Kangaroo Valley Twilight Run
07 January 2024 / Story by Bryan Shedden, Photos by Senia Gaunson, Ann Hicks, Robyn Blood & Bryan Shedden
I've been organising an annual twilight run to Kangaroo Valley since 2019 with one exception 12 months ago when I was holidaying in Tasmania. Being the first club run of the new year, it is always well attended and Version 6 was no exception with 44 members getting involved one way or another. Most met at Haywards Bay, two tagged along at the top of Macquarie Pass, and several made their own way to Kangaroo Valley. So we ended up with a convoy of 23 MX-5s (covering all four generations), a Jag and a family car. It could have been an even bigger event as several registrants were forced to cancel at last minute due to illness. Keeping such a large group together in a convoy is tricky, and I appreciated the help of Lena & Wes on radio in the middle of the pack, and Senia & Bob as tailend-Charlie. Miraculously, we all arrived at Kangaroo Valley in convoy together - but more on that later.
This run has traditionally presented us with some epic stories. In 2019 we had torrential rain and heavy fog, 2020 was searing heat, 2021 had the complications of covid and more heavy fog, 2023 had breakdowns and pothole punctures, and only 2022 was incident-free ... which was a huge relief because my son Alex was driving my ND with L-plates! What would we get in 2024? Thankfully the weather was perfect, with temperatures in the low 20s and mostly clear blue skies overhead. My local experience with the southern highlands roads told me they were in pretty decent condition, although that simply means that most (not all) potholes were likely to have been filled. May the adventure begin!
Our route took us through the rural scenery of Marshall Mount and Calderwood, past the dairy farms and then up Macquarie Pass. Turning off onto Tourist Road, we were joined by Ron and Grant's NBs. There were plenty of potholes to announce on the CB radios, and not a single errant kangaroo, wombat or wild deer was sighted, but several formerly living ones were detected by our olfactory systems. Upon reaching Glenquarry, our path returned to Robertson via the beautiful stone fences of Kangaloon. Amusingly, some of the potholes were so deep that the safety cones standing in them were only half visible. The Wingecarribee Reservoir and rolling hills around were spectacularly bathed in warm light from the setting Sun. After Robertson, we meandered along Pearsons Lane and Myra Vale Road to Fitzroy Falls before descending Barrengarry Mountain. It was a slow and steady trip down as we followed a couple slower vehicles with smelly brakes but it allowed us to sample the amazing views of the valley below. Finally, we arrived at The Friendly Inn at Kangaroo Valley and proceeded to fill every remaining carparking space. Tales of potholes hit and others narrowly avoided were common, but thankfully nobody suffered damage.
The marquee in the beer garden afforded us with comfortable seating, shade from the last rays of sunshine and beautiful valley views. Our more experienced participants quickly made their way to the bistro to place their orders, while those who dallied for conversation ended up queuing out the door. I was surprised and delighted to be served by Atalya, a 2023 HSC graduate from my school at Moss Vale, who ably demonstrated her Band 6 result in Hospitality. Not sure how everyone else went with their meals, but my family can vouch for the BBQ pork ribs, prawn & chorizo linguini and lamb masala curry - delicious and very reasonably priced. Leon gave top marks for the chicken schnitty & chips.
After plenty of friendly conversation, Senia presented Zan and Phil with their Illawarra new member caps in return for sharing their story about how they got into their MX-5. It was another familiar tale of maturing from motorcycle touring following an injury! We all agreed they had made an excellent choice, with having fun and making friends being the modus operandi of both Ducati and MX-5.
And how good was the drive home? Freed of the MX-5 convoy behind, I had a fun drive back up Barrengarry Mountain with an NC tagging close behind as we had "a bit of a go" in the twisties. Fiona was not impressed though, and was a bit queasy by the time we emerged at the top - crikey, I wasn't event trying that hard. Must have been the full tummy after a big plate of pasta! Anyway, I eased off after that and kept my eyes peeled for dusk wildlife which thankfully remained hidden. And Fiona's dinner remained where it was intended to be. Success!
So what was the verdict? I think Steve Ruggeri said it best via Facebook: "Great run! I enjoyed that so much. It had everything. Winding roads up hill, winding roads downhill, great views and even a chicane around the witches hats at the end. Thanks Bryan for leading a great run. I can't wait for the next one."
Thanks to everyone for joining this run and we look forward to doing it all again next year.
