Riding Down Under again in Australia

[ClaG]

Hello!

I am back in Australia for a second trip this year, in a different season. Spring is just gorgeous so far! I arrived in Melbourne on Nov 7 and the first month has been so busy that I am just starting my blog now.

This time, I am on my own. My dear companion has stayed home for the winter as it seems he prefers shoveling snow! Ha! Ha!

Riding solo means everything relies on your shoulders, many good things happen as you get to meet a lot more people, you gain more confidence day after day and you really enjoy being free as a bird!!
But there are also times when I feel a few butterflies in my stomach, especially when I am in remote places, going on small gravel roads for example, not knowing if I will be able to turn around at some point or what if I drop the bike?? But, I certainly try to stay out of trouble!! ;-)

Claire

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[ClaG]

I started my trip my exploring the area around Dandenong Ranges as I had a few days to get familiar again on my GS650 before heading to the Snowy Mtns Travellers Meeting in Jindabyne.

This is a great place to ride, lots of curves in a beautiful surrounding!

I ended up in Walhalla, in a steep valley where 3500 people lived during the gold rush. A very interesting and unique place! It is now almost a ghost town but very pretty as many buildings were restored.


Carte J1A 12 nov - Yarra Jct

Carte J1B - Warburton à Walhalla

Along Mountain Hwy

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Lunch break in Warburton

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Near Three Bridges, on my way to Moe

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Near Mount Baw Baw, C426

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Over the Dam

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Walhalla

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Fire Station hanging over the river

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Walhalla built in a very narrow valley

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Walhalla Cemetery where everyone is buried on a very steep slope

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Free campsite in Walhalla in a beautiful and quiet surrounding

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[ClaG]

The following day, I left Walhalla heading south on the C481 and then east towards Orbost where starts the Bonang Hwy going north. I stopped in Goongerah for the night in another free campsite along Elliry Creek. That’s where I saw my first live wombat!

Day 3 is a short day to get to Bombala although there was a 12-km long section on gravel between Googerah and Delegate that I took easily as it was well packed and hard except for a short section under construction that was rather slippery and yucky.

In Bombala, I had time to relax, get some groceries, charge my equipment and enjoy a great shower!.

Carte J2 et J3 - Walhalla à Bombala

Elliry Creek Campsite, Goongerah

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Well Packed Gravel Section on Bonang Hwy

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Huge Logging Trucks along the Way

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[ClaG]

Day 4, I leave Bombala heading south on Monaro Hwy to Cann River and then northeast on Princes Hwy to see Eden and Pambula Beach. From there, I take Mount Darragh Rd back to Bombala and then head towards Cooma to spend the night camping 20 km up north, not far from Monaro Hwy.

Carte J4 15 nov - Bombala à Cooma

On my way to Cann River, Monaro Hwy

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Crossing in NSW, on Princes Hwy

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Pambula River

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On my way back to Bombala, Mount Darragh Road

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Stock on the road, on my way to Cooma. And Black Clouds coming my way...

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Free campsite, north of Cooma

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[ClaG]

I spent a marvelous weekend at the HU Meeting in Jindabyne. It was a great opportunity to meet many other riders and travellers, as well as hear interesting stories from various presenters.

I really enjoyed it! It was only my second experience attending a HU Meeting and was way worth it! Activities and organization overall was just GREAT!

I made a lot of new friends too, some of them who I expect to visit us in Quebec soon!

Carte J5 16 nov - Cooma à Jindabyne

Main Dining Hall, Sport & Recreation Centre in Jindabyne

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[ClaG]

I left Jindabyne on a beautiful sunny day and decided to go to Charlotte Pass just to have a look at the wonderful mountain scenery. There were quite a few patches of snow left!

Then headed west on the Alpine Way and set up my tent in the beautiful surrounding of Ngarigo Campground!

Carte J6 19 nov - Jindabyne to Ngarigo

On my way to Charlotte Pass

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View from the Top

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Alpine way near Ngarigo

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Ngarigo Campground, along the river

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[Goldwinger]

What a great trip!!! I am in the planning process for a 90 day ride around Australia on my personal motorcycle. I am having difficulty in finding an insurance company that provides non resident insurance for a personal vehicle. What did you do for your motorcycle insurance? I have shipped the motorcycle to Europe twice and the insurance coverage is the "Green Card". Is there anything similar in Australia?

Thanks

Wilf McQuinn
Huntsville
Ontario

[ClaG]

Hi Wilf!

Try Swann Motorcycle Insurance Australia, however I do have a temporary home address in Melbourne. If you need to find a 'friend' to borrow an address, contact the HU Community in the city where you will be landing.

https://www.swanninsurance.com.au/

90 days is not enough to see it all, but it's a good start!

Cheers,
Claire

[ClaG]

I left Mount Field National Park on a cloudy day and decided to go east for 10 km to Hamilton in order to get some fuel and groceries. Could not find anything in that small town… Luckily the next town west (Ouse) had everything I needed!

Rain started just before getting to Tarraleah. You can see on the map below the layout of the road to get down the ravin along the Nive River and back up is quite twisty. I stopped at the power station and had a look at its long steel pipes and huge chimneys. The water drops 290m to the power station that was opened in 1938.

Tarraleah

Next stop was at 'The Wall' to see the incredible art work of the sculptor Greg Duncan. There are one hundred panels of huon pin, 3m high by 1m wide in the exhibit. Fascinating experience, which could not be recorded on film. I was so impressed with his work, I spent more than an hour looking around this place!

The sky cleared up as I was setting up my tent at the Lake St Clair Lodge Campground. It was quite cold that evening and unfortunately, the kitchen shelter has openings on all sides… But it was worth it as I enjoyed an amazing hike the following day up to Mount Rufus.]

Carte T10 - Lake St Clair

The video is 22 minutes long and ends at Nelson Falls, on my way to Queenstown.




Tarraleah Power Station

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The end of the Overland Track at Lake St Clair Visitor Centre

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Lake St Clair

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Hiking up Mount Rufus

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View of Lake St Clair

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Track going down Mount Rufus

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Nelson Falls

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[ClaG]

I spent four days in the best Caravan Park I have seen so far, right here in Queenstown. It's under new management and the couple who runs it are doing an amazing job! Top first class!

Queenstown's area seems to get more rain than elsewhere. Clouds would come in and go with a few showers. From there, I did a few day trips and one of them was towards Strahan et Zeehan, a lovely area with lots of curves on the way.

Travelling in Australia is always full of surprises. You never know who you will meet during the day or what you will see. During my visit to Macquarie Heads, I made a new friend on the beach and he took me for a ride on his quad up the hill where he said I could take better pictures…

Carte T11 - Queenstown

The video is 30 minutes long.



View of Queenstown from the Spion Kop Lookout

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Queenstown Post Office

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Walking the beach at Macquarie Heads

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Stuart with his Quad

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View from the top of the hill, Quad Tour

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Ocean Beach

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[ClaG]

During my travel in Tasmania I did quite a lot of hiking, usually half-a-day walks selected from the '60 Great Short Walk'. I heard about the Walls of Jerusalem and its spectacular landscape, and thought it might be less crowded than Cradle Mountain. A good opportunity for an overnight hike!

I left Queenstown and followed the road shown on the map below to Mole Creek in order to get supplies as well as the detailed map of Walls of Jerusalem Nat'l Park.

Carte T12 - Walls of Jerusalem

Carte T13 - Burnie et Boat Harbour

The first 2.6 km going up the track is steep and a bit difficult carrying my big backpack. It took me 3½ hours to get to the campsite. I can't believe anyone can get there in two hours as indicated on the map!!!

I camped two nights at Wild Dog Creek Campsite which gave me the opportunity to get to the top of Mount Jerusalem, 11.6 km from the car park.

The weather was perfect for this activity and I was really impressed with the scenery.

Have a look!

Part 1 is 20 minutes long



Part 2 is 12 minutes long



Cradle Mountain in the Background

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Wild Dog Creek Campsite

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Snake lying in the sun at the campsite

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Hiking to Mount Jerusalem

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View from top of Mount Jerusalem

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Solomons Throne

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View from top of Solomons Throne

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View of the track from the top of Solomons Throne

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