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NSW & QLD Loop - Day 5 - Casino

Date:
By Officer Hardass
Category: Riding Solo
Waking up in Bundaberg I was happy to see another sunny day.  I really couldn't believe how perfect the weather has been since the first day.  While packing the bike I was thinking about the route to take as it was the last working day before school holidays so I was expecting traffic around Brisbane and the Gold Coast.  I thought I would stick to the coast as much as possible and just see how it plays out.  And with that, it was time to head out.
 
From Bundaberg I made my way to Hervey Bay for a late breakfast.  I'd always heard this was a pretty town but wow was it awesome.  It was obvious to see why people come here for holidays.  Long, open, calm beaches, lots of little shops and plenty of accommodation.  Lots of young families everywhere and old couples alike.  I found a little takeaway shop near a long jetty so I pulled up there and grabbed a bacon and egg roll and strolled over to the jetty.

With a full belly I made my way out of town via Scarness and on to Noosa Heads.  Winding into Noosa the scenery is stunning beaches and multi-bazillion dollar properties.  Unfortunately, there was also a huge amount of road works that tied me up for about an hour.  Once through Noosa I made my way through Sunshine Coast and back onto the M1 to Brisbane.

Coming into Brisbane it was early afternoon and I hit an enormous amount of traffic, presumably people trying to beat the rush home for school holidays.  I had to resort to a huge amount of lane splitting and riding down the shoulder to get through, without losing too much time.  Once on the other side of Brisbane the traffic opened up until about 100ks out of the Gold Coast, then it just got silly.  All lanes were in complete gridlock and moving a few kilometres an hour at best.  Again, I took to lane splitting and riding down the shoulder to get by.  After finally making it into the Gold Coast I stopped for a couple quick snaps at Currumbin, where we always holidayed as a family.  I really love this place and it was a pleasure to briefly stop in.  Now, with sunlight fading it was time to hit the straps and get to Casino before too dark.

I quickly fuelled up before leaving the Gold Coast and headed down the highway to the Lismore exit near Byron Bay.  I really wanted to do this winding road in the daylight as the corners and scenery are awesome.  Nevertheless is was still great at night banging through some tight corners and admiring the lights winding into Lismore.  From Lismore it was only a short hop to Casino, where I found my motel and got a great recommendation for a pub feed at Hotel Cecil.  After a quick tub it was off to the pub.

Turns out the pub recommendation was bang on.  The steak was incredible and the beer was cold.  I was pretty knackered from battling with so much traffic so after dinner I grabbed a couple takeaway cans and headed back to the motel for a nice cigar and a soft pillow.

Tomorrow, Inverell is the target.  Saturday night in Inverell is going to be interesting, I think!