Alternative to "The Wall"

The 'Alternative to "The Wall" ride (christened by Jurgen as "The Great Masochistic Hills Ride"), was a rare feast.

At the Emerald start line, three of us (Mike, Jon B & Jurgen) eyed warily the other two (John  Bird & Werner), wondering  whether we had  bitten off more than we  could chew given the riding prowess of that pair.

Still, in for a penny.... away we went, STRAIGHT UP three  vertical dirt climbs back of Menzies Creek. They were tough but they were also the hardest on the ride so it was good to get them over and done with. Yes, there was oodles of climbing through Menzies Crk, Kalliista, Outer Olinda, The Patch and Monbulk but it was interspersed with  brief, scarily steep descents. And everywhere there was scenery that can only be envied. Much of the ride was spent on the side of a road just gazing at the country side. Of all the delights, the view from the top of Invermay Rd in Kallista/Monbulk takes your breath away with a 300degree elevated panorama of Silvan, Monbulk, The Patch, The Warby Ranges and beyond.

It was a short ride involving the expenditure of several rolls of Kodak film, nigh on 900m of climbing and several stops to refuel tired muscles. An added bonus for most of us was the fact we had never ridden those roads (and in my case, never knew they existed).

Banana time !

Lovely bush scenery near Kallista  

Magic view at Invermay