50. Mount Panorama, Shrek, A Cave and A Dish

So, after testing the Camelbak on route to Parkes... I decided it is a definite keeper! I've found that on the bigger trips, I tend to not drink as much as I should but there's no excuse now! =) Love it!

Route: Sydney - Bathrust - Orange - Parkes - Sydney

Total Distance: ~750km

Map: Click here

The planned highlights for this trip were supposedly Mount Panorama and the satallite dish at Parkes... but as always, we discovered some other interesting attractions along the way!

We left later than usual at around 6am... we made our way to stop 1 at Mount Panorama, Bathurst and rode a couple of laps around the race track. It was sooo much fun!!! =)

On our way to Parkes... we came across this store that sold everything and anything and I even got to have lunch with Sherk! Eyeballs, intestines and what not... yummy!!

The next unplanned stop where I nearly shocked Thomas out of skin while I yelled into his headset was at the Borenore caves... we had to ride through a short distance of dirt to get to it but it was well worth it!

At this point, we were already running a few hours behind time but it would have been such a waste to not go to Parkes so we continued along. If I never made this trip, I would never know that a satellite dish is transparent from the back.

And... the interesting things one might came across in the ladies...

Overall a fantastic day however the ride back wasn't exactly the most pleasant... non stop rain, heavy fog, roadworks and cold. Even with wet weathers... I came home with guppies and goldfish in my pants and boots. I'll be looking to fix a few of the issues permanently so stay tune! 

49. Camelbak

My weekend overnighter was ruined when I was awakened by thunder at 2.30am in the morning.

Instead, the Saturday was spent shopping at Anaconda. During our long distance trips, both T and I found hydration to be a big issue... T decided having a convenient water back pack would be a great idea. After all his research, he recommended the Camelbak 2012 Classic - 2L water pack.

In store, the Camelbak felt extremely comfortable and seemed like a great idea... we'll be road testing it soon and will let you guys know what we think of it!

48. We Cater For All

We cater for all – Do you like long straight roads? Perhaps you enjoy the more thrilling twisties? Maybe something a little tamer like the big sweepers? And for the more adventurous, a quick trip onto dirt. To throw into the mix, do you fancy seeing some of Australia’s native wildlife?  What about giant teddy bears?

Our recent Snowies trip features it all!

During the 1.5 day journey, both T and I saw a myriad of Australian wildlife. The Taipan Snake – the world’s most deadliest, a wombat, squirrels, a kangaroo that tried to take T out, a blue tongue lizard and to our surprise a tortoise – one of land’s slowest moving creature.  Of course, there was also the standard cows, horses, sheep and goats.

As for the trip itself, here’s the short…

Route: Sydney – Goulburn – Yass – Wee Jasper (dirt)– Tumut (dirt) – Tumbarumba – Khancoban – Thredbo – Sydney
Distance: 1,120km
Google Map: Click here

…and long of it.

We took off from Sydney at 5am. The morning ride out was extremely peaceful and I loved it!

We arrived in Yass some 3 hours later.

From Yass, we winded up the mountains into Wee Jasper! The view from the foot of the mountain was spectacular. Unfortunately, it wasn’t worth the risk getting taken out by a car so there’s no photograph to share but this is something we both highly recommend!

Wee Jasper is mostly beginners dirt compared to our previous trips. The majority of it being loose tiny stones. Grip was good but it is a little longer than you'd expect so be prepared. 

We also managed to capture a picture of Lake Burrinjuck along the way.

As we approached Tumut, we were met with a sign that says “Tumut (sealed)” to the left or Tumut (unsealed)” to the right.

As expected, we picked the unsealed road.

We arrived in Tumbarumba just around lunch time and I finally got to visit the famous teddy bear place – The Four Bears Café! 

After that, we made our way to Thredbo via Tooma Road and the Alpine Way - Khancoban. As most would already know, the Alpine way is a series of nice twisties. Very enjoyable as usual! And no surprise, we were again greeted with fantastic views! 

The next morning, we started the day down my favourite road – Thredbo Pass which is a series of nice sweepers! It was than the express route back to Sydney. 

47. A Short Trip To Wollongong

The weekends have been fairly jammed pack with doing stuff for the house and spending time with both John and Milo... I did however manage to squeeze in a short day trip to Wollongong. 

T and I headed out on a sunny sunday and was greeted with some spectacular views of the ocean.

We also stopped for lunch at the Dunes Restaurant and the view was fantastic! Food was also quite yummy... fish and chips + soft shell crab!