gathered for lunch before heading out on a mid-afternoon
tour that took us to the three major Wind Farm develop-
ments being constructed west of Glen Innes, the largest
wind turbines and towers so far constructed in Austra-
lia. Most riders were lucky enough to avoid the afternoon
showers passing through!
We returned to Glen Innes where several riders were
interviewed by local media, including one of our female
riders, Nerita Taylor, who said she much prefers a Ural, “it
has three wheels, instead of two”.
“It’s a very different ride. You can go on very rough
roads,” enthused Nerita.
The general feeling about the Ural was that they can
do everything, and perhaps more, of what a two-wheeled
bike can do.
Following dinner and an overnight stay in Glen Innes,
we set off Saturday morning in the fog and mist to explore
some of the interesting and scenic roads which traverse
parts of the Eastern escarpment of the Northern Table-
lands.
Heading for Grafton via the old Grafton Glen Innes
road; a fantastic stretch of dirt road meandering through
beautiful country alongside the Mann and Boyd rivers.
The scenery was amazing, with plenty of time for regu-
lar stops, chat and comradery. We rode to a riverside stop
on the Mann River, stopped for lunch on the bank of the
Nymboida River, before traveling further down the road to
our overnight stop in Grafton.
The ride included passing through the historic tunnel
on the original road linking Glen Innes to Grafton. The
tunnel was built back in the 1800s for the transport of
wool, mail and other supplies to and from the Northern
Tablelands region east to the coast.
Since wanting to buy a Ural, I’d been told that they are
very unreliable, they are after all 1940’s Russian design,
and perhaps technology. This brought a massive chuckle.
Twenty-five Urals, all together on rough Australian roads.
What could possible go wrong?
Well! The trailer being towed by the support vehicle
TRAVERSE 66