Halls Gap it's a solid 3 hour ride from both Geelong and Melbourne.
So we're thinking of an optional Friday afternoon start to break the run on Saturday. As an option, leaving Friday afternoon, finding traditional style pub accommodation about half way, and making the final leg on Saturday a little easier, in anticipation of a long return ride on Sunday
We're not planning too much riding in Halls Gap, but just enough to see the sights
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I was thinking of you all too Julie. Backroads rock. Great to see the magnificent Grampians bathed in sunshine under a dome of blue sky - the way it should be seen, but with colourful Vespas added to the scenery as well.
So glad I was able to make this ride, "It was tops" Thanks Tufan
Following on from Tufan, leaving at 7am on Saturday morning 5 of us from Melbourne battled the 50km winds up the Western Highway stopping at Ballan for a breather then on to Beaufort for breakfast where no. 6 Clayton finally caught up with us after following his TomTom to the wrong BP in Hoppers Crossing instead of Brooklyn...ooops lol...
From there we rode on to Ararat then diverted off the highway through to Moyston and arriving in Halls Gap after a more enjoyable and scenic route through windy roads and beautiful green and golden fields with the hue of blue from the awe inspiring Grampians mountains....
No-one to greet us literally, Tim's place was open to all but after tracking him down over at the Petanque!! sandbox we finally checked into our rooms and then went for a cruise through the town and filled up our very empty bikes.
The others had been sightseeing but we all joined up and went for an interesting meal at the Views restaurant. After lunch we took a ride up to the lookout and took a squillon pics before heading back to camp to chillax with a few drinks and snacks and having lots of laughs....even got to talk to a vespa lover from Mt Gambier who used to ride in the club in Adelaide. He recognised the sticker on our bikes as being one that they used to have....
Rested and cleaned up we ventured down the same track into town as the night before but this time no kangaroos to ward off luckily.... Had a very enjoyable dinner at Kookaburras then strolled back to do some more chillaxing with a bit of pingpong on a table littered with a few wine bottles, M&M's and cheezels but that didn't deter the determined...lol.... then Remo got a bonfire happening and we ended up listening to the many versions of fire songs in surround sound on the mobile phones...
Rising the next morning after a sound sleep, well for some of us,..we enjoyed a delicious breakfast before once again donning our riding gear and heading off with Ange leading the way cross country to Skipton...so many dead straight back roads bordered by the pungent canola fields; what a beautiful sight and after yet another ugly encounter with the people running the only café in Skipton we took our patronage to the Foodworks Supermarket and bought snacks to make a delicious impromptu picnic in the main drag.... After curbing the hunger pains the Melbourne and Geelong crews sadly parted. Thankfully the ride home was far more pleasant with a tail wind than the ride up and it wasn't too long before we enjoyed the best coffee for the weekend at Garazi Café in Yarraville where we were warmly welcomed.
Huge weekend covering so many hundreds kms on our vespas, David you were in our thoughts as we got happily sidetracked on the backroads of country Victoria.....
Thank you Tufan and Angela for all the planning, it was a great weekend indeed. Thank you to all who have posted photos as I am sure the readers on this site will enjoy beautiful aussie countryside....
For those who are perhaps less visual this is about the ride up on Friday and what a few of us got up to before the rest arrived:
And yes, thanks to everyone for mucking in and a great weekend.
We stopped along the way. We discovered that country hospitality and customer service hasn't yet found their ways to some places (who mentioned Skipton). Had a good lunch in Dunkeld after watching the Grampains rise out of the horizon.
Then a fantastic ride along narrow roads, trees and rugged outcrops framing the winding road.
Chaotic accommodation arrangements a little surprising, but a half decent meal at the strangest Indian restaurant I've ever seen - resplendent full size fibre glass colourful people and animals from myths and legends.
A walk home in the dark literally surrounded by kangaroos. I made sure I wasn't at the back of the line, and kept telling them I'm a vegetarian, just in case they decided to attack. A fine day. Thank you Vespa friends
Yes Pam, a wonderful long weekend.
Great trip, Tufan and Ang.. thank you very much xx
and Thank you to all for your love , laughs and support :) xxxx
Friday - clear blue skies, no wind, perfect day!
Ride safe everyone!
Hope all goes well everyone.
We will see you on Saturday midday - hoping for a good fast ride up.
Ride safe David, see you at the Gap.
It's now sunny, but windy in Geelong with the cloud thinning out. Take care David, ride safe. See you Friday
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