Day Five, Easter Sunday, Mt Beauty(Vic)to Sale (Vic)

Very welcoming overnight stay at the motorcycle friendly Bogong Moth Motel in Mt Beauty. The day started with us easily locating the winner of the worst coffee experienced in Australia to date, which went to a cafe that must remain unnamed, situated in Mt Beauty.  Hideous......Bacon and eggs was top notch however.

Straight out of town on to the C546 over to Bright, an awesome road, scenic and twisty. This put us on to Victoria’s famous Great Alpine Road.

Consensus......if there was a competition for motorcycle riders, which is the best road, NSW Alpine Way or Victoria’s Great Alpine Road, NSW would win hands down, just saying.

Anyway, fair to say the Great Alpine road has 4 distinct sections, climbing the Bright side is steep and full of twisties up through Eucalyptus forest.  When Marie and I rode this 10 years ago the forest had been decimated by a huge fire.  Good to see the regrowth the last 10 years has seen, masses of new eucalypts now 2-3 m tall where 10 years ago there was ashes. Anyway this ride was going real well till half way up we came up behind 3 Harleys, 2 up with luggage.  Let’s do the math, the Harleys are what? 2 meters long, there was 15 meters each between the 1st and 2nd and the 2nd and 3rd bike, that’s 36 meters in total,  right?  OK so the rest of the ride up the mountain we may as well have been following a 36 m motor home.  It was a good experience for us riding at that pace though, we got to say gidday to some indigenous insects, count growth rings on trees, examine the content of the seal on some corners and all sorts of stuff we wouldn’t normally do.

At the top, at Hotham Ski village, 10 degrees, we thought it would be colder.  Coming up the Bright side is Section 1 of the Gt Alpine Road.  A great ride if not following a Motor Home.!!!!!!!!

Section 2, different again, going down the other side, Hotham to Omeo, steep but nice clean road gentle sweepers, next to no tight turns, another awesome ride.

Section 3, another wee treasure, Omeo to Bruthen, a 100km per hour highway all the way twisties but more sweeping gentle curves follows a river valley beside the river much of the way, another very enjoyable ride, scenic and relaxing, quite a few motorcycles, but I suspect we saw more cyclists tackling the mountain than we did cars and motorcycles.  Good on you Aussies, out there doing it at Easter.  I think the Harley dogs would enjoy this side of the mountain better than the “Bright” side.......if I was a gambling man.

Section 4 of the Great Alpine Road is Bruthen to Bairnsdale, I won’t comment on that bit eh?

We arrived in Sale, had a look through town and then checked in at our accom.  OK then, enough about Sale , so will check in again tommorrow.