Got a way for the weekend, to St Arnaud

A few weeks ago my mate Skip said there was a weekend bike trip on to sort out the last night of the upcoming trek. I was undecided about going, especially with the huge work load due to this stupid tender I’m responding to. Then I realised I really needed to get away on the bike for a weekend and take a break. I was pretty wound up with work and leaving my Martial Arts behind. I decided to take Skip up on the offer. If only I’d known how wet and cold it was going to be…

The weather was great on Friday, sunny and not too cold for this time of the year. I’d had both (heated) handgrips replaced a few weeks back and my r1150gs had had a major service, so it was running pretty well. When I woke on Saturday it looked like the weather folks had got it wrong; a few clouds but a generally sunny day. By the time I’d thrown a spare pair of clothes and boots in the panniers, there was more cloud than sky and a nice chill in the air.

We left Skips and picked up Ray in Coburg. From there it was a slow commute across to the Tullamarine Freeway and then up the Calder. By the time we’d reached the Black Forest, the sky was grey and the handgrips were on to “warm”. For this section I was trying out using the iPod, with the iPod in my top pocket and the earphones inside the helmet. Unfortunately you don’t get the same quality with the air whistling through the helmet; the sound was decidedly tinny (but still a reasonable distraction). The real challenge was the earphones, getting the helmet on and off (particularly off) was interesting. Even worse was the earphone cable swinging around in the breeze and getting caught on buttons and flaps on my jacket. I nearly ripped them out at one point. I need to work on this!

We turned off the main drag at Woodend and headed towards Daylseford via Trentham. If it’s going to be cold anywhere in Victoria it would be in Trentham (and probably Ballarat too). We weren’t disappointed; there was a blanked of thick fog spreading 20-odd kays either side of town. It got better as we neared Daylesford. We stopped for lunch at a pub the other side of Daylesford with a great roaring fire going. The steak sandwiches with chips were brilliant, but the turkish bread made them way too filling.

Whilst eating the publican highlighted that we were about to get wet arses. Sure enough whilst sitting there, the rain had started. It was a light drizzle. We headed off through Smeaton and Clunes as the drizzle got heavier. Somewhere along the way, it turned to rain. Bugger! A quick pit stop in Avoca, fighting through a hundred layers of clothing (as you do), and it was on up the road to St Arnaud.

By the time we reached the Botanical Hotel, our western Victoria colleagues were there and already drying their clothes in front of the fire. I was soaked up both fore-arms; long sleeve t-shirt, windcheater, jumper, jacket liner and jacket. My non-waterproof summer gloves were soaked, funnily enough. Sodding bike gear soon surrounded the fire and we got changed into some dry clothes. Much better.

We did a lap of the town. Of the seven pubs I saw, only three were operational (two were apparently being renovated). One of these was on the outskirts of town and the other didn’t impress at all. Looks like we’d picked the only viable option. The main street has a ton of character, as most of the old gold-mining towns around Victoria do, but this had a definite feel of decay around it. We headed back for dinner and were advised by one of the staff to get in early as they were booked out. It seems the pubs restaurant is the local favourite for a night out and there were a lot of familys there. The meal was excellent; the bring you your main with chips (parma!) and you go to the salad/vegie bar for everything else. Great idea. After that it was back to the bar. It was a busy night, a popular place with the local young crowd and the regulars. Two of the local policewomen dropped by to see how things were, but all were well behaved and the cops seem to work well with the young crowd. I disappeared at about 10:30 to find my electric blanket didn’t work. Bugger again!

I was rudely awoken by my roomie at 8am, who as a shift worker didn’t appreciate a good Sunday sleep in. Breakfast was a simple bowl of cereal, toast and coffee on the balcony. With minimal ginning around, we got some fuel, bade farewell to our colleagues and headed back towards Melbourne. After a brief glint of sunshine, we took in Dunolly and Maldon under a thick grey cloud. IT looked like rain but didn’t eventuate. Morning tea was in a now-trendy Castlemaine. The latte was great and the toasted ham and cheese sandwich wasn’t too bad either. Skip and Ray dug into the eggs and bacon with chilli sauce.

From there it was onto the Calder Freeway and then home. A very short, and wet, weekend. But well worth it. It may have been miserable, but any sort of long ride is great to clear the head. The further I went, the less I fussed about work. The bed last night, especially with the chill, wasn’t great but between the ride, a few bourbons and a big dinner I had a top nights sleep. Even the boring ride down the Calder today was cathartic. I need to get away on the bike more often.