new photos!

Breakfast in the pre-dawn gloom. What could possibly be going through their minds?

Wee Jasper mon amour

Day Seven: Tumut to Wee Jasper 68km, 1018 metres ascent

The ride from Tumut ended up being the last day of my Melbourne-Canberra tour. The Vulcan objected to the poor treatment I was dishing out through the fairly tough unsealed roads. A few kilometres of nicely packed rail trail is one thing – but the 50 kilometres of very rocky dirt road on the way to Wee Jasper proved too much: The Vulcan told to GFM.

The road out of Tumut: Gorgeous

Riding the Big Ring: Snowy Mountains Highway

Day Six, Wagga Wagga to Tumut via Adelong 103kms, 911m ascent
After a welcome rest day in Wagga, I am fired up and ready for some Big Ring riding. I leave the flatlands and head into the mountains, into the thin air of the Australian Alps. Today will be unspeakably hot; all the signs are there. But there’s some good ANZAC mojo in Adelong along the way.

Adelong ANZAC mojo: Slouch hat, barrel down

Day Five: Tinker Tailer Soldier Badass

Day Five: Walla Walla – Culcairn – Henty – The Rock – Wagga Wagga 119km, 254 m ascent

I am keen to get underway today because I’m headed to Wagga. I know the place well and look forward to seeing how it has come along. But its a long ride, and the forecast is talking 35 to 40 degree heat. So I am away by 6.30am.

Morning shadows: Wagga Wagga by afternoon

Epilogue: Melbourne to Canberra (Part Two)

Day Three: Benalla to Wangaratta, 57kms with total ascent of 119m
I have just one photo of Benalla, which is a great shame because it really is a very pretty town. Here it is, a slouch hat with barrel pointing down.

Benalla slouch hat: Muzzle down

Epilogue: Melbourne to Canberra (Part One)

This entry documents the Melbourne-Canberra XmasEpic Epilogue, a solo journey north through the Victorian badlands, across the Riverina wilds and up into the oxygen-starved fault-line that is the Snowy Mountains.

After a full week of carbo-loafing in front of Mal’s Foxtel-vision, it was time to get back on the bike. Or more accurately, it was time to get in Mal’s car to get a lift to a kinder, flatter start-point, far from the Dandenong craziness.

Aftermath

Twelve days of Christmas, twelve dawn skies.

day 12: Noojee – Mals

The Grand Finale

Depart: 6:24; arr: 2:15; dist: 89.0km; saddle: 4h 50m; ave: 18.4k/h; ascent: 1378m.
Total Dist.:780.1km; Total Asc.:9597m.

day 11: Moe – Noojee

The Vision

Depart: 6:34; arr: 11:30; dist: 58.0km; saddle: 3h 07m; ave: 18.4k/h; ascent: 956m.
Total Dist.:691.1km; Total Asc.:8219m.

day 10: Stratford – Moe

Cow Country – Green Coal – Pup Redemption

Depart: 6:49; arr: 4:00; dist: 95.7km; saddle: 5h 01m; ave: 18.7k/h; ascent: 483m.
Total Dist.:633.1km; Total Asc.:7263m.

day 9: Bairnsdale – Stratford

Wind, Hail and Ephemeral Art

Depart: 6:23; arr: 11:30; dist: 63.6km; saddle: 3h 24m; ave: 18.6k/h; ascent: 407m.
Total Dist.:537.4km; Total Asc.:6780m.

day 8: Orbost – Bairnsdale

There Will Be Blood

Depart: 5:39; arr: 3:30; dist: 101km; saddle: 5h 40m; ave: 17.8k/h; ascent: 800m.
Total Dist.:473.8km; Total Asc.:6373m.

day 7: Goongerah – Orbost

To the Snowy River

Depart: 6:37; arr: 10:30; dist: 71.0km; saddle: 2h 40m; ave: 23.9k/h; ascent: 689m.
Total Dist.:372.8km; Total Asc.:5518m.

day 6: Delegate – Goongerah

Big Sky Bonong Highway

Depart: 6:21; arr: 10:30; dist: 63.5km; saddle: 3h 39m; ave: 17.0k/h; ascent: 563m.
Total Dist.:301.8km; Total Asc.:4829m.

day 5: Bombala – Delegate

The “200th” NYE

Depart: 7:15; arr: 9:30; dist: 39.5km; saddle: 1h 57m; ave: 20.0k/h; ascent: 563m.
Total Dist.:238.3km; Total Asc.:4266m.

day 4: Wyndham – Bombala

The Great Dividing Range

Depart: 6:27; arr: 11:30; dist: 51.9km; saddle: 3h 4m; ave: 16.8k/h; ascent: 1024m.
Total Dist.:198.8km; Total Asc.:3703m.

day 3: Pambula – Wyndham

“It is what it is..”

Depart: 6:25; arr: 9:15; dist: 27.0km; saddle: 1h 49m; ave: 14.6k/h; ascent: 687m.
Total Dist.:146.9km; Total Asc.:2697m.

day 2: Mimosa – Pambula

All is tranquillo

Depart: 6:24; arr: 3:30; dist: 59.7km; saddle: 3h 37m; ave: 16.1k/h; ascent: 1014m.
Total Dist.:119.9km; Total Asc.:1992m.

day 1: Narooma – Mimosa

On The Road

Depart: 6:21; arr: 12:30; dist: 60.2km; saddle: 3h 54m; ave: 15.2k/h; ascent: 978m.