Road
Rides I have completed on my XT250, XJ600 or NT650V. Beechworth, Swan Hill, Mystery Ride,
Tallangatta, Tassie 2002, Walhalla, (Click above links to go to story. Click on underlined words to open a picture in a new browser window) Kelly Weekend to Beechworth, 29&30 Nov. 2003 Leader:
Trevor Hudson ^Top^ Shortly after 9am and with petrol tanks full, we departed Bunker Hill and headed north to the little town of Beveridge. It was near here that Ned Kelly was born around December 1854 and we inspected the still standing home where he lived with his parents John & Ellen from 1859 to 1863. It was also here that Ros Humphries gave us a lesson in how not to brake on gravel, as she dropped her GPS250. We then inspected the Roman Catholic Church where Ned went to school. Then it was off to Avenel, where we called in at the Old Coach House for morning tea. The Shelton family used to run this place as an Inn and it was their son Richard who was rescued from drowning in Hughes Creek by Ned Kelly. In appreciation Mr Shelton gave Ned a green silk sash. While at Avenel we visited the Cemetery where John (Red) Kelly was buried in December 1866. We then headed on to Benalla where we visited the grave of Joe Byrne, which is the only marked grave of a Kelly gang member. We also saw the Boot Shop where he had a violent fight with 4 police officers on the way to the Benalla Court House on a charge of being drunk and disorderly the previous day. It was then time for lunch at the Royal Hotel and have a few cool drinks as the weather was nearing its 32 C maximum. We then visited the Benalla Museum, which had a couple of short videos and interesting displays of Kelly memorabilia. Back on the bikes we headed for Glenrowan to visit the siege site where Ann Jones had her Inn and nearby where Ned was captured. After a 15 minute break for a cool drink, we then went to Kates Cottage which included another museum outlining the Kelly story and including a reconstructed hut like the Kelly’s lived in at nearby Greta in the 1880’s. We then rejoined the Highway briefly to refuel at the BP service station before heading off via Milawa to Beechworth. We settled in at the Carriage Motor Inn just after 5pm and being a hot day the swimming pool was most welcome. Around 7pm he went to the nearby Hibernian Hotel to socialise over a few drinks in the beer garden and have dinner. As the sun was setting I handed out a 25 question Kelly quiz sheet for each member to complete. Most did it as a couple and the winners were Geoff & Denise Greenhalgh, who were rewarded with a Kelly thermometer souvenir. Light drizzle greeted us in the morning as we made our way to the Beechworth Bakery for breakfast. This was followed by an interesting tour of the Historic Precinct lead by Lorna, a volunteer guide. She showed us places that Ned and his supporters had visited including Beechworth Court House, Lock-up and Gaol. We said goodbye to Rob & Roslyn who were staying on for another day and to Ben Smith who would try and purchase some wet weather gear and ride home via the Hume Highway. Just after 10am we departed Beechworth and made our way to Milawa but along the way Ros Humphries’s old Kawasaki was sounding very sick, so she and John Lawrence headed for Wangaratta. (John pillioned her home and they later returned to Wangaratta in a van to pick-up the bike which was found to have dropped a valve in one cyclinder.) The remaining 7 people rode down along the scenic King Valley to Whitfield for morning tea at a café where we were met by a heavy shower of rain. I decided it would be too wet to tackle the 3km gravel road to Powers Lookout, so we proceeded to cross the range toward Mansfield where the sky was blue. The gravel road from Tolmie to Stringybark Creek appeared dry, so we rode 11km up the road, but the last 600 metres was a bit cut up. Henry and Morjorie Rokx lead the way, but Ron & Anita decided not to go on and risk dropping their BMW’s. The 5 people who came saw the site and memorials to the three mounted Police who were shot dead on 26 October 1878. We then rode onto Mansfield to refuel and for lunch at the Ski Inn Café. Before leaving Mansfield we visited the Cemetery to see the graves of the 3 Policemen - Thomas Lonigan, Thomas McIntyre & Michael Kennedy. Then South via Yea and we arrived at Yarra Glen around 4:30pm where we enjoyed afternoon tea and a chat at La Porchetta, till we departed for home. Swan Hill/Lake Boga, 7-9 June 2003 Leader:
Rick Marr ^Top^ After lunch we travelled via New Bridge, Bridgewater, Serpentine, Durham Ox and finally stopped at Boort for afternoon tea. The roads were very straight now, some would say boring, the further north we rode. Patches of sandy soil which had blown across the road in places, reminded us of the dust storm we experience in Melbourne on Friday. One particular patch of soil was a bit thicker, wetter and longer than the rest and my bike fish tailed as I rode through it. When I was safely through I glanced in my rear vision mirror and watched in horror as I saw Kevin & Marion on the Gold Wing veer across the road out of my view. I quickly stopped and went back to offer assistance. Marion, in pain herself was attending to Kevin who was lying face down and unconscious at the side of the road. At least he was breathing, so we left him a in semi coma position. The bike was nearby laying on its side with the engine stopped. As a precaution someone switched off the ignition. I tried to call 000 for an ambulance on my mobile phone. Even though we were only 25 km from Swan Hill there was no signal. Luckily Kevin came to after a few minutes and managed to speak to assure us that apart from cuts and bruises, he didn’t think any bones were broken. Marion had pain in her back but didn’t think anything was broken. The bike had suffered damage to the mirrors, windscreen, lights and fairing. However the crash bars had done a good job of protecting the mechanicals. By now all the other riders had returned to offer help and advice. None of the others could get a mobile phone signal either. Around 4 pm, 15 minutes after the accident, a ute came by and we flagged the driver down. Luckily he had a 2 way radio and was able to call for an Ambulance. After taking some pictures of the accident scene we decided to stand the bike up in case fuel was leaking out. The bike looked as if it was still rideable, however we were surprised that it started first go. With help on the way, Chris, Fay and I stayed on the scene, while the rest of the group headed for our weekend accommodation at the Aquatic Lodge Motel in Lake Boga. After about 20 minutes, the Ambulance and Police arrived. While the paramedics attended to Kevin and Marion, the Policeman took details from them, us, and measurements at the scene. The ambulance took Kevin and Marion to Swan Hill hospital. Ron meanwhile brought Rick back from the motel as a pillion, so that Rick could ride the ‘wing’ to the motel. We checked into 2 rooms and dinned that night at the motel, with the dinner table conversation mostly about Kevin & Marion. Marion was discharged from hospital and joined us about 10pm. Kevin was to stay in hospital for 24 hours. On Sunday morning after breakfast, we followed Marion’s taxi to the Swan Hill Hospital. We visited Kevin in small groups and around 11 am went to Pioneer Settlement. As our numbers were depleted we enlisted 2 others to join us to get the group entry price of $14.40 each. We had a look around the settlement, regrouped for a short lunch at 1pm and finally left at 3pm. After a fuel stop we rode 16 km to the Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum. Firstly we looked over the large Catalina A24-30 on display, then visited the secret underground communications bunker, now transformed into a Flying Boat Museum. Don’t ask Rick about the 20 minute film as he went to sleep. With the bombing of Broome in 1941, Australia needed a safer place to repair the Catalina and other Flying Boats which flew bombing missions in the south pacific. Lake Boga was chosen by the RAAF for its strategic isolation and the ideal stretch of water on which the flying boats could land. The No.1 Flying Boat Repair Depot operated at Lake Boga from 1942 to 1947. During those five years 416 aircraft were serviced, with work ranging from repairs of operational damage to complete overhauls. That evening we were pleased that Kevin & Marion were able to join us for dinner at the Motel. However they were both still in pain and wisely chose to have a room to them selves for the night. On Monday morning we said goodbye to Kevin & Marion who were intending to drive back to Melbourne as soon as they could obtain a hire car. We rode south via Kerang, Serpentine and Bendigo where we stopped in the mall for morning tea. Then we rode on through Heathcote, Tooborac and Seymour for lunch, with the scenery improving all the time. Our final leg was Strath Creek, Flowerdale, Break of Day, Glenburn and Yarra Glen where we arrived around 2:50 pm. From here people left the group at various places to go their own way. I arrived home around 4 pm having travelled a total of 850 km for the weekend and averaging 21 km/litre on the Deauville. Apart from those involved in the “big off”, we all had a great time and I would like to thank Rick for organising the weekend for us and keeping us to the speed limits, as the revenue raisers were out in force over the weekend. Mystery Ride, 25-27 April 2003 Leader:
Aub Adcock ^Top^ However I was confused by the 4th clue which read “Turn Right at the second Roundabout.” Now did Aub mean the 2nd Roundabout since the start, or the second roundabout since the previous clue? I soon worked out that I needed to take more notice of the suggested distance between clues and less of the clue. At every 3rd or 4th clue, there was also a question, which sometimes involved getting off the bike to find the answer. I caught up with some riders and had to remind myself that this was not a race and points would be deducted for arriving too early at our lunch destination. In fact we would loose 10 points for every minute early and 1 point for every minute late. Ideal time was based on riding at the speed limits, stopping to answer questions and allowing 30 minutes for morning tea and a fuel stop. I was very pleased to come to the question which showed a coffee cup and mentioned stretching the legs. Kinglake was also my first chance to chat to the others about the ride. As we continued on, the roads straightened out and the clues and questions were further apart. We eventually arrived at a Pub in Nagambie, where Aub who had taken a direct route, was waiting to collect our sheets. We also had to write down what town we thought we would be staying in that night. We all enjoyed a drink over lunch and a chance to compare notes on the ride, especially answers to the questions. After lunch we were handed a pink piece of paper. Anyone who says they weren’t confused near the “dead centre” could be lying, as I saw lots of people turning left. We stopped for afternoon tea, at Elmore where Maxine was seen making a hasty retreat from the male toilet. We continued on our way and eventually came to the Pevensey Motor Lodge, at Echuca where Aub was waiting to collect our sheets. As 57 people on 45 bikes was more than one motel could accommodate, half the people were directed to the nearby Paddle Wheel Motel. After getting keys, and taking luggage to our rooms (I shared a room with Malcolm), most people visited a nearby bottle shop to stock up on liquid refreshments for the weekend. That evening we walked over to the Serviceman’s Club to enjoy a buffet roast dinner, with dessert and coffee for $17.50. Some of our party in fancy dress behaved rather disgracefully, but we all had a good time. On Saturday morning a few of us had breakfast at the Bakery and went for a walk around town. At 11:30am, most of the group boarded the PS Pride of the Murray for a one hour cruise. We then had a little time to explore the Port area, before returning to the Serviceman’s Club for lunch. With a bit of help from Sylvia, Armando finally arrived at Echuca but he checked into the wrong Motel. It was important not to drink too much alcohol at lunch time, as we needed a good sense of balance for the gymkhana in the nearby car park. The first event was a go slow race, where competitors had to take the longest time to cross the finish line, without deviating off line or putting a foot down. One BMW rider put more than their foot down. Through a series of elimination races, David Balcombe emerged as the winner. The next event was an egg (potato) and spoon race - while zig zagging down, but not touching, a line of witches hats (ice cream containers). Greg Edgerton emerged as the winner. The last event was a slalom race, up and back through a line of witches’ hats. Greg Hann won this event. The gymkhana was also enjoyed by many locals who came along for a look. Saturday night some Ulyssians had a bbq at their motel, others went out to a restaurant or hotel. On Sunday morning we awoke to the sound of light rain, which continued for the whole ride home. I believe Leanne Rollins while braking on a wet road, had a small 'off' which resulted in a sore backside. On behalf of the group I would like to thank Aub for organising such a great weekend. We really appreciated the effort he had put into the mystery ride and gymkhana. Tallangatta 8-10 March 2003 Leader:
Els Timmerman ^Top^ With Els up front and Wayne as the tail-person we headed off through Yarra Glen, turned right at the Yarra Track to Healesville, over the Black Spur and across the Molesworth Track to Molesworth. Somewhere about here Ian and I rode through a shower of feathers, which was all that was left of a kamakasi corrella after it hit the front tyre of Sofia’s Kawasaki ZZR 250. Without stopping we continued on to Merton and arrived at Bonnie Doon around 11:10am. We stopped half an hour for morning tea at Melz Cafe, and some went next door to top up with petrol. Sofia then took a turn as tail-person, a position which gave our native birds plenty of warning that she was coming. We then headed via Mansfield, Whitefield, Milawa and onto Myrtleford where we stopped for Lunch around 12:45pm. Myrtleford was very busy with their Saturday market in full swing, but we found enough spare tables for 20 people at the Bakehouse. Most bikes needed fuel, then we headed out of town around 1:30pm bound for Bright. In the distance we could see some evidence of the January bush fires, however the fire fighters did a great job in keeping the fires away from the country towns. We enjoyed the twisty mountain road over the Tawonga Gap, before heading up the Kiewa Valley Highway. We turned right near Kergunyah and took the back roads to Tallangatta where we arrived around 4:00pm. With 450km now travelled, we parked our bikes safely in the back yard of the Victoria Hotel and were then allocated our rooms. Because the Victoria Hotel was full, Ian & Sofia, plus Cevat & Fatma - who arrived late after re-arranging a baby sitter for their West Highland Terrier, stayed at the Tallangatta Motor Inn, but they joined us for meals. It had been a great ride and we had experienced fine weather while Melbourne endured showers. It was now time to celebrate our good fortune, rest and have a drink with some mates. Some of us also went for a walk around town before dinner, which was served in the lounge at 7pm.. The evening meals were cheap and cheerful and our orders were also taken for breakfast the following morning. Most of us were in bed by 10pm, but I believe Gaz stayed up late, keeping the barman company. From 7am we trickled down to the dining room for an early breakfast. I enjoyed my $8 full breakfast, others were content with the $5 continental breakfast. Kaye, the publican’s wife, seemed very satisfied with an early morning ride on the back of Ron’s BMW. Kelvin left us today, but Wayne was joined by his wife Kaye who had driven up. After this trip they were going on a car holiday to Canberra and Merrimbula. Ron (noisy Triumph Bonneville) decided to sit out the day and watch the F1 Grand Prix at Albert Park on TV. At around 9am those who were riding followed Kevin Vance, a local Albury Wodonga Ulysses member, to Valentines Bakehouse in Wodonga, where we joined in with a dozen local branch members for their regular Saturday morning chat over morning tea. A few of the local Ulyssians then lead us on a very scenic ride beside the very empty Hume Wier and along the upper reaches of the Murray River. The water in the Murray was flowing very fast and was so clean compared to what we pass onto South Australia. Sofia was proud to have kept up with Bill at one stage, even if he was stuck behind the ride leader. We did have to slow down however in a couple of places, as there was cattle grazing on the side of the road. Luckily there were signs beside the road, warning of cattle ahead, as like sheep you never know when they will cross the road. We stopped at 12noon, for an early lunch by Melbourne branch standards, at the Tintaldra Hotel. We enjoyed a drink or two and a good feed in the beer garden, before leaving for Corryong for a fuel stop. Just short of Tallangatta we headed south down the scenic Omeo Highway which runs parallel to the Mitta Mitta River. When we reached Mitta Mitta township we stopped for a short rest at the Laurel Hotel. On the way back to Tallangatta Sofia and Els swapped bikes. Wayne and Kaye lead me and Diane on a spirited ride back to the Victoria Hotel, where we arrived around 5 pm having now travelled 858 Km. Ron, Anita and some of the others went out for a pizza, however most of us settled for dinner again at the Victoria Hotel. Monday dawned and with it the unpleasant thought that our long weekend was nearly over. Els allowed us a sleep in and have a later breakfast at 8am, but we had to be ready to roll at 9:30am. Ian was our tail-person on Monday morning as we rode via Kiewa to Myrtleford for morning tea. Then there was a friendly coup, Anita took over as ride leader and Bob as tail-person. We had only ridden to Milawa when Anita stopped again, not for a drop of red, but to tape up a broken indicator light that Ron had previously modified. Anita must have used “go fast tape”, as she set a cracking pace after that. A bit further on we had a close call with cattle beside the road and no signs to warn of their presence. I stopped and suggested to the “cow lady” that she put up a couple of signs at either end of the herd to warn approaching traffic of the hazard. She had the signs in her vehicle and kindly agreed to erect them. Els resumed as ride leader at Swanpool and 7km from Bonnie Doon, I noticed Cevat and Fatma rocking their V Star 1100 from side to side. I stopped and confirmed that they had run out of petrol. I offered to get some fuel from Bonnie Doon and bring it back. I borrowed an empty oil container and put $2 of unleaded in it. A kind local who rides a ‘Harley’ insisted on taking the fuel back to them in his 4WD. So in no time at all they were able to join the group for lunch at Melz café. From Bonnie Doon the group split up and we made our own way back to Melbourne, battling the heavy traffic. I arrived home at 4:30pm having travelled 1290km for the weekend. I am sure we all enjoyed the friendly company, great roads, fine weather, comfortable accommodation and hearty meals. I would especially like to thank Els for organising and leading such a great trip, the corner markers for ensuring we didn’t get lost (especially Bill, Steve & Gaz who went beyond the call of duty) and the various tail-persons. Report by Trevor Hudson on an XJ600. Tassie 2002, 15th to 26th November Leader:
Aub Adcock ^Top^ It seemed like we had just fallen asleep when we were suddenly awoken at 5:30am on Saturday 16th by an announcement that we were about to arrive at Devonport. On-shore we were met by Geoff Ingram and other members of the Cradle Coast Cruisers, who showed us the Ulverstone site for the proposed 2006 AGM. Geoff took us to Penguin where we ate breakfast at the Groovy Penguin Caf.é. Then outside, we posed for a group photo. We said goodbye to the local Ulysses members and headed south via cattle and sheep country to Moina for morning tea and west through the forest to Tullah for a petrol stop. Leanne was to regret this petrol stop as her Slingshot didn't run well on premium ULP. We took the road via Reece Power Station Dam and stopped at Zeehan to visit the West Coast Pioneers Memorial Museum, which depicted the mining history of the region. From Zeehan it was a short ride to Strahan, beautifully located at the northern tip of Macquarie Harbour and where we checked into the Strahan Village Motel. Any weight loss programs people had went out the window here as we were offered sumptuous buffet dinners and breakfasts at Strahan for our 2 nights. Sunday 17th was supposed to be a lay day, but for most it was an action day. Members chose from a combination of cruises, jet boat, seaplane, helicopter, quad bike and steam train rides. I chose the Gordon River cruise which included a visit to Sarah Island where the worst male convicts were sent, and followed that up with a thrilling 45 minutes of riding a quad bike over sand hills. Just before dinner most of us went to see The Ship That Never Was, a play made more funny due to audience participation. Barry had a slight mishap on a gravelly hill this day resulting in a broken clutch lever and a very tender ankle. Luckily he and the bike were able to keep going until Thursday when he and Deano had to leave the trip early due to other commitments. Monday 18th and all packed up we headed towards Queenstown and 132 corners later we were eating morning tea and happened to see the tourist steam train depart at 10am. At a lookout above Queenstown, Greg and Genele put their R1100RT down for a rest, but it was quickly righted. However their day was to get worse as they suffered a rear puncture soon after. (The temporary plug plagued them for the next few days) While we were waiting for them at Nelson River, Leda dropped her Virago 250, luckily with no damage. The stop gave us a chance to walk to Nelson Falls till Greg and Genele caught up. Finally we were on our way and rode on to Derwent Bridge where we stopped for lunch at the Wilderness Hotel. We arrived in Hobart around 5pm and checked into the Sandy Bay Motor Inn for 4 nights before venturing over the road to the Wrest Point Casino for dinner. On Tuesday the 19th of November, people did their own thing, however most went to Port Arthur. I was in a small group of half a dozen who went to Bush Mill and we enjoyed looking over the old timber town and having a ride on a steam train. Nearly everyone met at Richmond for afternoon tea before riding back to Hobart for a BBQ at the motel. This was followed by drinking port through teddy bears and tim-tams in Mel & Carol's penthouse overlooking the harbour. On Wednesday morning the 20th, Dave Barker and other members of the Hobart Ulysses branch met us at our motel and took us on a tour of the old Mt Nelson Signal Station established in 1811 to convey messages between the Port and ships in the River Derwent. In 1836 a string of stations were established to convey messages to and from Port Arthur. Our next stop was at Huonville where we stopped for morning tea before heading off to the Air Walk 20km west of Geeveston. The Air Walk is an elevated metal structure that allows you to walk among the tree tops and it offers superb views of the countryside. On our ride south to Dover we rode for 20 minutes through light drizzle and were pleased to arrive at the Dover Hotel to have lunch. After a short scenic ride we called in at Dave's home, where Wendy presented us with fresh scones, jam, cream and coffee. Dave and Wendy have a lovely home on 5 acres overlooking the Huon River. Dave also showed us his collection of old Jaguars, 2 of which are used as wedding cars. Aub then lead us back to Hobart where we again went to the Casino for dinner. While waiting for a large table to become available I won $20 at roulette which more than paid for my drink and dinner. After dinner we all went up to the revolving restaurant on the 17th floor for coffee and to see the lights and sights of Hobart. On Thursday 21st, after crossing the Tasman Bridge a few riders found themselves in the wrong lane and ended up at Rosny Park. We used mobile phones to make contact with each other and regrouped near Cambridge before heading up via Richmond and Ross to Bicheno for Lunch. Dean and Barry said goodbye here, as they both had to catch the ferry in the evening to return to Melbourne. We returned via Swansea, Orford and Runnymede, then stopped again at Richmond, where I took a photo of the famous convict built bridge and of our group replenishing their fluid levels at the Richmond Arms Hotel. Because we still had some food left over from Tuesday's BBQ, we decided to buy a few extras and have another BBQ dinner at the motel that night. On Friday 22nd we departed Hobart and headed toward Launceston. As the main highway is more suited to cars than bikes, Aub as usual took us on the scenic, narrow & twisty "B" roads. ("A" = Automobiles, "B" = motor Bikes) We travelled via Bushy Park, Gretna and Hollow Tree to Bothwell where we refuelled the bikes and riders. At the turn off to Flintstone, Ugo and Sally over-shot the corner and laid their V-Star 1100 down in a ditch. However the only damage was a bent front brake lever. We arrived mid afternoon at Launceston and checked into Sanders On The Park, our accommodation for the next 3 nights. After settling in, I joined Norm, Graham and Steve on a walk to a motorbike shop - as they needed chain lube. Then I headed off on a long walk to Cataract Gorge, before returning to the motel for dinner. On Saturday 23rd we ventured via Scottsdale, Wellborough - home of Tasmania's "Worst Pub" and best dirty jokes, St Helens and on to St Marys where we met up with Dave & Irene Oxley and members of the East Coast Thylacines. They led us to Fingal for lunch and took us on a scenic route via Rossarden to Avoca. We parted company and after a brief stop at Evandale for afternoon tea we arrived back at Launceston having ridden 395km for the day. There is an unconfirmed rumour that one of the BMW riders did a 360, on a gravel corner that morning. In the evening we ate at the Royal Oak Hotel - where Leda ventured into male territory. Dinner was followed by a Ghost Tour which gave an interesting perspective into Launceston's intriguing past. On Sunday 24th most of us rode down to Ross to see a display of historic motor bikes. Aub, Terry, Alan Blackwood and I, also took advantage of the opportunity to have a half hour test ride on various new Triumph motorcycles. During the ride we experienced another short shower of rain, so we couldn't discover the full potential of the bikes. We then returned to Launceston to rest, regroup and later go to Cataract Gorge for a ride on the chair lift, etc. Back at the motel Graham was trying to watch TV in his room, but the channels and volume kept changing. Was it Cyril the ghost, or was the TV faulty? Actually it was Greg leaning around from his balcony using his remote to control Graham's TV. At dinner in appreciation of Aub organising such a fantastic trip we presented him with a framed photo showing him enjoying a red on the balcony at Strahan, together with all our names. We then crammed into Greg & Genele's room for an entertaining viewing on the TV, of some digital pictures and movies of our trip so far. After breakfast on Monday 25th, some of us headed over to watch feeding of the monkeys in City Park, before we packed the bikes and headed up to Low Head to checkout the lighthouse. Then we stopped at George Town for morning tea and at Batman Bridge on the Tamar River for a photo shoot. During lunch at Westbury, Alan Johnson inspired us to visit Pearn's Steamworld which had a large collection of old steam engines, early model tractors, and other interesting items. We rode through some very scenic country around Deloraine, Mole Creek and Sheffield, then continued on to Devonport. We ate dinner at the Argosy Hotel before boarding the Spirit of Tasmania II for our journey home, which turned out to be another smooth ride. On Tuesday 26th November
we disembarked around 7:30am and headed to Boyles at
Mordialloc for breakfast and farewells. I'm sure we all enjoyed
the friendly company, comfortable accommodation, fine food, twisty
mountain roads, scenic splendour, tourist attractions and shopping
opportunities. On behalf of all participants I would sincerely
like to thank Aub for leading us safely on a 2600km great motorcycling
adventure around Tasmania. Walhalla - Sunday 15th September 2002. Leader
Wayne Wassell ^Top^ A loud voice got every ones attention around 9 am as President Polley addressed the throng to make a few announcements, explain some rider etiquette and introduce the ride leader Wayne Wassell. It was Wayne's first ride as a leader and I was impressed that he could rattle off the route he had chosen without reference to a map. Everyone was also pleased with the warm sunny weather. I set the odometer to zero and we departed around 9:10 am, heading east along the Princes Highway with Ken & Kerry Gray as tail-persons at the rear on their 1975 Goldwing. At Langwarry North we took the Labertouche turn off and headed toward Jindivick where our leader was nearly collected by an old timer in a tin top, who took off from the milk bar without looking. Wayne managed to avoid the car and to give the driver an appropriate hand signal. After riding only 68 km we stopped outside the Noojee General Store for morning tea and to chat about bikes, the great scenery and warm weather, till we departed at 10:40am. Wayne lead us east, then south, down past the scenic Blue Rock Lake made famous by the discovery of the body of little Jayden Leske. At Willow Grove we stopped for 5 minutes to regroup, before riding on via Tanjil South, Moondarra and Erica to Rawson. Approaching Erica we saw the boys in blue driving the other way. As it was a rather windy road, I trust not many were going more than 103 clicks. Around 11:45 am, we arrived at Rawson having ridden 147 km. I put 7 litres in the tank and rejoined the others at the Rawson Village Resort for lunch. Some chose to eat their sandwiches outside in the garden, but most people opted to go inside for the 2 course meal for $13:50. As it was quite warm we first headed to the bar for a cool drink or two. While chatting at the tables we were served with either roast - chicken or pork, each served with roast - potato, pumpkin and cauliflower. Next to arrive on the tables was cheese cake and we helped ourselves to tea or coffee. At Rawson we gathered for a group photo and at 1:20 pm we headed off to Walhalla. We rode through the old gold mining town, imagining what it was like in the old days. At the far end of town I captured Armando resting on his Harley, while we had a short break. We then retraced our steps, then headed down to Tyers to fuel the high performance bikes at the Shell Service Station. We crossed the Princes Highway at Morwell and rode via Thorpdale, to Mirboo North for a drink and toilet stop. The temperature in Melbourne today reached 28°C, which was a record for mid September, which explains why we were all drinking so much today. We then rode via Leongatha, Korumburra, Ranceby and Poowong with its twisty and scenic roads. We battled a developing cross wind and finally arrived at Tooradin for farewells around 5:15 pm, having ridden a total of 356 km. For a first timer, Wayne did a great job. In fact even with more experience he will be hard pressed to do better. He obviously has good connections, as the 100 km/hr winds didn't arrive until we were all snugly in bed and the rain didn't come till Monday morning. I would like to thank Wayne, Ken & Kerry and all the corner persons for ensuring we had a great safe ride, without loosing anyone along the way. This was a fitting finish to a great weekend which began on Saturday 14th with a visit to the Motorcycle Expo at the Carlton Exhibition Buildings. Report by Trevor Hudson on a Yamaha XJ600. Ulysses AGM at Mt Gambier, Mid March 2002. ^Top^ We stopped at Apollo Bay for a late lunch at a cafe. We then headed inland through the fast flowing curves in the Otway National Park where the air temperature was noticeably cooler. After Lavers Hill we again headed for the coast and stopped for the obligatory photos of the Twelve Apostles. The new visitors centre had lots of information panels, but unfortunately no cool drinks for sale. We remounted and had only gone a couple of km when we pulled in for a look and photo of another formation called The Island Archway. The section between Princetown and Peterborough is crammed with magnificent rock formations and warrants a return visit to see them all and do the coastal walking tracks. After travelling 330 km for the day, we finally arrived at our crammed and basic accommodation for the night at Sea Breeze Bed & Breakfast. It was here that Leigh discovered the extent of the damage to his side pannier from the hot exhaust underneath. Not only had it melted a hole the size of a fist, but his leather pants were burnt and four $50 notes had melted together. We enjoyed a nice meal at the Loch Ard Hotel and chatted to some fellow riders, some of whom where going to the Super Bikes at Phillip Island. We distributed the contents of Leigh's right pannier, to other bags for the day. After a brief stop at the remains of London Bridge, we headed for Warrnambool, where we called in at Philip Russell Motorcycles to rectify the exhaust/pannier problem. They did a great job of securing a plastic patch over the hole and modifying the exhaust system so that the muffler was 3cm lower. While they were doing the repairs (which only cost $27) we went over the road to a shopping centre for morning tea and more particularly to a bank to exchange the melted notes for some legal tender. Having only travelled 245km today via Port Fairy and Heywood, we arrived at Mt Gambier around 2:30pm central time and registered at the Lady Nelson Tourist Centre to receive our bike stickers and wrist tags. Then we checked into our accommodation at the Avalon Motel, quietly located in Gray Street. We then went to the Ulysses site at the show grounds and were amazed by the scale of everything. Security entering and leaving was tight as they checked to see that the number on the sticker was the same as on your wrist band. This was to stop someone riding in on an old bike and riding out on a new one. We visited the trade centre where there were lots of stalls selling motorbike gear and Ulysses hats, badge, tee shirts etc. Leigh and I also picked up information on the next 2 AGM's to be held at Mudgee and Geelong. I also made a booking for a test ride on the new Honda Deauville tourer on Saturday afternoon. We then headed back to the Avalon for a swim in the solar heated pool which was much appreciated in the warm weather. Dressed in more casual gear we then rode to the show grounds for the Friday evening Meet & Greet Dinner. The people who had read their information pack arrived on the free buses from their accommodation. (Next year at Mudgee I will arrive a day or two earlier so I can plan the events better). It was a real eye opener to see all the tents and so many fellow Ulyssians in one place. Even though the caterers were serving a meal every 3 seconds, it took a while for all of the 3,500 bikers to line up and be served. First course was cold meat and salad washed down with what ever you wished to buy. For dessert there was a choice of 4 dishes, I chose Apple Pie and cream. The 'Cruisers' played in the background while some better dancers than me entertained us as we ate and chatted with old and new friends. Leigh and I stayed till about 10pm before returning to the Avalon for the night. On Saturday morning about 3,800 motorcycles of all descriptions assembled at the Blue Lake Sports Park. Soon after 9am we followed the leaders for a grand parade down Jubilee Highway and into Commercial Street, Mt Gambier. About 20,000 locals turned out to wave or touch our hand as we rode by. I found it a very emotional experience and I am sure both riders and locals will remember this day for years to come. The ride concluded at Malseed Park at White Avenue, which gave the locals a chance to come and see us and our bikes. Most people bought lunch and drinks here, from a variety of caterers. We were welcomed to the city by the Mayor and heard a few other speeches from Ulyssians. One lucky member won a new Yamaha cruiser. After a quick visit to the Blue Lake, it was soon time to head for the Barn Palais in Nelson Road for the official AGM meeting, where I saw the founding member Stephen Dearnley. About 560 members crammed into the hall to elect the new Ulysses National Committee. The new President is Rick Bedford. Unfortunately I had to leave early to have my test ride on the 650cc shaft drive Honda Deauville. I was very impressed with the look, sound and feel of the bike. My only criticism is a relatively high first gear compared with first gear on my 6 speed Seca II. I hope Honda bring it out in red or yellow as I want one for Christmas. The side panniers are not large, so I would supplement them with a top box for long trips and I think an after market exhaust would enhance the V twin sound. After the test ride I met Leigh and we went to the trade centre again, as I wanted a $13.50 metal Ulysses badge. We then went back to the motel for a welcome swim. As we had left our dancing partners at home, we hadn't booked in for the Saturday night meal at the show grounds, but we found a good cheap feed at the Mt Gambier Hotel, which was only a short walk from the Avalon Motel. Another short walk from the Avalon Motel was McDonalds, where we breakfasted on Sunday before the assembly at Malseed Park for a 10am departure. On the ride to Portland via Nelson, we had a Police escort and averaged 80 km/hr. I was amazed by the number of farming families who turned up at their front gates to wave as we rode by. It was also great to see the locals at Portland who had turned out to welcome us in the 34ºC heat. My first priority was to get out of the heat and find a pub with some cool drinks. We also took off what clothes modesty would allow, including our riding boots so we could cool down, and then we had lunch. Again the locals had put on some displays and entertainment for us. We also saw displayed in the street, lots of historic and modified cars. We stayed about 3 hours and then rode back the same way but at a quicker pace. We headed straight for the Avalon pool where we stayed for an hour, cooling off and chatting with some other Ulyssians. For convenience we had dinner again at the Mt Gambier Hotel, where the steak was so big, I didn't have room for dessert. As we checked out of the Avalon Motel, Grant and Tracy gave us 3 recent newspapers with coverage of the Ulysses AGM etc. Their good service was in contrast to the petrol stations in Mt Gambier, who put up the price of petrol during our stay. We left Mt Gambier just after 9am and headed for the Grampians via Casterton, Coleraine, Cavendish and Glenisla. We then headed west via Brimpaen and I got a fright when a Wallaby jumped in front of me near Zumsteins. Luckily I wasn't going fast, so was able to brake and miss it by a metre or two. Further on we stopped and did the short walk to Silverband Falls. We went on to Halls Gap for lunch and met Ron Blomley & Anita Wallis, whom we missed seeing at Mt Gambier. We were originally going to stay here the night, but as it was only 3pm we headed on via Ararat & Avoca to Maryborough for the night. After checking into the Budget Motel for a clean up, Leigh pillioned me into town for dinner at the Park Hotel. Tuesday 25th was very overcast as we set off via Castlemaine, Daylesford and Trentham. We stopped to visit the waterfalls and it was about here that the rain started to bucket down. Even though I had wet weather gear on, my legs got wet and water started filling my riding boots. We rode on and joined the Western Highway and the Western Ring Road. When I saw the Golden Arches, I pulled in to have a warm coffee. I also emptied the water out of my boots and changed my socks for some dry ones. I must replace my shower proof pants with water proof ones before the next wet ride. As I entered the city link tunnel I was happy to be out of the rain and I couldn't believe my luck when I found it wasn't raining when I exited onto the Monash Freeway. I arrived home having travelled 1495km and the Yamaha XJ600 had an average fuel consumption of 5 litres per 100km, or 56 mpg to you old blokes. My special thanks goes to David Upton and his Green Triangle Ulysses members for putting on such a tremendous event. Trevor Hudson member 19602. Bright Long Weekend, 8-11 March 2002. ^Top^ We waited for a couple of stragglers and headed off at 9:10am with Trevor & Ann Kellett on the Gold Wing as Tail-persons. Fifteen bikes, three with pillion passengers, travelled via Healesville, the Black Spur, Alexandra and arrived at Bonnie Doon around 11am for morning tea at Melz Cafe. We had a planned rendezvous there, with 10 members of the Macedon branch who were also heading up to Bright. We left around 11:30am and stopped shortly again around 12noon at Swanpool for petrol as some people forgot to fill up at Bonnie Doon. We rode at an ever increasing pace via Tatong, Moyhu, Oxley and Myrtleford. On one of the corners, which was around a bend, most riders went 50 metres past and had to hook a U turn. We finally arrived at Bright at 1:30pm and checked in at the Outdoor Inn - our accommodation for 2 nights. Terry allocated us to our cabins, most of which had twin beds. At only $15 per person per night, we didn't mind having a short walk to the shower/toilet block. We were left to our own devices for lunch and half regrouped back at the Outdoor Inn for a 3:15pm departure for a very scenic ride up to the Mt Buffalo Chalet. We even had a free ride up as no one was collecting the fee to enter the National Park. Near the Chalet we watched a couple of hang glider pilots assemble their flying machines and launch themselves into the valley below. We spent about an hour up there and as it was now 5pm we decided it was time to head down the mountain and get ready for dinner. Eric Gunstone the editor of Spare Tyre was vacating that position at the Melbourne Branch AGM the following week. I think he wanted to have his name in the next edition of Spare Tyre as he dropped his bike right in front of me, while turning around in the car park at the Chalet. However the only damage was to his pride. However we all made it safely down the mountain before 6pm and got ready to go out for dinner to the Wondiligong Pub at 7pm. We had travelled 420 km today and were looking forward to a nice meal to end the evening. The place was packed, so we did a lot of drinking and talking till our meals finally arrived around 8pm. On Sunday morning Terry again supplied breakfast - for a price. We took some pictures of our members, while we waited to be joined by 13 bikes and 15 members of the Albury Wodonga Ulysses branch. We had a short stop at the Tawonga Gap lookout, and further on at Bogong Alpine Village where we stayed for over an hour. Some of us went on a walk around the back of Lake Guy and through the hollow dam wall, see Derek & Eric, which was interesting. We then rode on to Mt Beauty for a 3 course lunch at the Country Club. Most of us went the long way back to Bright travelling on a fast and scenic route via Dederang, Mudgegonga, Myrtleford and the old Porpunkah Road. We had only travelled 180km today on our rest day. Sunday night at 7pm we enjoyed a BBQ dinner prepared by Terry. We left just after 10am for home, travelling via Oxley and stopping at Whitfield for morning tea. Just a few kilometres on, we came across another Ulysses group, one of whom had come off her bike on a corner and had some pain in her leg. Luckily there was a paramedic in their group to assist her till the ambulance arrived. We gave some moral support and cleared loose stones off the road. We continued on to
Mansfield for fuel and lunch at the Hotel Delatite where Derek organised
a counter lunch for us in the lounge at bar prices. We left Mansfield
about 3pm and travelled in heavy traffic via Yea arriving at Lilydale
around 5pm having ridden a total of 930km over the long weekend. Mt Beauty (Shearwaters Branch) weekend trip,
10-12 March 2001 ^Top^ We rejoined the Princes Highway and rode through Bairnsdale and onto Bruthen where we turned left to head up to Swifts Creek for lunch at the Albion Hotel. We stayed there for an hour, eating, drinking and socialising, till we left again at 2:30pm. As we rode north, the roads got twistier and the scenery better. Since the last remaining section of gravel road near Dinner Plain was sealed, the road between Omeo and Mt Beauty is now called the Great Alpine Road. This road is fast becoming famous as the inland equivalent of the Great Ocean Road. We enjoyed the ride and the scenery as we wound our way up to Mount Hotham. We stopped at Dinner Plain and at Hotham Heights to check out the developments at these popular Victorian ski villages and to take some pictures. We rode down through Harrietville and on to Mt Beauty where we arrived around 5pm at Snow View Holiday Apartments on Simmonds Creek Road, our accommodation for the next 2 nights. I was with Graham & Helen White in Unit 4, which overlooked the swimming pool. After having travelled 500km for the day I was soon ready to join most of the others in the swimming pool. Then the liquid refreshments arrived, and the nibbles, so it was time to get ready for our poolside BBQ dinner which was included in our $60 accommodation package. The courses just kept coming and I didn't have much room in my tummy by the time fruit and dessert was served. Some of the group thought they needed a bit more liquid to wash all the food down. I think they are the same ones who stayed up a bit later than the rest who called it quits at about 11pm. As it turned out no one was going anywhere early on Sunday as it rained heavily from 8am till 10am. While it was raining some of the group talked, read the paper or watched TV. As soon as the rain cleared we walked or rode down to the Mount Beauty shops for breakfast. Over coffee, muffins, toast, eggs, etc, we decided to have a ride to Mount Buffalo. It took a while to gather everyone together and refuel the bikes, but we were eventually on the road to Bright and on the way to Mount Buffalo. The $2:30 entrance fee for motorcycles to Mount Buffalo National Park, worked out at less than 5 cents a corner which wasn't too bad. I also learnt from the Park Notes that explorers Hume and Hovell named Mount Buffalo, likening it to a sleeping buffalo as they passed present day Glenrowan in 1824 on their journey to Port Phillip. In 1898 Mount Buffalo became one of our first National Parks and the first ski tow in Australia was installed at Cresta Valley in 1936. We parked our bikes at the Mount Buffalo Chalet and took in the view from the nearby lookout. We waited a while but didn't see any hang gliders launch. We were going to have lunch up there at the cafeteria, but it was very crowded, so we decided to go back to Bright. The Pubs had finished their counter lunches so we invaded a couple of take away shops and a supermarket to satisfy our dietary needs. On the way back to Mount Beauty at around 3:30pm, it started to rain lightly. Some riders ignored the liquid sunshine and continued onto Falls Creek, another ski village offering magnificent alpine views. I called in at Snow View till the shower stopped, then rode up to Bogong Village and took in the scenery around Lake Guy. By the time I got back to Snow View it was 6pm, I had travelled another 200km today and was looking forward to a hot shower before dinner. Most people walked down to the Settlers Tavern for dinner at around 7pm. We enjoyed the meal and each others company. Graham, Helen and I were one of the first to arrive back and our light attracted the others as they came back in dribs and drabs. I believe two of our group did a bit of a sound and motion display on their bikes when they left the Tavern, for the benefit of the locals. We continued to socialise and tell jokes in unit 4, till 10:30pm when the party moved over to the outdoor spa. According to reports this party went on till 2am and a couple of people who got too "wet" inside were not feeling so well later in the morning. The rest of us were ready at 8:30am on Monday morning to head off via Dederang and Yackandandah to have breakfast at the famous Beechworth Bakery. I have never seen such variety in a bakery. I reckon you could have 3 meals a day there and not repeat anything in a week. While dining at the bakery we met up with Ron Blomley and others of the Melbourne Group who were on their way back from the Rutherglen Winery weekend ride. Laurie was going to take the short cut via Milawa, but somehow we ended up in Wangaratta. I suppose everyone is allowed to make one mistake. However he did a good job of navigating his way via Greta and Tatong to Swanpool where stopped for fuel. He also did a good job of dodging the rain clouds which were sometimes around us. We then headed down to Bonnie Doon for our lunch stop at 12:40pm. I forced down (as it wasn't long since we had eaten breakfast) a chicken and avocado foccacia at the Melz Eatery. We rode on via Merton,
Yea and Yarra Glen where we stopped at 2:30pm for a final farewell,
as from here, we would be heading home on different roads. I really
enjoyed the weekend and meeting the members of the Shearwaters group
who came on the 1000km plus ride. Eildon Deer Park - Poker Run, Sunday 25th
February 2001 ^Top^ Ron welcomed Bill and John, a couple of new members to the group and gave his customary talk about coming events and also the tail-man and corner-man system. We left on time at 10am and headed out towards Coldstream with "father" Peter Philferan as tail-man. After passing through Yarra Glen, we noticed some tin tops testing their lights. We waved back to them and smiled at the man in the parked camry. Four km from Yarra Glen we turned right and followed a scenic road to Healesville West. Heading north through Chum Creek we had to be careful of loose gravel on the road. Just short of Toolangi we did a hard right turn and headed south on the lovely twisty road beside Toolangi State Forest and later through Don Valley. We reached the Warburton Highway and turned left toward Yarra Junction and onto Warburton for our morning tea stop and another roll of the dice. We parked our bikes down near the Yarra River around 11:30am having traveled 86km so far. When I stopped I must have also had my brain in neutral as my bike fell over on the sloping bank of the river. It was a soft landing, so the only damage apart to my pride, was a cracked front indicator cover. One lady put her helmet down on the bank and it proceeded to roll down toward the water. Leigh Harvey gave chase and luckily for all concerned, the helmet came to rest on a clump of grass less than 1 metre from the water. Just before 12 noon, Ron lead us out of Warburton and I noticed a large insect on my visor. A quick swipe with my glove failed to remove it. After a few more swipes I realised that the insect must be on the inside of my visor. How do you remove an insect from inside your helmet when you are riding along a busy road? After a few silly thoughts, my brain clicked into gear and I thought to lift the visor. Luckily the insect had the sense to fly off, no doubt assisted by the wind on my helmet. It wasn't long before we reached the start of the Reefton Spur, where a group of riders on sports bikes were waiting to have another "go." This road is motorcycle nirvana and unlike some other twisty roads, it isn't crawling with cars. There wasn't much time to look at the scenery as we rode, left, right, left, right, up and over the mountain. Eventually the road straightened out and we passed through Marysville, a popular holiday destination for many. We then joined the open road and enjoyed the rural vista on our way through Buxton and Taggerty. At Thornton we turned right and rode 4 km to the Eildon Deer Park situated on 53 hectares of rolling hills overlooking the beautiful Goulburn Valley. The gravel driveway had everyone riding very cautiously up to where we parked the bikes under the trees. Upon arrival at around 1:20pm and having traveled 190km we had our last throw of the dice for the mystery prize. As we entered the restaurant, we were given a $5 discount voucher, so the 3 course meal only cost us $8. The 1st course was a tasty vegetable soup in a venison stock. The main course was delicious venison hamburgers and venison sausages with salad and potato. My thoughts of having seconds were interrupted by the announcement of the winner of the Poker Run - using dice. A score of 28 (out of 36) earned Ms Handforth a bottle of red. Congratulations! Dessert was then served. Blueberry and apple crumble or fruit salad, with ice cream or cream, I couldn't resist a bit of each. From the brochure
I learnt that the fawns are born early in summer, late enough to
avoid snowfalls and early enough to allow time to develop sufficiently
before the harsh winter. During the first two weeks the fawns lie
hidden in the grass, protected by their camouflage and the fact
that they have no scent to attract predators. The fawns double their
size every couple of weeks and are half grown and able to fend for
themselves at 12 weeks. I would like to thank Ron for organizing the ride, which encompassed some great scenery and the best twisty sections of road north and east of Melbourne. I would also like to thank the riders who did corner-man and tail-man duties, plus John & Jocelyn Coates for the delicious 3 course meal. Mt Evelyn
- Sunday 22 October 2000 ^Top^ Sunday morning dawned fine as forecast and it was already warm. I met Leigh Harvey at Boronia and we headed for the starting point outside the Olinda Hotel at Lilydale. Even at 9:45am there was a large crowd of Ulysses members milling about their bikes, catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. At 10:00am the Melbourne Club President Ron Blomley called for everyones attention and proceeded to tell us about forthcoming events. He then introduced us to Laurie Tinson who explained where we would be riding and how it would be a relatively slow scenic tour. Morning tea would be at a log cabin near Yarra Junction, (Oops...in hindsight he should have said Launching Place) and finishing with a Sausage Sizzle lunch at Mt Evelyn. Laurie Tinson's daughter Kimberley, was riding pillion on his Suzuki GSX750 and Bruce Cann was the tail-man as we headed off on the back roads towards Kinglake. The scenery to the north of Lilydale was beautiful. I say "was," because too many other people also thought so, and have built in the area. The number of homes between Lilydale and Wonga Park, some of which could be called mansions, amazed me. There were a few wineries in the area, but we had no time to stop. Because of the urbanisation and number of cross roads, the initial part of the journey was slow. The front riders were soon used up for corner-man duty and before long I found myself doing it. This gave me the chance to count the bikes, which totalled 59, plus 2 Kiwi's Graham & Raewye who were following in a car. Graham is a Ulysses member in Auckland and they had come to check out the Australian Ulysses scene. As we headed north the urban sprawl thinned, but the roads became twistier. We passed a group of about 20 people who were doing it the hard way on bicycles. Some corners were sign posted at 25km/hr and even in the short straights we rarely exceeded 60km/hr. We travelled via Warrandyte, Eltham, Panton Hill and finally arrived at Kinglake around 11:10am where we noticed many other bikers out for a Sunday ride. The pace quickened as we headed east, then south through the scenic Toolangi State Forest. There were more bikes than cars here and other riders, who were out for a fang, were passing us in both directions. Our ride leader must have been feeling very pleased with the ride so far; big turnout, great scenery and fine weather . Unfortunately when you are at the top, the only direction to go is down. The fun started at Healesville, which had been invaded by scores of bikers. Some of our members saw the parked bikes and thought that this must be our morning tea stop. As they were drinking their cappuccinos, etc., they realized that the other bikers were mostly too young to be in Ulysses. Anyway they needed a drink and perhaps a toilet stop and would catch up later. This caused some confusion for the tail-man and more for the Kiwis who somehow ended up on a dirt road before regaining the bitumen. However, like a sore throat, the day got worse before it got better. That "slip of the tongue" at the start of the day was about to take effect. Where Don Road meets the Launching Place Hotel, I arrived in a bunch of about 30 bikes, only half of which were Ulysses members. When the traffic light turned green, one rider indicated that we should turn left and like sheep we followed. No one seemed to notice the corner-man indicating a right hand turn. Arriving at Yarra Junction, I was concerned that there was no corner-man. So I stopped to consult a map, hand drawn by Laurie our ride leader and was soon joined by Leigh Harvey who said that he saw Ron Blomley and a dozen other riders heading east toward Warburton. Leigh agreed with me that Laurie's map was the one to follow, so we headed west, back past the Launching Place hotel and arrived around 12 noon at the Log Cabin Country Kitchen for the "official" morning tea stop. The cafe was able to cope with demand as only about half the riders were initially there. As the other riders trickled in, they explained how they had got lost. Many had already stopped for morning tea at Healesville, Warburton, or some other place. Members thought it must have been a rider from another group who gave the signal to turn left instead of right, at the Launching Place Hotel. However, we found that it was a Ulysses member who gave the fateful signal to turn left. Our apologies to Jacko who was only following the incorrect instructions given at the pre-ride briefing. Just before 1:00pm we left the cafe and as we were running late for lunch, we rode on a shortened but mostly straight open route down toward Cockatoo and Emerald, then up through Monbulk, arriving at Mt Evelyn at 1:45pm. We parked our bikes outside Pietro's Mt Evelyn Pizza Pasta Restaurant, where a $5 special lunch, of sausages (as many as you want) and onion on bread and a drink, was ready for us hungry riders. It was a lovely 25°C
day, but when you weren't riding it was hot in the sun. I joined
a group at a table inside and chatted over lunch. Others ate outside,
some under the shade of a tree. The words - Healesville, morning
tea, Yarra Junction, wrong direction, Launching Place, lost and
Warburton, came up in conversation. Some people suggested that the
morning tea town should also be included in the ride program and
a map marked with the ride details should be available for inspection
at the start of the ride. However, we all enjoyed the ride, the
camaraderie, the scenery, the food and the excellent weather. On
behalf of all the riders, I offer a special thanks to Laurie for
organizing it all and to Bruce the tail-man, for getting everyone
safely to Mt Evelyn. Tarwin Lower - Sunday 8th October 2000 ^Top^ Around 10:00am we set off and headed east along the Princes Highway. There were a few traffic lights along the way, which offered some of us the chance to try some quick 0-60km/hr times. After Narre Warren we left the Princes Highway and at Berwick we turned right. Heading for Clyde and the open country, the bikes became effected by the prevailing wind. I was glad I was on my XJ600 and not my XT250, as I would have had trouble keeping up on my chook chaser. We journeyed on via the farming areas of Clyde and Cardinia where we observed cattle and horses grazing in the paddocks. I was surprised to also see a large crop of asparagus growing in the field. The residents of Koo Wee Rup and Lang Lang probably hadn't seen so many bikes since the last Ulysses ride through their town. We followed a very scenic ridge top road through Heath Hill and continued down the other side near Ripplebrook, where there were some sharp corners, which kept everyone alert. We arrived at Drouin around 11:10am for a morning tea stop. Most of us went to Karen's for Cappuccinos, Hot Chocolates, Carrot Cake, etc. At 11:40am we mounted our bikes and headed south on the scenic and sometimes narrow and twisty roads through Ellinbank, Ferndale and Ranceby. We rejoined the Gippsland Highway at Korumburra and rode on through Leongatha to Koonwarra. As we approached Tarwin we noticed a few motorists testing their high beam. Co-incidently there was a radar revenue collector located beside the road, just prior to where we turned right off the highway to head for Tarwin Lower. We arrived at Tarwin Lower around 1:00pm having ridden 180km from Dandenong. We parked our bikes outside the hotel and quickly proceeded inside as it was about to rain. As we lined up for drinks and food the heavens opened and heavy rain fell, making a considerable noise on the roof. I must congratulate Julie on the great timing of our arrival; not bad for a beginner. I have heard that on other rides, some leaders, with more experience than Julie, have let the riders get wet. The hotel had a nice fire going in the lounge area, but we didn't need it, as we were warm and dry. The service was quick and the food was fine. We had a good time chatting with other Ulysses members over lunch. By 2:30pm most of us were ready to head for home and we were relieved to find that the rain had stopped. I noticed that one enterprising rider had used a plank to ride up the stairs and park their bike under the hotel veranda. Not so lucky were some riders who had lambs wool covers on their bike seats. Even though the ride was titled Venus Bay, I am not aware of anyone venturing that far. The wind had dropped, but with rain clouds about, I think everyone was happy to head for home after lunch. As is usual on our rides, the members rode home in smaller groups. I joined a group of riders who headed back via Leongatha, Mirboo North, Thorpdale, Trafalgar, Warragul, Neerim, Yarra Junction, Mt Evelyn and back to Glen Waverley. Other riders took a longer route home via Willow Grove and Noojee, while some riders returned more directly to Melbourne on the Princes Highway. Luckily for most of us there were only two brief and light showers on the way home. I would like to thank Julie and Greg for organizing the ride, which encompassed some great scenery on a good variety of roads. I would also like to thank the riders who did corner-man duties, so that no one got lost. I really enjoyed the ride, the food and meeting old and new friends. Port Phillip
Bay - Sunday 9th April 2000 ^Top^ I arrived at Garden City well in time for a 9:30am departure and was shocked to find that access to our starting point at The Boulevard was blocked by a Police car. Apparently there was a Triathlon event on and the area near the Sandridge Life Saving Club was the centre of activities. Luckily for me the event was nearly over and I approached the area via another entrance and managed to find a parking spot for my car and trailer. Around 9:30am, three other riders (two with pillion passengers), arrived. After greetings all round and formalities explained, we departed at 9:45am and rode through the multi million dollar development at Beacon Cove, Port Melbourne. We then proceeded along the scenic Beach Road to Mordialloc where we joined Nepean Highway. Most of Nepean Highway has a limit of 70 km/hr, however, one section is limited to 60 km/hr. One guess as to where a speed camera was set up. Luckily a kind motorist alerted us to the financial hazard which was operating near Seaford. About 11am we made a stop for morning tea at Mornington McDonalds, where we also picked up 2 more riders - David and Rod. The next section was probably the best of the ride. We went along the twisty Esplanade to Safety Beach then along Marine Drive to Dromana. We joined Point Nepean Road and turned left up McCulloch Street to the bottom of Arthurs Seat Road. We each went at our own pace up the very twisty scenic road and met at Chapmans Point to admire the view and discuss the ride up the mountain. After a 10-minute break we continued to the top of Arthurs Seat and turned right onto Purves Road. We were able to clear a few cob webs off the bikes as we continued on via Browns Road. At Dundas Street we turned right towards Rye where we re-joined Point Nepean Road and headed for our 12:30pm lunch stop at the Sorrento Hotel. Sorrento is not the cheapest place to eat but the hotel offered a great view from its perch near the top of a hill overlooking Port Phillip Bay. We enjoyed our 1-hour stop and the meal was good. We then left to buy tickets for the 2pm ferry to Queenscliff. For a one way journey, the fee for motorcycles was $13 and for riders or pillions $3 each. Unfortunately we didn't see the Dolphins which I had seen on the pre-ride, but we were entertained by the antics of 3 Jet Ski riders who were jumping the bow wave of the ferry. One rider in particular did some very impressive jumps with heal clicks, superman posers, and tail first landings, etc. As we were one of the 1st to board the ferry from the stern it put us at the front of the ferry for a quick exit via the bow when we arrived at Queenscliff around 2:45pm. Leaving Queenscliff, we headed to Wallington where we turned right to take a more scenic route to Geelong via Curlewis. My planned fuel stop and ride through the Botanic Gardens had to be aborted as we needed to find a service station that sold Premium Unleaded for 2 of the high performance bikes. We then headed for Eastern Beach, Western Beach, The Esplanade and Bell Parade. After a few km on the Princes Highway in Geelong we turned left into the Bacchus Marsh Road. I apologise to the riders of the road bikes, especially the Suzuki Hayabusa, but my bike won't go faster than its speed limit. However, it did give us more time to admire the scenery as we passed between the You Yangs and the Brisbane Ranges. Just after Balliang East we turned right on the road to Werribee. As road bikes out numbered trail bikes, I chose to forgo the crossing of Cobbledick Ford and we all road around the edge of Werribee to pick up Tarneit Road which took us to Dohertys Road, where we turned right towards Melbourne. We all stopped at Grieves Road, as from there we each made our own way home. I arrived back over Westgate Bridge at 5:30pm having completed 249km. Unfortunately the planned test ride on a Suzuki TL1000S and Kawasaki ZX-9R didn't eventuate due to a last minute family commitment by one of the staff from BTX Motorcycles in Ferntree Gully. However those riders who came on the ride enjoyed themselves as the weather was fine, the company good and the scenery great. Thanks ladies and gents for coming along and to Pat for being tailman all day. Riders on AMTRA Scenic Road Ride around Port Phillip Bay:
I hope to see you on my next scenic road ride, Trevor Hudson. |
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