Following the Murray River in Australia on my Valkyrie

[8Track]

Hi all,

Late last year I took off on a solo journey, following the Murray River on my Valkyrie standard. I made regular updates on my Facebook page and many people really enjoyed it.

I'll copy and paste my posts here each day to share it in a belated fashion with you all.

Here goes:

UPDATE 1 FROM THE ROAD...
Just finished lunch at Morgan on the Murray and now heading to Renmark. Travelled 225kms from home. The bike hasn't missed a beat, and is sipping fuel at a low 5.7 litres per 100 kms. I had to stop at a mower shop in Oakbank just 35kms from home for a mechanical issue. I'd changed the diff oil and noticed the o ring on the fill cap was a bit sketchy. Unfortunately it didn't hold up and a small leak was evident. Rob at Oakbank Mowers to the rescue with a new o ring for $2.00 and I was on my way. Here's Rob in the photo.

[robin]

That Valk will give you no problems because it is the most reliable color out there, good luck

[DDT (12)]

8Track,

Many of us on here enjoy rides like the one it appears you have made. Thanks for sharing it with us! Nothing can take the place of actually making such a ride, but reading about one is pretty doggone good too. Looking forward to more...

DDT

P.S. I couldn't make hide nor hair out of your fuel consumption stats!  No problem, though, just a common people, speaking a common language, being separated only by not so common measurements.  lol  Just kidding, please feel free to tell your story anyway you want!!!

[Pappy!]

I'm in. Ride reports like this one are great!

[Willow]

... I couldn't make hide nor hair out of your fuel consumption stats!  ...

My math arrives at very close to 50 MPG.  That's some gentle riding and a well tuned Valkyrie.   

[8Track]

The Valkyrie ready to set off.



I had no idea the Murray was the third longest negotiable river in the world!



The Murray at Walkers Flat.



Looking upstream at Walkers Flat - the direction I'm heading.



UPDATE 2 FROM THE ROAD....
Stopped at Monash Adventure Park for a break. I haven't been here in 30 years since a road trip with Nigel Sampson in his LC Torana back in 1985. It has improved out of sight and I am enjoying the cool grass under a shady tree!

[8Track]

Here's a map to give you an idea as to where I was going.

[Oss]

looking forward to more of the trip

[da prez]

  We have been to Australia but no bike. In a cage with my wife and two friends. Next trip we will post our arrival and find a bike to ride. Posting our arrival will give every one a chance to hide.
  Those of you thinking of going , just do it.  There is a lot to see and do.

                              da prez 

[czuch]

We went to OZ in the Navy. Greatest port on the cruise.
I'd go on but it would sound like a commercial.

[8Track]

UPDATE 3 FROM THE ROAD...
Following my stop in Monash I went straight for Mildura via Renmark. I didn't stop in Renmark but it looks like a nice place. I've found a nice caravan park on the NSW side of the river in Mildura and pitched my tent for the night. Site fee was only $10.00!
I took advantage of the pool to soak the road away and am now enjoying a Chinese meal in town.
Rode 480 kms today. Nice and comfortable! Bike is going great!

[8Track]

Thanks for the kind words about Australia guys. I came across these comments by a visiting American which you may find interesting:

Australia: an American's view
Interesting set of observations from a visitor from the other side of the Pacific.'Value what you have and don't give it away.' There's a lot to admire about Australia, especially if you're a visiting American, says David Mason. More often than you might expect, Australian friends patiently listening to me enthuse about their country have said, ''We need outsiders like you to remind us what we have.'' So here it is - a small presumptuous list of what one foreigner admires in Oz.
1... Health care. I know the controversies, but basic national health care is a gift. In America, medical expenses are a leading cause of bankruptcy. The drug companies dominate politics and advertising.
Obama is being crucified for taking halting baby steps towards sanity. You can't turn on the telly without hours of drug advertisements - something I have never yet seen here. And your emphasis on prevention - making cigarettes less accessible, for one - is a model.
2... Food. Yes, we have great food in America too, especially in the big cities.
But your bread is less sweet, your lamb is cheaper, and your supermarket vegetables and fruits are fresher than ours.
Too often in my country an apple is a ball of pulp as big as your face.
The dainty Pink Lady apples of Oz are the juiciest I've had. And don't get me started on coffee.
In American small towns it tastes like water flavoured with burnt dirt, but the smallest shop in the smallest town in Oz can make a first-rate latte.
I love your ubiquitous bakeries, your hot-cross buns. Shall I go on?
3... Language. How do you do it?
The rhyming slang and Aboriginal place names like magic spells.
Words that seem vaguely English yet also resemble an argot from another planet.
I love the way institutional names get turned into diminutives - Vinnie's and Salvos - and absolutely nothing's sacred.
Everything's an opportunity for word games and everyone's a nickname.
Lingo makes the world go round.
It's the spontaneous wit of the people that tickles me most.
Late one night at a barbie my new mate Suds remarked, ''Nothing's the same since 24-7.'' Amen.
4... Free-to-air TV. In Oz, you buy a TV, plug it in and watch some of the best programming I've ever seen - uncensored.
In America, you can't get diddly-squat without paying a cable or satellite company heavy fees.
In Oz a few channels make it hard to choose.
In America, you've got 400 channels and nothing to watch.
5... Small shops. Outside the big cities in America corporations have nearly erased them.
Identical malls with identical restaurants serving inferior food.
Except for geography, it's hard to tell one American town from another.
The ''take-away'' culture here is wonderful.
Human encounters are real - stirring happens, stories get told.
The curries are to die for. And you don't have to tip!
6... Free camping. We used to have this too, and I guess it's still free when you backpack miles away from the roads.
But I love the fact that in Oz everyone owns the shore and in many places you can pull up a camper van and stare at the sea for weeks.
I love the ''primitive'' and independent campgrounds, the life out of doors.
The few idiots who leave their stubbies and rubbish behind in these pristine places ought to be transported in chains.
7... Religion. In America, it's everywhere - especially where it's not supposed to be, like politics.
I imagine you have your Pharisees too, making a big public show of devotion, but I have yet to meet one here.
8... Roads. Peak hour aside, I've found travel on your roads pure heaven.
My country's ''freeways'' are crowded, crumbling, insanely knotted with looping overpasses - it's like racing homicidal maniacs on fraying spaghetti.
I've taken the Hume without stress, and I love the Princes Highway when it's two lanes.
Ninety minutes south of Bateman's Bay I was sorry to see one billboard for a McDonald's.
It's blocking a lovely paddock view. Someone should remove it.
9... Real multiculturalism. I know there are tensions, just like anywhere else, but I love the distinctiveness of your communities and the way you publicly acknowledge the Aboriginal past.
Recently, too, I spent quality time with Melbourne Greeks, and was gratified both by their devotion to their own great language and culture and their openness to an Afghan lunch.
10. Fewer guns. You had Port Arthur in 1996 and got real in response. America replicates such massacres several times a year and nothing changes.
Why?
Our religion of individual rights makes the good of the community an impossible dream.
Instead of mateship we have ''It's mine and nobody else's''.
We talk a great game about freedom, but too often live in fear.
There's more to say - your kaleidoscopic birds, your perfumed bush in springtime, your vast beaches.
These are just a few blessings that make Australia a rarity.
Of course, it's not paradise - nowhere is - but I love it here.
No need to wave flags like Americans and add to the world's windiness.
Just value what you have and don't give it away.
David Mason is a US writer and professor, and poet laureate of Colorado.

[Rams]

Thanks for the kind words about Australia guys. I came across these comments by a visiting American which you may find interesting:

Australia: an American's view
SNIP
David Mason is a US writer and professor, and poet laureate of Colorado.

Mr. Mason's opinion doesn't surprise me now that I read his description.   Please don't think I meant that as a knock on Australia, wasn't meant that way.   I'm thinking you should keep him in Australia.   He seems happier there.

Nice trip and enjoyed reading about it.

[8Track]

Mr. Mason's opinion doesn't surprise me now that I read his description.   Please don't think I meant that as a knock on Australia, wasn't meant that way.   I'm thinking you should keep him in Australia.   He seems happier there.

Nice trip and enjoyed reading about it.

Hey That's cool Rams. I don't want you blokes to think I was making a statement about America by posting that either. I absolutely loved my time in the USA. Wonderful people everywhere I went.

Cheers,

Mark

[8Track]

UPDATE 4 FROM THE ROAD...
Sleeping in the tent last night wasn't all that great. Wind whistling, birds chirping, leaves dropping, and rabbits rustling all conspired to keep me awake! Tonight I'll be using earplugs.
Beautiful sunny weather today. Up early, showered and packed for the road. Went into Mildura for breakfast at a great cafe. All the people in town were very friendly with many "good mornings " and other forms of acknowledgement from passers-by. And not a single mobile phone zombie to be seen anywhere.
I dropped into the Honda dealer and bought a throttle palm rest. This must be the best $6.00 I've ever spent. It allows you keep the throttle constant without needing to tightly grip the handlebar. A massive plus for comfort on a long journey.
I'm currently in Robinvale having avoided the Murray Valley Highway and tried to follow the river as closely as possible. My route has taken me through massive expanses of fruit groves and vineyards, as well as wheat fields and peanut plantations. Also had about 60 kms of scrub that is home to kangaroos. The road was narrow and the scrub came right to the edges of the road so I dropped the speed to 75 km/h just in case one jumped out. It was tedious but the risk was too high otherwise.
Robinvale itself is very small and sleepy. Here's a picture of the main street and the town's best candidate for a marketing makeover, The Bargain Basement Gift shop!

[Rams]

I've always wanted to ride New Zealand, Australia has now been added to my bucket list.   

[Misfit]

Keep em coming Mate. I am enjoying your ride.  

[Rams]

Keep em coming Mate. I am enjoying your ride.  

Please do, by all means.   Would love to ride Australia!!
Only way that is going to happen is through your stories.   

[8Track]

Thanks guys. I wish I had more photos of the countryside to share with you, but to be honest when you're riding along and taking it all in, the last thing you want to do is stop.

I'll post up the next update later today.

Cheers!

[Bighead]

I understand I have ridden some great and beautiful country from coast to coast in the US and into Canada out to Nova Scotia to Key west to the Mexico Boarder in TeXas and only have about 15-20 pictures to prove it but I got the memories 

[8Track]

UPDATE 5 FROM THE ROAD...
After Robinvale I set sail for Swan Hill. On the way there I encountered a Harley Come and Ride day so I stopped to take a look at the new innovations like water cooling!The whole crew was very unfriendly and seemed rankled by my Honda jacket and sensible white full faced helmet. After taking a couple of photos I decided it was time to leave. Literally a couple of minutes later a group of them were rapidly approaching from behind with the clear intention of showing me who was boss. I dropped the Valk back into 3rd and opened her up. No- one caught me and after I'd had a little fun on a straight piece of road I backed off. They all blew past me into the distance. About three minutes later I rounded a bend and they were all pulled over by the boys in blue!

[Bighead]

That is called SWEET Justice  

[Jess from VA]

They all blew past me into the distance. About three minutes later I rounded a bend and they were all pulled over by the boys in blue!

   

I just never get tired of hearing this story.  And I've heard (and experienced) it a number of times.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Probably really irked them that your Honda is sporting the Harley colors also. 

[8Track]

UPDATE 6 FROM THE ROAD....
I made Swan Hill but thought I'd better not hang around too long for obvious reasons. I stopped long enough to grab a lime and soda at the pub and unfortunately catch the TV news about Paris. It was getting late, about 4pm, and I still had about 200kms to get to Echuca for the night.
I don't like to be on the road after 5:30 as the kangaroos start moving around as the sun drops in the sky. So I figured I'd stop in Kerang, about halfway and make it up tomorrow.
However when I got there and checked out the standard of accommodation I decided to keep going. I hit Echuca at 6:30pm.
I found a great spot to stay and have just had a pizza at the very popular Star Hotel.
There's a band out the back playing a good rendition of Living End's version of Tainted Love as I type this. Now going to head back there for a look before going back to my tent!

UPDATE 7 FROM THE ROAD...
Last night after seeing the cover band I went across the road to the Shamrock Hotel and found a fantastic original country/rock band from Melbourne called the Iain Archibald Band. Four young guys who really have their crap together, writing really great, well arranged songs, excellent vocals and high levels of musicianship all around. Very switched on marketers too. I bought their CD. Look them up as they are well worth it, even if you're not a fan of country.

[8Track]

UPDATE 8 FROM THE ROAD....
Echuca is a great place with a thriving pub, cafe and restaurant scene. This morning I took Phil Egel's advice and took a trip on a paddle steamer. The old girl was quaint, but I did find the steam engine itself quite impressive. The engineer was using it as a pie warmer!
After the trip is finished I'll get back on the bike and head for the Hume Weir where I'll stop for the night.

[8Track]

My Campsite at Echuca

[8Track]

UPDATE 9 FROM THE ROAD...
Well I made it to Lake Hume this afternoon as planned. An easy ride from Echuca via Cobram and Rutherglen. I was quite surprised at at how sleepy and somewhat run down the town Centre of Rutherglen was. It's a far cry from McLaren Vale and The Barossa which are in a class well above!
I met some lovely lady bikers in Echuca who clued me in on some additional sights to see whilst here in the high country.
It's been flat the whole way from the backside of the Adelaide Hills, so to get my first glimpses of the mountains as I neared Wodonga was a treat.
On the way up to the lake I got stopped at roadworks and took this quick snap of the view towards Albury.
Feeling pretty bushed tonight so a quick bite to eat at the Kinross Woolshed pub and then back to the tent for an early night. Cheers!

[Medina]

whoa, great trip

thanks for posting

[Jess from VA]

Cool trip, thanks for sharing.

Any crocs in that river?  I was looking for Crocodile Dundee.   

[RP#62]

Thanks for doing this.  Really enjoying it.

-RP

[Jopson]

Great reports so far 8track, it's nice to see other parts of the world! Keep up the good work sir!

[8Track]

UPDATE 10 FROM THE ROAD...
There is one word to describe the high country in Victoria and NSW: MAGNIFICENT! Today I did what I came all this way for. A 250 km loop out from Wodonga via Tallangatta to Corryong and Towong. If I had more time I could have continued to Mt Kosiousko which is something to come back for.
From Towong I proceeded to Walwa and Jindelic where I took a spur of the moment decision to leave the Murray and go to Tumbarrumba. My reason being that the Hoodoo Gurus have a song about the town so I thought it would be good to see what they were singing about.
I then retraced my route through logging country and dairy farms back to the Murray and then continued along it back to the Hume Weir and over the visually spectacular Bethanga bridge.
The scenery was stunning, the roads all but deserted and the bike was happily singing it's 6 cylinder tune. From a riders perspective the first half is a joy to behold. Fast sweepers, one after the other, with great hazard visibility, and excellent road surfaces. After Jindelic though, the road conditions are variable, kangaroo laden scrub right up to to Road edges, and the going gets a bit more technical and challenging.
I wish I could have taken loads of photos but there wasn't really anywhere safe to pull over. Here's one I took at a lookout between Towong and Walwa. It's looking south towards the Snowy Mountains with the Murray on the left.

[8Track]

This is Lake Hume - the view from my tent!

[8Track]

UPDATE 11 FROM THE ROAD...
Lat night after a relaxing swim I went into Albury for dinner, a Jungle Curry from a nice Thai restaurant, followed by a movie, Bridge of Spies. Coming out of the theatre at 11pm I was surprised at how quiet the town was. Not a single moving vehicle did I see all the way through Albury and Wodonga main streets!
Up early this morning and on my way home. I rode non-stop from Lake Hume to Echuca, 248kms, and arrived for breakfast at 10:20am. Just enjoying a quick coffee and pie at the Moama bakery before filling up and heading for Mildura.
It's been a cool morning but has started heating up here in Echuca. It will be a hot afternoon on the bike, but I have 1.5 litres of water with me.

[8Track]

UPDATE 12 FROM THE ROAD
Well this is the end of the journey. Writing this final update from home, back in Adelaide. After leaving Echuca the temperature started soaring and the wind picked up from the west as I rode into a hot weather front. The head wind was making things very uncomfortable and the buffeting increases the amount of course corrections ten fold on a bike. A long journey under these conditions can get fatiguing very quickly.
By the time I hit Swan Hill it was 38 degrees and my jacket, kevlar jeans, boots, gloves and helmet were all making me really feel the heat. I can only imagine how much worse a black open face helmet would be.
I needed a break and lo and behold I saw a public swimming pool. For an entrance fee of $3.60 I treated myself to the most refreshing road break ever! Top tip - always pack your bathers!
After the swim I saturated my jacket and jeans under the shower, got dressed and hit the road sopping wet. It's amazing how cool this makes you feel at 100 km/h. The cooling effect really only lasts for about 35 kms and I was bone dry again after 50!
My plan for the ride home was to do it over two days with an overnight stop in Mildura, however the forecast was for even hotter conditions the next day. In the back of my mind I was wondering if I should just press on and get it done in one day.
Half way between Swan Hill and Robinvale is a fork in the road where the Mallee Highway from Sydney to Adelaide crossed my path on the Murray Valley Highway, offering a shorter, more direct route back to Adelaide. It takes you away from the river and through some pretty barren, hot, featureless plains, and directly into headwinds and the setting sun.
It was decision time. Stick to the original plan or take a left turn and put myself through worse conditions with the payoff of being home that night?
I made the turn onto the Mallee and hunkered down for a long hot spell.
I stopped in a tiny town not far past the turn to refuel and used their tap to soak myself down again. It was 100kms to the next town, Ouyen. On the way there I saw pieces of shredded tyre on the road which I took great care to dodge. The last thing I needed was a piece of steel belt piercing one of my tyres.
I came over a crest and the entire tread off a tyre was across my path. No oncoming traffic, so I swerved onto the oncoming lane to avoid it.
A little way down the road was a caravan pulled over on the verge, with a de laminated tyre on the van. I stopped to make sure the people were ok and offer my assistance. They said they were fine, but their spare tyre was all but flat and they were 60kms from Ouyen. So I got out my puncture kit and put two cylinders of Co2 into their spare which got them on their way. Man it was hot out there and the flies were swarming all over us. I was pleased to get going again.
I stopped at Ouyen for a drink, called home to advise of the change of plan and drenched myself again.
After what felt like an eternity I crossed the border into South Australia and refuelled in Pinaroo, again wetting myself down. I stopped again in Murrayville as my body was protesting very loudly. Neck, shoulders, knees and forearms all aching. No headache though. The white helmet and keeping my fluids up were doing the trick. I ate a can of chilli beef that I carried on the bike for exactly these situations, and washed it down with water and a couple of barley sugars for energy. Soaked my jacket again and I was on my way.
The ride to Tailem Bend felt like it was never going to end. The sun was dropping into the horizon directly ahead and the road sides were lined with scrub. A high risk of kangaroos compounded by poor visibility thanks to the setting sun. I grit my teeth and scanned back and forth, left to right the whole way. I did see some 'roos but they were thankfully feeding about 30 metres off the road.
From Tailem Bend I proceeded to the Wellington Ferry to cross the Murray for the final leg home of an hour's riding through Strathalbyn and Meadows.
As I waited for the ferry the wind dropped along with the temperature. After crossing the river one of the cars on the ferry immediately overtook me, speeding towards Strathalbyn. As he got further into the distance I could see he kept hitting the dirt verge, throwing up dust clouds. There was a mild s-bend which he disappeared into, again throwing up dust. I went through the bend expecting to see him up ahead on a longish straight. He was nowhere to be seen! I didn't think he could have rounded the next bend by the time I'd come through the s-bend.
"Oh crap, maybe he's crashed off the road and I went straight past him" I wondered. I pulled up and rode back to the s-bend to check. Fortunately I couldn't see him anywhere and there were no signs of a vehicle having left the road. I turned around again and headed for home. He must have been doing 150km/h or more to get so far ahead of me - bloody idiot!

The ride from Strathalbyn to home was pleasantly cool and I arrived home 13 hours and 40 minutes after leaving the Hume Lake, just east of Albury Wodonga. Total distance covered in one day was 940kms. I can tell you it felt like a marathon.

Here's a picture of the pool in Swan Hill where I had the most refreshing break.

[Misfit]

Thanks for sharing. 

[8Track]

Thanks to those that responded.

I thought this might have spurred a little more conversation than it has. Not to worry, next time I'll take more scenery and bike shots.

[Oss]

I did enjoy your ride report.

100 degrees F (38 celsius) when you are already tired is not a game, you need covering and lots of hydration to avoid heat stroke.

As you found out sometimes you just have to settle down and ride thru it. At least you did not encounter any sandstorms or tornadoes


Glad it all worked out.

Oss

Yeah more pics next time would be great, I have found that waitresses love to be in ride blogs (secretary audition shots)

[Ice]

Thanks to those that responded.

I thought this might have spurred a little more conversation than it has. Not to worry, next time I'll take more scenery and bike shots.

Thanks for letting us ride along.
As for more conversation, don't worry many of us were reading and riding with you, they just do not comment.
I feel your pain of covering 600 miles (940 km) in a day, we have done that many times here, in both the ice and the heat, but once you reflect back, it was all worth it in the end. The pain of the long day fades but the fond memories remain with you forever.