Nindigully Pub Run 2012

nev

Super Térrarist
Spot tracking link

Heading up to Nindigully pub for a few coldies. Work insisting that I clear the slate of outstanding leave before the end of the year, so it's an excuse to ride some new roads, and revisit some old roads in places I don't get to often.

Thursday morning I head off, leaving Melbourne just after 5am and straight up the Hume Hwy to cover some quick miles. Photo stop in Holbrook. Most people take a snap of the submarine in the middle of town, so here's something different.

IMG_0993.JPG


poked around GUndagai looking for the elusive backroad to Cootamundra. Some wonderful old raised railways across the river flood plains

IMG_0995.JPG


IMG_0996.JPG


and that road looked something like this in parts

IMG_0997.JPG


and ended up here

IMG_0998.JPG


I did the obligatory lap of Mt Panorama with some vistas from Brock's skyline

IMG_0999.JPG


IMG_1000.JPG


Onto the Bylong Valley Hwy. A road I've not ridden before. Some interesting rock formations

IMG_1002.JPG


IMG_1003.JPG


Stopped in Rylstone for a bite to eat

IMG_1004.JPG


Finally reached the floor of the valley

IMG_1005.JPG


IMG_1006.JPG


Heading into Muswellbrook

IMG_1007.JPG



North on the New England Hwy. Another section of road i've never ridden, south of Tamworth

IMG_1013.JPG


Pulled up stumps at the Guyra showgrounds. Found this lovely picnic shelter

IMG_1018.JPG
 

nev

Super Térrarist
After 16hrs on the road today I had little trouble getting to sleep. Then around 3am I woke up to the sound footsteps. I lay in my swag listening. There were no voices but the sound of a heavy workboot on a gravel driveway is the image my mind had conjured up. The shelter I had camped under was surrounded by grass, but the far end had a wall and I hadn't seen what was behind that wall. The nearest houses were 100 metres away, and the showgrounds perimeter fence ran in between. After listening for a while I couldn't stand it any more. I had to know why there was someone walking around. I doubted any security would be on site in a country town. I jumped out of my swag (ok I have crap knees, i probably groaned a lot on my way to my feet) and lo and behold the noises were caused by a kangaroo which must have become disoriented and was trying to find a way through the tall fence behind the picnic shelter. the trees around the ground had dropped lots of leaves and these were the cause of the crunching sound every time it landed on them. With much relief I went back to sleep. Sort of. I was up about an hour later, unable to sleep much more.

I detoured off the hwy at Glen Innes to Emmaville. Lovely little road. Worth riding all the way there for it.
Stopped by a swamp not far out of town just as the sun was rising

IMG_1021.JPG


Breakfast as usual consisted of a can of tuna with some crackers. Easy to buy, carry, eat, and clean up afterwards.

IMG_1024.JPG


At Casino I headed north through the winding hilly roads to Nimbin

IMG_1026.JPG


This area reminds me a lot of northern Arkansas, and it's not just the geography !

At Murwillumbah I headed to Natural Bridge and crossed the border into Qld

IMG_1029.JPG


Lovely headwind running down the Numinbah Valley. I haven't mentioned the weather. A digital thermometer on my dash hit 30° at about 9:30am in Casino and hadn't dropped since. The hottest it read was 40°, west of Brisbane. Most of the day hovered around 36°

IMG_1030.JPG


On the way up Mt Tamborine I stopped to snap a shot of the view down over the Gold Coast. It was quite visible to the human eye. The camera struggles somewhat though

IMG_1032.JPG


The hanggliding launch site on Mt Tamborine looking over the opposite side of the mountain

IMG_1034.JPG


Through Brisbane and up Mt Nebo and Mt Glorious. Despite the weather it was quite refreshing on these well shadowed roads. Lots of roadworks around at the moment though.

IMG_1036.JPG


Stopped to take a photo of this view of Lake Wivenhoe, mainly because it just reminds me of Lake Hume at the present time.

IMG_1037.JPG


After a short detour over the Mt Bebbo road I headed south to Esk and took the Esk-Hampton road down to Toowoomba where I probably set a record for checking into a motel and getting the aircon and shower running. Did I mention it was hot.
 

BB63

SV, DRZ & now DL Rider
hey Nev, I am in Toowoomba now having breaky, see ya at the gully. :)
Cheers Brian
 

nev

Super Térrarist
hey Nev, I am in Toowoomba now having breaky, see ya at the gully. :)
Cheers Brian

The only rain on the radar is a thunderstorm headed straight from nindigully to Toowoomba. Hope you found some shelter. I am writing this from under the awning of a disused hardware store in what appears to be a disused town named Brookstead. quite a light and sound show.
 

nev

Super Térrarist
Saturday morning I headed out of Toowoomba towards Nindigully. The BoM radar shows a storm headed directly from Nindigully back to Toowoomba. About half an hour later I'm almost in it. I stop to put on the wet weather gear. About half of the horizon is black cloud and there are lightning bolts striking right along the length of the storm. Right when I hit the storm I reached a small town. I ducked in off the highway and sat out the storm

IMG_1043.JPG


IMG_1049.JPG


Water tank mural in Millmerran

IMG_1050.JPG


After the storm passes the skies clear and stay that way.

IMG_1051.JPG


Some recent contained bushfire affected forest near Goondiwindi

IMG_1053.JPG


Soon after the landscape changes again

IMG_1054.JPG


Traffic lights in the middle of nowhere.

IMG_1056.JPG


Arrive at the pub right on lunch time

IMG_1060.JPG


After a recent fundraiser for the McGrath foundation the pub was painted pink

IMG_1061.JPG
 

nev

Super Térrarist
A great night was had by all at the pub. Good weather, cold beer, great food.

Alarm was set for 4am Sunday and I had the swag packed up the bike loaded and out on the road at 4:30. Plenty of roos on the road south to Thallon. By the time I got to the Dirranbandi turnoff the sun was starting to provide some light. Still more roos. There was more wildlife around on this ride than I've seen just about on all previous rides combined. Dozens of roos, mostly small, I think the biggest I saw would have only stood a few feet hight, and plenty of emus around too, and around Cobar, wild goats by the dozen as well.

More storms around this morning, but they're to my north and south.

IMG_1063.JPG


Sunrise on the Thallon-Dirranbandi road

IMG_1065.JPG


IMG_1066.JPG


Once the skies clear they stay that way.

IMG_1068.JPG


At Hebel the road turns south

IMG_1070.JPG


IMG_1071.JPG


At Walgett I head west again to Bourke.
Strong southerly winds blowing small tumbleweeds across the roads

IMG_1072.JPG


There's not much else around

IMG_1075.JPG


And shade is at a premium

IMG_1077.JPG


Stop for lunch and some pics in Cobar

IMG_1080.JPG


from the mine lookout

IMG_1085.JPG


Down the road there's a memorial to the goldminers at Gilgunnia who came out here in the late 1800s. In 2012 this country is still so remote. It's incredible to think that people came here probably on foot or horseback.

IMG_1089.JPG


This guy kept a close eye on me while he waited for me to keep going on my way

IMG_1090.JPG


Mt Hope is a lonely place, just the pub.

IMG_1091.JPG


more wildlife enjoying the warmth of the road

IMG_1093.JPG


Stopped in Griffith for the night. I was ready for a rest. The entire trip south from Bourke has been into a headwind which really increases the fatigue and fuel consumption but does provide some relief as the breeze flows through the vents in my riding gear. In the morning the temps were cool, in the low 20s, but from Brewarrina onwards hovered around the low 30s.
 

BB63

SV, DRZ & now DL Rider
Was great to catch up at the 'Gully Nev, by the look of comparing spot tracks you were about 20 mins behind me on the road leaving Toowoomba. I hit the storm just before Milmerran and just kept on riding through it, was all over in 10 mins and was dry again in half an hour. :D Certainly a good lookin bike you parked next to there at the pub . :bs
There was also another AT member show up later in the day so we decided to join up for the run home.
DSCN0109.jpg

Found some interesting signs along the way.
DSCN0129.jpg

Are we there......?
DSCN0137.jpg

Visited the same traffic lights.
DSCN0127.jpg

And interesting structures.
DSCN0145.jpg

Some great roads.
DSCN0131.jpg

And even geater ones.
DSCN0155.jpg

Then eventually said our goodbyes at the now usuall photo spot.
DSCN0157.jpg

managed to chase a storm into brissy with another up my bum and managed to miss all rain and storms on the way home.
Cheers brian
 

nev

Super Térrarist
Another fantastic day to wake up to blue skies again. Packed up and on the road shortly after 7am.

Some old mining equipment is now resident in a park in Colleambally.

IMG_1094.JPG


Emu and her chicks

IMG_1098.JPG


Not much else of note between Griffith and Shepparton. Before Nagambie I turn off the Hwy and head to Longwood along some nice country lanes.

IMG_1108.JPG


IMG_1109.JPG


A quick stop in Longwood and a chat to a local near this quaint country pub

IMG_1110.JPG


Longwood Ruffy road is a ripper

IMG_1112.JPG


With views

IMG_1113.JPG


After lunch in Yea I headed home through Whittlesea and a few local tracks

IMG_1114.JPG


IMG_1115.JPG


Totals for the weekend, 4.5 days, 4100km, 15 tanks of fuel.
 

glitch

Mapping the next ride...
Staff member
Whoohoo...what a flying lap of SE-Australia.
That hardware store looked damn busy, too....:wink:
 
Top Bottom