now the pub is closed, 60kph is really questionable.. it could really do with electronic signs, with faster limits after hours.
30kph over the limit is still only 90. They reduced Molesworth to 60 a couple of years back, and reduced the limit between Yea and Molesworth to 80kph while doing roadworks to install all those crazy barriers. To some degree, I accept that thought process. However, with the roadworks complete there now, and the Yea - Molesworth section returning to 100kph, it's really way overkill to maintain the 60 limit at Molesworth. Particularly so when every other town is 80. Lawdy lawdy, they want to reduce Yarck to 60 now too?! Good grief!
I always feel like the bogan behind me is going to run me off the road when I slow down to 60 in Molesworth. Same bogan usually doesn't have enough grunt to overtake me on the hill before Yea!!
Those “crazy barriers” saved a colleague’s life last week when he ran off the road to avoid a falling tree branch.
Glad your colleague is OK . I understand the reasoning behind their installation. I’m sure there will be cases where the barriers are of benefit, cases where they’re not; pros and cons. I feel they’re debatable on a number of levels, nonetheless.
And next time it might save your own, I'm glad we have them. Someone came close to killing the 4 in our car about 8 years back, when they just slowly drifted into my lane. Sadly, I just thought they where having a look around the car they were behind. By the time I realized they are not moving back, they had about 1/2 their car in our lane. I swerved and hard as I dared without rolling the car, it must have been millimeters between us. A B Double that had been (closely) following us jackknifed in the revision mirror to avoid the car, which corrected and kept on driving.
Glad you made it djam. What is is with B trucks (drivers) tailgaiting motorists travelling at the speed limit. Trucking lobby delivers sermons about how truck drivers are regularly being cut off & sure this must happen. But a fair % of trucks I see on rural highways are within 2-4 car lengths of a vehicle. At 100 or 110 km/h they’ll never stop in time if a car hits the skids. Its madness and should be called out by all our Govt authorities. Rant over for now! ...dont start me on Boges passing on all the crests/dbl lines!!
For the first time in quite a few years, there will be no California and Colorado northern winter skiing for me next year. In an attempt to stave off SDS and because we won’t make it for Targa this year, we’ve spent the last few days here hiking.It’s beautiful all year around but especially peaceful and astoundingly silent now. A pair of falcons kept us company as the sun set. The colours in the sky were breathtaking vivid There are still ever shrinking patches of snow which were welcome in our palms when hiking down from Summit to Little Mt Buller via Little Buller Spur and then back up again yesterday morning with clear skies, lightest breeze and very little shade I can say with absolute confidence it’s a much easier exercise when there is snow on the ground and the lifts are running. It wasn’t as easy route but I enjoyed it, although one of our party of two was very Not Happy Jan The wildflowers are only just beginning to bloom. This time last year there was a carpet of purple, but the snow covered the shrubs for longer this year. A couple of snow blowers have been dug up around summit chair. A bulldozer is down near the bottom of the chair. The village was a ghost town on Sunday but a hive of activity on Monday. Plenty of bulldozer action on the Kooroora site, a huge crane on the Bella Vista site, Blue bullet top station is a skeleton
You should try walking up Little Mt Buller if you're in the vicinity again, super easy 10-15 minutes up with sensational views!
Ripper photos Be interesting to see if there’s anything left by Targa weekend. Doubtful at this rate.
That was the plan @CarveMan. We were almost there when Not Happy Jan refused to go any further, complaining that we still had the uphill slog back to Summit carpark Next time maybe the 4WD to the base of LBS. Or walk the Village circuit along standard and Whiskey Creek which I assume is not as steep as via LBS. The Little Mt B trail was very rocky without snow. The loose rocks of every shape and size had placed themselves in prime position to twist an ankle or knee. We were mindful of snakes too after almost stepping on a monster at Cape Schanck last year (photo added below). The path is about 1.5 metres wide and its head and tail are in the grass on each side The 7th photo in my previous post is where Not Happy Jan sat down in a tanty and refused to go further.Still a pretty good view. I’ll add more photos here. Your photos of it covered in snow are stunning. I'll aim for a winter hike but I suppose it’s not a good idea to go on your own though (NHJ isn’t a skier) Thank you @di6loc and @mx_boarder. Not Happy Jan is even more NHJ when I pause to take a photo. Then afterwards, he’s the first one to say how nice they are There are still a few chairs lying around Blue Bullet top station. I was very tempted to have one fall in the boot of the car Similar to you wanting a specific chair for sentimental reasons @CarveMan, I’d have liked number 54 or 8. We have photos of our family and me riding for the first time on those two. @di6loc please don't even joke with thatphoto.bmp! I’ve been lucky buying season passes so far but I’ll spend the next 8 months wondering if I’ll regret just forking out for next year @mx_boarder, plenty of snow as you can see from more photos below. the question you should be asking is... Should I pack the fat skis? Or should I pack the really fat skis? Targa will be excellent either way though. So many gorgeous shiny cars together was very cool last year, as was the classic car display in Mansfield
I relish days out with the NHJ's, I haze them all day to instill in them the deep desire to never want to come anywhere with me again.
For those up for Targa, you had fantastic weather. No ogling Targa cars for me this year. We got to admire Mt Buller from afar over the last few days instead. We made sure to time our trip up on Saturday between road closures, unlike a few others who had been oblivious and consequently stuck up there on Sunday. We planned to stay for a few extra days. We saw plenty of tyre marks on the Eildon-Jamieson road on the way home, as well as a full row of arrow signage around one corner that’s been a victim. I don’t even want to think about the carnage done to the vehicle! In gorgeous weather here too, we made the pilgrimage up to Mt Terrible again. The last time we did that, there was a deep carpet of snow. Now it’s a deep carpet of pink wildflowers. The hut is intact, the fire tower was manned, red bellied black snakes were working on their suntans. I like to think it was a couple of tiny patches of snow I could see still clinging on the summit of Mt Buller.
Fires over the ranges last night taken near home. Buller- Howqua to the left, Gembrook- Bunyip to the right. Sky crane and choppers returning from Buller region and disappearing in to the sunset
This almost looks like a poster for Apocalypse Now! ...scary, we have an apocalypse emerging almost on our doorstep. (Apologies for the theatrics!)
@snowgum it’s formidable even from this distance so I can only imagine how apocalyptic it must feel surrounded by such a behemoth. Our courageous local fire fighters are currently there. Huge gratitude to them always. I hope they and all those in the area remain safe. @nezumi I wouldn’t be surprised if fire fighters frequently have this tune playing in their heads, too. @mx_boarder an immediate threat to our place at Enoch’s Point appears to have eased a little for now but Licola is a major concern. Those pictures are very ominous.Hopefully the wind will cause the fire to blow back over itself and keep the township safe. I suppose it’s impossible for human power to douse these fires, it’s a matter of protecting life and property while waiting for some heavy rains. Who knows when that will happen! In the meantime, today’s satellite images show that New Zealand is about to second hand inhale our smoke ( I “liked” these posts, not so much for the traditional like of it as appreciating the magnitude of the fires and appreciating you posting your pictures as I’m sure is the general sentiment with bushfires)
Where did you find that? They will need to expand terrain offering on QBW to cope with the hype generated by the last week.
Day car park must be full now, we parked behind toboggan run. Busing people from queues everywhere up in 10 seater vans. General carnage everywhere. We're going to toboggan instead and try skiing the kids tomorrow instead. Pointless trying to get up to the village right now. A lot of people trying to walk up with young kids. Good luck to them!
I feel like Perisher has the capability for a smooth early opening. With a big fat carpark and no bus thing. Buller just becomes a mess on weekends without Northside.
It was madness. It always going to be through when it’s free. Got a couple of runs in to see how the leg would go and was happy. My new boots hurt more than the leg. Next week I will be walking around in them all day.
This x 10000. Call me when Northside Express is open, otherwise it's a carnage just to get your first turns (bus queue + blue bullet queue)
We'll be at the mercy of slow drivers who suddenly speed up in overtaking lane. I don't want to lose my licence, and will allow extra 15 minutes to my travel time..
What is it with people! Busted some f**ker trying to pinch my mitts which were sitting beside my board as I was having a chat at Cow Camp. Chased him down and said "Oi, you want to give those back to me??" Dirty so and so
Saw 4 cops on the road yesterday, still managed to overtake a few cars in my 36yr old Landcruiser on the way down from Buller. Some people have no idea how to drive on Alpine roads.
Wait for this to hype up to all time levels with the current road toll. VicPol are taking on all and sundry and even though catching these people speeding likely wouldnt have prevented a fatal crash, wait for them to champion it.
