Events

What
A stimulating 3 hour ride for those who love riding - up hills and down dales with lovely curves galore. The rural scenery along the way is magnificent. On my rehearsal ride all the wattles were in full bloom providing splashes of gold here and there. In the main we'll be taking delightful backroads, many of which might be new to you. There are just a couple of short 80 km/hr sections of highway along the 130-km route.

Where
The ride starts from Kangaroo Ground and brushes past the outskirts of Yarra Glen, Healesville and Kinglake before ending at Zen Den Cafe, Eltham. It’s a big wriggly loop. We ride through farmland, open countryside, forests and fern glades. At Toolangi we crest a mountain and get some splendid views of red soil potato paddocks. If we are on schedule, we might have time to inspect sculptures in the State Forest created by famous artists, one of which was installed surreptitiously on a tree by my brother (not a famous artist). It has since gained social media notoriety for its whimsy.

This ride is probably better suited to more experienced riders. Confident members who want to practice their cornering skills are very welcome. We are in no hurry and will be travelling at a modest pace. The club’s Lead Rider-Corner Marker-Tail Rider system also ensures that you are under no pressure and can ride at a pace that suits you and your scooter. Just find your zen groove on the road and stay in that happy place.

Lunch
I suggest that we pack lunch or just a light snack for a bush picnic. That makes things very flexible and means we can bypass popular tourist towns without getting trapped in traffic. I will bring a billy to boil for tea or coffee. I anticipate this will be in the Toolangi Sate Forest near the sculpture park. There is a nearby toilet here too.

Departure Point and Time
The quaint Kangaroo Ground General Store, 280 Eltham - Yarra Glen Road. You can probably buy something here for a picnic lunch too. Kangaroo Ground is about 33 kms northeast from Melbourne’s CBD. If coming from the west you would go via Eltham and Research. If coming from the south or eastern suburbs you might go via Warrandyte. <MAP>

Departure is at 9:30 am. Arrive earlier if you need a coffee beforehand. If you have to cancel at the last minute, or are on the way but will be late, then please send me a text message on: 0408 833 764 so we know whether to wait a bit longer or just head off at 9:30.

Weather
The forecast is looking reasonable for Sunday with 50% chance of 0 mm rain, what ever that means. BOM forecasts always seem a bit pessimistic. There’s a 50% chance of 1 mm rain at 4am on Saturday morning which means we shouldn’t have to deal with any wet roads. A top of 17 degrees (feels like 14) so make sure you will be warm. It looks like we might have sunny breaks during the ride which will be very welcome. Should it be raining on the day and the rain radar looks dire, we'll postpone the event until another time. After all, who likes cornering in the wet? Don’t answer all at once.