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We got home at about 3.30 after leaving Moose in Bellbrook , it was a top day ending with some fun tracks that kept us alert in DY4 s stomping ground. Still amazed where you can take those big heavy bikes !!!
Cheers to all who came along and made another memorable ride , I had an absolute ball
I’ll load pics and do a report over the weekend , now is family catch up time ( and beer time
)Nick
Tuesday afternoon everyone arrived and bikes got unloaded. Spud turned up for a few beers and to pick up a Peewee he bought of Mick. The usual piss taking carried on as we got the bikes sorted and had a feed and beers.
Lotsa and Marlow
Mickp and TB
Moose
We pulled up stumps about 9.30 as TB and I had to finalize some mapping and load the Gps’ under the watchful eye of Moose , our tech man !!
After a restless nights sleep we were all up and into the bacon and egg rolls by 6.30 and after gearing up we hit the road at just after 7.00
I Pre rode the part of the ride that took us to Tabulam and it didn’t disappoint ! It’s a good mix of dirt road , fire trails and some fun tracks with ruts and bog hole to keep you alert !
We fueled at Tabulam then took a back rode to the start of Rocky river road. This is a great road that starts with some twisty tar then turns into dirt that winds it’s way for 100km along a river to Tenterfield.
About half way along Rocky River rd we turned south to try and link up with the old Grafton rd near Glen Innes. The track was good fun and after about 30km started to get a bit rougher and less defined but we were having fun and kept going until it basically disappeared. We rode around trying to work out a way over the rivers that seemed to surround us to the south and west in the direction we needed to go.
We decided we would have to head back and no sooner had we turned around we a landcruiser ute followed by a heap of dogs came over the hill.
This situation can go either way and as I was leading thought I’d better see what this farmer thought about 6 bikers in his paddock.
As it turned out he was a top bloke and couldn’t help enough , he told us that the last flood had taken all the river crossings with it but he knew of a set of rapids that may be passable.
We followed him down to the river and TB bought forth the Tenere , Moose on one side TB on the other and me at the back we ventured into the water. The river bottom here was just one huge rock slab covered in green algae. Their was no chance , we were only ankle deep and everyone was starting to slide. The middle of the river was knee deep so we would have drowned a bike for sure, and even if we had made it their was 50meters of boulders to navigate the other side. With the weather starting to close in we decided to head back the way we came and find another road to Glen Innes.Once back on Rocky river rd we carried on for another 20km to a turn off called Scrub Rd , and they weren’t kidding !! The road turned to slop in the bush and soon we were riding a single track through paddocks and trusting the gps more than I ever have. We rode for nearly an hour on little more than guess work until we came out at a road that led us to the highway.
We fueled at deep water and as the rain came down and the temperature plummeted we high tailed to Glen Innes and a warm motel !We had a top night in the pub and as usual ate and drank more than we should. Once back in the room I had to make a decision of wether to stick to the route I’d spent hours planning or head north to avoid and make up a new ride to try and avoid the bad weather coming our way !
To be continued …….
We woke on Thursday morning to a huge downpour and freezing temperatures , so like the hardcore adventure riders we are we headed to the nearest bakers for a bacon and egg roll.
The weather was all around us and so I made the decision to stay on route and if it got too bad we’d head to the nearest pub
We rode out of Glen Innes and onto the Old Grafton rd. This is another stunning road following a beautiful river which runs for 120+ km. Not long into this section TB was leading and cane across what was to be one of many rally cars coming the other way. Now TB is known for his patience on the road and it wasn’t ling before my ears started bleeding in the blue tooth. He even pulled up in the middle of the road and stopped a car to give them a blast but saw a young kid in the back and politely asked if they could radio through our presence to other drivers so we didn’t get wiped out !!!!Not far into Ok’d Grafton rd theirs a hill that we have rode before and it can’t be missed, it’s perfect to warm up on a cold morning.
TB and I headed up first passing one another and launching the Teneres of the many erosion mounds. It’s a fun hill and I lost count how many times I bottomed the Ten !!
Once at the top we pulled up and after a bit of a wait I said to TB that I thought Marlow might have binned it !
It is his first Adv ride and this hill was a challenge. Sure enough he arrived covered in mud and with a smashed mirror and bent tank brace on his Drz. ( or should I say my Drz !!) he wasn’t hurt so all was good and we then broke the news to the group that this hill went nowhere ABD we’d be heading back down now Top of the hill
Marlow after his crash ( still smiling )
Shedding some layers after the climb
Lotsa admiring mooses Dr650
We carried on along old Grafton road for a while
TB on his Tenere
Moose
The river we followed
Mickp on the 690 with the other boys arriving after a fast section
We pulled over at the convicts tunnel that was cut throughout the mountain by hand !
This road was narrow in spot just hanging on the edge of the mountain with the river below
We made a decision to stop at an old ghost town called Dalmorton. We cooked up some lunch and reflected on how the weather had changed as we stood in the sun
Cooking lunch
Moose made himself at home
We left Dalmorton with the hope that the road south would lead us near Dorrigo , it was a top track although a bit wet and slippery we were making good time. TB kept reminding me about logging trucks ( as did the signs ) and as I got carried away having fun I came face to face with one on a hair pin bend. After shitting myself I managed to pull over far enough and loose enough speed to get around him without incident.
We carried on to Ebor , and what a cold bugger of a place , I can’t say I would go back if it hadn’t been for the epic road that lead from Ebor to Bellbrook. We got hailed on twice and the road was slick as Mickp found out when he slid the 690 off the road on a nasty camber that nearly caught us all out.
From high on the range we wound our way down a spectacular track int to valley.
We were almost in Bellbrook when the road turned to tar and TB and I wound it on , it was a twisty hair pin filled road all the way to town. I was having a ball following TB when Moose snuck up and took me on a long sweeping corner. I could almost here his laugh as he chased down TB , I warned TB via blue tooth that he had an incoming Moose and he went hard to hold him off. We got in the final straight into town and with moose slip streaming the Tenere on his Dr650 he managed to pull out and take TB seconds before the 50km zone. Nice one Moose , I loved every second of that run.
Once in Bellbrook we found the pub through off our gear and rushed for a beer. We had almost finished our first when Marlow turned up and then nothing ?? No Lotsa or Mickp ?? We waited another 10 minutes and I opted to go back and find them.
I rode for 15 km before coming across them riding the other way , it was a huge relief ,they are both fast riders and experianced operators and luckily it was only a puncture that Lotsa had picked up that held them back.
Now I got to ride the 10 km of fast dirt and 5km of twistys again :woohoo:
We all had a few beers at the pub and took the soft option of a cheap cabin that a local in the pub owned.
We ditched our bikes and gear and it was back to the pub til closing !!!To be continued …..
Nickj wrote:Lotsa admiring mooses Dr650quote]
I was looking for parts to steel or swap off the shiney new DR all week but moose is a light sleeper.
Day 3 saw us up a 5.45am and it wasn’t long before the sun came up , whew !!! It was important to have good weather on the route I had planned for today
The night before at the Bellbrook pub one of the ladies at the bar told me I should take the Nulla Nulla Creek road through to Bellingen and it matched the route I had plotted on the gps so this was my first plan for the day.
Moose only lives an hour from Bellbrook so he opted to head home , I was sad to ride away without him as he’s a top bloke and a solid rider to have along on any ride.The five of us rode a couple of kms out of town and onto the Nulla Nulla rd. It started off tar for a while then turned into dirt and a good windy road that I thought was going to be a winner. We went past some nice properties but slowly the road deteriorated into a grassy trail. Next their was a gate but as it wasn’t locked, we went through and rode on for another 10 minutes until the trail started to get very boggy and overgrown. A quick look at the gps showed we would be riding in a big circle back to Bellbrook and this route wasn’t going to work. I wasn’t too sorry to go back as it was a fun ride in and before long we were back where we started.
TB knew of another way that would take us up to Taylors Arm and it was good dirt all the way.
Once at Taylors Arm we had a look at the famous Pub With No Beer and got going to Bello. The start of the Bello road had a sign saying ‘ Road Closed Indefinitely’ , we decided to find out if their was a way through on the bikes.
We got past the first land slip with an edge that dropped off into the rain forest below. I’m not great with heights on the bike and as I lead on after the first drop off I took it very steady indeed. The next landslide was huge and the whole road was gone, their was no way round this and again we had to back track.
The only option now was to go down the Pacific highway into Coffs Harbour and miss a section of the ride I had planned that was now a long way west of the range.Once in Coffs I thought the best way to keep this interesting was to head west on the tar and then put shortest route to Corindi into the gps. Corindi is a coastal town where I had planned our pub lunch today. After a couple of dead ends we rode over the range east to the coast. It was a well maintained dirt road we were on but when I stopped at a junction and no-one was behind I knew we had a problem. TB and I waited for a long time until Marlow appeared round the corner, I asked if he was ok but he shook his head. He had come into a corner way to hot and washed out both front and back wheels and coming down hard on his chest. Mickp and lotsa had helped him up and said it was a decent crash so I suggested I go last and TB led us to the pub while I rode with Marlow.
We had a big feed and as we geared up looked south west , the sky was black and the rain was coming down hard right over the area we would have been riding if it wasn’t for the land slide making us detour , we decided to try and out run the storm. Marlow was now very sore and did the sensible thing and rode the tar the last 100km to my place.
The remaining 4 of us hit the dirt from north of Corindi through to Minnie water straight through the middle of Yuragit National Park. The trails turned out to be the most challenging and most fun of the trip. We hit huge bogs , greasy single tracks and rocky up hills and the big bikes loved every minute. Although I wasn’t far from home I hadn’t ridden these trails before a we all soon worked up a sweat navigating the 50 or so km of rough terrain.
Well we didn’t out run the rain and it was starting to catch us near Minnie Water so I made the call that we head back to my place on the last 45km of tar. I don’t know the trails through Candole Forest to well and wasn’t keen to get us stuck in an area that doesn’t handle rain too well and is a struggle in the wet on trail bikes.We arrived back at my shed to find Marlow struggling to get himself unpacked and home with what he found out the next day to be a broken rib. I talked him into a couple of beers with us to numb the pain and we all unloaded our gear and TB , Mickp and Lotsa put bikes on trailers for their trips home.
Over the 3 days we travelled almost 1200km with 85% off road and a fair bit of that lost
I had a ball and thank everyone that came and made it a ride to remember.
Cheers
Nick
lotsa wrote:You put a brilliant ride together Nick. Loved every minute of it. Thanks.I hope Richard’s broken rib isn’t too painfull and speedy recovery to come along on the next one.
Cheers Lotsa , I’m glad you had a good time
Marlows rib will heal soon enough but I think he might have caught the Adv bug !! It’s hard to tell at the moment but I’ve got a suspicion you’ll be seeing him again
I saw the Missaboti rd SB but wasn’t sure it went through to Bello , as it turned out we’d have hit a shit load of bad weather had we gone that way and missed out on the single trails through Yuragir NP which were a highlight !!
Some things just work out for the best sometimes and I was probably the least happy to do 30km of slab to Coffs but glad it worked that way in hindsight
Great report Jacko bloody reading it made me feel I was doing it again and is keeping me sane down here. Am under the pump here at the moment
TB
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