This was the route that I took.
I began off the train at Moe, had lunch there before riding through the Haunted Hills, then cut across to Yinnar.
Yinnar Railway Station Reserve
Then I rode on to Boolarra
The Old Pub
The operating pub will allow cyclists and travellers to camp on their tree-shaded grounds.
I headed up the Morwell River Road
For the first night's camp I ended up playing the 'troll under the bridge' as I had passed a number of camping sites but they were all taken by groups, and then there was a long stretch with no sites and steep valley sides.
Next morning I was disturbed on my constitutional by a logging crew dropping in.
The valley ride in the morning was gorgeous
Up on the Grand Ridge Road I turned off down the Gunyah-Toora Rd
and took in the view from Mt Fatigue
That night was a very quiet camp at Dingo Dell
Morning sun
I met a few of the locals
Checked out the view back down towards my camp
Then after a big climb back to the Grand Ridge, headed off down the Albert River Rd
Soon I dropped in at Hiawatha
At the Falls of Minnie Ha Ha, I had a long chat and lunch with a local couple from McLaughlins Beach over past Yarram who were in charge of looking after the Falls Reserve. They told me a bit about the users of the reserve and its significant popularity on long weekends.
Then I rode out through Jacks River to Yarram and had a caravan park campsite
Main street Yaram on a wet morning
The courthouse (now the tourist info centre) was very attractve
I continued out to a lunch-stop at Devon North by the hall.
Next stretch was the delightful ride up Tarra Valley, which I had not ridden for over 20 years. You forget how lovely some roads can be.
At the Tarra Valley Caravan Park I got a coffee then asked about a campsite. I was stunned to find they were fully booked - not even space for my one small tent (Thurs before Easter
) It was still early, so I decided to make for Balook, another 20kms up the range. Along the way I stopped in at the National Park, which was deserted, and was the sole walker on the trail to the Tarra Falls.
Climbing to the Grand Ridge again was a fern-lined delight
Then at the ridge I was riding through the dead stags left from Black Saturday
At Balook it was now late, getting cold, and I hunted around for the old Balook school site. I found it but was quite surprised by what was there.
I needed water and was looking for a tap or tank. Down the slope was a toilet block.... then I saw a hot-water unit
Inside were showers (not working, no water in the tank). Back at the school building I found a HUGE tank, but no tap. The taps were in the building. I really did not have quite enough water, and I found a widow un-latched. Pushed it up. And climbed in and filled up the water bucket, then realised it was warmer in here. So I ate dinner and spent the evening inside
But it was like an armageddon movie. This was an abandoned school camp. It was used right through from the late 70s until 2009. There was still plenty of food in the pantry, but all use-by-dates of 2009. The Black Saturday fires had stalled the camp, and destroyed the dormitory blocks. Then the food handling, fire protection, and other OHS regulations made the whole school camp idea just too difficult. A colleague of mine it turns out was the Outdoor Ed Coordinator for much of this time for the school that ran the camp.
The other option if you plan to stay at Balook is to drop in at the Tarra-Bulga Guesthouse. The people who run it are a lovely Danish couple. They have rooms available, but also have a very nice grassed area out the back
I had never seen this thread.
