Great Roads: Eildon-Jamieson Road

Not for the faint-hearted, the Eildon-Jamieson Road is one of the most intense, spectacular and challenging roads I have ever ridden.

60 kilometres from town to town, the road is sealed from end to end, two lanes the entire length, and the longest straight would be no more than a kilometre or two.

You are met with stunning scenery for the entire journey, climbing and falling along the edges of, and through the heart of native forest.  It also has a beautiful atmosphere of isolation and serenity, and sees very little traffic based on my experience of the road.  It's also the only place I have visited recently when my Telstra phone was unable to offer me any reception at all.  My first trip down this road was solo and rather impromptu, but it occurs to me now that the combination of very little traffic and some challenging decreasing-radius turns and hairpins means you'd be wise to either travel the road with company, or at least let a friend know when you're departing, and drop them an SMS when you safely reach the other end.

Oh and just to state the obvious, there is no fuel on this road, so if in doubt, fill up before you start off.  There's premium unleaded available in Buxton and Jamieson - I didn't fill up in Eildon so I'm not sure what's on offer there.

This is not a road I'd recommend to a beginner rider - at least not if they are trying to work on their cornering technique.  It has plenty of surprises to throw at you, from leaf litter on the road to gravel shoulders that will spread stones across the bitumen when people have pulled over at the lookouts.  The corners are fantastic but there's not a great room for error if you are coming in too hot, and there's many a sheer drop of cliff face for you to target fixate upon if you're nervous.  But if you've got some riding under your belt, and especially if you have a friend or two to ride with, it's hard not to fall in love with this road.

Great Roads: Toolangi (Chum Creek Road)

The road through Toolangi State Forest has everything that a motorcyclist could ever dream of: breathtaking beauty, plenty of twists and turns, enough challenge to keep you focused and on your toes, and minimal traffic to come at you on the wrong side of the road.

From its high point up at Kinglake, this road descends down through the forest and open countryside until you arrive at the hamlet of Chum Creek, just a short burst away from Healesville.  In fact I have never taken the road south to north but I intend to do so at the next opportunity; I prefer travelling uphill to going down.

This road is seared into my memory for another reason also.  It was travelling down through the forest back on my Kawasaki Z750 that I felt I was coming into a left hander too hot, and applied enough rear brake to lock the back wheel.  Needless to say this did nothing to assist me in slowing down and making a more dignified turn, and though there were no serious consequences other than slightly shaken nerves and bruised pride, it was the one definitive moment that convinced me of the value of ABS brakes.  As a result I traded in my faithful Z750 on my beloved Ninja 1000, whose power, agility, and ABS brakes I have come to adore and be most grateful for over the last year of riding.  I find it difficult to overstate the confidence it engenders in the rider to be able to apply rear brake to tighten up a turn without fear of a rear end lock up.  So Toolangi has a very special place in my rider's heart for this as well.

Oh and did I mention how absolutely, awe inspiringly beautiful it is?

Great Roads: Old Healesville Road

A little jaunt yesterday took me down Old Healesville Road.  It's a great stretch of tarmac - quick, free flowing, with gorgeous views and some fun bends.

Traffic is light and visibility is good if you're not riding in the fog, so next time you're making a pilgrimage to the spurs, consider heading up through the Christmas Hills and down this little gem of a road.