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Re: Queensland to Victoria & Return Trip Fri Jun 01, 2012 3:54 am
Two Wheels Better
Moderator
Most Aussies have driven the Newell Highway from Tocumwal, Victoria outback through central New South Wales and over the border into Queensland to Goondiwindi. It drones on an on and there's not a lot to see right up close. Vast acres of emptiness, grazing land, crops, and gum trees as far as the eye can see. There are low, scrubby and rocky hills off in the distance, a few interesting signs to read, lotsa cattle and sheep, and plenty of heavy trucks, but not-quite road trains (they don't allow the really long, three and four car trucks this close to civilisation).
Here and there it's interesting. The towns are colourful and the main streets have plenty of thriving shops and cafes. Most of them are places where I could settle, with a river and parks and nice neighbourhoods full of rows of neat houses in the Australian early to mid-20th century style - most towns, but not all. Some are dried up, dust bowl, dead grass, stink of cattle, dregsvilles. But some are quite lovely. I s'pose it has a bit to do with the quality of the soil, the interest and pride one shows in their town and other socio-economic factors. The Dubbo to Gilgandrah to Coonabarabran (say Koona-barra-bran) to Narrabri (say Narra-bry) stretch is like that, so much so that I had to divert and pass through the Warrumbungles National Park, which eventually empties out at the quiet little astronomy hub of Coonabarabran. There's heaps of observatories up there due to the clear nights of the billion star hotel. It was nice, empty, scenic, twisty, but not spectacular road, though I took some photos (which I'll post after a shower and a well-deserved beer). I'm stopped for the night as the rains have set in, at first lightly but now it's a drizzle that's got the dust running down the sides of everything.
But there's a road that runs away from Narrabri that'll have me heading back this way soon.
Go to www.maps.google.com.au and under ' Get Directions' type in Narrabri NSW to Bingara NSW. Just north and east of Narrabri you'll see a little-known road that runs up round Mt Kaputar through the national park and over Killarney Pass (those Irish were everywhere!). It's over 110 kms of pure motorbike heaven. I saw several cars, but had to overtake none of them as they were coming the other way, and followed a snaking road that crested and dipped and turned and climbed and went through a dozen or so water crossings (mainly dry). It was blissful. Lots of goats graze up there, the grass seemed drier than the surrounding farmlands, a river ran next to the road for a while with a fair bit of running water in it - this in a very dry country, usually. The rocky peaks are evidence of long-ago volcanic activity, and I spotted a sign that hinted at glacial action along the mountain range too. It's hard to imagine the remote and dry Australian continent ever having been subjected to a mass of ice but long ago it did. I had time to look around, but mainly I was head down, bum up, feet back and going for it on an amazing ribbon of road. Here and there were cracks in the tarmac, a bit of roadwork going on, a few potholes, but mainly it was a smooth and undulating road that climbed up and over the low range.
"How do they get the 'Roos to cross near the yellow signs?"
I managed a few good speed runs along some two or three kilometre, smooth straights. At one stage I went for it and tucked in behind the screen, elbows in and saw 9300 rpm (no rev limiter on this mighty K) and the speedo needle steadily settling in on 245 km/h! That's 152 mph in the old money and I reckon there must be a tad of error in the dial. But what a rush, it's never gone that fast before and it wasn't aided in any way by a downhill decline. It has been running really well on this trip. There's nothing like a good roadtrip to blow out the dulling daily drone of commuter cobwebs in both man and machine!
The twisties go on forever.
At the end of the road is the quaint and tidy little bush town of Bingara, a name I'd never heard of nor seen on the map prior to this ride homewards. I'm glad I stopped. I can see the potential for this particular hotel because they have a clean place here with lots of rooms, some ensuite, and an attached motel. Rooms range from $35 to $65 to $85 per night. I lashed and and got myself into an ensuite. The 'shared facilities' of last night's room in West Wyalong put me off that idea for a while. Pictures after beer and dinner. Cheers!
The Imperial Hotel. Bingara, New South Wales. Cold drinks, bike parking out the back, clean rooms, good tucker.
Here and there it's interesting. The towns are colourful and the main streets have plenty of thriving shops and cafes. Most of them are places where I could settle, with a river and parks and nice neighbourhoods full of rows of neat houses in the Australian early to mid-20th century style - most towns, but not all. Some are dried up, dust bowl, dead grass, stink of cattle, dregsvilles. But some are quite lovely. I s'pose it has a bit to do with the quality of the soil, the interest and pride one shows in their town and other socio-economic factors. The Dubbo to Gilgandrah to Coonabarabran (say Koona-barra-bran) to Narrabri (say Narra-bry) stretch is like that, so much so that I had to divert and pass through the Warrumbungles National Park, which eventually empties out at the quiet little astronomy hub of Coonabarabran. There's heaps of observatories up there due to the clear nights of the billion star hotel. It was nice, empty, scenic, twisty, but not spectacular road, though I took some photos (which I'll post after a shower and a well-deserved beer). I'm stopped for the night as the rains have set in, at first lightly but now it's a drizzle that's got the dust running down the sides of everything.
But there's a road that runs away from Narrabri that'll have me heading back this way soon.
Go to www.maps.google.com.au and under ' Get Directions' type in Narrabri NSW to Bingara NSW. Just north and east of Narrabri you'll see a little-known road that runs up round Mt Kaputar through the national park and over Killarney Pass (those Irish were everywhere!). It's over 110 kms of pure motorbike heaven. I saw several cars, but had to overtake none of them as they were coming the other way, and followed a snaking road that crested and dipped and turned and climbed and went through a dozen or so water crossings (mainly dry). It was blissful. Lots of goats graze up there, the grass seemed drier than the surrounding farmlands, a river ran next to the road for a while with a fair bit of running water in it - this in a very dry country, usually. The rocky peaks are evidence of long-ago volcanic activity, and I spotted a sign that hinted at glacial action along the mountain range too. It's hard to imagine the remote and dry Australian continent ever having been subjected to a mass of ice but long ago it did. I had time to look around, but mainly I was head down, bum up, feet back and going for it on an amazing ribbon of road. Here and there were cracks in the tarmac, a bit of roadwork going on, a few potholes, but mainly it was a smooth and undulating road that climbed up and over the low range.
"How do they get the 'Roos to cross near the yellow signs?"
I managed a few good speed runs along some two or three kilometre, smooth straights. At one stage I went for it and tucked in behind the screen, elbows in and saw 9300 rpm (no rev limiter on this mighty K) and the speedo needle steadily settling in on 245 km/h! That's 152 mph in the old money and I reckon there must be a tad of error in the dial. But what a rush, it's never gone that fast before and it wasn't aided in any way by a downhill decline. It has been running really well on this trip. There's nothing like a good roadtrip to blow out the dulling daily drone of commuter cobwebs in both man and machine!
The twisties go on forever.
At the end of the road is the quaint and tidy little bush town of Bingara, a name I'd never heard of nor seen on the map prior to this ride homewards. I'm glad I stopped. I can see the potential for this particular hotel because they have a clean place here with lots of rooms, some ensuite, and an attached motel. Rooms range from $35 to $65 to $85 per night. I lashed and and got myself into an ensuite. The 'shared facilities' of last night's room in West Wyalong put me off that idea for a while. Pictures after beer and dinner. Cheers!
The Imperial Hotel. Bingara, New South Wales. Cold drinks, bike parking out the back, clean rooms, good tucker.
Last edited by Guest in the House on Fri Jun 01, 2012 5:57 pm; edited 4 times in total
1986 k75, 1985 K100rt, 
-o: 
