The first stop of the day was the bakery in Bruthen for a coffee and a bun and a toilet stop. By then the temperature had risen to about 18 degC and while it was tempting to remove one layer of clothing I knew it would get rapidly colder on the way to Omeo. At Omeo it was time to stop for fuel as there is nothing available until you descend on the other side of Mt Hotham. There was still snow on the ground at Mt Hotham where I stopped for a few photos. I encountered plenty of people on bikes all taking advantage of the pleasant weather.
The ski lifts and slopes look quite forlorn without snow, but it is an opportunity for bush walkers to enjoy the area and there were plenty about. After a pleasant descent into Harrietville I arrived in Wandiligong around 3:30 after a great ride. After a very pleasant dinner with various family members at the Alpine Hotel in Bright, I was certainly ready for bed, but before we knew it we'd been chatting and it was 2am.
Sunday - started the day with a great breakfast at the River Deck Cafe in Bright. By then the sun was shining brightly and it seemed too good to pass up an opportunity to try the Beamer out on Mt Buffalo. The road up the mountain which has been in a bad state of late has been repaired and the ride up was fantastic.
Once again, plenty of people were taking advantage of the fine weather to catch the view from the top of Buffalo which is spectacular.
There is talk, finally of spending some money on the Mt Buffalo Chalet which is currently in a poor state of repair, after the hotel operators left the site as a result of some government bungling a few years ago. I understand the plan is to demolish a lot of the modern extensions to return the Chalet to something resembling its original shape and then to restore that to its former glory.
After a pleasant visit it was time to head back down the mountain to return for dinner in Wandiligong.
Monday - Left Wandi this morning at about 08:30 after saying goodbye to everyone. First stop was breakfast in Milawa and then commenced the trip home via King Valley and Mansfield. A quick stop in Alexandra for a cool drink and then down the Black Spur to Healesville which required a stop to top up the fuel on the Beamer. The weather was warm but overcast and rain looked likely, but as luck would have it the rain held off until I reached Traralgon at about 3:45 pm.
Altogether a great outing and fun catching up with everyone.
Total distance 905 km.
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