The Cormanus Chronicles: Riding South

[Cormanus]

22 January 2026

Day 3
Rylstone to Boorowa

Click on the image for a scrollable map

It was another crisp morning, and I set off to complete the Bylong Valley Way, planning to stop at the Wattle Flat General Store just south of Sofala for breakfast and fuel. I've ridden past it many a time and thought it time to check it out. After an enjoyable ride there and I had a reasonable coffee and a pleasant chat with the proprietor. There wasn't much to eat, though, so my vague dreams of breakfast remained just that.

At the southern end of the Bylong Valley Way

An early morning milestone

My next stop was Bathurst, a large town where I was able to pick up a couple of items I needed. By the time I left it was hot again.

Then I made my way along a new to me road to Perthville and thence to Trunkey Creek where, on another ride, I'd really wanted to stay. There was no accommodation. I'd enjoyed the road, though, and thought to ride it again in the opposite direction. It was better than I remembered; I had a lovely ride, stopping at the tiny town of Binda for lots of water, something to eat and a break in the shade.

Just before Perthville

I quickly found a spot where I felt right at home at Binda.


As I write this, I'm looking at pictures I took and wondering two things: why I took them, and where on earth I was when I did. The two above, taken near Perthville, took quite some time to work out. It couldn't be age, could it? If it keeps happening, though, I'm going to give up taking pictures as I'm blowed if I'll get off the bike and just to make a note of where I was and why I took a picture.

I'd also completely forgotten that somewhere near Trunkey Creek I hit a bump and felt lanyard cam part company with its lanyard. It landed in my lap. How lucky can you be? Turned out the cable tie that the lanyard clipped to had reached the end of a long and demanding life — presumably tormented by ultraviolet rays — and met one bump too many. The kind woman at Binda gave me a fancy new red one and lanyard cam was back in business. Well, kinda. It leads a hard life and occasionally refuses to function, most often when I really, really want it to.

So there aren't many pictures of the road between Trunkey Creek and Binda.

Welcome shade at Binda

I bought fuel on the outskirts of Crookwell and, because I was making good time, decided to try a road to Yass so I could ride south to Jugiong and then ride the lovely road to Harden. Nah. About 20 kilometres in I came upon more dirt and so turned around. Overcome with good sense I decided it was too hot, rode to Boorowa and checked into an old favourite watering hole, the Boorowa Hotel.

Sensible cattle finding what shelter they can under the few available trees

I drank lots more water and had not long made a cup of tea when I heard the throaty roar of a much-modified CB1100. AussieFlyer was in town.

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23 January 2026

Day 4
Boorowa to Cooma

Click on the image for a scrollable map

The evening before, AussieFlyer and I had been in the bar discussing where we might ride with the aid of a convenient large-scale map on the wall. We mentioned Batemans Bay and, like the Spanish Inquisition in the Monty Python Sketch, a woman turned up to tell us all about Batemans Bay. Funny (to me) at the time.

Not as the tale unfolded, though. She and her partner were en route to see her sister at a place called Lake Cargelligo. I ran into her as we were leaving and wished her a pleasant journey. She told me they now couldn't go as the town was in lock down following a triple shooting the night before. As I write, police are still trying to find the alleged perpetrator who allegedly shot and killed his pregnant ex-partner, another man and then later her aunt. He also shot and wounded a 19-year old man. These events are no so common in this country and they leave a mark; particularly in a small town.

Getting ready to roll at the Boorowa pub

I feel a great responsibility on these rides as it often falls to me to plan the ride for each day, although AussieFlyer once hosted me on a marvellous ride around his home territory. I decided we'd take the route we took on our first day last year — up through Frogmore to the Reg Hailstone Way and the Mid Western Highway (briefly) before trying a new road to get us back to Trunkey Creek. It was no hardship for me to ride this lovely road again, although part of it was slightly marred by one of those drivers who refused to pull over and let quicker vehicles pass. He was being hounded by another one of those drivers who think tailgating is fun, so maybe he was returning the favour by being frustrating.

The road to Wyangala via Frogmore

AussieFlyer on the Reg Hailstone Way. I don't know why I didn't take any more photos this day

We stopped at Tuena for coffee, or at least I thought that's what we were doing, but I picked the wrong place so we had lots of water instead. It was hot again and we were trying to stay ahead of a heatwave making its way east. We also wanted fuel, but a punter heading into the shop warned us that the tank hadn't been cleaned out for a generation or two, so we took a mere sip; enough to get us to Gunning where, after another pleasant ride, we stopped for fuel, coffee and water. It was warm again.

The final leg of the day took us past Canberra to Cooma. It's all good road, but strait and not very interesting. Being the Friday afternoon of a long weekend, there was plenty of traffic. As it was travelling at around the speed limit and the reward for being caught speeding in New South Wales on a long weekend is double demerit points, I allowed myself to enter that trance-like reflective state one can attain when riding in traffic out of town on a good road.

This was not for AussieFlyer at all. At some moment he took off past me and rapidly made his way to the front of the convoy of cars. What could I do but follow him? He was right, of course: even though we didn't go much faster, it was much more agreeable being in clear air. Happily, the policeman was packing up his speed camera as we rode by, although we wouldn't have troubled it.

As an aside, double demerit points is a big deal. Over a three-year period, if one is awarded more than 9 of them, it results in immediate loss of licence. Being caught in NSW exceeding the speed limit by more than 10 kph results in a fine of $345 and 3 points. On a double demerits weekend, that's two thirds of your points in one hit. If you pass through a school zone at more than 10 kph above the limit, it's $443 and 4 points, or nearly 90% of your points in one go.

When in Cooma, I've nearly always stayed at the Alpine Hotel. It's popular with, and friendly towards, motorcyclists and has a good, locked garage at the rear. I pulled up in the angle parking spaces out the front and stupidly tried to park the bike with the slope running from my left to my right. I got the bike settled, but wasn't quite sure it would stay put and so made an adjustment. All I achieved was to make matters worse and the next thing I knew I was in the gutter with the bike resting gently on my foot.

AussieFlyer helped me lift it up — it's bloody heavy and I couldn't have done it on my own — and we discovered the front brake lever was broken as was the rider's right footpeg, or step as the parts fiche has it. We got rooms, a beer for AussieFlyer and moved the bikes to the lock up which has a delightfully flat floor. We discovered the Cooma bike shop wouldn't open on Saturday, so a rescue mission would be required if we could locate a brake lever. The peg could be sorted, if necessary, by moving the passenger peg forward, although it would require some grinding to get it to sit level.

There being nothing else we could do that evening, we ate, had a drink or two and put the world to rights.

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24 January 2026

Day 5
Cooma

The previous evening we identified a large dealer in Canberra and another in Bega that might be able to help. Both were an easy ride, although AussieFlyer was hoping for Bega because it was going to be hot and the road down Brown Mountain is a lot more fun than the flat plain to Canberra. As soon as they opened, I rang. The Canberra dealer opened first and had an aftermarket lever that would work on the CB1100, but they'd have to order the footpeg. The Bega shop had nothing. Of course.

So AussieFlyer set out to collect the lever. My job was to try to find somewhere that might help me grind the passenger peg down so it would fit. AussieFlyer had hardly left when he rang. He'd been talking to the bloke who ran the service station who it turned out once ran the Cooma bike shop. He told the Flyer that just around the corner from the bike shop he was heading for was Joe's Motorcycle Wreckers. He was pretty sure we'd get a footpeg there that would fit. My job was now to research what other Hondas the peg/step fitted then ring Joe's and see what they had.

I remember Joe's Motorcycles. In early 2024 AussieFlyer joined Ptrerodactyl and me for a ride. AussieFlyer's shock absorber reservoir developed a leak and he went home. But not before putting a curse on my rear tyre — see here and here. I suddenly needed a new one and Joe's Motorcycles in Canberra helped me out. I remember them being a large enterprise and very efficient.

So, having done some research to find out what other Hondas the step had been used on, I rang. I can't be sure, but I think I talked to the bloke who was running things when I was there in 2024. He was again doing a hundred things at once — issuing directions to a staff member while pretending to talk to me. Eventually he apologised and said he'd had to sort something out. We got down to tin tacks. He said he'd quite like the part number I'd offered to give him earlier and he'd said he wouldn't need. The good news for me was the part fits a few Hondas and when we went through the list he said, 'Yeah we've got one of them'. I said my mate would call to get it. He said no worries and was issuing orders even before hanging up.

AussieFlyer told me later that he'd arrived at Joe's and encountered what we assume was the same bloke. I'll call him Joe. He'd packed a young fellow off to get the peg and a few minutes later sent an older bloke to check up on him, saying something like, "He won't know what he's looking for." He was also engaged in a phone conversation with a bloke who wanted his valve clearances checked immediately. Joe was explaining patiently that such a job was not a high priority and they couldn't do it for a week or so. Sort of triage for motorcycle work. Anyway, they produced the step. Footpeg. From a CB300RR or something.

Obviously, having located a spare part, I'd done no grinding and had put my feet up and read a book. Might even have dozed a bit. I felt a bit guilty when AussieFlyer appeared looking hot, so I bought him a glass of cooling neck oil which he dispensed with even before I'd attached the new lever or lowered myself to the floor to replace the footpeg.

The summary is that we quickly put on the new parts and replaced the rear footpeg, although without the ball bearing it needs to click into place up and down. I took the bike for a ride around the block. All was well. Did look a bit unbalanced without the starboard RLET. AussieFlyer went for a shower and, frustrated by the loss of the bearing, I swept the floor. Would you believe I found it? Well, I did. Quite a long way away. So I pulled the peg off and put it back. Felt strangely pleased with myself.

Thanks AussieFlyer for being a great mate and undertaking a less than interesting ride to collect parts for me so we could keep riding. I really appreciate it.