Sun 26^th Boxing Day It was drizzly rain in Melbourne and the forecast looked bleak. Finished loading bike onto trailer, hitched up to Hyundai, and locked 2 push bikes into new A frame carrier, before heading off up the Hume Highway to Mt Buffalo Caravan Park, Porepukah. Julie and Laura (13 y.o.) traveled in the Magna with the tents and provisions, Robert (10 y.o.) with me in the Hyundai. Left about midday, arriving about 4 pm after stopping at Glenrowan for fuel and ice-cream. Set up camp – big tent and two 3-man dome tents for Laura and Robert in the dry, but threatening weather. Hit finger three times with hammer driving pegs into rocky river soil. BBQ for tea. No other MTCVers.

Monday 27^th 40 mm of rain overnight, dome tents wet, big tent slight dripping at seams. Rough night with rain and wind. Headed for Bright Bakery for excellent thick steak, cheese and bacon pies. Decided to tour around in car due to showery weather persisting,

Visited Bright Tourist Information shop and collected brochures of nearby attractions. Checked out Tawonga Gap lookout – misty, then on to Alpaca farm (like llamas) which are grown for their wool – no lanolin – hence not greasy. Highly prized and highly valued - $15-25,000 each! Headed north to Yackandandah to Schmidts Strawberry Wine farm for tastings and a couple of punnets of strawberries. Onto Vienna Patisserie (Austrian style log cabin, authentic national costume waitress) for hot chocolates and cakes. Lygon Street has better variety and value.

Next Yackandandah Rose garden – shut on Monday’s. Considered gold Mine Tour but at $35 for family with few details decided not. Wayne and Verity said it was good. Checked out shops – much like Maldon heritage town.

On to Eldorado Gold Dredge via a back road shortcut which involved a creek crossing which, at more than 1 metre deep, was impassable in the car. Back to the highway and fuel at Beechworth. Dredge proved amazing: 100 metres long, 112 buckets each digging 3 cubic metres of soil in a giant chain saw arrangement able to dig 98 feet deep. This monster worked its way up the rivers and creeks, processing the river beds and embankment sands, chemically removing the gold using cyanide after pulverising the mixtures. An environmental disaster that eventually proved uneconomic. Laura slept through this, late nights taking their toll. Robert read aloud alternate numbered information boards, threw stones and chased rabbits.

Back to camp to find Ian and Kerrie, Wayne and Verity, Les Leahy, Danny Kosinski, Rob and Kirsten had arrived. Jumped on bike and headed up to Mt Buffalo, roads generally wet. First ride in two and a half weeks, bike proving a little reluctant to start after having sat in the rain for 2 days, or more likely, fuel had evaporated from carbies, followed by flooding. Les gave me a push. No joy. And then it started as if nothing was wrong. A set of plugs wouldn’t go astray. BBQ for tea. Laura and Rob slept in car without mattresses, and did so for remaining nights.

Tuesday 28^th Rain stopped; warm and overcast. Jumped on bike and did quick 100 km loop around Tawonga Gap, Lower Dederang road to Ovens and back to camp. Mt Buffalo in evening.

Laura and Robert, after being bribed with $5 each for lunch, rode the 6 km into Bright via the back Porepunkah bike track, meeting Danny. Julie and I drove to Milawa and sampled splendid cheeses from the Cheese Factory, a selection of ports and shiraz’ from Brown Brothers wines, purchasing a bottle of port, finishing at the Bakery for late lunch consisting of salad sandwiches and coffee before returning to camp.

We all drove to rainbow trout fish farm at Smoko but closed. Also checked out nearby salmon fish farm, also closed. To avoid starvation we puchased a whole chicken from Bright Supermarket and BBQed it with baked potatoes for tea. Smoky campfire session – wet wood and leaves scavenged by Danny keeping mosquitoes at bay!

Wednesday 29^th On our bikes, Ian and I did an early morning loop across Tawonga Gap, up the Highway to the lower Dederang road, across to Ovens, and then a dawdle down the highway to camp. Later that night we rode up Mt Buffalo, possibly the best mountain pass in the area.

Drove Julie and kids to National Park Kiosk at base of Mt Buffalo and then walked 2 km to Eurobin Falls, and further 750 meters to various lookouts on way to top of falls before returning to car. The idea of walking up hill for kilometres lost its appeal for Robert after the first 50 metres. He trudged along at his own pace, eventually making it. Pies at Bright Bakery including cheese and broccoli improved everyone’s spirits. Then a 20 km drive to Smoko to the fish farm to catch the evening meal at $8.50 per kg, cleaned. Excellent value. Barbequed trout for tea with avocado salad.

Craig and Paul had arrived and set up camp so we rode to the top of Mt Buffalo. Craig had never had the pleasure before, and was suitably impressed, quickly getting into the swing of things, bald tyre and all. At the top junction we were waved down by Karen on a ZZR600, having lost her key whilst riding. Two other R1 riders were looking for the key. Danny K. arrived soon after with Rob McCall passenger in his long suffering gold Magna and soon was flagging down all and sundry, trying to get a key to fit. Eventually the bike was picked up by a council road patrol vehicle and returned to Bright where a lock smith was summoned (we presume) to generate a new key. Much merriment was made of the situation, since the boyfriend had deliberately turned the engine off (even after being warned by all on-lookers not to do so) using a stick in the ignition, and of course the bike was then un-startable! Didn’t like his chances that night! Suffice to say we saw her riding around late the next day.

Communal BBQ and wood fire. Thanks Kerrie (?) who bought a bag of dry wood. The Age trivia quiz, Scrabble and Rummy King games provided entertainment for some, as per most nights.

Thursday 30^th Beautiful weather. Ben and Julie went on bike for tour of Buckland Valley Road, returning to Wandilligong and Australia’s largest living hedge maze noting a giant twelve egg, 6 inch high sponge cake topped with passion fruit icing in the tourist oriented reception area. Ate scones and cream and mugs of coffee. Then rode loop around Tawaonga Gap and Lower Dederang Road to Ovens, stopping off at the Deer Farm.

Evening quick blat up the mountain followed by steak sandwiches for tea. Campfire session.

Friday 31^st . Last day of millenium, New Year’s Eve. Ben lead the gang of Ian, Craig, Paul and Wayne on Hotham via Tawonga Gap ride. Much confusion in beginning with various delays resulting in Wayne lost. He got an insect in his eye and ended up at the chemist but made a rapid recovery and continued on to Falls Creek. The rest of us rode to Mt Hotham and Dinner Plain for lunch, (excellent chicken rice rissotto), the last 5 km in mist and rain which cleared once we returned to more sensible altitudes. Dropped into the fish farm on the way back to admire the larger specimens. Creeks have been diverted providing flowing water in a very natural looking environment.

Meanwhile Danny accompanied Julie and kids to Wandilligong Maze and later Smoko for more trout for tea. Cooked in foil with butter, lemon slices and lashings of crushed garlic, they are magnificent, though Rob and Kirsten traded theirs with Danny for a slice of canned spam one night.

Robert and Danny went swimming in the river after we blew up the large truck tyre tubes. Stewart, a friend of Pauls, and his father-in-law riding a Harley, arrived and set up camp.

That evening, after the toll booth was closed, we ventured up the mountain again, Les and Craig, Julie and I, in Julie’s wagon, Ian, Paul and Stewart (GPx250) riding up. Danny and Robert went flying past in the gold Magna menace, having left sometime after us. Hmm. He refuels regularly and his front mud-flaps were taking a beating as the nose of his magna dug in under brakes. What a wasted talent.

The plan was to walk the one km to the underground river and have a look at the cave system. Half way there Julie figured torches wouldn’t go astray so I retrieved a couple from the car. A veritable torrent of water was spewing forth from the mountain. The more adventurous of us managed to climb up and down in the crevices between the large bolders, much like Labertouche Caves. It was potentially dangerous and ill equipped as we were, we reluctantly withdrew after 20 minutes or so of exploring.

Back at the Chalet carpark we sampled each of the lookouts as the sun sank lower and lower, noting a fluorescent green spec on the opposite cliff wall, apparently a suspended tent half way down the 200 metre cliff, the occupant clearly intending to sleep the millenium away. Each to their own. Robert fed the Crimson Rosellas with bread as they wandered over his arms and shoulders.

The return trip down the mountain induced near motion sickness in Les as we pursued the bikes, noting Stewart’s hopping rear wheel as he stuck like glue to Paul’s rear wheel. Running wide on one corner he managed to all but recover before giving it a handful in the soft dirt, the rear stepping out and dumping him unceremoniously at zero km/h, the bike spinning slowly down the road. Minor cosmetic damage only. Speeds reduced in the car, Les felt queasy, but survived.

Communal BBQ followed by board games and a visit to the caravan park’s organised Rock and Roll Party to welcome in the new year. Thanks to Ian and Kerrie who produced a sparkler each and a bag of 100 party poppers to commemorate the occasion. They were good fun. Later we returned to the camp site where Rob entertained us with fireworks – the rocket variety. Apparently they are legal to purchase in Canberra. 1.30 am retired to bed.

Saturday 1^st January, 2000 New year’s Day. Rose groggily at 7am, locked bikes onto trailer, ZXR loaded night before, threw in bags of clothes, dome tents, and all the bike gear. Hit road by 7.30 am to be at work at 11.45 am, after negotiating being locked out of the house!

Left Julie to sleep in and return to Melbourne at her leisure. Thanks to Craig, Paul, Stewart and others for their help collapsing and folding the big tent, and general assistance. I think they were impressed how small it folds up to. And then getting everything in the wagon.

Summary: I think every one had a good time, other than self inflicted alcohol ills. Though only 16 people attended, considering the weather in Melbourne, and the forecasts, this was a good attendance. Wayne and Verity, Rob and Kirsten booked cabins, but the rest of us survived happily enough in tents. The weather was apparently significantly better in Bright than in Melbourne, only one day being too wet to ride. I don’t believe anyone put wet weather clothing on any day.

Thanks to Danny Kosinski for his interest in entertaining kids. At one stage he had about 30 kids at his BMX school teaching them how to ride on the back wheel and do jumps. Only two ended up in the river. He didn’t bring his VFR due to a crook neck as a result of a work injury. We hope it heals rapidly and fully. Note: Ian was also suffering from pretty severe neck pain at time, trying various remedies. He soldiered on slowly coming to grips with his new touring bike, the CBR900.

The Caravan Park Managers were very generous and trusting when it came time to pay the bill and the Club only payed for sites used, which was less than we booked. The Club lost no money.