Bushpigs & Sunrises_06_Jingellic-to-Eskdale

[glitch]

Prologue https://www.austouring.com/index.php?threads/bushpigs-sunrises__-00_prologue.7196/


Day1 https://www.austouring.com/index.php?threads/bushpigs-sunrises_01_mirboo-to-bruthen.7197/

Day2 https://www.austouring.com/index.php?threads/bushpigs-sunrises_02_-bruthen-to-marlo.7198/

Day3 https://www.austouring.com/index.php?threads/bushpigs-sunrises_03_marlo-to-cann-river.7200/

Day 4 https://www.austouring.com/index.php?threads/bushpigs-sunrises_04_cann-river-to-jindabyne.7201/

Day5 https://austouring.com/index.php?threads/bushpigs-sunrises_05_jindabyne-to-jingellic.7202/

Day6 https://austouring.com/index.php?threads/bushpigs-sunrises_06_jingellic-to-eskdale.7203/

Day7 https://austouring.com/index.php?threads/bushpigs-sunrises_07_eskdale-to-mansfield.7204/

Day8 https://www.austouring.com/index.ph...rises_08_mansfield-buller-sterling-loop.7205/

 

[glitch]

"What happens on a trip, stays on the trip".... provide the caption
(be kind, yer mugs)

Not a BIG day on the cards this time, but one "packing a punch".

The cheerful storekeeper at the Walwa Store made up some fresh lunch-sandwiches to take away, then straight onto the gravel across the Cudgewa Bluff/ Cudgewa Gap for a quick dogleg onto the main Corryong Hwy for a few minutes.

Past Nariel onto the gravel again for Flying Marty's recovery run after one of us shot through on the Gibb Range Rd. turn off.
The Gibb turned out a bit rougher and chopped up after major logging in the area, adding to the masses of dropped dead limbs and bark, one nearly impossible to tell from the other therefore slowing progress a fair bit. It bloody hurts flicking up those sticks at speed, hitting the boots and shins in the most unlikely spots.

Down the Cravensville Rd. into the upper Tallangatta Vly.....and try #1 to get us up to the Mt. Benambra Rd.
Williams Rd./ Track finished up with a closed gate and some obvious warnings to stay out of a burn-off area (smoke visible further in the valley).
Beaut spot though....incl. a little puddle along the way.

Withdrawal

Try#2 included a few gates across open farmland, some very unlikely grass-tracks and ultimately a "National Park" sign with a perfectly graded bush road climbing up the ridge linking into Mt. Benambra Rd.
I'd never taken the start of that track if it wasn't the only other option available as per Rooftop maps....

Once up top, the Mt. Benambra Rd. was easy enough to find and follow, but hell, what a ROLLERCOASTER!!
It follows the ridges not by cuttings along the hillsides....but straight up+down , over the top crest and down the steep dip the other side, trees and foliage totally obscuring how steep, rough, chopped-up, rocky or even how long the next climb is!
Dive down hard for a good run-up of the steep part of the climb you can actually see?
Or pull back and feather to not hit the climb too fast and spear off into the scenery?

And so it goes, kilometer after kilometer. I hope someone took pics, I was too surprised and busy, only got the first shot off in the fog at the Mt. Benambra FireTower (Marty's been lucky on a previous trip, the vistas must be phenomenal!!)
Not really the trademark lunch-spot today....as the 50-60kmh gusts try to topple the bikes off their stands.

A glimpse of Lake Dartmouth, on the descent only an hour later

 

[glitch]

A few days back the Combienbar Rd. (Club Terrace/ Cann River area) had turned out the absolute "pearl-find" of this trip.... here's my firm favourite for 2. place.

Callaghan Creek Rd.
South to north....or the other way around...it's an absolute gem!

The Combienbar is around 5k's longer, it's sealed...and so allows for day-dreaming and SOAKING IT UP while riding/ driving it.

Callaghan Creek is the gravel version.....a sublime, tucked-away scenic valley, the road in good nick and not bearing any nasty surprises.
But still more intense as it's gravel rather than bitumen.
~37k's of back-road heaven.
Runs sort of parralel to the MittaMitta Hwy

Can't beat the Eskdale Pub for a country-stay, aye??
The current owners are also bike-nuts, riders, love a yarn, throw in a free first drink with your $40/ night cot and included continental brecky!!

:kicking:

 

[ant]

Sunlight through the trees outside the pub as we depart






Say cheese



Then up the hill to the Telecommmunications tower... some very steep and rocky tracks but the Hima chugged up.


Windy, misty and cold up top. Lunch wasn't as pleasant as the day before...



Was a relief to get down into the sunlight again.

 

[ant]

Callaghan Creek Rd....

 

[ant]

Once up top, the Mt. Benambra Rd. was easy enough to find and follow, but hell, what a ROLLERCOASTER!!
It follows the ridges not by cuttings along the hillsides....but straight up+down , over the top crest and down the steep dip the other side, trees and foliage totally obscuring how steep, rough, chopped-up, rocky or even how long the next climb is!
Dive down hard for a good run-up of the steep part of the climb you can actually see?
Or pull back and feather to not hit the climb too fast and spear off into the scenery?

And so it goes, kilometer after kilometer. I hope someone took pics, I was too surprised and busy, only got the first shot off in the fog at the Mt. Benambra FireTower (Marty's been lucky on a previous trip, the vistas must be phenomenal!!)
Not really the trademark lunch-spot today....as the 50-60kmh gusts try to topple the bikes off their stands

No pics of that section unfortunately! Too busy going up and down those rollercoasters! And yes it was cold and blowy up top!

 

[glitch]

All good
I think we all were busy with the road

 

[glipschitz]

I didn't realise @ant was an Old Ukranian Woman escapee

 

[glitch]

Must admit I checked under the bed the next night expecting to find a Mujahedin AK47...

 

[Squizzy]

It doesn't get much better.




Marty reckons it came on him a bit quick, yeh, right!





If you look very closely, you will spot that the top bolt of the caliper is missing, I spotted it after the photo too. Cable tie fixed it till I bought one in Eskdale, someone had already used my spare



Same caption as the first photo, it doesn't get much better.