Riding Mount Samaria - Marysville to Corryong with some great surprises.

Marysville to ??? It was tough going today riding in temperatures mainly between 30º and 40º. Luckily we packed the Harley Davidson hydration vests that kept us cool — they are brilliant! After planning our route last night, we ditched some of it when we left, skipping Eildon–Jamieson Rd (we’d done it heaps of times) so we could focus on Mount Samaria before it got too hot. On the way to Mansfield, we took a shortcut on a road called Spring Creek Rd which turned out to be a major highlight. This road had it all and was most enjoyable with great scenery, undulating, twisty, and was wide & narrow. It was mainly a good gravel surface but did have some holes, ruts and bumps to keep you captivated — this was a fantastic ride and Toni really only swore on one part. That wasn’t the same for Mount Samaria. Although most of it was good and easy going, much of the mountain had loose gravel which meant our concentration had to be on task. The road being narrow didn’t seem to be of concern — navigating some steep sections where the surface was very slippery added to the heat as a challenge. There was a few things to see along the way — the old Samaria Kiln and a pretty good view point 80m before the Lookout. Once we crossed the mountain, the road flattens and is just called Samaria Rd. On this section we took a wrong turn onto Sawyer Rd and then ended up on a few Trails before making our way back on Sawyer Rd and on more challenging hill-climbs featuring some rutted surfaces. After a refreshing lunch at the Tatong Tavern where we also bought a bag of ice to fill our camel-packs, we begun looking for somewhere to stay for the night. Lots of places were booked out and we settled for Corryong which gave us a very hot 400km day. Facebook:   / 17n9gbx7p5