Snowy Ride 2016 report.
Part 1, the trip down.
4 Geese (MacGoose R1200GS LC, JagGoose R1200R, CosGoose on his new R1200RS(it got dirty !) and White MikeGoose Kwaka 1400GTR) took flight on Monday 31st Oct southward bound to participate in the Annual 'Snowy Ride' based in Thredbo. The Geese decided on this trip to take it a little bit easier and do a bit of sightseeing along the way. The route was set (but not in stone) and accom was pre booked to ensure a bed each night, each Hotel had a good reputation and at least one us at one time or another had stayed in each one and will use them again.
We also rode some of the best riding roads in Australia and tried some new ones which confirmed some that had been dirt and are now sealed :-)
Our first day took us via Kilcoy, Esk, Fernvale, Boonah, Queen Mary falls rd to the Killarney Hotel which is a usual stay for Geese going south.
Tuesday 1st Nov took us up to Warwick, then along the New England Hway to Stanthorpe, Tenterfield, Dundee and down the Gwydir Hwy to Grafton and then along Grafton-Armidale Rd and down the Tyringham Rd to Dorrigo for a pleasant stay at the Dorrigo Hotel.
Raspberry lookout on the Gibraltar Range Gwydir Highway
Dorrigo Steam Railway Museum and an assortment of mailboxes on the Armidale Rd(23 in total)
Wednesday 2nd Nov off up the 'Waterfall Way' to Armidale, Uralla and Walcha the down 'Thunderbolts Way' to Gloucester, Stroud, Dungog and into Maitland for a night at Shenanigans Hotel, where the publican kindly lets us store our bikes in a lockup garage.
Ebor Falls and Wollomombi Falls on the Waterfall Way to Armidale
Carsons Pioneer Lookout on Thunderbolts Way
Thursday 3rd Nov we found our way eventually(GPS Issues) to the 'Putty Rd' with a stop at 'Grey Gums Cafe' then onto 'Bells Line of Road' to Kurrajong, Bell then Mt Victoria, Hartley, Duckmaloi and Oberon headed down the Abercrombie rd into the Taralga Hotel for the night where a couple of now southern Geese happened to turn up.(JagGoose will cover that story and the follow up of that meeting)
Abercrombie River rest stop and undercover parking Taralga Hotel
Friday 4th Nov saw the warmish to cool weather changing to cold and colder final day via Goulburn, Tarago, Bungendore, Cooma to pick up a few supplies and then onto Jindabyne and into Thredbo to our accom at 'Lantern Apartments' at around 10 degrees temp in middle of the afternoon !! yay for heated grips...
Over the weekend we travelled around the Snowy area a little bit which saw us at Charlottes Pass at approx. 1800 metres height and zero temperature with strong winds and plenty of snow still on the ground brrrr...cold Geese !! did not stay there long....we also visited Dalgety and Bombala, the heated grips got plenty of workout.
The Snowy Ride attracts over 3000 riders each year so there were bikes everywhere and is a major fundraiser for research into Childrens Cancer.
View of 'Eagles Nest from our Thredbo accom
See part 2 for the days after the Thredbo weekend.