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Where do you start, when trying to do a report about the weekend just gone?
Friday night started with a shed party at my place, we didn’t play up too much but had enough sherbets etc to make most of us a bit dusty Saturday morning.
A Bacon and Egg roll got us all running on 8 cylinders again just in time to meet the crew at Timbertown.From Timbertown Moose on Ol Burple took the lead and we headed off through Papinbarra, then up into Werikimbee National park where the conditions were great, a little slippery but bugger all dust. A great run up through Kangaroo Valley soon found us on the Oxley Highway headed east towards Ginger’s Creek. The run down the tar through the twisties was a ton of fun. Toes on the V Strom, was poetry in motion as he hunted down all the Rossi wanna be’s on their sports bikes. I could only imagine how the boys on their GSXR1000’s felt when they looked in their mirrors and saw Toes’ goofy grin right up their clacker!
A feed and a refuel at Ginger’s creek saw us head west again on the Oxley, which meant a black top run through Yarrowitch. We turned into Tia Diggings road, it was about then that I started to feel a bit guilty that I was riding Moose’s Near new DR650 and he was on Ol Burple, so I hunted him down and swapped bikes.
From that very moment Ol Burple and I became as one and I had a great time on her until we hit the black top again and I realized that she still had bush gearing and she would rev her head off at 110 kmh. Back on the gravel roads, Burple comes into her own, so it was a relief when we turned towards Nundle and made the climb up through the pine forests and into the clouds that threatened to rain on us, we were lucky and arrived at Nundle in glorious sunshine.
A quick beer as the boys set up and then off to the pub where we all eventually congregated for what was not only a great feed but a top night of socializing before we retired to the fire pit back at the Caravan park. That is when the night really got entertaining and there was a hundred laughs a minute!
I wont elaborate too much as to what happened at the fire pit, as it all became a blur for me from that point! I do remember the Old Drunk bloke (not an old Bull) that was speaking Hebrew or some other exotic language. I dunno what time it was when I snuck off to bed but I know there wasn’t too many left at the fire when I did.
Sneaking off to bed was a good move as I wasn’t feeling too bad when I woke up at 6am, although Eagle shouted me a coffee that got me going a little better.
A Tandoori Bacon and Egg roll at the Café once again had me feeling good and ready to ride, not like Toes and Kram both who looked like shit!
Once the group was ready we headed off behind Bollocks on what was a fantastic ride through some great properties on our way to Moonan Flat. The road had around 20 creek crossings that kept you on your toes, the very last one was a concrete causeway that was slippery as nothing I have ever encountered. As I crossed it, I think it was only luck that kept the front wheel under me as Ol Burple, wobbled and weaved her way across. I thought it best that I stop on the other side to warn other riders. As I slowed and turned around I looked up to see Lefty in the throes of having a big come off. The front wheel shot out from under him in a spectacular spray of water and the Kato hit the deck and slid on its side towards me! The Kato and Lefty finally unceremoniously came to a stop at my feet. Lefty being the tough bugger he is, picked himself and the Kato up and was all smiles once he realized both him and the Kato were OK. It was funny to watch everyones reactions once they hit the slippery shit and they realized that they no longer had control of their bikes! The best effort to cross the Causeway was Bones’, he got right out of shape and was in a full “Flat Tracker” slide, he some how miraculously regained control and pulled up beside me with a very relieved look on his face!
Once we all got across the causeway from hell it was only a short run down to Moonann Flat Hotel, were we had a quick drink, a top up of fuel and the three groups went our separate ways towards our respective addresses. Our route involved a run up and over Barrington Tops past Polblue. It was a great run too as we wound our way up to 1500 odd meters above sea level. WE had “The Storm” that smashed TB and his crew just south of us and we kept and eye on it and realized it was chasing us as we hit Gloucester. WE hit the pub at Gloucester for a counter lunch and that is when the squall hit with copious amounts of rain and some hail.
It was at Gloucester that Toes spotted that there was something wrong with the rear hub of Strucky’s DR650. The left wheel spacer appeared to have failed and disintegrated, allowing the cush drive to fall apart and the sprocket bolts started to hit the swing arm. A decision was made to leave the DR at the pub and Strucky had to finish the ride on the back off Toes and the Vstrom. The pics aren’t that great as they were on a phone camera but they do give you the idea of how stuffed the rear hub was.
The cush drive
The hub just starting to grind away at the swing arm
Toes, Strucky and Puddles decided to Black top it from Gloucester and Moose Kram and I headed out of Gloucester towards Bundook.
It was on this road that Moose had a very rare brain snap and some how at a railway level crossing , he got all out of shape and found himself and the DR heading up the train tracks as opposed to across them! No harm done although he was lucky the XPT wasn’t coming!! We then headed off towards Comboyne where we were greeted with a pea soup fog and more thunder as another storm was threatening us. A quick run up and over the Plateau saw us with our ears pinned back trying to out run the storm! I arrived home and just got Ol Burple in the shed when the heavens opened up and it bucketed down. We managed to dodge all the bad weather and had a great 680km ride for the weekend. Thanks to all the blokes that came for the ride. A special thanks to Moose for the loan of Ol Burple, Boony, Bollocks, Snowy and the rest of the Tamworth crew for all the organization and Arron and Buzz for organizing the Marquees. It was agreat Xmas party and I am glad I made the run out for it!
What a great weekend many thanks to Boony, Snowy, Arron, Buzz and the rest of the Tamworth Boys (can’t remember everyones name, I wonder if I’m getting old :unsure: )
You guys have an awesome area to ride :woohoo:
Too many good moments to list so I’ll only list the BAD ones, other than the Berry Patch, what a top feed
Being lured into a sucker fillin by Boony, I should have seen it coming :blush: :laugh:
Bending the crap out of my new gear lever, but managing to get it back to somewhere near where it should be :whistle:
Deciding to wash the roost off my bike in the river on Sunday, many thanks to the King for his assistance in this :kiss:
Flying along one of the many magnificent singles and not noticing how steep one of the erosion mounds was and riding endo style for longer than I thought possible :pinch: with feet in the air :ohmy: but recovering with pride intact and heart in mouth :whistle:
Its always great to catch up with Old Bulls and also to meet some new ones as well
Thanks again,
Adam.
By all accounts it was a great days riding for both groups, I was in the adventure ride group lead sensationally by the Great Bollocks.
Both rides were a little late in starting but were away by about 9.15am.
Some of the crew gathering ready to hit the trails
The adventure ride had a few false starts as we were turned around a number of times by fallen trees, (I won’t mention the wrong turn by a leader whose name won’t be mentioned (jeez I look after you Bol ) . We eventually found our way and got to ride through some of the most beautiful country side that I think I have ever seen. The grass was so green that you could be forgiven for thinking you were in Ireland and the gravel roads were in pristine condition.
The first road block
Random Shots
Heidi had been shaking her ass too much and the tail light came loose
Aspley Falls
I couldn’t tell you where we went exactly but the trails and surrounding country side were magnificent. We eventually made our way to Aspley Falls then into Walcha for a great steak sandwich at the Café Graze after a nice 158km. There was some lovely French music playing in the background which Bollocks was really enjoying as he sipped his cappuccino.
Lunch Time in Walcha
The Latte set
After lunch we rode out of Walcha and into the only rain of the day which was just enough to wet your goggles for the dust to stick to. At one stage we were riding a nie twisty section of gravel road when Bollocks sent me off ahead to have a play. It was a rare occasion where the DRZ was the lightest bike in the group which made sliding into and out of the corners a great time. I was ripping along having a blast until I over cooked coming into one corner and narrowly avoided going over the side. After that I backed off a little but was still having a great time.
Saturday night saw the usual bench racing in both english and Swahili and there were plenty of laughs to be had.
Boony & Aaron getting up close and personal
A big thanks to the Tamworth crew that organised it all, a job well done. Thanks also to everyone who attended for making it a great weekend.
EAGS` Report is a little hazy due to fatigue, but I will begin ,
I had made plans to start work early so I could knock off at 10am Friday to make for an 11am meet point at Heatherbrae with relatively new Old Bull Deano. It was there that I had a call from TB saying they were changing their route due to some earlier boghole dramas and would meet us at Heatherbrae Pies instead of out back of Buladelah,,,
It was at Heatherbrae that Dean & I met Ronnie Borrageiro, He is from South Africa and 2 and a half years into an around the World Trip. He is a nice bloke with big Kahounas in my opinion to tackle such an epic journey solo on his 1200 GS BMW. See his website here THE GYPSY BIKER WORLD TOUR http://www.motogypsybiker.com
I plan on following the rest of his adventure & keeping in touch with him and he was interested in our site as well & may even join upJust after Ronnie left the guys turned up, TB, Deejay & Lefty and we were off heading north to Wauchope, via some sweet trails and some impromptu detours . It was a good run despite the change on the go due to locked gates, wrong trails & deep rutted swamps . I`m sure TB will elaborate on the route in his report (my GPS had a malfunction due to my stupidness in not checking it after loading up from the pc & removing the card too quick, wiping the maps) :dry: So I was lost most of the way :laugh:
On arrival ay Wauchope we stoped off at the local bottle (of course) :whistle: to strap on the refreshments required for the Shed Party at Micks. Wasn`t long till the crew started rolling in and the usual laughs and pisstakes started ,,,
A few hours later Moose & Kram led me & Deano over the river to Moose Ranch, what a setup that is. Awsome location on the river and the hospitality was laid on by Moose, his lovely wife Kath and the friendly but somewhat quiet nature of his youngest bloke Alex. Kath cooked up a scrumptious BBQ of Steak & Chicken and we all hooked in before the Guitar came out in Alex`s arms and some sweet tunes were in the air as we sat back & enjoyed the night. Gotta mention the rendition of Alice`s Restaurant played by Moose & sung along to by Kramo, what a pair of larrikins they are , making up the lyrics along the way :laugh:A huge thanx again to Moose, Kath & Alex for the accommodation, as I said it was greatly appreciated
Deano & I were planning on pitching the tents for the night, but “No need for that” was the call from Moose, we were put up in warm beds cause the other two kids were out for the night,,,
So off the bed we all went sometime around midnight to get some kind of sleep before the Saturday Moose`s Magical Mystery Tour was to begin :woohoo:More on Saturday later
My christmas ride started when everyone else was just about to hit the sack. When I rolled up to the caravan park boony and Bollocks were sneaking off to the cabins. They had aparantly tried to mix Dudes rocket fuel with copious amounts of beer and were a little the worse for wear. :sick:
I was late to the ring of knowledge but there were the usual die hards still hanging around so they let me catch up till stumps.
We started the next morning with a good mixed grill breaky and then went and put up the marque. I was sweating and had arm pump from nocking the tent pegs into straight granite :ohmy:
We soon got going and the ride was flowing really well till we got off the bitumin 😆
The steps and the creek crossing drew things out a bit but the two man corner man worked a treat as I got to meet another great bloke in kivin who was piloting a DRZ 400.
Damo and I soon began racing and I almost lost it when I jumped an erosion bank and almost crossrutted where someone had tried to bog a 4X4. :laugh: We soon stopped to fix some lecky probs on a bike but once again it was a chance to meet more great blokes .
We headed to the top of “sweet mother of Jesus” and the guys got down very well. The dust was minimal and the traction was awsome. :cheer: This was the first time I had ridden the new CRF250X at Nundle and it was faultless and I was having a ball. :cheer: We soon got to the singles they were fantastic untill I found that the logs had been coated in oil and tasted some dirt but no one was there so I could have just made that up:laugh: We cruised allong heading to the top of parachute but a gasser died and we had to change our plans and take the road to the patch for lunch. This worked out well as I got to have another go at the erosion mounds on the way back. Great decision under duress Boon and that way we did not burn our bridges at the Berry Patch.
The lunch was great as usual and we all had a great feed. From there I tasted a bit of sweeping duties and Boonys sense of humor made it fun.
Murph got a flat and Boony and I stopped to help out by talking and and sometimes we even asked questions. :laugh: Well done Lotsa and Murph
The rain was trying dampen the mood but only managed to supress dust. A few of the guys were relly in need of a beer so they headed off on the gravel home. Eveyone was having a ball on the slippery tracks but soon fuel levels got a little low and we had to head for the Beer ourselves. More later…EAGS` Saturday report,
Around 6am I was awake and ready to roll, but we didn`t need to be at Timbertown till 8.30, so I tinkered with the bike & checked the packing of my bags till the others awoke for brekky. I had packed some of those liquid cereal drinks and packet cappuciano`s which take up stuff all space and hit the spot.
After a coffee or two we headed down to the shed under the Chateau Moose where Ol` Burple was sitting proud as punch to be going on an Adventure, Kram was on the Quinn & Mick had borrowed Moose` near new DR650 for the run and acquaint himself with the ADV thing. Then Kram was spotted wandering round searching for something,,,,, he had left his jacket & helmet at Micks last night on front of the tinnie 😆On arrival at Timbertown we all chatted, laughed at Puddles for finally fronting for a ride (Mick had money on the chance he would ride off to the right instead of left with us) Not the case though, Onya Puds.
WE did however have to wait for Toes who was in a state by 5pm Friday at the shed. He fronted though and as usual was always at the pointy end of the pack on the mighty Strom (damn he is a smart arse on a bike, that sort of natural ability shouldn`t be allowed with a bloke as cheeky as him) 
We wound our way northwest and ended up at Kangaroo Flat or somewhere like that (I was lost still)
Then we hit Werrikimbe and there was quite a bit of what looked like dry reddish dirt on the trails, but in fact I think Boony had come over from Nundle & dropped off some of his infamous “Dog on Lino” Damn it kept some of us on out toes as the back wheels seemed to wanna be in front :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
There was a lot of screaming from Mick too cause apparently Moose kept throwing up angry snakes from the rear of Ol` Burple in Micks direction :laugh:I had a few moments in there on the slippery stuff, well 3 actually in a space of about 150 metres and then heard the honking of a Tenere horn & noticed light flashing. It was TB and when he pulled up alongside, he rolled up his visor, shook his head , pointed at a finger and said something like, “ How about ya do as your signature says “Hold on & Roll It On SLOW” Reckons he could see my right wrist rolling on too much or something :whistle:
Later on we came out somewhere on the Oxley Hwy to see some GSX` 1000 doing wheelies up & down the tar. Then they took off towards Gingers Creek, this is where I pissed my pants laughing as Toes hightailed it on the Strom clipping at their tails all the way to the Creek for lunch. Wish I could have seen their faces as Toes aboard a DL650 was looming large in their mirrors :unsure:
After lunch and a refuel we hightailed it back up the same twisties of the Oxley again and headed to god knows where to link up with Nowendoc before hitting the dirt agin to run over the top of Hanging Rock Forest to Nundle. This is right where the rain started and the temp had already plummeted so guys were ripping out the warmer gear & gloves. On arrival at Nundle the sun was out and the temp was great for us to setup camp before hitting the Peel Inn for a cool ale or twenty.
Top job to Aaron & Buzz on organising the marquees for us to camp under, Cheers guysThe meals were awesome at the pub as usual and so was the raffle & auction to raise some cash for the local Bush Fire Brigade, great work to all involved in that. Especially Steve (Cycletune) and Bikes & Bits for donating the terrific prizes to raffle off.
It was then off to the Firepit at the park for the latter festivities of the night, Boony insisted on filling the whole pit with timber ad the pit was lucky to still e standing next morning I reckon from the heat it was putting out :ohmy:The numbers started to drop off from about 11pm and soon it was only myself, Kram, Toes, Dude & the very happy Murph the Surf. I think Toes was in a state of amazement sitting there intently watching & listening to the turkeys having a good time. I hit the sack about midnight again & thats just about the time the familiar sounds of the OBT Woodpecker started to crank up Kram, you are a noisy bugger
:laugh:That`s it for Saturday ,,,,
Eags` Sunday run home,
On Sunday there were some seriously sore heads and the start was a slow one. Deano & I packed our tents early and prepped the bikes before walking over to the cafe for an 8am bacon & Egg Roll.
After that we got the rest of or ride gear on, rode up & refuelled ready for the Bollocks Tour to Moonan. Of course Boll was the last to roll up , apparently he too had a sore head or something :laugh:He led us back up Hanging Rock and over to Barry Station which is a trail that everyone should have a crack at, it`s freaking awesome, as is the rest of the ride though Glenrock Station and the run to past Ellerston to Moonan Flat. There was a bit of everything to be had as far as ADV trails go, fast open stuff, tight windy bits, rocky steep descents, rocky creek crossings and of course the infamous Mossy concrete causeways (just ask Lefty) :whistle: :blush:
I have been to Nundle quite a bit over the past 3 years and never seen the countryside so green and lush, it really was an awesome run, Thanx Heaps Bollocks , I`m so glad I made the trip it was well worth it
On arrival at Moonan we refuelled again and it was there that TB called that we cut & run as we had a long way to go, lucky for us we did cause it proved to be a long day indeed,,,,
Farewells were in order to the many Old Bulls we had shared the past two days with, it`s always great to catchup with them all & the riding is a bonusThe final 5 of us wound our way south along thru some stunning areas, with god knows how many creek crossings (that had to be treated with care, as you never knew how they would treat ya)
There were a couple of diversions along the way to find the way towards Aberdeen, but the only way we found was through the property on Carters Trail to the National Park where we had the Thunderstorm event. We were lucky Old mate decided to let us pass over his land actually, as he was there with his dog in a cravan & was letting it be known that UNREGISTERED BIKES had been frequenting his land and not only not asking permission, but leaving the freaking gates OPEN !!! :angry: :angry: :angry:
After some sweet talking from TB, he let us thru but was quick in pointing out the dark clouds sitting right on the peak, and the trail was a windy, bumpy twin trail farm track with a steep gradient. Right about now was where the trip came to life & Deejay hollered in excitement as we climbed and climbed to the top, only stopping once to don the wet weather gear before arriving at the summit :SIt was here that I said to TB, “What goes Up must come DOWN!!!” He just replied, “Too bloody right Beags”,,,,,
Once over the top we were gretted with the descent from Hell, steep, red clay covered, deadly drop on the right side, ruts all over the place and water running down in places as the rain still fell !!!
It was here that TB sent Lefty down solo on the 450 to scope it out (the idea was if trouble struck 5 of us might be able to lug the 450 back up) :whistle:
After a long anxious wait, Lefty surfaced halfway back up, but could go no further and yelled that the way was good. TB had been on the phone to Nick already for a long while and he was checking the Spot Trackers to see where we were and he was blown away when he saw the contours on the map, maybe he wished he was with us on the adventure as well (without the wet of course)Anyway, the only way was onward & down, down, down, and TB asked me if I wanted to ring the family to tell them I loved them & have had a good life etc This made me all the more nervous, and more as he rode off saying “Good Luck mate, see ya at the bottom” :blink:
To say it was hairy was an understatement, slipping & sliding, trying to find traction that wasn`t there, feet all over the place hoping to not get your feet caught under a pannier on the way down. We all made it eventually but it took some time as we had to give each other plenty of sliding space and room to stop after each pinch.
Once at the bottom there was a tonne of windy trail and heaps more creek crossings that were getting deeper & deeper from the storm water on the mountain, although the rain had stopped while we were descending the big slide (I hadn`t notices cause I was too busy shitting my pants) :unsure: :laugh:Eventually we came out at Aberdeen and made our ay down the New England to Muswellbrook to Hungry Jacks for a well earned rest & some tucker.
The final leg later ,,,,
Great weekend
Some nice singles, hills and river crossings
Had a great time Saturday night (I think).
I came off on one little hill which is was kinda embarrassing. :blush: :blush:
Binned it a bit harder also on the Sunday ride but I’m gonna put it down to being a little dusty from the night before. :woohoo:
I managed to get photos of most, sorry to those who I missed
Here are a few pics
Pre ride
Boony spruikin
Cheers
MurphI had a great weekend at Nundle,:cheer:
Arrived on Friday night for set up and a catch up.
Headed out on Saturday morning on some excellent trails and singles.
The country around this area is some of the best i have ridden.
Decided to take a soil sample in the morning leaving me sore on the right side then decided to even it up with another soil sample on the left side in the afternoon.:pinch:
I didn’t mind the ADV ride to the Berry Patch as it ended with a great lunch and some berry icecream.
Had an interesting chat with the trail bike cops on the verandah.:dry:
I bailed out near the end of the Saturday ride due to war wounds and the temptation of not lining up for a shower.
Bumped into the ADV crew on the way into the park as they were heading for the pub, all smiles must have been a good ride.
Turned up at the pub to try some oral pain killers and nearly succeded.:sick:
Picked up a nice KTM camp chair in the raffle.:huh:
The old body wouldn’t let me ride on Sunday so with Merv’s help i loaded up and headed for home.Thanks to the Tamworthians for organising the event, Merv for the help on Sunday, the girls at the pub putting up with a rush of food orders and Sam for the company in the car on the way up.
As usual a great OBT ride and once again caught up with old OBTs and met some new ones.
It was all good.
Sorry i am going to miss Coffs.
Rebore.
A big “cheers big ears” to all the blokes who made the effort to come to Nundle :cheer:
It was a pleasure for us Tamworthians share share with you ferrets our awesome back yard,just don’t tell anyone who is not an Old Bull
Spoke to Bruce the captain of the Hanging Rock Bush Fire Brigade.He was dead set gob smacked with the amount of money we raised for them.With the raffles and auction the total was $689.80.I had the treasurer Jan on the phone this morning to get the bank details and she was so excited as they don’t often get a chance to raise any money often.I think they had a cake stall once and about 5 people turned up :laugh:
Well done to all who bought tickets in the raffles and double thumbs up to Jeffro,Kram,rebore and Aaron
Cheers to the Peel Inn who donated the stubby coolers to you blokes and put on a top feed :cheer:
High fives to Cycletune and Bikes and bits for the donations
Also well done to the local lads Boony,Buzz,Ranger Rick,Razor,Aaron and super sweep and recovery man Damous.And Snowy for T bagging me :sick:
I’ll post a few vids and pics a bit later when i have downloaded them.
Bol :woohoo:
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