Ducati Monster Forum

G'day you lot.

I know you can help me ... hopefully you are willing.

Due to the nonsensical ways of the Public Service Gods we now have a couple of days up our sleeve following Turismo ... and since the boat is already booked ... we are now starting to plan a leisurely trip back home (Melbourne to Sydney) over about three days.

I am thinking we can break the trip into smaller pieces with maybe a little exploring or relaxation along the way. Bearing that in mind we probably don't want to venture too far off the main path. Any suggestions on what to do, where to go and/or stay, things to avoid?

Your feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks

Are you any good at painting ?  ;D

So what would you like to do, rides around Melbourne or just normal tourist stuff? Pub session?  [beer]

Great Ocean Road? If you're going to be around mid week I might be able to get a day off and join you. Much better than weekends.

What dates?

To start with, I think I'd choose between going NorthEast via the Black Spur, Mansfield, Whitfield, Bright and then into the Snowies or head out East and choose between the GAR or Monaro Hwys.
Depending on which route you choose there are various diversions on the way. :)

Well G's response covers all roads out  [laugh] [thumbsup]  My personal favourite would be head east to quiet little places like Marlo and Cann River then up the Monaro Hwy.  This would be a nice relaxing ride (but not boring).

If you've still got energy after turismo and want more twisty stuff I would say either Great Alpine Road through Omeo-Mt Hotham (the ride I've just done) then up through the snowies.

Or just as energetic up through the spurs (Marysville way) then through the snowies (Corryong, Jindabyne etc).

If you need help with roads/routes/maps let me know and I will google map it on my days off next week.

Looks like I misunderstood the question, is that a fail?

No Dos you would never fail.   :-*  I'm making a few assumptions that they have 3 days to get from Melbourne to Sydney after fanging madly around Tassie on the turismo for 3 days then some free days after.  If it were me I think I would like to be heading in the general direction of home. I'm also thinking that after riding Tassie, riding the Great Ocean Road just might be too much of a good thing. And then after riding it from Melb to the west your only real option is riding it almost all the way back again as the roads round here ain't that exciting.  I have only ridden the Monaro hwy once about 2 years ago and would love to ride it again so maybe I being biased.

I'm sure they would love to do a little Gippsland tour like the one some of us did with Ungeheuer in November.  Lovely little ride.  [moto]

But let's see what whets Betty's interest.

What about the pub session?

You've never invited me to a pub session  :'(

Betty all of those roads sound great, we covered some of them last year going to WSBK's and the riding was  [thumbsup]
Give yourself enough time to enjoy it without having to motor like crazy to get home.
It'll be like your own personal Tourismo leg home.

ooooo horny cloud guy, i love it when guys get so confused hmmmmm. you can never fail from my opinion

Betty doesn't drink alcohol, im the piss head, but im also a cheap drunk too [drink] [beer] [wine]

Alriiiight!! We'll have to organise a Friday evening catch up then.

I get that a lot.


I gave finger painting a try as a toddler, but the critics were  ... well ... critical. So no painting for me.


Thanks everybody.
I will throw some of those roads and places into google later and see what it all means, where they are, etc ... and get back to you.

North east sounds the most appropriate as, yes, we are trying to find our way home.

OK so I have had a bit of a snoop around with google maps and had a chat to the Boss sooo:

. maybe not the Monaro (unless we find ourselves with lots of time, or lost, on the way down)
. seems to be a bit of a theme around the spurs and snowies ... would it be worth spending a couple of days in this area?
. we don't like dirt, can we avoid it?
. we will arrive in melbourne on the friday morning so would be out and about on the weekend too

This is roughly the way I planned for the wsbk trip but the fires kept us away, and we ended up going through omeo and hotham. I've done that route twice now, so next time its Reefton Spur, Granya Road (thanks H!) and over the Snowys.

updated Map Link (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Warburton&daddr=Warburton+Wood+Point+Rd+to:Mansfield+Whitfield+Rd+to:Bridge+St+to:-36.266421,146.917419+to:Murray+Valley+Hwy+to:granya+to:tintaldra+to:Jindabyne+NSW,+Australia&geocode=FZvsv_0duQmvCClFzhI7sjMoazGcS1IjMW0l1w%3BFWD-wf0duEuyCA%3BFT51zP0dnh-3CA%3BFSoI1f0dbAm-CA%3B%3BFZRB1_0dUN3ECA%3BFQIy2f0dRebHCCmhZlvv3L4jazHdhP2kj1ILhw%3BFabv2f0dSD_RCClT7yx3eR4jazEMMUid_npRFA%3BFZ5Z1P0dd77bCClNblpwQcQ8azFX3veqIVB4pA&hl=en&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=4&sz=9&via=1,2,3,4,5&sll=-36.639774,147.227783&sspn=1.630837,3.114624&ie=UTF8&z=9)

Nick you may want to modify this map slightly to stay more off the main roads and include Mansfield to Whitfield - highly recommended.  It's in the atlas too.  [thumbsup]

Hows that in the updated link?
I forgot that it is in the atlas as well...

Yep that's what I was just trying to do. You're much quicker at google than me.  [thumbsup] Only change I would make is to stay on C521 Whitfield-Wangaratta Rd through to Oxley as I know for sure that way is sealed.  

updated map link version 2 (http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=102189783295074859523.00047dabfc05589803e6f&z=8)

Yay I learnt how to do it!

Right I'm going to bed now - my brain hurts.

Thanks guys looks about right I s'pose.

Based on that I'd say we are looking at spending one night 'up there somewhere' (midwayish) then the next night around Jindabyne ... and keep heading north from there.

Well this trip is about 700kms from Melb to Jindy so would be a bit ambitious to so in one day (not saying it can't be done). Beechworth would be a nice place to stop for the night.

I have stayed in a b&b in Corryong, and on the last trip we did an on site van in a caravan part in Bright.

Corryong is good, as it gives you a day to do the Hotham and Granya road, and then you have a fresh start to get yourself over the mountain range into NSW...

If you stay in the cabins at Bright you may have to stand on a table in your boxers wielding a broomstick at 3am.  Remember Nick   :o
oops forgot - what happens away stays away. [roll]

thats right! gotta love the false alarm smoke detector at 3am, just what you need after a long day's ride!