Day 2/4: Around The Hume

It was an incredibly cold morning in Wangaratta; my new digital temperature gauge was reading zero degrees, and its ice warning was flashing away at me. So I left it until 10am by which time it had risen to a whole three degrees. Then bike problems, similar to those observed in another cold morning in Mt Gambier, meant I was having coffee instead of riding the bike. It cheered me up though, as I decided the problem was with the choke and therefore minor, and by the time I had my coffee the temperature had risen another few degrees.

All this meant that I didn't get my bike started until 11am, and I had decided to spend a more relaxing day drinking coffee and exploring. I felt that the bike needed a long straight ride to get itself going, so I took the C374 to Yarrawonga on the state border. I'm glad I did, because Yarrawonga-Malwala is a lovely town, and I picked a great spot overlooking Lake Mulwala near the tourist information building for my second coffee of the day. By now the sun was out; I could have stayed there all day, but it was time to reluctantly move on.

I headed East on the Murray Valley Highway (B400), through Rutherglen, connecting with the Hume again at Wodonga, where I followed the signs to the army museum. The army museum at Wodonga appears to have had a lot more money spent on it than the one at Puckapunyal. All the exhibits are well presented and have been restored to their former glory. It even had a few motorbikes, including a Suzuki GS450 (pictured). It was disappointing that on a Saturday afternoon I appeared to be the only person there.

Further East I got off the Murray Valley Highway at Bonegilla, heading North on the C541, crossing the bridge and taking a superb detour to Bethanga (22 kms return). Although it was getting late I had heard that this was a great road, and I had heard correctly. Looking up at the guard rail on the road running up the hill you are about to climb is awe inspiring. After chatting with some locals at a scenic lookout (pictured) about how I was crazy to ride when it was so cold (my gloved hands were clutching the warmth of the engine), I returned down the hill and continued East.

The C542/6 is a great motorbiking road running along the Murray River; it was difficult not to get distracted by the eerie sight of the river and the numerous leaf-less trees within it, all shrouded in mist. It looked like a scene from a horror movie. I planned to get to Tintaldra or even Corryong but darkness fell so I stayed the night as the only resident in the welcoming one-pub town of Walwa.

Riding Distance: 285 kms