Spot the Kangaroo. There are 25 of then in this photo, but this was as close as I could get.Loaded up the bikes and headed out of town. Fuelled up and rode through Melbourne with relatively light traffic for Melbourne, given that it is Sunday morning. We rode east for about 150km then stopped at a Tea Rooms in Darnum Stump, which had a huge collection of unrelated Knick Knacks, cheap Watches, Cups, Books, Framed Pictures, Soft toys, Torches, Wind Chimes, Reading glasses, enough Ornaments to sink a ship all surrounding a collection of very tasty looking cakes and muffins. Enjoyed a Coffee while the local ladies gathered for tea after their church session. Something for everyone in this shop.
Refreshed we continued east. It was through lush farming country and a bit cold. Passed a power station that looked Nuclear given the cooling towers, then after another couple of hours stopped for a bite to eat at Bairnsdale. A little further down the road we went through an attractive waterfront town Lakes Entrance. There is obviously a Hot Rod meeting on somewhere as we were following a Blue Model T hot rod, and then passed a group of other Hot Rods, which were a variety of old vehicles that are shinning shadows of their former selves. I am sure that the Blue Hot Rod we were following would look fantastic when it is stationary but following it I got a good insight into what a terrible machine it must be. It appeared to have no suspension, so was bouncing along the road and when we came to corners the driver slowed right down as the thing was at risk of bouncing right off the road. The fluffy dice must have been on an elastic string, as they were not bouncing too much. He pulled over in Lakes Entrance and as I drove by the thing glistened in the light including the fully exposed and chromed V8 engine. I am guessing that they either stopped to polish the thing or to give their backs a break from the beating they were taking from the lack of suspension. Enthusiasts!
The road became more interesting as we headed into the hills after the Lakes Entrance town. We headed into a rain forest, with a variety of trees and occasional fern undergrowth. The road became windy with a series of 65km/hr corners to add a bit of interest, and on cue the skies responded by starting to rain lightly adding the element of slip to the road. It didn’t come to much though, so it was an enjoyable end to the ride. The temperature got progressively colder and by the time we got to Cann River, it was 4.30 and getting dark and we were both pretty cold so time to stop.
Got booked into a motel, contemplated a run but I was a bit too cold (and maybe a bit lazy), which made running less appealing, showered and had a cuppa which all helped to warm up. He headed over the road to the Pub to have a beer and meal. Met an interesting guy, Larnish, a pet shop owner who also is a BMW bike enthusiast. He has added Yamaha Forks to an old R65 BMW frame and extended the Rear suspension to give more travel, added an engine from an R90 and has ridden this machine across the Simpson dessert a couple of times, which is about 600km of sand! He is having trouble finding parts for his gearbox, as they do not make them anymore, as they are over 30 years old now. I suggested he should splash out and get a GS adventure bike. He said it wouldn’t be the same as he wouldn’t be able to fix it. Enthusiasts?
Ended the night watching a family movie, Silence of the Lambs.
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