Cape Liptrap                        Sunday 2nd July, 2006

 

Ben Warden (leader)

Honda CBR929

Cameron Steves

Kawasaki ZX9

Joel Haley (rear rider)

Honda CBR1000

Ern Reeders

Triumph Sprint 955i

It was the best of rides and the worst of rides. It didn’t snow or hail; there was no black ice.  No-one came off or got a puncture.  But there was pretty much everything else.

Ben led the ride clearly aiming to add some new stretches to his encyclopaedic knowledge of South and West Gippsland roads.  A couple of roads marked some time ago on the map might well now be sealed … so our small band set off from Berwick, after speculating about the weather, en route to Korumburra.  We rode out of drizzle but continued on damp surfaces.  Occasionally a matte patch under the cypresses promised some grip but often turned out matte green rather than black.

At Korumburra Ben taped the map in a plastic envelope to his tank.  I’d not seen this before.  Maybe I should’ve wondered why.  Our target was Cape Liptrap but no, the last 8 km was still unsealed but well packed and planing across the corrugations at a hundred was possible.  Drizzle and mist kept visors foggy and roads wet.  At the Cape we put the lighthouse to a use not anticipated by the Parks people. (We rode along the well manicured footpaths,  parked in front of the lighthouse and took some photos … Ed.)

Lunch at Fish Creek involved a restoring spread of potato cakes and dim sims.  Then we were off on the Turton’s Track through Dollar and Dumbalk: reasonable gravel road but the rain got thicker.  On towards Leongatha we had a ten minute fang on dry black stuff and then pushed on to Mt Eccles eventually threading our way down a very slippery dirt road running along a river valley.  A bare rock escarpment accompanied the road and gave the scene the flavour of the film Deliverance.  Just needed a baccy-chawing hick with a shotgun to complete the atmospherics.

Joel was running in his new steed and this stretch gave it a baptism of mud.  Cameron found his Pilot Road rear spinning even under steady throttle and I’m going to complain to Dunlop about the dirt performance of the Race Reps.

The road climbed up into the cloud and visibility was down to about 50 metres.  We stopped for Ben to check the map again; no, not lost, just geographically challenged!  Should we turn back?  Nah, we’re tough. A bit further on we hit the Korumburra – Warragul road at Strezelecki.  Phew.  Then back to Drouin.  White Magna turns in front of Ben; could have been nasty.  Bikes larded with grey silt.

It was the kind of ride which reminds you that good riding can mean more than a fine fast line through a sweeper.  It means exploring (inc. 39km of dirt), coping with the conditions, camaraderie and having to wash every inch of your bike – even the warning lights tucked under the screen.  Thanks Ben! 

   

Ern Reeders