Another great RTE done and my fifth one in Victoria after Halls Gap (2017), Harrow (2018), Lorne (2019) and Smythesdale (2019). I posted these in the RTE thread knowing I wouldn't be back for a couple of days to write a ride report.
Me too also arrived at my accommodation for the night.
It's becoming quite a habit now but my trip started off with me riding down to Bordertown after work, just as I did before Smythesdale and on my way to the national rally last year. All three times I have stayed in the same room. I'm happy with the room. This was the first time the restaurant was open so I went and had dinner there. It will no doubt be the last as it was awful.
Up early the next morning and it was time to put on the Ozstoc shirt and get ready to make tracks on first light.
I've always said no road trip through South Australia is complete without seeing either a disused railway or a salt lake. This level crossing was at Custon. I saw salt lakes in the Coorong yesterday coming home.
One of a few dirt roads I rode on this trip.
I took an opportunity to grab another one of my "can I tow it?" photos in Minimay. As I was taking this photo I heard a Harley start up on the other side of the road. He stopped in front of me as I was leaving and asked to see if I was okay. He said he doesn't see motorcycles out the front of his house very often. He too was about to embark on a road trip of his own, off to Canberra for the weekend.
At Curdievale some of the riders were comparing satnav systems and their pros and cons. I have my own system using mud maps like this. It doesn't always go to plan. I missed the C184 turnoff to Byaduk and Macarthur and ended up travelling roads previously travelled via Penshurst and Hawkesdale. Byaduk and co. will have to wait until another day.
I spotted this in Warrnambool on the other side of the road and decided to bag that on the way home. What was freaky was when I opened instagram at Curdievale my friend Megan had posted her own picture of it minutes earlier.
Another discussion at the RTE was Stinky Pete and Langers' accommodation at Colac. He said it look dingy on the outside but nice inside. My accommodation in Portland was a bit like that. It was cheap but the room inside was clean. Apparently netflix is also included in the deal but I wasn't there to watch tv. The following morning was my usual waiting for first light to depart.
I stopped at Mount Richmond to take a leak and noticed my mobius camera wasn't working. I'm not sure if it's shot or just didn't recharge overnight properly but turning it on then didn't do anything so it got put away and out came a gopro.
Something I did a lot of in Tassie was walk across bridges so for old times sake I walked across the Glenelg River at Nelson.
I'd ridden down the Border Road at Donovans after the 2017 Balranald RTE and kicked myself for not riding down to the river's egde so since I was in the area I made sure I did so this time.
Then it was back to the main road and being South Australia the speed limit went up to 110. Kev Murphy offered me strawberries which I declined as I already had a chok-a-block bike but later that night I remembered that you can't take fruit across the border anyway.
I don't know what they call these poles but I have seen them in many a coastal town. I thought it may have been a sundial but there were no numbers on the ground. Nevertheless it was a big mosaic.
I picked up a few big things in Port Macdonnell before making my way to South Australia's most southern point at Cape Northumberland.
Don't ask me what this is. I passed it in Millicent.
I can now answer that question after deciding to check it out in daylight hours. It's a wood carving (der) but was one of many at this place which does wood carvings. It's a gallery which had quite a few on display.
My first visit to Rosetown since Larry the Lobster has been renovated.
The Salt Creek roadhouse being closed down was discussed at a previous RTE (Meningie I think) but I'd never stopped there until yesterday. Despite the big Open sign it was indeed closed down. The toilets were locked.
This fish is still bolted to the fence though.
I snapped the oil rig monument and Meningie's big pelican before making my way to the Wellington ferry. This may well have been the first time I have failed to get on the first crossing since arriving but that 'inconvenience' did give me an opportunity to take a leak and snap the resulting puddle.
On the ferry itself I noticed this ferry crossing map. It looked quite new (no sign of fade) yest still has the Goolwa ferry listed. I am pretty sure that stopped running long before I came to South Australia.
Overall another enjoyable trip. Bring on Quorn.
