Melting in Snow

Post by **Caroanbill** » Wed Oct 24, 2007 7:53 pm

Last weekend was the Australian Capital Territory BMW club's Kosciusko Rally. This 'ere's the short version ..

Outta Sydney via tunnels at 7am, 280-odd km of freeway to Yass, pick up Wolf and another 113 km past Gundagai to a backroad into the hills from Tumblong - some nice rolling hills and bends to Adelong. Up and over some better bends on higher hills and tall forest through Batlow (apple orchards) to Tumbarumba for lunch - bailed up by fellow rallygoers in a cafe there.

Then a glorious run over the Koscisuko foothills and down to the Murray at Khancoban - this raod is usualluy bypseed my bikers in favour of the Alpine Way, but it's a lovely road in it's own right.

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/billstan ... 4265687154

Then onto the Apline way for a twist through the cliffs to camp with a view to the main range - that's Mt Townsend at the top - at 2209m it's our second tallest. Tallest is Mt Kosciusko, a few km beyond the raneg you can see.

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/billstan ... 8560654466

http://picasaweb.google.com.au/billstan ... 7150589074

Early morning bolt - already 19C at 8am - and a great twist through the mountains, over Dead Horse Gap to Thredbo and Jindabyne .. but aftre that is was 30C and very gusty over the Divide to Cooma and on up the more open (and policed) Monaro to Canberra to take the freeway at baking 35-37C into Sydney. 1140km all up

.. and all worth it for an evening at Geehi Flat.

Boxerboy · Post by **Boxerboy** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 7:58 am

They're great roads aren't they. From Tumbarumba, did you take Sue City to Cabramurra, then down to Khancoban? Magnificent ride.

DJ Downunder and I do an annual loop to Adaminaby via Khancoban/Thredbo, then back thru Cabramurra then home to Melbourne.

It's magnificent.

Post by **NoRRmad** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 8:00 am

I just love your place names!

Did you go through Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya?

Boxerboy · Post by **Boxerboy** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:30 pm

NoRRmad wrote:I just love your place names!

Did you go through Mamungkukumpurangkuntjunya?

Nah...via Tangambalanga is a better route

Klink · Post by **Klink** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 7:51 am

That is indeed a great bit of road. I used it to get to and from Phillip Island for the MotoGP. The Guzzi was a press bike, I have an R1200R

Klink · Post by **Klink** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 7:53 am

Klink · Post by **Klink** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 7:58 am

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 9:13 am

Nice report Caroanbill.....They 'are' great roads.

Great pics Klink...nice looking Guzzi.

DJ

Boxerboy · Post by **Boxerboy** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 10:52 am

The Snowy Mtn Hwy, not far from Kiandra.
This bit is the straight section, open vision, high speeds across the snow plains. Well, snow plains in winter at least!

If you look really closely, you'll spot some bikes on that road down there.

Post by **Caroanbill** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 6:32 pm

Boxerboy wrote:They're great roads aren't they. From Tumbarumba, did you take Sue City to Cabramurra, then down to Khancoban? Magnificent ride.

DJ Downunder and I do an annual loop to Adaminaby via Khancoban/Thredbo, then back thru Cabramurra then home to Melbourne.

It's magnificent.

Not Sue City (Elliot Way) - the guys we met in Tumbarumba came though there. We needed the quicker run, so shot straight through Greg Greg to join the Corryong - Khancoabn Road at Bringenbong. This way is a fab run too - more open than the road over the dams from Cabramurra.

Klink's shots look like the run along the Snowy Mountains Highway past Blowering Dam from Talbingo to Tunut (since the dam is on his left and it's west of the Snowy Mtns Hwy) - also a great run.

We sometimes do a "South East Corner" run, staying in Mallacoota and using a mix of Cann Valley Way, Snowy Mtains Hwy (Brown Mountain), Mt Imlay Rd and the Mt Darragh Road (Pambula - Wyndam - Bombala) before run north over the Great Alpine Road Bruthen-Omeo-Bright, the Murray roads through Walwa and then the Alpine Way to Thredbo .. ah, life is tough!

Post by **GypsyRR** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 6:40 pm

Klink wrote:

Beautiful photo and area. What kind of wildflowers are those?

Post by **Caroanbill** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 6:55 pm

Sadly, they be weeds .. the purple one is known variously "patterson's curse" or "salvation jane". It covers a lot of ground out west, along with canola that has blown off cultivation.

In the higher mountains, and a bit later (early summer) there are purple and gold hillsides of hovea mixed with bossiea, and about fifty different plants that share a tiny red-yellow pea flower. Above the tree line there are vast stretches of apline everlasting daisies ...

Post by **GypsyRR** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 7:06 pm

Well, you can post as many photos of the wildflowers/weeds as you want (and up close ones too) and I won't tire of them. Thanks again for the reports and photos.

Post by **Beemeridian** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 7:28 am

Boxerboy · Post by **Boxerboy** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:19 am

http://www.snowymountains.com.au/brochu ... gguide.pdf

A local brochure advertising safe motorcycling in the Snowy Mountains of SE Oz..