Day 0. Wife had gone to North Queensland to see her parents over the New Year break. Our two grown children were both overseas. My sister’s family were overseas as well. What to do? How about a circumnavigation of the Australian Alps? Alps? Alps I hear you say again? Many think that Australia is a desert surrounded by ocean with a bit of a coral reef on top right side! That is one way to describe it but it is not true. Or at least it is not the whole truth. In the southeast corner - where most people live, we actually have Alps. The maximum elevation is around 2300 m above sea level so perhaps they are small Alps by some standards - but by our standards they are definitely Alps. Snow covered from May to October (give or take a month or two) they are mostly a green oasis during summer. They are not too busy over the summer because most people head to the beach. Here is a map showing the general location of the mainland Alps. (Tasmania also has some Alps as well but I have ignored those ones.) The plan was to go around and up/over/through the Aussie Alps. This regional map shows the route over four successive days over the New Year (around 1 Jan 2017) period.
Day 1. 30-12-2016 Yesterday was spent sending my family away. Took the wife to the airport and helped my daughter get away on her summer trip to Vietnam with a friend. By 1 pm today I was packed and on a motorcycle that was being piloted towards Australian Alps. Here is the - wait for it - YEP - not another - YEP it is a …… KLR650 ……. Packed and ready to go. Just had some clothes, food (museli bars, cheese and crackers with some tinned oysters) and water. No cooking gear. A better option would be MOTEL camping. I had some basic camping gear just in case. This photo shows the southern outskirts of my home town - Canberra - as I was leaving for the Alps. After seeing the above photo you now know why they call Canberra – actually the capital of Australia - the bush capital. In many cases it is hard to even see the city amongst the bush. A quick squirt through Namadgi National Park – near Canberra and the start of the Alps - and then onto the famous Monaro Plains. Those plains are famous for being basically treeless. A cold grassland that is perfect for growing fine wool. Anyone who wears clothes made from fine merino wool - like that used as the basis for high end Italian fashions - is probably wearing wool originally grown on the MONARO. The typical MONARO landscape looks like this: That is near Berridale in NSW. The bike's home for the night - under the stairs of the Cottonwood Motel in Berridale.
Day 2. 31-12-2016. Museli bars and cheap instant coffee for breakfast and then off to the Monaro proper. This photo is just outside a town called Dalgety. Dalgety is a very small town on the banks of the Snowy River. A little history. Modern Australia was formed from a federation of colonies/states in 1901. Shortly after, Dalgety, was selected to be the capital of Australia (in 1903). However, they changed their mind and eventually decided on Canberra in 1908. Here is some information on that saga: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalgety,_New_South_Wales That was a big decision. Canberra now has over 300,000 people and is, by far, the largest inland city in Australia. Dalgety has perhaps a few hundred residents at most. More pictures of the treeless Monaro plains. Near Dalgety: This photo is near Delegate at the southern limit of the Monaro region. After lunch in a Delegate café I left the plains and began riding the back roads down to McKillops bridge over the Snowy River. On the way I came across the Ambyne Suspension Bridge. Apparently this was a standard method of construction in the 1930s. This is perhaps the ?last? suspension bridge in Victoria. It now looks like this: Now lovingly restored by locals and only used by foot traffic. Of course cars now use the perfectly functional concrete bridge over Deddick River that sits next to the original timber suspension bridge. Some twenty minutes later down a loose gravel track one arrives at McKillops Bridge over the Snowy River. This a serious bit of engineering over what is serious gorge country. The bridge must be ~30 metres or more above the river bed. This is the view from the bridge looking downstream. The funny looking pine trees in the centre distance are actually native Cypress Pines. Not all trees in Australia are Eucalypts! The Cypress Pine is a hardy tree and because it is resistant to termite attack, it is a popular building material. In this region it grows in sandy-stony soils common around the lower Snowy River. Upstream view from McKillops Bridge. I only noticed the swimmers when looking closely at the photo. They must have had a camp in the vicinity. The gorge looks huge indicating large flows in the geologic past. However, the flow has been substantially reduced since the 1960s by the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme. After crossing the bridge the route was along a narrow track on the western side of the Snowy River where it eventually meets farmland and intersects with Barry Way. Here is the intersection: From here I decided to ride north a short distance and then turn west into Alpine National Park. The plan was to ride to Native Dog Flat camping ground. A beautiful ride through wet Eucalypt forest. A few years ago I ride this track with my son on a Postie Bike Adventure. Here are details of that trip: http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/south-east-australian-odyssey-on-postie-bikes.760404/ (The link is also in my signature.) On that trip we left Native Dog Flat and I crashed the postie bike going up a steep hill. No damage to bike or rider but we did decide on a different direction after the crash. Funny how history repeats. This trip I passed Native Dog Flat around 3 pm and decided to keep going heading for either Benambra or Omeo. Bad call. I was tired by that stage and went down around 5 kms past native Dog Flat. Not a bad fall but it was interesting to say the least. Here is my recollection of events. Heading along at a steady pace (say 60 km/hr) I began to slow for a corner. Turned out to be a VERY VERY sharp corner - like around 270 degrees sharp. I went into the thick gravel wash on the left side of the road and before I knew it I was down. There I was lying on the edge of the road with a KLR650 lying on my left leg. I could not lift the bike off me using my arms. The angle was too awkward. This was interesting! After taking quite a few minutes to think it through I realised I might be able to use my free right leg - perhaps I could swing the free leg around and push up on the handlebars. By twisting and writhing (like a snake) I managed to get purchase on the handlebars and immediately lifted the bike enough to get my left leg out. All good – the jacket, pants and gloves had protected me as did the helmet. But it was the boots that were the real saviour. Rossi motorcycle boots no less. They protected my lower leg perfectly. While you read about the importance of boots a lot this was, by far, the best personal example I have ever had of the value of strong motorcycle boots! Here is the bike at the crash scene after I had lifted it up. A few scratches on the left side panels but otherwise no major damage. The barkbusters had protected everything up front (including my hands) and the soft saddle bags had protected the rear of the bike. After taking a few minutes to gather my thoughts I headed off again - very slowly - making my way along the gravel to Benambra. Suddenly every corner seemed like a killer covered with loose packed gravel that rolled like ball bearings under the tyres. I eventually made it to the bitumen at Benambra unscathed and then scooted the 20 or so km's into Omeo township and straight into the Omeo Motel. The motel was next to a hotel and both venues are long-time bikers favourite. Here is the Omeo Motel: Several more motorcycles arrived. But for me, New Years Eve was very subdued. I was tired and sore.
Day 3. 1-1-2017. Omeo is an interesting place. A town now based on grazing cattle (and sheep) and timber but it was originally an 1860s gold mining town. The grand buildings are a reminder of that earlier era. Sitting in a café waiting for breakfast I watched the continual progression of bikes - mostly road bikes - leaving town. Omeo is on the so-called Great Alpine Road and is a favourite of motorcycle riders. The roads are more twisty than straight. The plan today was to cross Bogong High Plains - the roof of Victoria - and then start heading north. That meant riding the twisties on the road from Omeo to Anglers Rest - the home of the famous Blue Duck Inn. Here it is: This is a hotel located close to the junction of three rivers and famous for trout fishing. The Cobungra River is literally right next to the hotel: Rivers like that one appeared to be everywhere. Here is the map to prove it. Actually the name, Anglers Rest seemed appropriate. I did not see anyone fishing. Just a lot of Anglers camped by the side of rivers in the region and they all seemed perfectly happy to be resting. The rivers are clear and fast flowing and, supposedly, full of trout. This one is called "Big River": Just after Anglers Rest I took a turn to the northwest and headed up the Bogong highway. This road was sealed a few years ago and is a motorcycle riders heaven. Twisties for 30 kms or more. Eventually the road rises to the roof of Victoria - the Bogong High Plains. These are extensive treeless alpine herbfields that are typically covered with a few meters of snow during winter. Fried egg plants? (I might have made that name up.) The water for all the rivers is ultimately sourced from these high country plains. Actually, the day I was there - 1 Jan 2017 - it was cold at the top. Elevation would be around 1700 m above sea level. Perhaps a maximum temperature of around 10 deg C. Falls Creek, a (mostly) winter ski resort is on the high plains. It is very popular with cyclists in summer. I went straight past the numerous bicycle riders trying to give themselves a heart attack by riding up long steep hills under their own power. I imagine each adult had made a New Year Resolution about getting fit - and they were out on New Years Day as evidence of their commitment to the resolution. The timing always seems a bit hazardous since most people have spent the previous week (or few weeks) over-eating and having too much drink followed by christmas cake. In that sense, a New Years resolution involving fitness might reasonably be declared a general health hazard. The road out of Falls creek heads straight down the Kiewa River valley and I was planning to follow this for around 80 km’s before heading east towards home. I rode past a bushfire with smoke coming from the surrounding hills: At the end of the valley the police had created roadblocks on all roads heading east because of a bushfire near Tallangatta. Plan B was needed. The only option was to travel along the highway - actually the Sydney-Melbourne motorway to be more precise to a town called Holbrook where I called it quits for the day. Got a room at a motel and spent the night at the nearby Holbrook pub listening to stories from the events at the New Years Eve Bachelor and Spinsters Ball the previous evening. Seems some fun was had by all and sundry. For those who do not know what I am talking about - you need to educate yourself. For that education start by typing "bachelors and spinsters ball" into Google and then pick the "IMAGES" option. The photos pretty much summarise what a B&S (bachelors and spinsters) ball is all about. Not sure why but a lot of country pubs in south-east Australia now serve XXXX beer - a curious Queensland variety of beer. (Actually I was born in Queensland and I also like XXXX beer.) Perhaps the Queensland culture is taking over Australia? There was a group of Irish backpackers at the Holbrook pub on the evening of New Years Day. They were downing Jack Daniels and Coke like there was no tomorrow. In the time I had three small beers they had each downed six “Jack’s and Coke” as they called them. With eight Irish backpackers drinking them they were keeping the bar staff very busy. I was later informed that the Irish backpackers were leftovers from the previously noted New Years Eve B&S Ball and they had been going at that pace continually for more than 24 hours. Actually when I saw them it would have been close to 36 hours straight. Quite an effort! The main street of Holbrook was originally the main Sydney-Melbourne road until a diversion a few years ago. Now the main drag of Holbrook looked deserted but underneath, the town is still a busy one.
Day 4. 2-1-2017. Up early and away. The plan was to ride back to Canberra by crossing the Australian Alps a second time. A lonely highway on the western side of the Alps: The famous Murray River starts near here and comes out of the mountains as a raging torrent before being tamed by flat land and later by dams used for downstream irrigation. Up here, close to the Alps, the Murray is impressive and following a wet winter and spring it was carrying a full body of water: Hunger took over and I hit the gas and reached the town of Khancoban for breakfast. Amongst the 4WDs I managed to find a park next to only other two seater but this Mazda MX5 had four wheels! After much-needed food I backtracked slightly (~10 km) to locate the turnoff to Kiandra that would take me up and over the main northern Alpine region. Here is the view of the start of that trek: This particular road (the Khancoban-Kiandra one) turned out to be the highlight of the entire trip. Slow twisties and beautiful forest. Eventually one reaches the high country. You know when that happens because the original cattlemans huts appear on the side of the road. Many were built in the early 1900s (or late 1800s) when it was standard practice to take cattle up to the high country in summer. That practice was abandoned in the 1960s but the huts remain. The Cattleman's huts look like this one: They are (almost always) single room timber buildings with a corrugated-iron roof and an attached corrugated-iron clad fireplace. The surrounding landscape suffered a major bushfire in 2003 which explains the dead white tree trunks. Actually the trees up here are known as Snow Gums and they usually resprout from an underground rootstock after fire. Hence, at the moment the high country vegetation looks like a mass of tall dead white sticks with a mass of lush short green growth at the base. The northern central part of the Alps is drained by the Eucembene River. This photo shows the snow plains traversed by the Eucembene River. Just below those plains the river enters a very large dam that is an integral part of the Snowy Mountains Scheme. Going east, past Adaminaby, you arrive in the valley of the Murrumbidgee River. First class cattle (and sheep) country. Then, leaving the Alps I actually went back down the same road I had entered some four days earlier. You know you are getting close to Canberra when you see the fields of dried grass beneath Eucalypt trees. The landscape surrounding Canberra looks something like this in early summer: Here I am after arriving at home: So, now you know that Australia really does have Alps and they are a motorcyclist's heaven. Maybe you can start planning your own adventure.
GEAR REVIEW Rossi Motorcycle Boots. Perfect and worth every cent. Australian made. Saved my left leg from some damage. BMW Santiago Jacket and Pants. Again - Perfect and worth every cent. Wolfman E12 saddle bags. This was the first time I had used these and they are surprising. I followed the youtube instructions to fit the bags. I thought they would need tightening a few times each day. It turned out that I was wrong. These things simply did NOT MOVE - AT ALL - even following my little crash. They also take the impact when you go down and in that context they also function as protective gear as well. They are tough and very well made as I found out when cleaning some of the food out of them. Even better, they hold a surprising amount of stuff. Thoroughly recommended. Ortlieb 50L bag strapped to the KLR rack using Rok-straps. The bag was completely water proof and is tough - I think it will outlast me. The Rok-straps just work. Enough said. KLR650 What can I say? Probably better than a poor mans BMW. Funny but while I was in Omeo having coffee I watched a continual procession of BMW road and adventure bikes and the odd Harley go past. A few riders came in and asked if the KLR was mine. They then wanted to know what it was like and several said they wished they had a KLR instead of a BMW. Hard to believe I know but those who said that appear to feel guilty when they drop their BMW. I assume they were asking because they would not feel guilty dropping a KLR. Why would you? I suppose the solution is simple – sell the BMW for a KLR ……… WEAKNESS Weakest part of the overall set-up was the rider. His skills need considerable improvement. I suppose practice is the only possible solution to that particular weakness.
nice report,,,, i like the mini review at the end, i like the history bits and stuff. when i read the title i thought you'd be in the great snowey mtns.
Great stuff RM! I love to see fantastic images of Australia that show something other than Ayers Rock, Cairns or Sydney's opera house. I promise not to tell anyone that it's not just a big desert surrounded by ocean. dd
