The Long Way Euround - Day 4: Euroa show, great driving roads and MBCV BBQ
Today was day four of The Long Way Euround, the Classic Mercedes road trip I am doing through NSW and Victoria. Day four was one of our busiest, and so far probably best days on the trip. Yesterday we had finished in Bendigo. Even though the total amount of driving was less than over days, we had a lot to cover. We made out way out of Bendigo at 6AM. Due to daylight savings kicking in, it was dark and we were all tired since our body clocks assumed it was 5AM. We had a two hour drive to Euroa for the Australian National Show and Shine.
At this point we had intermittent rain driving through the mostly flat farming country between Bendigo and Euroa. The drive was fairly relaxing as there was not much traffic and the roads were all pretty easy. Along the way we noticed another grain Silo with artwork. However, this one was more folksy vs the more artistic ones around Horsham. It was quite a good contrast. Generally al the cars were still performing well, with some minor exceptions. The 380SEC was still playing up with hot starts and occasional stalling when idling. We just kept it running during short breaks. The 500SL had a power steering leak which seemed better after tightening up the clamp on the return hose. And my A/C was no longer working in the 450SLC. I guess there was a leak. Given it was a cool day, I was only going to use the A/C to defrost the front window, so it wasn't essential.
We refueled at Euroa before the show and then had our cars in place around 9AM. Details about the show are covered separately. We planned to leave the show at 11:30AM. The MBCV had kindly offered to host us for a BBQ dinner at their very impressive Club rooms. Given all the trouble they were going to, we didn't want to be late, and I was keen to drive some roads that looked really promising on the way to Melbourne.
Leaving around this time worked pretty well, as we were able to see what we needed to see of the show. Fitting the name of our trip, the route to Melbourne was not the direct one. The map is below, but the goal was to find as many great driving roads as we could between here and Ferntree Gully. The roads exceeded my expectations. We headed out towards the serenity of Bonnie Doon. The roads so far were fine, but not all that special. it was when we got through Mansfield that they started to become really good. The road I specifically wanted to do was the Eildon-Jaimeson Road. This road is paved, but a lot of the roads around it are not. I think I can safely saw it was one of the best roads I have driven on. It was lots of windy roads up and down the mountains that goes on for 63km. You can still drive well within the speed limit and have amazing fun on this road. I kept my 450SLC back in 2nd gear most of the time and I was able to accelerate out of the bends and then slow down for each. The car handled really well, it generally stayed flat and I never lost any grip. I was more likely to slide out of the seat when cornering that lose control of the car. In addition, the scenery was amazing and it was like driving through a temperate rain forest. The sportier cars like the 107s and 124s were really able to make the most of this road. It was probably harder work for the W108s. As we drove we found a couple of scenic places to stop and allow us to all re-group.
After we finished this road, we still had more great driving roads. We went through the Yarra Ranges National Park and went through Towns like Reefton and Gembrook. These roads were equally good and probably more varied than the Eildon-Jaimeson Road. There was still lots of bends, but also sweeping corners as well as the tight stuff. In addition, there were also more significant uphill and downhill sections. There was one section that we did up towards Nichol lookout that was like a Hill Climb. And the view at the top was amazing. There was also a section that went through what was presumably an old growth forest with massive trees on either side of the road.
Both roads were great and I would do them again in a heartbeat. Since my A/C wasn't working, I had my windows and sunroof open. I could hear a noise from the rear right when turning left. I think I may have a wheel bearing starting to get noisy. If I hadn't had the window open, I probably wouldn't have heard it, so I am hoping it will be fine until I get to Sydney.
After we finished the twisty drive, we headed into the MBCV club rooms for the BBQ. The MBCV had 30-40 members who had attended to come and meet with us and their hospitality was very much appreciated. It was great to meet up with some friends in the club again, and see some of their cars and chat. It was great to see cars like the W143 230, and the dinner was great too. The W143 is currently for sale and will be on display in the Sandersons showroom in Sydney soon.
By the time we got to our hotel which was about 20 minutes away, we were all pretty tired from such an action packed day. We covered around 510km today.
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