To Omeo
Gee my biker friends could talk. They talked and talked and talked. I wasn’t part of the conversation as I was in my hotel room wishing the walls were thicker.
After a hard two days, I was really tired and slept in before the usual muesli and coffee breakfast. I was last to leave the hotel as the bikers got going fairly early. That meant some peace and quiet before the short ride to Omeo. Short yes, but there was one big hill.
As it turned out, the hill was pretty gentle and quiet – just like me 😁. Omeo was empty when I arrived. There were a few grey nomads scattered around and after a coffee and a toastie, I went to the pie shop, then with an amazing pie in my hands, went to the park and set up for a 2 hour relax.
I couldn’t check in until 2pm but I was happy to sit around and read. … And that pie was sensational.
I was the only occupant of the guesthouse. The owner was sick and couldn’t clean the rooms. Mine was the only clean one, so I had the place to myself. Dinner was at the Golden Age over the road – pasta and dessert. (I’m getting used to eating dessert on this trip – treating myself.
To Ensay
The Benambra bikers had told me the best way south. The advised against going via Dargo and frankly, I couldn’t face the climb to Hotham anyway. I’m feeling quite tired already.
So, I pedalled out of Omeo towards the Casselis Road and turned left. The first part was the uphill bit through hilly farmland, and although very nice, it was pretty dry and similar to what I’d seen yesterday.
But … Then came the downhills. Oh boy, they were fun, and as things levelled out (still slightly downhill), the valley narrowed and became more lush. I rolled into Swifts Creek for lunch, not knowing where to stay that night.
Lunch was in a cafe. It’s Victoria, so the food is really good but all day, the drivers were bad tempered for some reason.
After lunch , I crossed the main road and the dream ride continued as I followed the Tambo River south. I saw lots of places to camp but over lunch I booked a room in an old pub in Ensay, so I was committed.
There was very little traffic, but as I’ve mentioned, the drivers simply weren’t happy and that normally means that I’m not happy either. It amazes me how there can be absolutely no traffic and lots of visibility but cars still buzz past a half a metre from my shoulder. As a result, I started forcing them wider around me and made them go slower just for my own safety. I really shouldn’t have to do that here.
Anyway, I rolled into Ensay at around 3pm and met Jeruscia there. She has cleaned and fixed the place up and leased it as a BnB – and opened it just 3 weeks ago. No wonder the people in Swifts Creek knew nothing about it.
The place is quite amazing and Jeruscia does an amazing job. There was freshly made muesli, a loaf of bread (still warm), homemade jam, home grown tomatoes, and then there was the house. I felt like I was in a museum – the old wood stove, bookshelves etc…
Again, I was the only guest. The managers also run the family farm and don’t live on-site, so it was a quiet night.
Luckily, I had some food to cook, because there were no food outlets for kilometres.
Breakfast in the morning was excellent and the sandwiches I made were very nice too.
