Shite. I keep saying “my original plan”, but for all the wrong reasons. Now, my original plan was to head west to Wangaratta and then turn south and head over Mount Hotham via the Great Alpine Road. Unfortunately, the forecast for the next few days in Hotham was for a mix of high winds, rain, snow, and worst of all – sub-zero temperatures. The major threat I was concerned about was black-ice. I’d never experienced it before, but I was well-aware of its dangers.
Opinions from OzSToc members on Facebook were mixed. I investigated going to Tassie early and doing the road later but couldn’t change the ferry dates. I also looked at alternatives (Omeo Hwy) but this wasn’t ideal either.
In the end I opted for safety. I’d been saying all along that the trip to Tassie was the most non-negotiable part of the trip, so I wasn’t prepared to risk that. I didn’t want to be delayed, stuck, detoured, or dead-in-a-ditch.
So, I decided to keep heading west and turn south before Melbourne, aiming for Black Spur, then down onto Phillip Island – missing the southern Victorian coast altogether. It’s unfortunate, but shit happens. I’ll just make sure I come this way again but in Summary next time.
Anyway, west I went. The scenery was consistently rolling green hills of farmland – very pretty. The temperature sat at around 22 for most of the way until Wodonga with a fair bit of sun.
As I approached Wangaratta it started to cloud over. I had been checking the radar and knew I was travelling into “something”. Not long down the road it started to dump big-time with strong winds too – my favourite combination.
When I adjusted my plans in the morning I was figuring for an overnighter in Glenrowan (of Ned Kelly fame) and that I’d have a look for old Ned. The heave rain put a stop to that – I just kept going south. I figured I’d keep going until I found a nice spot once the rain had stopped (or I’d ridden out of it). It was on and off for quite a while. I almost stopped at Bonnie Doon, but I was dreamin’, and kept going until I Alexandra – a nice little town about 140km to the north-east of Melbourne. By this time the dashboard was reading 7c, my gloves were wet through (I need new ones in Melbourne before Tassie) and I was as cold as ice.
I needed something more than a tent, so I checked into the local pub to warm up. Minimum requirements were a bed and a heater.
It’s a single room with a shared bathroom and TV room – but since I’m the only one in tonight I had it all to myself.
I’ve just had an idea… rather than continuing down to Phillip Island, I might just head to South Australia – at least the rain that’s following me will put the furkin fires out!