Motoguzzimackers' Moto Guzzi Diaries

Spent a few hours riding throught the Castlemaine – Yandoit area, the scene of the worlds greatest alluvial gold rush, Gold was first found in the Mount Alexander area in July 1851. By October of that year 250 diggers were looking for gold, and by December 1851, there were 20,000 searching for the shallow alluvial gold that was found along the creeks that flowed out of Mount Alexander to join the Loddon River.  Only three years later, most of the alluvial gold had been taken and the population had dropped to about 7,000, and has remained static ever since.

On the way back through Chewton I stopped at a cairn I’d seen many times before but never read:

The diggings area is now an historic reserve.

Sunny but cold (10C).  I was on the road by 0930 and filled up at Kyneton.  Up the old Calder Highway to Maldon for a coffee.

Parking on the footpath is permitted in Victoria – very civilised.

Then a quick run up to Laancoorie:

Cut across to Dunolly then down to Maryborough, taking the truck bypass to Carisbrook.  Nice run down to Clunes.  Quite a picturesque road with old gold mines, abandoned stone buildings, good road surface and sweepers along the valley.  Into Clunes for a leak and another coffee:

Then a fast run through Smeaton to Blampied

and Daylesford – packed as usual – and onto Tylden and Carlsruhe ( named by the first settler there after his hometown in Germany.  Here’s a pic looking over the Calder Freeway towards the Jim Jim (on the horizon):

Then home, clean the bike and have a Coopers!

The sun was shinin’ here in central Vic with showers forecast.  So we set off for Ruffy and lunch at Yarck.  The sky was dark over the Strathbogies as we passed Tallarook.

But fearlessly we turned at Ghin Ghin for Highlands – the rain started and the temperature dropped.  The rain made the road greasy – not heavy enough to wash off the leaf litter – so we took it easy.  By Ruffy the Chief was feeling a bit crook with the cold and had trouble getting off her Duke.  After a quick walk, we set off for Yarck.

“Farck!” is what I thought I heard from behind me as we approached that “terrible descent” – in the wet – feeling crook – on an unknown road.  But second gear and some judicious use of the back brake saw us through and onto the valley floor for a nice run into Yarck.

A pie, chips and a cup-of-chino at the (warm) Yarck General Store brought some life back into the Bride.  We sped off, in rain, to Yea where the promise of a patch of blue encouraged us.

Yep, dry and “FAB, Scott” all the way home!

Once a year, the Victorian and New South Wales Moto Guzzi clubs meet on the border at Jingellic on the Murray River.  I took the quick way up, on the freeway to Glenrowan, then cut across through Beechworth – which was packed, so no coffee stop – Yackandandah – ditto – Tamgambalanga, Huon, along the shore of Lake Hume to Tallangatta for  fuel and lunch.

Then over the range via Granya.  This road, all the way to Jingellic, seems to have been upgraded since I last attended “the Run” and gave me a very pleasant fast run.  I past two cars and two bikes in 100km.  With the sun shining, it was if someone had laid down a multi-million dollar billiard-table smooth road just for me.

Some stay in the cabins at the Bridge Hotel, while others camped on the adjacent flat overlooking the river.  A lot of country pubs welcome bike groups.  Where else would they get 50 customers turn up, drink all afternoon, eat tea, drink some more, eat breakfast and book out the accommodation?

Some of the bods had arrived on Friday, and bikes continued to arrive during the afternoon.  About forty or fifty rolled up from afar afield as Merimbular and Sydney.  After a meal at the pub we loaded up the fire and sat around drinking and yacking.  Kev and Karen from Guzzi Overland were there.  They had risen that morning and rode all the way to Dead Horse Gap, in the Kosciusko National Park,  and back!  Soon they’ll be on their way to South America.

As is typical of NSW, we woke up to light drizzle.  My grandfather’s family came from up there.  “New South Wales,” they said, “was either drought or flood.  It’s a terrible place!”  It still is!.

The publican put on brekky for us and I shot through soon after – some were staying for an extended weekend.  I took it easy in the wet – my visor fogged up and there was a bit of fog and drizzle around.  Eventually the cloud lifted, the drizzle stopped and blue patches could be seen towards Wodonga.  For the entire 88km trip, I didn’t pass any car or motorbike.  I had the road to myself!

I wanted to take a pic of Bellbridge.  The last time I was here, for the 2009 “All the Guzzis Run”, the Hume was nearly empty.  A few months ago, it temporarily reached 103% full and was lapping under the bridge.

I retraced my route home with one stop for fuel.  Near Seymour I was overtaken by a Le Mans from “the Run”.  He must have been moving!

Welshy joined us for a run to Newstead for coffee and Glen Lyon for lunch.

With me on my Cali Metal, Jane on her Duke and Welshy on my Breva 1100, we fanged off to Kyneton for some fuel.  Jane then set a cracking pace (“the Duke doesn’t like sitting on 100 kays in fifth”) up past the Kyneton aerodrome to Malmsbury then via the old Calder Highway through Harcourt to Maldon and the Dig Cafe at Newstead.

After a coffee, we tracked via Yandoit to Glenlyon.  We could feel the temperature drop as we climbed the slopes of Mt Franklin, the extinct volcano.  The Glenlyon  general store has recently been upgraded to a restaurant with an outdoor entertainment area.  Nice food and a reasonable price.

Home through Lauriston for a Coopers or three!

The Chief was busy so I did the “lone wolf” and rode to Ruffy. Temperature dropped to 10C as I climbed the Strathbogie Ranges to Highlands, then through open farmland and tall timber to Ruffy. Had a coffee at the busy Ruffy Produce Store.

I dropped down the steep escarpment and ran through a pretty valley to Yarck then on to Yea. The town, and petrol station, were chokkas, so I peered deeply into my confidence and rode on to Seymour for fuel. No sweat. Home via Pyalong.

Ran the Ford up to Bright with the kids and had a picnic on the block in perfect autumn sunshine.  Here we are looking up the valley towards Mt Hotham and Harrietville.

The town was packed but it was peace and quiet on Bright’s “north shore”.

Cool weather but we got away for the weekend to Bright in north-eastern Victoria.  Stopped at the Peppercorn in Yea for a coffee, over Lake Eildon (full) at Bonnie Doon  and onto Mansfield for lunch before taking that lovely road across the ridge to Whitfield – another coffee at the Whitty Cafe.  A nice run down the King Valley to Mytleford and Bright.

Checked out our block – still there – had an ale or two at the Bright Brewery, fish and chips for tea and bed at the Alpine Hotel.

Next morning was sunny, windless and cloudless – and 9C – as we walked around town.  We both had headaches (!), but managed bacon and eggs before the return trip via Moyhu and Greta South – where Ned Kelly lived – to Benalla (coffee).  Tracked down past Lake Nilahcootie – full – with views of the Strathbogie Ranges and Mt Samaria and onto Yea (chips).

Can’t beat the north-east of Victoria for scenery and motorcycling.  The Breva clicked over 33,000km and Jane’s Duke 34,5000.