Well this was the best ride yet. I know I keep saying the same thing with each overnight ride but it's true I tell you. This ride was in planning for a few months and it was an absolute pleasure to finally make it happen.
Check out the map
Check out the map
Right up to about 2 weeks before, it looked like Cathy and I were going to do this one alone but then cousin George put his hand up and so did Andrew then followed by Ed and Derek from NSW riders who all joined us for an overnighter to Taralga. Another 7 bikes from NSW riders and Craig joined us for a long day trip to Taralga only.
It was great having all these riders with us all the way out to Oberon where a few returned back home then the rest carried on with us. Its always good to have company to share the rides with and also have a good laugh along the way. Not to mention valuable support should something go wrong.
Day 1: We met at McDonalds Eastern Creek at 8am for brekky with a 9am departure scheduled. This gave us all the opportunity to fuel up also and have a bit of a chat.
Then it was off to Hampton pub via the Great Western with a brief stop to regroup at Hartley lollie shop
Hampton Pub for a drink and a chat
Quick stop at Jenolan Caves there were heaps of cars so we couldnt stop at the nice part and we werent gonna walk down to it in our riding gear !
Craig takes over my Iphone !
Here we are at the "ath to cav"
Group shot "smile"
Ian from NSW Riders finds an unwelcome guest while fuelling up in Oberon
No worries, Ed to the rescue with his handy puncture kit
Time for lunch at the pub after our fuel stop
Rough looking lot but nice as pie, especially if you give them a beer.
Here we are outside the pub at Taralga, an hour south of Oberon.
Awww, how cute (grab me a bucket)
Ok Andy your bike isnt as pink..... BUT IT IS PINK
Time to wind back with a cool ale or two
WTF? What are you doing behind the bar George?
So this is a NSW Riders tradition where we get a pic taken on the wrong side of the bar!
Well Im not sure what was going on here, but George seems to be engaging in some sort of sex act with his meal of Calamari.
Well it happened again, I wonder who got the other half of the cow ?
Georges thongs, Im starting to worry about that boy.
Here we are outside an old home in the town.
Ed and I were walking behind when we turned off up the hill to take a closer look at the old Anglican church. The others were too busy tonguing for a drink to notice we were missing..... Bastards.
After the church, we found a small museum and I found an old shitter.
We cant remember exactly when we went to bed on the first night but it was bloody late. Even later than our usual 8:30pm !!!!!
Day 2: We all got up around 7:00 to 7:30 and after a shower and another chat over brekky we had our bikes packed and ready to go at about 9:00 am. The morning was so fresh and crisp and the country smells are so nice to experience, even the cow shit.
So this where we said goodbye to Ed, Derek, George and Andy who made their way back home via Oberon and Bathurst while Cath and I continued on our trip to the Snowys via Goulburn, Lake Bathurst, Queanbeyan and Cooma. The road from Taralga to Goulburn first thing in the morning was brilliant to ride because you dont only get to see every little thing that moves but the smells you experience make it all so much more enjoyable.
Wow Im in yet another photo !!!
See, Lake Bathurst !!! Well we couldnt see any bloody water
Oh yeah we passed Tarago too.
By the time we got to Queanbeyan, Both Cathy and the scooter needed nourishment. Cathy, some nuggets and a drink from Hungry Jacks and the scooter settled for 10 ltrs of fuel.(not bad for 230 kms since the last top up at Oberon)
We found this nice rest stop just outside Cooma by a river.
Finally arriving in Jindabyne. This is approaching the dam which looks new or atleast newly renovated.
The other side of the dam
So this is where we spent the next 2 nights for $45 per head per night. Very clean and inviting with everything you need just a 10 - 15 min walk away. Mad Mooses
Front view of the lodge. We were able to park the scooter up to the right behind the white van.
This is just part of our room. The pic of the rest of it was very blurred so I got rid of it. There was a double bunk and shelving to the left and we had access to our own bathroom to the right.
This is the downstairs shared kitchen and lounge. Theres another one upstairs with a large lounge, bar, pool table and eating area.Oh and the wifi is quick and free !
This is the view over the lake from behind the lodge
And again, this time overlooking the shopping centre to the left
Memorial statue for a polish explorer who Im sure did sumfin really important a long time ago!
No this isnt his harp, its a memorial for all the irish imigrants who worked in the areas hydro electric scheme
Day 3: Today was to be the most memorable ride for us. We started with brekky at the local bakery of the best pies weve tasted in a long time. We rode about 450 kms today starting with the loop which consisted of a visit to Thredbo, Khancoban then across to Cabramurra, Kiandra then down through Adaminiby and a cut across to Berridale and back to Jindabyne. When we got back , we fuelled up and after a brief discussion decided to head back out to Charlotte Pass via Smiggins and Perisher. We did a shit lot of kms but worth every bit of it. Summer in this part of the world is indescribable as youll see in some of our pics (not that pics do it justice).
We rode this road for 30 kms before it turned to dirt and I realised we were on the wrong track DOH! Anyhow I took this pic so it wasnt a complete waste of time.
Just one of the gorgeous views along the road to Thredbo. Note the smooth road, great for the bike.
Guess where?
This would be the Thredbo River
And again, unfortunately you cant hear the stream and how quiet the surrounds were.
We loved this spot. The eucalypts along the road to Khancoban were huge and had a distinct alpine smell to them - bloody beautiful ! There were hundreds of Alpine parrots around, including Gang Gang Cockatoos
Another quiet spot for a stretch and a pic
Hows this for picture perfect. Again the pic doesnt do it justice
And again, Close up
This stretch from Jindabyne to Khancoban made up about a third of the loop
Just one of the several power stations that make up the Snowy Mountains Scheme
Here tis
Lots of great unmarked road from Khancoban across to Cabramurra. Coupled with almost no cars made for good fun on the bike !
Another dam outside Cabramurra. Here, Cathy suggested we put on our wet weather jackets but I said "nah we'll be right" - wrong answer, it started to rain on us about 5 minutes later. I hate it when she's right !
I still say her head looks huge in that helmet
These flowering bushes were everywhere in the snowys - bet you dont get to see them in winter
Still in the same spot - finally a pic of the actual dam
We actually stopped and turned around to take this pic - worth it though
This spot near Adaminiby, is my favourite because of the shear silence and views down to the river below and out to the approaching road.
A differant angle
A zoom shot down to the river - note the people camped down there
This is an emergency shelter you can use in the event of a snow storm
Cant go past Adaminiby without getting a pic of this stunned mullet
The rivers in the valley below
The board walk up to another lookout
In case youre wondering, wearing all that gear still doesnt slow Cath down
Mt Kosciuszko is the peak on the left covered by cloud
Yep thats snow and it was cold up there even in summer
The car park at Charlotte Pass - no problem with the bike
A nice stream heading back to Perisher
What no food? and yes her head still looks big in that helmet
That lodge in the background is actually huge and very Austrian looking
This is the lake that same lodge overlooks
Day 4: We decided that this trip out did itself and no matter what we did today, it wouldnt compete with what we saw on the loop ride and out to Charlottes so we rode the quickest way home through Cooma, Canberra, Goulburn and the freeway home. We left about 8:15 and got home right on 3:00pm. All up we rode 1700 kms and the entire trip cost us $750 which included all food, accomodation, fuel and alcohol (we did consume a fair bit, especially in Taralga). So the scooter is now up to almost 11000 kms and due for a service. We cant wait to do it again, hopefully a couple of more bikes will ride all the way next time, the more the merrier!
