A small tour in Victoria’s High Country.

Victoria’s high country is about my favourite riding ground in Australia. I’ve ridden most of the roads in the region and in the nearby Snowy Mountains, but there were a couple of dirt roads that run between three iconic high country towns; Corryong, Omeo and Dargo, that I was yet to ride.

It was a good chance to try out my new Moto Guzzi V85tt adventure bike.

I camped the first night at the Eskdale Caravan Park and had a lovely site right beside the Little Snowy Creek.

John, the publican at the Eskdale Hotel, is a keen adventure bike rider and a reliable source of information on the state of all the local trails.

Armed with local knowledge, I decided to take the scenic Great River Road that runs beside the Murray River. Toward Corryong.

Along this road, there are beautiful roadside stops with views over the river valley with tables for a picnic lunch.

There are sculpture along the road and in the back ground of the above photo you can see a Bogong Moth sculpture.

My favourite sculpture along this road is the Murray Cod sculpture at Tintaldra.

The sculture is mounted on the remaining structure of the old bridge. The photo is from the new bridge.

Enough sightseeing it was now time for some serious riding on the Corryong -Omeo Road.

Its a good quality gravel road that allows a good pace to be maintained and I was into Omeo late afternoon and set up in the camp ground beside Livingstone Creek

After a hot dusty ride the creek swimming hole was the perfect spot to wash off the dust and cool down before dinner. (Ps I had a special request for a swimming selfie!)

I met some friends for dinner at the Hilltop Hotel, which has an interesting piece of taxidermy.

From Omeo to Dargo its only 50km of dirt through the mountains. Dargo is an iconic village in the high country, and I was excited to get there. The dirt road goes over Mt Birregun, a 1350m high mount in the Victorian Alps.

Its a beautiful ride.

Thr Dogs Grave Reserve is a special stop along the route.

The pioneers planted walnut trees around the village, and the main street is lined with old Douglas Fir.

And, of course, there is the Dargo River.

The run home took me through the beautiful Yarra Ranges and its temperate rain forests, tall trees, and giant tree ferns.

Arriving back in time for NYE.

The dash to Toulon destination Corsica

There 8 moto camps across France that cater specially for motorbike riders. These camps are set in some of the best biking regions of France.

I had allowed a 3 night dash from Cherbourg to Toulon to catch the ferry to Corsica. First night at the Fortified Farm Retreat, then a night at Camping Moto Dordogne and finally at Rendezvous Moto at Lunas in the Haut-Langauedoc

At Montoucant there is the annual outdoor photo exhibition- always a treat!

Moncoutant is about 30mins ride from.the sanctuary of Pete and Vikki’s Fortified Farm b&b and camping.

It is around 450km to Camping moto Dordogne and the bar terrace, the cool forest setting and swimming pool are welcome after a long ride.

It’s a beautiful 300km ride through mountains and gorges to the Haut-Languedoc next welcoming moto camp – Camping Rendezvous Moto.

Next day it was on to Toulon to catch the overnight ferry to Corsica.

Got a taste of the summer heatwave while skirting Marseille with the temp readout hitting 37c.

Luckily on the last leg to Toulon there were little shady places to stop by the vineyards.

But soon it was Toulon, the ferry terminal and the Cote d’ Azur.

It was an overnight trip to Corsica under clear skies on a blue sea

It’s time for the 2023 European Adventure

It’s hard to believe that a week ago I arrived in London and now I’m sitting in Cherbourg, France at the start of this year’s European Adventure.

A new discovery in London was the Regent Park Outdoor Theatre only a short walk from Baker Street Station. You can’t miss it there is a statue of Sherlock Holmes stands there.

My time in London was filled in by my sister (and cultural guide) and collecting and preparing the Mighty Breva for this year’s 3 month trip across Europe.

I took the ferry from Poole to Cherbourg. Poole is the second largest natural harbour in the world after Sydney Harbour and there are some great views sailing out on the ferry.

It was a smooth crossing to Cherbourg and it didn’t seem long till France was in site.

You do get a special welcome when you arrive in France on Bastille Day.

The small town orchestra come out to play.

And when finally gets dark around 11pm, the fireworks fill the sky.

Cherbourg is my favourite gateway port into France. It’s a charming city with a rich maritime history. Also beautiful seafood and loads of that great European moto culture!

A short trip in North West Victoria – Sea Lake

Sea Lake is a small village in the Mallee Country in the North West of Victoria. It gains its name from the salt lake next to it.

It was a great opportunity to take my faithful old mighty Moto Guzzi Breva 1100 for a run.

Lake Tyrrell whose name is derived from the aboriginal word Deril which means open to the sky. It is Victoria’s largest salt lake that is believed to be formed 120,000 years ago.

The lake is a a light pink colour.

The thin film of water over the lake provides a mirror like finish and perfect reflections.

The outback sunset was just an amazing sight reflected on the lake.

The Lake is also a great place for star gazing and practising astronomy watching the endless sky of the outback.

Unfortunately the building cloud cover that added drama to the sunset made star shots not possible. But what a view this beautiful lake provided.

Summer is finally in Victoria, Australia

On a clear warm spring day with a touch of summer in the air there is no better place to head the down the Great Ocean Road for a ride with a friend.

One of my favourite stops on the Great Ocean Road is Wye River, a beautiful beachside village.

The Wye General Store Cafe is a great spot for lunch and a cold beer on a hot day.

I should have gone for a swim in the Southern Ocean while there but the riding was just too good.

Mid week, little traffic, no wind and warm on this beautiful road. Perfect biking conditions.

So back home it was on the bicycle and down to Williamstown Beach, my local, for a dip.

The weather is still going to be volatile in Australia’s south east but summer is definitely in the air.

And on a warm evening Melbourne shows off her colours when you look across the bay from Williamstown.