Mountain Madness in Context . . .

What is it . . .

 

Have a close look at who is in front!

 

At its essence Mountain Madness (MM) is an annual motor cycle ride where about 20 people and roughly a dozen motor cycles leave their normally comfortable lives, homes and families and go riding in the south east Australian highlands for roughly a week sometime over the Christmas/New Year period.

 

It also represents a time where this bunch of madmen and madettes share their mutual love of motor cycling and reaffirm their friendships with other people of a similar mind.  There is no formal structure and sometimes minimal organisation – although more of the latter might not be a bad idea!

 

Where did it come from . . .

 



Loyd and Garry leading the discussion in 2005

MM was conceived when three madmen went for a ride to the west of Melbourne in 1999 because one of them had to quote on the demolition of a bridge near Warrnambool.  Loyd, Andy and Garry concluded this was a good idea so they decided to make it into an annual event and Loyd coined the name. 
The initial ride under the Mountain Madness ‘banner’ was in 2000 – and this scribe was on that ride.  For some years it occurred between Christmas and New Year and it always involved heading into the ‘mountains’ in one way or other.  Initially we never left Victoria . . . but we have slowly strayed further and further in NSW as the years have gone on.

It has also been held early in the New Year when it departed on or about January 2^nd or 3^rd but in recent times the ride has included New Year’s Eve.

 

Which way . . .

 

Confusion reigns - could be any year!

Originally we all covered the same route and the only variations were that some did it very fast, others fast and still more at customary speeds.  Over the years more madmen and madettes have chosen to include some extreme and ‘normal’ off-road riding and we normally agree to meet at various points somewhere along the way – which has been known to happen! 
There are no maps or published itineraries and the ‘navigationally challenged’ use the ‘I’ll follow you’ method of direction finding.  They too have been known to arrive at an agreed destination – sometimes!

 

Who comes . . .

 

Some current and past particpants

 

Mountain Madness is by invitation only.  While annual participants vary from time to time and some have come and gone over the years, there is a bunch of regular Mountaineers who seem to pop up each year. 

And what an eclectic bunch we are in our day jobs . . . electrical engineer, yoga teacher, meteorologist, lawyer, managing director, company chairman, photographer, legal secretary, business process expert, concrete expert and retirees. 

We were very thankful that Richard had the foresight to include a travelling aged care nurse in this year’s episode – a very wise idea!

And each year someone new pops up.  This year we welcomed Alf and Narelle who both fitted in very well on and off the road and we hope to see more of both of you.

 

The big picture . . . 2012

[Double click for a large image]

This year Richard took on the somewhat onerous task of getting everyone to decide on the route and making the accommodation bookings where required. 

Selecting the route should not be as hard a job as we make it out to be because we mostly end up going over the same roads each time!  I am sure that if we just decided to leave on a certain day without a plan we would probably bump into each other – sometimes more often than with a plan!

The agreed MM 2012 plan was:

• Saturday 31^st Dec (2011) – depart Melbourne for Omeo via Mansfield, Bright, Falls Creek and Anglers Rest
• Sunday 1^st Jan – Omeo to Orbost via Bruthen and Buchan (and others via Seldom Seen)
• Monday 2^nd Jan – Orbost to Pambula (NSW) via Cann River and Bombala (and others via Delegate)
• Tuesday 3^rd Jan – Pambula to Corryong via Browns Mountain, Dalgety, Berridale, Adaminaby, Cabramurra and Khancoban (and others via everywhere else) 
• Wednesday 4^th Jan – Corryong to Melbourne (for this writer and two others) via Tallangatta, Bright, Myrtleford, Mansfield and Yea (and loads of places around Corryong for the others)
• Thursday 5^th Jan – Corryong to Mansfield via Tallangatta, Omeo and Bright
• Friday 6^th Jan - Mansfield to home

 

Welcome to our world!

 

 

So may the motor cycle gods bless Mountain Madness 2012 and all who participate in it . . . !

Day Minus 1 - Friday 30th December

Early starters

This year we set the record for making variations to the plan ‘on the run’ – deviations were put into place even before we had started!  Several madmen and madettes decided to satisfy their early desire for a fix of MM and they departed a day early.

Roger and Julie and Phil and Melissa rode up through Woods Point and stayed at Kevington, which is a tiny spot on the Warburton – Woods Point Road.  The other advance party consisted of Karen and Mark and they too stayed at Kevington Mansions.

Let me know if you have any photos and I will post them here.

Day 1 - Saturday 31st December

Melbourne to Omeo

[Double click for a larger image]

Starting from anywhere . . .

In many past years there have been some rather large and formal departures – like all meeting at Garry’s place (and nearly falling off the loaded bikes in his driveway) or having a cup of tea and snacks at Tony and Joan’s place.  By contrast, this year’s departure was almost a non-event.

Lorraine and I met the 2012 lead rider Richard at his place in Doncaster and rode together until he decided to go a back way – so we were down to one even before we got to Mansfield!  Ivan and Phil P were late cancellations – Ivan due to his hassled domestic arrangements and Phil P due to yet another headache! 

Danny and Mark met up somewhere in the north of the city travelled to the Jamieson road and assembled with the already ‘up there’ MMs of Phil, Mel, Roger and Julie. 

Roger trialling smoke signals to communicate with the other MMs

Just what are they up to?

Karen and Mark were somewhere ahead on the road to Omeo. And Loyd had put his DRZ 400 (!) on his trailer and was heading to Bright in the Land Rover.

Mansfield rendezvous . . .

So those who were planning to meet did so at Mansfield.  After some fuel and coffee we all headed off towards Whitfield together.  After a brief stop the ‘off-roaders’ headed the off road way to Bright and the rest of us took the normal way.   Loyd also joined us at Bright.
The day was warming up quite a bit by the time we got to Bright and we were keen to get to some higher ground as soon as possible.  In general terms it was a variable speed expanding motorcade up the hill through Falls Creek and Anglers Rest . . . the fast ones went fast and then waited for us slow ones – and then it all happened again and again.

Our 'dear leader' making a suitably regal arrival in Mansfield . . .

. . . and is mobbed by his grateful flock of Mountainers looking for directions!

That probably hurt . . .

The main bit of excitement was when Lorraine and I came across a crashed cyclist between two blind corners.  She was sprawled across the road and in quite a bit pain and discomfort – her right arm was a bloody grazed mess and I am sure something was broken in her shoulder. 

We activated our already trialled and approved ‘emergency management plan’ – Lorraine and another bloke directed traffic while I attended to the patient and organised for her husband to collect her in their car.  We reasoned this would be much quicker than getting an ambulance to this relatively remote spot on the road.  They were well organised and we supported her arm with a sling before they headed off.

Thanks for coming back to look for us Richard and Phil . . . it was very much appreciated.

Tony doing a re-enactment of the crash for the cameras!

Across the top . . .

We all assembled at Falls Creek to reassess the situation – and reasoned that there was only one way to go and that was further along the road.  The views between Falls and Anglers Rest are quite breathtaking and the road is in reasonable shape – except Melissa doesn’t like the look of the surface as it always appears loose.  This is excellent news for me because it was one of the few occasions that I arrived before her – we were a good 45 seconds in front at Anglers Rest!

Still in the lead across the top!

Pretty close to the top of Oz

I know who might live down there!

Cold Omeo beer . . .

The temperature had not abated much by the time we all safely arrived in Omeo.  So we naturally did the obvious thing and headed straight for the bar!  Tony had come up to Omeo from the south and was already well lubricated and on his 8^th beer – so he made an early start to his New Year celebrations. 

After a little while some of us fuelled up ready for the next day and put our bikes around the back of the pub in the enclosed yard that they kindly lock each night. That is, all except the ageing Loyd who was looked after by Phil, as usual. Loyd came out to find his bike stolen...!!! Luckily Phil had hidden it where it should have been.

There is a crack in everything - that's how the light gets in! (Leonard Cohen)

Happy mountaineers . . .

Note to self - don't mess with this lot!

Alf - I don't know where to start telling you about Tony!

Hey - who pinched my camera!

Would you believe 37 years?

Goodbye 2011 . . .

And so the New Year celebrations began . . . we were all pretty hungry and ready for a meal by about 6:30pm.  Alf and Narelle joined us for the evening (Alf lives near Swifts Creek) and they fitted in without even making a splash – I can’t wait to see Alf’s violin making gear one day!

Dinner came and went, the cigars came out and a copious amount of alcohol was consumed – and of course we caught up with the year’s comings and goings of our fellow madmen and madettes.  And we also heard nearly all the old favourite stories – yet again!  Consumption had finally got the better of Tony and he made an early retreat. 

I think we have even sat at this table before!

You were a what!

I predict an apparition of Julie will appear from behind the curtain . . .

. . . I just wish I could predict when I was going to run out of fuel!

I am going to eat up quick before these old geezers pinch my food!

Who ate someone else's chips then?

Jeez - these guys can talk some crap!

In my considered opinion . . .

The most and least vocal . . .

Are you sure it is safe here Alf?

Dearly beloved we are gathered . . .

Same place, same people, same stories . . . practicing for old age!

Us men are good at simulanteous conversations - just listen to me!

OK - it's Oz v NZ at finger sword fighting!

Who is that annoying kid in the background?

He doesn't say much - but the point is always very clear!

Quiet retreats . . . for some!

We noticed that the Halses also headed back to their luxury motel reasonably early and Alf and Narelle made a timely and graceful exit at a sensible hour.  Lorraine and I also crashed out well before the midnight hour at around 11:00pm – and interestingly we saw Tony making his way downstairs for a second round of festivities as we were heading up to our room to go to bed!  That guy knows how to live on the edge!

The special window into the Land of Loyd!

My numbers . . .

For the record, my ‘statistics’ for the day were”:

Fuel Consumption – 6.2litres/100km

Distance – 517km

Time on Bike – 6 hours 51 minutes

Average Speed – 75 kph

Factorised Terminal Velocity – 3*7*7

Day 2 - Sunday 1st January

Omeo to Orbost

Omeo

Elevation:  685m (2,247’)

Weather:  Mean max/min temps – 18.3/4.8; Rainfall 672mm

Population:  452

Origin:  The name is derived from the local indigenous word for 'mountains' or 'hills'

History:  Gold was discovered in and around Omeo in 1845 and the gold rush reached its peak in 1860

Notable Event:  The "Vegemite Western" Red Hill was filmed in and around the town

Early morning sojourn . . .

I understand that last night’s party moved from the dining area to the front bar for more drinking and competitive pool and then to the upstairs balcony for even more drinking and fraternity!  Someone mentioned they finished at around 2:00am . . . I am glad they were not on our side of the hotel!

As most of you know one of my core skills isn’t sleeping.  In the words of Leonard Cohen, the last refuge of the insomniac is a sense of superiority to the sleeping world.  So like most MMs past and present I was feeling superior as I was again walking around Omeo at about 5:00am looking at something of the town’s history.  A coffee would have been nice – but it wasn’t to be on New Year’s Day in this high country town.

It was a quiet start to 2012 in Omeo

The Golden Age indeed . . .

Today's ride . . .

[Double click to see the special performance zone!]

Ready to face the day . . .

Mountaineers started appearing at around 7:00am in the dining area – the $30 per person rate includes a huge cooked breakfast. Once everyone was organised we were all assembled in the ‘town’ having coffee and ready to roll at about 9:00am.

This was always going to be a disjointed day as some of the‘off-roaders’ were going to go well off-road and some were going to follow them as far as they could and then turn around.

The best one is at this end!

[Double click for a decent view]

Thanks Mel and I agree . . . flattery will get you published every time!

Gruelling first sector . . .  


The first section of the day involved a long and arduous ride down the back way from Omeo to Swifts Creek to meet up with Alf and Narelle. It was such a tough 23km on a sealed road we all needed more coffee before we could ride another kilometre –we are just so very rugged these days!


Alf arrived with a bag of delightful home grown plums for everyone to share – and he also bought a ‘reject’ violin neck for me to look at and keep. Thanks Alf – I am even keener to see your workshop. And thanks to Danny for carrying it for most of the remainder of the trip.

Welcome caffeine at Swifts Creek

 

Mel says the second best one is at this end . . . and I agree!

Roger said the best one is at this end . . . I think he means the one on the left?

Thanks Alf - look forward to seeing all your toys!

On to Bruthen . . .

There were of course two ways to Bruthen and some of us went one way and some the other.  The main section of road that follows the Tambo River down the hill is one of our favourite roads anywhere – going downhill or up.  The long and easy to see around sweepers are mixed with some tighter and more challenging sections and it is easy to get into a groove and just go with the road.  The smooth and predictable surface is also handy.


Harley hoax . . .

This is where most of us ‘met’ Alf and his Harley on the road.  I mean, we all thought that a Harley might win a local tractor pull or some such event . . . but against our high powered and agile sports and street machines the only place for it was a receding speck in the mirrors.  It was with this mindset that I lead the way out of Swifts Creek and the Harley’s reassuring headlight was tucked in behind.  At last, someone else to ride with!

And then it happened . . . the deafening rumble of the 1940’s 1200cc engine signalled Alf’s intenion to pass and that was pretty much all I saw of him all the way to Bruthen!  I guess it could have been local knowledge of the road, but I began to suspect this guy can ride – and I was right!!

This is what I expected to see all day!

Top box bottoms out . . .

The main drama on this segment was that Mark E lost his top box carrying his luggage.  The holding mechanism seemed to just snap and it went tumbling down the road.  We came around the corner just as two very helpful young women who Mark had just passed were carrying the top box and his gear along the side of the road to where he had pulled up.

Phil gaffer taped Mark’s luggage to his bike and we used even more gaffer tape to secure the empty top box back onto Mark’s bike and headed to Bruthen.  After some deliberation and many very good ideas and opinions, it was decided that Mark would quietly ride directly to Orbost (only 65km) and try to sort it all out.  In any case, he needed to be in Bairnsdale in the afternoon to pick up his partner Josie.

Could it have been sabbotage . . . and are these the suspects?

First by a Buchan long shot!

There is only one thing to say this – I was by far the fastest from Bruthen to Buchan and the first to arrive by a good three minutes!!  There can be no disputing this fact – although I will probably mention it a few more times in this blog!

Just rounding up yet another GS!!

Buchan heck - JB is back . . .

We were delighted to bump into a former Mountaineer John B, his wife Kym and their Labrador Bella.  John was one of the main stalwarts for quite a few years but decided to get out of motor cycling and take up driving a VERY fast car instead.  Mind you, if the lingering lustful looks at all our bikes were anything to go by we might see him again one day – so long as he remembers which fuel the bike uses!

John B somewhere near Corryong in 2005

Nice and Buchan cool . . . 

Did I say that I was the first into Buchan?  In fact we were so far ahead of everyone that we had time to visit caves before the others arrived for lunch!  Well – Lorraine and I decided that we had already demonstrated our ‘fastest on the day’ status so we headed for the caves while the other two groups headed north.

Lorraine down under. . .

The intentionally ‘off-road’ people headed north through Seldom Seen and onto other wonderfully named places like Wulgumerang, Deddick Valley, Tubbut, Bonang and Goongerah before heading into Orbost.   They could have gone to the moon for all we knew . . . in fact some of them may well have given the way they looked when we caught up with them later in the day.  And my hat goes off to Alf for taking the Harley along those roads and to Narelle for being apparently unaffected by it all . . . she is a real trouper!

The unintentionally ‘off-road’ people went as far as Seldom Seen and returned to Buchan where we met them for lunch.

Loyd catches on fire . . .

No, I am not making this up! 

We headed off ‘together’ from Buchan (where I still hold the fastest arrival time!) but that didn’t last long – I don’t envy Richard’s task of trying to herd this lot!  Anyway, the road between Buchan and Orbost is a little travelled but surprisingly good sector – lots of twisties and enough straights to rest the wrists. 

It was along this bit that we noticed that Loyd’s bag was hanging off his bike at a rather precarious angle.  He seemed oblivious to me flashing my headlight (apparently my light looks like it is flashing all the time?) so I waited for a safe spot to pull up alongside and indicate that he should stop.
Once the bag was re-secured we carried on to Orbost – and it wasn’t until he started unpacking his bag in the car park that the full extent of the damage was revealed.  The muffler had burnt through the back and the ensuing ‘fire’ was on its way to destroying most of his clothes and had melted his right hand rear indicator! 

And we thought these things only happened in Loydland!

It could only happen to him!

The other mob . . .

Judging by the photos received, the off-roaders (including the Harley!!) had a wonderful time playing in the dirt and the water . . .

Following our leader

Roger and Mark about to ride over a very steep precipice!

Still trying to catch the disappeared Buchan flyer!

Tony struggling to stay straight again?

That's amazing . . . an off-road Harley!

Three wise men . . . or something!

Supervised hydro-therapy!

Settling in . . .

Most of us were delighted to be somewhere to have a shower and put on some cool clothes . . . but our leader Richard and Mel were keen to see the ‘off-roaders’ were OK and they headed north on their planned inbound track to meet them.  Everything worked out well ‘off-road’, it was later revealed that the Harley’s suspension had bottomed out too many times and Alf and Narelle’s backs were a little worse for wear.

More food and pain killer . . .

Dinner was at ‘the other’ pub – the Club Hotel.  Everything seemed to go well and the stories became bigger, better and faster as the night went on. 

Roger needed to carry one in each hand for balance . . .

Narelle was heard saying this is just like being at work!

This is what it is like on the Honda . . .

The captain's table . . . by invitation only!

Strange things indeed . . .

Unfortunately no amount of alcohol could mask some of the pain and groans that Roger et al were feeling . . . although they started to come good sitting on the Commonwealth’s balcony accompanied by an inflatable Santa, snow man and reindeer!  Or perhaps they were smoking something?  You could write a book about some of the things that happen on these trips.

We also shared a lot of stories with a young bloke from Canberra who was also on the balcony.  Young Gene fitted in well and seemed to have a finely honed bulldust detector . . . he was at least one step ahead when the yarns became one story too tall!

Pambula panorama . . .

Lucky these old guys have an aged care nurse travelling with them!

Did any one else just see Santa, a snowman and a reindeer?

More specially prescribed medicine . . .

Just ask Phil . . . he can recount all the statistics!

Quick - get me out of here!

Lookout Roger - that thing behind you looks dangerous!

You are kidding yourself Loyd - it is only THIS big!

Commonwealth Hotel . . .

Lorraine and I had the pick of the rooms at the Commonwealth – our window faced the on-going party on the balcony! Luckily I was still tired from my record breaking run to Buchan – have I already said that?

Thanks for the recommendation for the Commonwealth Phil P . . . I presume it has been about 40 years since you were last there as we could not see where it had been cleaned since!  Still . . . it was a bed and after a lot of beer and wine we hardly noticed anything anymore!  As usual, the Halses sensibly chose to stay at a luxury motel down the road. 

Numbers . . .

For the record, my ‘statistics’ for the day were”:

Fuel Consumption – 6.4 litres/100 km

Distance – 215 km

Time on Bike – 2 hours 54 minutes

Average Speed – 74kph

First into Buchan – by a long shot!

Factorised Terminal Velocity – 2*3*23