if they were humpback or southern right whales.


The seas were incredibly calm.



Bonny hills where we are staying is at the far end of this beach, which is approximately 16km long.



evidence that there is normally a bit more wind.

 

[glitch]

no problems at our end. Just a spot of laziness on my part.
....

We followed the New England to Armidale, the turned east, stopped at Ebor for lunch at a cafe, then continued up through Nymboida to Coutts Crossing, about 20km south of Grafton, where we stayed the night in a donga behind the pub.

Whoohoo, zoomed away on me....great to hear there were no further issues after that battery-incident.
NE hwy is a run I always liked (but also had snow and bucketing rain up there), haven't been through Couitts Crossing for yonks, last time we cut across from Nymboida to the Old Glen Innes Rd/ Dalmorton and up to Jackadgery.

 

[glitch]

We headed inland through Nimbin where we stopped for lunch, and the usual freakshow which this place is. Noone offered me drugs on this occasion, but the locals asked me for "a couple of bucks" and then later "ten bucks" donation, presumably to the ciggie fund.

All on "Marketplace" nowadays?

 

[glitch]

Day 9.
Kyogle to Guyra.

A relatively simple ride today. South down the Summerland Way to Grafton, then west on the Gwydir Hwy to Glen Innes and south to Guyra. As with every other day on this trip, it's an easy day between 350-380km. The run south to Casino looks like a straight line on the map, but its a stretch of road I've ridden probably 10 times over the years, and I never get bored with it.

At Grafton we stop at a pie shop for breakfast, and enjoy the shelter in a local park for a few minutes while we enjoy our brekkie

Anohter of my favourite roads, the Gwydir Hwy, and one of my favourite places to stop and take a photo and enjoy the serenity, on the Mann River bridge.

Up the Gibraltar range there is no traffic except for a bus who we play leapfrog with a couple of times, but he moves over quickly to let us through. Next stop is at Raspberry lookout, another favourite...

Next stop is the standing stones celtic park in Glen Innes.

Lots of old favourites in that lot, nice

As well as the Lions Rd.....which has often been a bit patchy on the Kyogle end.