From there, it was on to Route 34 and destination Numinbah, and back to open country touring mode across the wide valley floor. Eventually the road climbs from the Rous River valley in NSW to the Queensland border and on to Natural Bridge. There were a lot of motorcycles on the road as I made my way through the picturesque Numinbah Valley and on to the long, sweeping bends traversing the western side of the Hinze Dam. By now, I was seriously loving the bike’ s rocksolid roadholding and stability- and minimal effort. I even had several motorists pull over and let me past on the run. Almost unheard of on this side- unfortunately. Maybe the looming Battlestar in the rear-view had something to do with it? Normally, on most touring bikes, by the time I get to Advancetown on the homeward leg, towards the end of the Nerang – Murwillumbah road, I head to Nerang and then up the motorway to home. That’ s the normal route at least, but I still wasn’ t ready for home, and was feeling freshas, so I turned west again and added the Beechmont loop to the route. Another twisty mountain climb to a plateau that reveals a stunning panorama, looking back at the picturesque Numinbah Valley just ridden – lush green and resembling parts of Northland if you squint. I wheeled north-east beyond the small town of Beechmont, and to a gentle descent to
64 KIWI RIDER