Mt Baw Baw

Last weekend we headed a couple hours East to explore the Mt Baw Baw area of West Gippsland.  This was #2 of Phil's quest to ride the 7 Peaks in Victoria, so I dropped him and a friend off 86k out and meandered my way along for the next 4 hours.
Les and Phil ready to start the ride
My first stop was the town of Warragul, where the local quilt shop was having a fabric sale.  I could hardly pass that up.  Then I started the winding drive up towards the mountain.  The Noojee Trestle Bridge sign caught my eye so I turned off to see what it was.
The Trestle Bridge
Next I came to the town of Noojee, what appeared to be a watering hole for bike riders before they headed up the mountain.  Here a sign pointing out a water wheel caught my eye and so I took a short hike to explore that.
The Water Wheel
A little farther along the road was a sign pointing out a road to Tooronga Falls.  I took the turn and followed the bumpy road for several ks before finally coming to a campsite and then a path to the falls.  I hiked along, passing a blind man out for a hike (?).  The path crossed over a river, and after a few minutes more took me to a viewing platform next to the falls.  It was unexpectedly pretty, and the air smelled so fresh and clean.


Tooronga Falls
By this point it had been a few hours since the boys set off so I decided it was time to continue on.  I drove back to the main road, enjoying the site of leaves starting to change colour along the way.  
Autumn leaves
As the car climbed higher the road got more windy and narrow and the scenery got more beautiful.  I caught up with the boys and followed them for a bit before stopping to disperse some food and drink.  
Just keep pedalling
Then it was time for them to earn their keep.  The last 6.2 k of the ride was the hardest, it is actually known as the second hardest climb in the world of cycling.  They were pretty shattered by that point but carried on knowing they were too far along to quit.
The Gantry - 6.2 km straight up
Finally they hit the summit and we enjoyed victory drinks before starting the drive back to town.  It was a really beautiful area and I'm glad I had the chance to explore at my leisure.
The boys at the top

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