20 20 Hindsight: Some thoughts in review - Lake to Lake Sitting on a Thorn - CycleBlaze

October 7, 2012

20 20 Hindsight: Some thoughts in review

Overall:
No question that this ride was excellent. The general route offers variety, challenges, views, accessibility and choice.
I would highly recommend it to well equipped, well prepared, experienced cycle tourers.

To Avoid
Yarram to Welshpool on the Sth Gippsland Highway was the only section of road on the tour which was uncomfortably busy, did not have a good shoulder lane and which I would be very reluctant to cycle again.
The map shows there are roads which by-pass most of this section but they would be time-consuming to find and to follow. Worth it.

To Seek Out
-The Barry Way, the Snowy River and the Gelantipy area was a highlight. Remote, rugged and beautiful.
- Bruthen microbrewery. A most memorable eating and drinking place.
- The Great Southern Rail Trail.
- Bay Trail into Melbourne

So So
We made side-trips and stayed at Hollands Landing and Port Welshpool for convenience and to avoid wind. Neither places have much to recommend them and aren't really worth the backtracking. A better alternative would be one of the other towns along south Gippsland route.

Equipment
Just about perfect. Almost everything on the equipment list was useful and used enough. The only exception was wet weather gear. It mostly stayed in the pannier because we lucked 15 days of dry weather. No complaints about this.
No equipment failures.
1.5 litres of fuel was slightly excessive as I only used about 600 ml.

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