The Muster 2024 in Echuca provided the perfect opportunity for a 2Up SS1600, and so Saturday dark o’clock with the bike fuelled up, we made our way out of Canberra. We had a close encounter of the roo kind with a roo sitting against the concrete median on the GDE. It wasn’t moving (and blended in perfectly against the grey concrete) until we were on it. Timing is everything, and as it moved to cross our path we sailed past with a hairs breath to spare.
Start docket, time to get moving!
Out on the Barton Highway. It was a perfect night for riding, temperatures in the mid-high teens with the stars shining brightly, followed by a busy run down the Hume,(lots & lots of trucks) before taking the Sturt Highway to Wagga. There was one odd encounter in the darkness on the Hume, flashing police lights on the side of the road warned us of something ahead. It was a single police car (unusual at this time of the morning) with a 4WD pulled over. Nothing to see here, keep the wheels turning. We stopped briefly in Wagga for a toilet break, and continued onto Narrandera in the inky darkness. There was even less traffic now, we made good time to Narrandera, and pulled into a café called “Early Opener” for a brekkie of B&E roll and coffee at 5:45am.
Breakfast in Narrandera, NSW. What a great name for a cafe!
Following that we fuelled up at the nearby servo and struck out across the Hay Plain, watching the sunrise, which was sublime, a new day without a cloud in the sky.
Fuel up time in Narrandera, NSW.
Best not to think about the price of fuel. Narrandera NSW.
Sunrise on the Hay Plain.
We took the opportunity to stop for a few photo ops along the way, Hells Gate is a compulsory one crossing this part of the country. We stopped for Balranald, then kept on rolling westwards. Mildura and Stefanos beckoned, so with no real pressures we took some time off the bike to enjoy a coffee break. That coffee was excellent. From Mildura it was ever westwards, with the stop for a quarantine check at Yamba, where we saw Glenn heading eastwards, and not too long afterwards, with a flash of lights and a wave, Derrick rode past also heading eastwards.
A beautiful morning out
Coffee stop at Stefanos, Mildura, Victoria.
Fuelled up at Barmera, to collect our corner docket, before taking the Kingston Road to Pinnaroo. It was a glorious sunny afternoon to enjoy this section of South Australia, with the temps nudging up towards the high 20’s. At Pinnaroo, we topped up the Camel-baks, then crossed back into Victoria heading towards Sealake and Bendigo.
Silo Art in Victoria, heading towards Bendigo
I had never ridden this area of Victoria before and was bemused by this C road which was 3 lanes wide but with only the centre lane sealed. Reminded me of the “Development” roads up in FNQ and the NT. Pillion Piglet was quite relaxed about our needing to move over on the unsealed lane at highway speed, for oncoming traffic, whereas I was much more cautious about this, experience having taught me my high speed 2 up gravel surfing skills on a heavily loaded RT were not for it.
Hmmm, not sure I love these C roads in Victoria?
We rolled into Bendigo in the early evening, fueled up in north Bendigo to collect our last corner docket, and then started to make our way towards Echuca, when lo and behold, I noticed some character waving ahead of us on the side of the road. It was Fatman and Lynne! What a great reason to stop and say hello, this is an intercept on our SS1600. Awesome! We spent a wonderful 10-15 minutes reconnecting the way long distance riders do, before we made our farewells and headed north to Echuca in the early darkness.
It's an intercept, the smiles say it all. The joy of long distance riders connecting along the road
The last 50 minutes of the ride was uneventful in the dark. Rochester came and went, and not too much longer we rolled into Echuca and were pulling up outside the Caledonian Hotel, where Glenn was standing beside his Honda. Hackle came out to provide guidance on check in procedures. Finishing docket collected, our riding for the day was done, and we could kick back and relax, get some sleeps.
That's a wrap for the day.
A great day out, our first 2Up SS1600 for 2024 with 1,655kms on the clock, a good way to arrive at the Muster!
Start docket, time to get moving!
Out on the Barton Highway. It was a perfect night for riding, temperatures in the mid-high teens with the stars shining brightly, followed by a busy run down the Hume,(lots & lots of trucks) before taking the Sturt Highway to Wagga. There was one odd encounter in the darkness on the Hume, flashing police lights on the side of the road warned us of something ahead. It was a single police car (unusual at this time of the morning) with a 4WD pulled over. Nothing to see here, keep the wheels turning. We stopped briefly in Wagga for a toilet break, and continued onto Narrandera in the inky darkness. There was even less traffic now, we made good time to Narrandera, and pulled into a café called “Early Opener” for a brekkie of B&E roll and coffee at 5:45am.
Breakfast in Narrandera, NSW. What a great name for a cafe!
Following that we fuelled up at the nearby servo and struck out across the Hay Plain, watching the sunrise, which was sublime, a new day without a cloud in the sky.
Fuel up time in Narrandera, NSW.
Best not to think about the price of fuel. Narrandera NSW.
Sunrise on the Hay Plain.
We took the opportunity to stop for a few photo ops along the way, Hells Gate is a compulsory one crossing this part of the country. We stopped for Balranald, then kept on rolling westwards. Mildura and Stefanos beckoned, so with no real pressures we took some time off the bike to enjoy a coffee break. That coffee was excellent. From Mildura it was ever westwards, with the stop for a quarantine check at Yamba, where we saw Glenn heading eastwards, and not too long afterwards, with a flash of lights and a wave, Derrick rode past also heading eastwards.
A beautiful morning out
Coffee stop at Stefanos, Mildura, Victoria.
Fuelled up at Barmera, to collect our corner docket, before taking the Kingston Road to Pinnaroo. It was a glorious sunny afternoon to enjoy this section of South Australia, with the temps nudging up towards the high 20’s. At Pinnaroo, we topped up the Camel-baks, then crossed back into Victoria heading towards Sealake and Bendigo.
Silo Art in Victoria, heading towards Bendigo
I had never ridden this area of Victoria before and was bemused by this C road which was 3 lanes wide but with only the centre lane sealed. Reminded me of the “Development” roads up in FNQ and the NT. Pillion Piglet was quite relaxed about our needing to move over on the unsealed lane at highway speed, for oncoming traffic, whereas I was much more cautious about this, experience having taught me my high speed 2 up gravel surfing skills on a heavily loaded RT were not for it.
Hmmm, not sure I love these C roads in Victoria?
We rolled into Bendigo in the early evening, fueled up in north Bendigo to collect our last corner docket, and then started to make our way towards Echuca, when lo and behold, I noticed some character waving ahead of us on the side of the road. It was Fatman and Lynne! What a great reason to stop and say hello, this is an intercept on our SS1600. Awesome! We spent a wonderful 10-15 minutes reconnecting the way long distance riders do, before we made our farewells and headed north to Echuca in the early darkness.
It's an intercept, the smiles say it all. The joy of long distance riders connecting along the road
The last 50 minutes of the ride was uneventful in the dark. Rochester came and went, and not too much longer we rolled into Echuca and were pulling up outside the Caledonian Hotel, where Glenn was standing beside his Honda. Hackle came out to provide guidance on check in procedures. Finishing docket collected, our riding for the day was done, and we could kick back and relax, get some sleeps.
That's a wrap for the day.
A great day out, our first 2Up SS1600 for 2024 with 1,655kms on the clock, a good way to arrive at the Muster!
