(Story supplied by guest writer - "Smokin" Joe Kenwright)
Ghostriders to Ghost Town
It was so cold loading up the bikes at 6.30am we had to run our fingers under the hot tap to get them working again. And we were riding into the mountains to Walhalla? It didn’t seem possible that we were unloading our bikes in Moe at 8.25am when we had only joined Eastlink at 7.05am at Burwood Highway. After stacking on extra layers, it was time for a coffee and extra fuel for the 50km climb ahead.
With the mist just lifting over the glorious hills in front of us, five of us set off at 9.15, allowing for any latecomers. In classic Warby style, Bill Vandendool set a sustainable pace, with Marie Knight, Joe Kenwright and guest Middle Distance rider Daniel Drury sandwiched between the ever dependable Peter Warren as sweep. The first 10km was undulating Gippsland at its best, as each break in the trees revealed rolling farmlands and magnificent mountains.
This early morning bliss was interrupted by a sharp crack of a chain breaking at the first major hill, a hiccup that took all of four minutes for our sweep to fix. The next 20kms was a steady climb through the forest canopy, about the same gradient as Wandin to Cogs. The road was smooth, views stunning and traffic quiet and careful enough for us to enjoy a good chat as we pounded up the slopes. Weeks of goading each other up to Cogs paid off as we cruised into Erica at 10.55 in a single bunch.
After a quick survey of Erica didn’t produce any more Ghost Riders, we settled for another coffee and chocolate yo-yos (yum) before we headed to the rail trail near Erica. Not easy to find behind the caravan park, the trail is accessed by a rough dirt track before the reassuring sight of a railway cutting confirmed we were on our way. Alternating between a carpet of leaves and small, sharpish rocks, the trail was no threat to the hybrid and touring bikes. It is a steady climb to the Walhalla turn-off where the trail ends and you climb out of it to cross the Traralgon Road. There must have been a road bridge over a cutting at some time as we had to negotiate a steep downhill track to rejoin the rail trail well below the road on the other side.
From there, it was the trail ride made in paradise as we glided through tree ferns and thick forest before we found ourselves carved into the side of an almost vertical drop over the Thomson River. A gentle downhill cruise, broken only by a short walk around a buckled steel trestle bridge, brought us into Thomson station at the river crossing. From there, it was a steady climb by road into Walhalla for a total distance of around 48km after we had cruised the full length of the town.
Sitting in the sun outside Walhalla’s hamburger-sandwich shop from heaven, we were treated to salad rolls and hamburgers so big that even hungry Ghost Riders found them a challenge. Ghost Riders in a ghost town? Walhalla shopkeepers got it. Great service, great food and how much better Walhalla seems to look at each visit, as more buildings are restored and pride in its heritage grows. It’s one special place.
Moments before the sun dropped behind the hills and the mercury plummeted, we were out of there by 1.30 (did you know that Walhalla’s hospital was built high on the slopes to catch extra sun for injured miners?). After a fast downhill ride back to Thomson River, it was a long climb out again into the sun then back to the main road. A sweeping gravel back road took us back into Erica in style.
Legs warm and the air growing colder, it was not the time to stop so after a quick slurp of water, we were soon into the wild downhill dash to Moe except we had forgotten how many hills had to be climbed in the last 10km. One of the welcome aspects to the day was the number of motorists who tooted and waved in encouragement and gave us plenty of space. Tired, exhilarated, humbled even by what we had experienced, we headed back to Melbourne at 4.00pm. Another never to be missed Warby Ghost Riders event.