It was a perfect morning for motorbiking, which was a relief after some poor forecasts earlier, and me leading for only the second time! I took the first chocolate from the Advent Calendar and headed out. We assembled at Pearcedale at the usual time, a group of 9. My pre-ride instruction was a bit shabby! Thanks, Glenn, for the prompts on the location of morning tea and fuel.

We turned off the Bass Coast Highway at Lang Lang and headed up to Drouin on a road I was not familiar with until I prepared the route. We stopped at Drouin Bakery. I did a lap of main street to make sure everyone got parked (roundabouts were used, not U-turns).

For me, this was my first visit to Drouin, but the Wanderers are clearly regulars. The owner was welcoming and loud, and was happy to see us.

The chosen route from Drouin to Walhalla did not include fuel, so some of us refuelled in Drouin, thereby avoiding a tour of the Moe suburbs. We headed up to Walhalla via Buln Buln and Willow Grove, avoiding the freeways and all those damned cars. Glorious roads in the early Spring sunshine; lots of long, sweeping bends until the last 11km – hairpins galore!

Smiles all round as we dismounted at the Wally Pub, weather still perfect. Ross commented it was the first time he had travelled that road in the dry. Lunch was good, if a little pricey, and the pub not at all crowded. We cruised up to the top of the village and back down, taking in the sights (it didn’t take long), then back to the hairpins.

Thankfully, the traffic was minimal on that stretch, but we did encounter a line of traffic at Rawson/Erica. I overtook a black Audi, and the other vehicles peeled off soon after. Delightedly, I hit the throttle. While enjoying the thrill of the open road, I noticed the Audi in close attendance. Not sure if the driver was hostile at this stage, and Birky, at number 2, was also concerned, joining the chase inorder to memorise the number plate. After a while, I let the Audi pass – but it was always within sight, disappointed perhaps at having nothing to chase.

We stopped for afternoon tea at Willow Grove, a new concept that was embraced by all present. Relaxed vibe, awful coffee though!

A fuel stop was made as requested by Glenn in Drouin. Weather still fine as I led the group down old Drouin Road from there under darkening skies. By the time we said our goodbyes in Tooradin, the rain was increasing, but no one complained about it. Jack commented that he had never been on any of those roads, which was good to hear.

All in all, a grand day out!

Thanks to Robin for being TEC for the day.

Cheers, Woody