3 Day ride from Geelong to Jamieson and Tocumwal. 24-26 Nov 2023

Day 1:

On Friday morning, our group met at Waurn Ponds for a 9am departure. Gentle lead the ride followed by Mal, Jules, Marty, Ken, Nigel, and me. Jeff and his wife Janis followed the bikes in their car.





Leading up to the ride the weather forecast was scary. Severe weather warnings about thunderstorms for most of the area we would be riding through.
However, we are not fair-weather riders, so we left with hopes of clear skies. Our hopes were met as most of the time it didn’t rain.

We left on time from Geelong and travelled through Balliang to Bacchus Marsh before stopping at Riddells Creek for Smoko. 


Riddells Creek for Smoko





After recaffeinating, the group went through Lancefield, Kilmore, Broadford, Strath Creek and Flowerdale before arriving at Yea for our lunch break. 


Marty and Jules on their Nijas in Yea.


Nigel and Ken's bikes.


My ST1300 next to Gentle's bike in Yea.

After lunch, we followed the twisties through Molesworth, Alexandra towards Eildon where we joined the famous Eildon – Jamieson Rd.
By this stage, some rain had come through and wet the road. Given that the roads had been dry for a long time and this was the first rain, we were all riding to the conditions.
The conditions didn’t stop us, and we just gently pushed through and we were still able to enjoy the scenery of the Yarra Ranges as we climbed up and down the mountain. 


Unfortunately, there was a motorcyclist from another group that was not lucky enough to complete his ride for the day. A rider on a Ducati travelling from Jamieson towards Eildon had lost control around 20km from Jamieson. He had gone over the edge down 10m into the trees. Steep Angle teams from Alexandra and Marysville, Monbulk and Wangaratta attended along with CFA from Alexandra, Eildon and Jamieson, Police and Ambulance. The injured man was conveyed to hospital from Jamieson by HEMS after being transported from the scene by ambulance.










When our group got to the accident scene the roads had already been shut for over 3 hours and the emergency services were packing up.
We only had to wait about 30 minutes before the roads opened and we could complete our journey into Jamieson.









A reminder to us all to ride to the conditions and your abilities. It's really not worth risking your life just to go a little faster. 


When we arrived at the Courthouse Hotel in Jamieson, the undercover outdoor area was cleared for us to park our bikes out of the rain.
(The dirt bike riders were kicked out. LOL)
Not long after we pulled in the rain really came down heavy and persisted all night so as usual, Ron had timed everything perfectly for us. 




We all enjoyed some drinks at the bar and a meal in the bistro. Meals were a good size end everyone had a fun time.





The locals packed into the bistro not long before we finished our meal and with the increase in noise, we surrendered to a coffee room upstairs where we shared some more banter before turning in for the night. 
Day one 335 km


Day 2

After a night of heavy rain to wash the roads clean, the rain stopped just in time for us to depart.
We finished our morning coffees and departed towards Mansfield for breakfast.
The clouds had come down and the wind was perfectly still, reducing visibility to not much more than the next rider in front of you.
We all very carefully navigated the mist, through the windy mountain road and it slowly got clearer as we got down from Jamieson into Mansfield. 

Breakfast in Mansfield:







Leaving Mansfield:



After breakfast in Mansfield, we hit the road again and travelled the beautiful scenic roads through Whitfield, Milawa, Beechworth, Wooragee, through Indigo Valley to Barnawartha before crossing into NSW to have lunch in at the local bakery in Howlong. 

Warm and sunny in Howlong:


It had really warmed up by this stage and the skies were clear and sunny.
A quick check of the rain radar before we left Howlong showed that another rain band might hit us.
We followed the sweepers along the Murray River through Corowa, Mulwala where the rain band appeared, and we pulled over quickly to throw on our wet weather gear.
The rain didn’t last long, and we pushed through Barooga and arrived at Tocumwal around 2:30pm. 

Very comfortable rooms in Tocumwal:


Everyone unpacked and after a quick trip to the bottle shop, we all enjoyed some drinks together in the shaded gazebo of the motel. 




Later in the evening we took the courtesy bus to the local golf resort where we all enjoyed another great meal together.
After dinner, the courtesy bus brought the whole group home, and we enjoyed some more drinks under the clear moonlit sky before retiring for the evening. 
Day 2 - 344 km


Day 3
 
The group met up for breakfast and refuelled in Tocumwal.





After breakfast we travelled south through Koonoomoo before heading west on the Murray Valley Highway at Strathmerton. We followed the Murray Valley Highway to Yielima where the road turned south leading us through Nathalia, Kyabram, Corop, and Cornella, before pulling into Heathcote for lunch. (Some of the best pies I have had in a long time!)



From Heathcote we refuelled and continued through Reesdale, Kynton, Trentham, Ballan, and Anakie to Bell Post Hill where the group broke off.

Day 3 - 372 km
Total distance 1051km
 
This weekend for me was the perfect example of what Ulysses is all about. We all enjoy riding our bikes and you don’t need to be a part of Ulysses to do that. However, you can’t beat the joy of riding in a group of like-minded people who are great company and through their knowledge you can explore some roads and locations you may not otherwise get to see.
The company we shared, and the memories made are priceless.
It is so reassuring to have a ride leader to guide us on our ride, so we don’t have to think about where we are going and to be able to see the support and friendship of the riders when you look in your mirrors.
The riding this weekend was spectacular, and I look forward to many more long rides with the company of the great members of the Geelong Ulysses Club.

Thank you Ron for leading a great ride and showing us all new roads. Thank you also to Mal for organising everything for the weekend so we could all have a great time together.

I hope you have enjoyed this ride report and I look forward to seeing you at the next ride!

Cheers James
membership@ulyssesgeelong.org

Member # 71229
 
For the ride maps for each day, please click on the links below. 

DAY 1

https://maps.app.goo.gl/2EqfcG2qnxFgFqZs7
 
DAY 2
https://maps.app.goo.gl/qMATH25jjcmHkJFx9

DAY 3
https://maps.app.goo.gl/b11DxyQLoVQ361He6

A great job on the pics and report James. Ron did an excellent job planning the route and leading the ride - not a single wrong turn in over a 1000kms! Thanks also to Mal for all the accommodation bookings and logistics. Thanks to the rest of the crew for the banter and friendship
I really enjoyed this long weekend immensely.