[MountainLagoon]

Merry Christmas everyone, our family celebrations are over today so I will start our Ride/Road Report. We will be on the road again soon so we may not get to a computer until after new year’s eve, when we will post more pictures of us posing with our Strom in front of tourist things/locations.

Day 1 – Sydney NSW to Hay NSW

We crept through a pea soup fog to Lithgow, then as we went through Bathurst the sun came out for us to enjoy the well maintained (and policed) roads from Bathurst to Cowra. As we got near West Wyalong the road deteriorated, probably due to large sections either side of West Wyalong going underwater in floods, this is where the Strom shined as we hit large undulations and bumps. 100km out from Hay the vegetation thinned out and the road became one flat strait line. The temperature reached 38 degrees and we did not know until we arrived that the motel we had booked had a pool … beer time.

 

[MountainLagoon]

Day 2 – Hay NSW to Murray Bridge SA

We left Hay at first light, the west side of Hay the plains are even flatter and sparser, my wife kept awake by counting Emu,s & trees, she got to 36 Emu,s and 2 trees by the time we turned left a Balranald. The road from the Victorian Border at Tooleybuc to the SA Border at Pinarroo was in average condition and also a fairly strait run in most places. However the road from Pinarroo to Murray Bridge was a nice series of sweeping 75-85kmh corners with plenty of short strait overtaking areas, not much need as there was very little traffic out there. As we reached Murray Bridge the temperature was at 39 degrees so we stayed the night to rest so we could enjoy the Adelaide hills run in the morning.

 

[MountainLagoon]

Day 3 – Murray Bridge SA to Adelaide SA

Instead of entering Adelaide via the freeway we left Murray Bridge via the old Princess Hwy to Hahndorf then took the “Mt Lofty Scenic Route” (the name says it all) then down the corkscrew to Ashton, onto Montacute and Adelaide. This was sunrise on Christmas morning so apart from one car and one bike,, the road was our own the whole way, it was good to ride the roads where I first learnt to ride in the 80,s then into Adelaide for the family Christmas lunch.
A few days here with our family then on to the South Coast of SA, then Mt Gambier then The Great Ocean Road to Melbourne, more pics coming soon. Happy Holidays.

 

[Wesley Walker]

Merry Christmas everyone, our family celebrations are over today so I will start our Ride/Road Report. We will be on the road again soon so we may not get to a computer until after new year’s eve, when we will post more pictures of us posing with our Strom in front of tourist things/locations.

Day 1 – Sydney NSW to Hay NSW

We crept through a pea soup fog to Lithgow, then as we went through Bathurst the sun came out for us to enjoy the well maintained (and policed) roads from Bathurst to Cowra. As we got near West Wyalong the road deteriorated, probably due to large section either side of West Wyalong going underwater in floods, this is where the Strom shined as we hit large undulations and bumps. 100km out from Hay the vegetation thinned out and the road became one flat strait line. The temperature reached 38 degrees and we did not know until we arrived that the motel we had booked had a pool … beer time.

love the pics.

 

[p38arover]

love the pics.

Except that bloody Hay plain - it seems to go on forever!

 

[rod1]

The Hay Plain

Great ride, great images. Thanks for the effort. Would love to be out there doing the same rather than staying home being 'On Call'. Remember coming back across the Hay Plain just after new Year in 1993 when Lida and I were completing our Katoomba Katoomba lap of Australia...by bicycle. Somewhere about two thirds of the way across at some tiny dot on the map, a group of rather macho Harley riders standing outside the only pub, raised their glasses as we rode by looking for a place to camp for the night. Now, almost 20 years later, Lida has her own Yammaha 250 V-Star and works towards getting her licence...next test 03/01/12. (test no 4!!!). She wants us to ride to Tassie early autumn, so, all looks good for the near future. Meanwhile, keep up the posts when you are able. I enjoy them. Rod

 

[MountainLagoon]

Cheers for the comments, yep if you like riding in a strait line for a few hours on a pool table flat road with visibility to the horizon, then its the place to be, it was actually very secenic first thing in the morning with the sun behind us.

Day 4 - Adelaide wine country

We visited a few winery's and lookouts over the Barossa Valley via Gawler, Rowland flat, Nuriootpa, etc, hey we are in Adelaide so it had to be on the visit list.

 

[saturn 5]

M.L.s Chrissy Ride

Thanks M.L. for the post and pics. You travelled half as far as Santa!
OH, a quick quest. In your first post 3rd pic, did I spy a blue cloth strategically placed over your rear plate. Must have been caught up in the wind.
Take care, ride safe.
Saturn 5

 

[MountainLagoon]

Cheers, yes I always cover plates before taking a pic or later photoshop them out before posting on any public forum pictures to prevent any fraudulent use of info by unscrupulous website lurkers. More pics soon.

 

[graham downunder]

Great pictures mate . I quite like the Hay Planes even at night but then I like most roads . For those travelling that way I and others have found these places quite good to stay
The pub on the right hand side about 3/4 the way in Hay is a good place top stop .In Baranald the the Motel at the pub on the left hand side is also very good .
Last trip was picking up my FJR1300 in Aderlaide, the sunrise and early daylight was great around Murry Bridge . The Mallee highway is a great way, crossing the Murry river at Toolebuc do yourself a favour just stop ,enjoy the river the old bridge and drift back in time . Doing Aderlaid to Sydney in one day is no problem but going the other way is due to wild life .

 

[MountainLagoon]

Thanks GD, yes we did stop at Tooleybuc shop next to the pub, the rolls were freshly made & delicious not like the mass produced food at servos, that day we sat out the front to enjoy our last few minutes in NSW. This week we have visited Glenelg, Yankalilla, Cape Jervis, Victor Harbour, Goolwa, Milang & Kingston Se. The Yankalilla bakery is a very bloody good bakery. The roads south of Adelaide were all as superb as the last time... ALL of them !
Today we rode*through (not alongside) the Coorong,*I found some dirt, gravel and sand tracks to have some fun on, my pillion was not so happy when we did the "Vstrom wobble dance" a dozen times in the sand. *We will upload pics when we find a computer, this post is from my phone.

 

[Wesley Walker]

Cheers for the comments, yep if you like riding in a strait line for a few hours on a pool table flat road with visibility to the horizon, then its the place to be, it was actually very secenic first thing in the morning with the morning sun behind us.

Day 4 - Adelaide wine country

We visited a few winery's and lookouts over the Barossa Valley via Gawler, Rowland flat, Nuriootpa, etc, hey we are in Adelaide so it had to be on the visit list.

keep up the good work. love the pics, can't wait too see the rest of them. safe riding ML

 

[MountainLagoon]

Day 5 – Adelaide to Victor Harbour

We stopped at “Lights Vision” lookout on Montiefore Hill overlooking the Adelaide Oval and city and took some pics before the SA Gov spend millions upgrading it, we hope they will keep Col Lights vision of a well planned city surrounded by parklands alive without destroying it. Back to the ride, we did the complusory Hindley St cruize and a few fountains of Adelaide then down to Glenelg. We had to do some “creative parking” to get a shot of the Glenelg jetty and foreshore then we followed the foreshore as far as we could then cutting back to the beach at Cristies. We stopped at the Yankalilla bakery which is one of the best in the state then rode down to Adelaide's mini version of the great ocean road then past Delemere to Cape Jervis to see kangaroo Island, these roads are IMHO some of the best in the country. From Cape Jervis we took a dirt short cut past Deep Creek Consevation Park, it was tempting to visit Blowhole Beach where I have camped before but we had plans in Victor Harbour so onto Victor H for the afternoon and night.

 

[MountainLagoon]

Day 5 part 2 - pics

 

[MountainLagoon]

At a public library and my session is about to time out before they close, will post more pics next chance I get ML

 

[MountainLagoon]

Day 6 – Victor Harbour to Coorong to Mt Gambier

We left Victor to folow the coast to Goolwa barrages, this was as close as we would get to the Murray River mouth, then we took the back way to the Wellington ferry via Milang, when we got on the ferry we had to park sideways up against the gate to fit the last caravan on, across the Murray the river water lappped over the front of the ferry and past our toes but we were first off to get to the Coorong which has not had this much water in it for years so even the drive along the Hwy was good. Down the Hwy to Salt Creek where we turned off to do the short dirt scenic loop into the Coorong Nat Park, this loop was full of 4WD,s the road has some fairly rough corrigations and the usual suspect potholes but it was a good warm up for the next dirt section the “old coorong road” back down the Hwy until just after Cantara Rd we turned onto dirt this road goes a fair distance through to the ocean side of the dry Coorong lakes... now I could have some fun !!!! the road provides access to crossings to the ocean and has a hard base with sections of loose gravel and only short spurts of corrigations but as we got closer to the southern end of the Coorong and the large dunes there were parts of the road completely covered in sand where we practiced our “Vstom Wobble Dance” as the front end carved s tracks. We stayed upright and continued to the end of the Nat Park where the road turns into a normal dirt access road for the local farmers, there were no 4WD’s or campers here so I could open the throttle on the dirt and also enjoy the view until the bitumen appeared at the Granites lookout. Back on the Hwy we stopped at the big Lobster for Lunch then through the pine forest lined roads to Mt Gambier then a quick loop to Port Macdonnell and back via Punt Rd before we stopped for the night. SA roads are the hard to beat !

 

[MountainLagoon]

Day 6 part 2 - pics

 

[MountainLagoon]

Day 6 part 3 - pics

 

[MountainLagoon]

Day 6 - maps

 

[NAA-strom]

Hi guys, great to catch up on the Great Ocean Road today. Great photos from the trip. Seems you are following me, up till now. I have done Hay Plains, Adelaide Hills, Great Ocean Road, now off to Melbourne then back home to Narrabri.

Will be sure to let you know when I am heading down your way on the bike.

Enjoy the rest of your ride. Rubber side down.

And Happy New Year.

Pete