Saturday, August 31, 2013

Broken Hill 25-30 August 2013


Trevor McLeod FJR1300
Peter Arday ST1300
Brian Agius ST1100
Ian Paterson GL1800
Sunday: We left Nicholls on a beautiful morning with 10 other bikes on the Club Ride to Grenfell. After lunch the four of us said farewelled the others and travelled the Mid Western and Newell Highways to West Wyalong. After spending a baffling and fruitless half-hour searching for someone to check us into the motel we had booked, we walked across the road to the Charles Sturt Motor Inn, where we were welcomed and even had undercover parking. We dined at the Services Club, where I also quadrupled my money on the pokies.
Old Bank Cafe, Lake Cargelligo
Monday: Trevor led us north-west to Lake Cargelligo, where we had a coffee stop at the Old Bank Café. Unfortunately, there had been two funerals in town the previous Friday and the mourners had eaten all the Ganmain pies so I had to settle for a ham and cheese croissant. This was obviously a setback but we decided to continue on the trip nonetheless. The countryside and crops looked superb as we rode via Euabalong to Mt Hope (now all sealed) for lunch at the Royal Hotel. The proprietor, who makes great burgers, had moved there only a month before with her three young children, boosting the population of Mt Hope from two to six. The kiddies had listed their favourite things on a whiteboard. Pig hunting was at the top.
Royal Hotel, Mt Hope
 We then rode north on Kidman Way, which is untroubled by many bends, to Cobar. After checking in at the motel across the street from the one we were staying in (yes, that’s how it’s done in Cobar), Brian and I rode up to a lookout with a fantastic view down into a giant open cut mine and beyond it the town. Beyond that the scrub stretched far, wide and flat. We had a delicious 500g T-bone steak, vegies, chips and a schooner of beer for $20 at the Great Western Hotel.
Emmdale Roadhouse
Tuesday: Another beautiful morning. We headed west on the Barrier Highway through mixed scrub and grazing country that was surprisingly green. We saw no kangaroos, no emus and only a handful of feral goats, and with a 110 km/h speed limit the cruise control got a good workout. Trevor and I stopped for fuel at Emmdale Roadhouse and, unbelievably, they were out of pies so I had to have a sausage roll for morning tea. We also had a brief stop at Wilcannia for photos of the Darling River and a snack break at Little Topar Roadhouse before the last leg into Broken Hill, arriving at 2:30pm. We stayed at Jadan Cottages in Bismuth Street and cooked dinner on the backyard barbie.
Wednesday: We started walking into town (1km) but waved down a suburban bus. The driver, a Ulysses member, sold us all-day seniors tickets for $2.50 so at intervals during the day we did three bus trips and saw nearly all of Broken Hill. I had a local McLeod’s pie and pastie for lunch (they were okay but not up there with Ganmain or Finley pies) and we had a couple of beers in a pub where we got a Ulysses discount. There was a certain incident in Argent Street but on the whole we were fairly well behaved and even shopped for jewellery for our wives. 
Palace Hotel and slag heap, Broken Hill
I rented “Wake In Fright” on DVD so we could learn a bit about the history, traditions and culture of Broken Hill. It must be the only town where a teenage checkout chick at Video Ezy knows how to spell Bismuth. I also rode up to the restaurant and miner’s memorial on top of the mullock heap that overlooks the town (the locals call it the slag heap). Highly recommended. After another BBQ back at Jadan Cottages (thanks, Brian!) we had coffee and dessert at a certain Scottish restaurant that was only five minutes walk away.
Thursday: Overcast, windy and 28C when we left Broken Hill but it cooled gradually as we rode south on the Silver City Highway to Wentworth for a pie and coffee. Thus far the winds had been mostly of the tail variety but as we headed east on Sturt Highway they became crosswinds and increased in strength. By the time we were on the Hay Plain, with not a tree to break the breeze, the crosswinds were gusting up to 90 km/h and the riding wasn’t that pleasant. We stayed at the excellent Saltbush Motor Inn in the main street of Hay. The other three were feeling weary but I walked to the Services Club for a couple of beers and a Chinese meal.
Friday: The bikes were covered in thick red dust after a brief mudstorm during the night but it was calm and sunny as we headed east after a beaut brekky at a coffee shop next-door to the motel. The Riverina was unbelievably green, with bright yellow canola crops in full flower. Our final lunch was at Bullocky Bill’s at the Dog on the Tuckerbox before the familiar last leg home.
We rode 2420km on the trip. The longest day, from Broken Hill to Hay, was 590km. The longest distance between fuel stops was about 260km (Lake Cargelligo to Cobar). The longest time between laughs when travelling with Peter Arday can be measured in microseconds.
Ian Paterson



Barrier Highway near Wilcannia

Darling River at Wilcannia

Brian keeping busy in Broken Hill

Crappy coffee at Broken Hill



Monday, August 26, 2013

Club Ride to Grenfell, 25 August


The Crew

Trevor, our fearless leader FJR1300

Ian Paterson Mafia Black Bike

Peter Arday ST 1300

Brian Agius ST 1100

Darren Cullen 1250 Bandit

Andrew Campbell ZX14R

Garry McCurley VFR1200

Chris Dietzel GTR1400

Mike and Tracey ST1050

Arthur McGlynn Kawasaki 1700

Kris Jirasek GSX1300R

Marilyn Starick Ducati MS1100

Mel Honda

Michelle Mount    Burgman 650

Derick and Margaret Titheridge V Max 1200 Outfit



Hi all,


This is my maiden run writing a ride report. Please be gentle with me. Apologies if I have missed any names, these are the ones I remember, or didn’t specify exactly the way we went or returned.


Well, the day started off bright and sunny and we were all looking forward to the ride. We moved off down the Barton Highway towards our first coffee stop at Terra Cotta Café in  Harden/Murramburrah. We were all ready for that coffee as the sun had disappeared and it stayed rather cool – not that anyone was hugging the fireplace or anything at the Cafe! Good coffee and cake with a blueberry muffin waiting for the owner to claim it. 
 

Back on the road and onwards to Grenfell and the pub for lunch. Trevor had us going along at a nice pace. I had a turn corner marking and had some fun ‘catching up’. We all arrived and ordered our lunches. Even though we had to give our names with the order, some of us still ended up taking someone else’s lunch. Luckily they were all the same orders. 

After lunch, it was time to say goodbye to our fearless leader Trevor as he, Peter, Brian and Ian were all heading off to Broken Hill. Peter was dabbing at his face and I reassured him that we would be ok without them so he needn’t cry. We would see him again soon.


So we were leaderless. Luckily Darren stepped up and lead us back to Harden. He took us along the Kingsvale Road back. At Murramburrah, after a couple of us refuelling, we all elected to just keep going homeward bound. Darren lead us a bit further until we got to the highway and then it was each man for himself. I passed Darren and looked in my mirror and noticed I had a tail. 

 We were all well-behaved until just passed Capricorn Estate I saw an opportunity to overtake a few cars for a last bit of fun. I took off and wondered if the tail was paying attention. Nope, I was on my own until I stopped at the lights, near Nicholls petrol station, where Andrew caught me. We said our goodbyes and he thought maybe I shouldn’t lead a ride. 
 

Anyway, an enjoyable day riding and sharing chit chat and laughs. KJ






Saturday, August 24, 2013

Motorcycle Awareness Week 2013 - -Presentation by Cam Donald Wed 16 October

 MRA ACT presents  Cam Donald 


Cam shares a fascinating presentation on competing in the Tourist Trophy at the Isle of Man

Wednesday 16 October 2013
 

Canberra Southern Cross Club Woden
 

$20.00 per person - includes hot finger food on  arrival from 6:30 pm; presentation starts at 7:30 pm

Tickets are available from the MRA ACT Committee email committee@mraact.org.au for details or at BikeFest on Sunday 13 October

Book early - selling fast!

>> FLYER Here <<



Funeral details for William Ross Shipton

Email from Greg Shipton with the details of his fathers funeral at Cobargo - Alan Munday is riding down to his funeral - if anyone would like to ride there in a group please contact Alan on  0438 510 137.

From Greg Shipton -
Press notice of my father’s funeral is below.
 Shipton, William Ross
26.5.1928 – 22.8.2013
Late of Gilmore ACT and formerly of Cobargo NSW
Beloved husband of Ruth.  Loving father and father-in-law of Gregory & Debbie (Gilmore), Craig & Alison (Oxley), Nerridah & Mark Norris (Quaama). Devoted Pop of his 9 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

The funeral for the late Mr Ross Shipton will be held in the Cobargo Anglican Church at 11.30a.m. Friday 30th August 2013 and burial will follow in the Cobargo Cemetery.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend.
John R Whyman Funeral Services
Bega 6492 4111
 
Regards
Greg Shipton

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Chomp and Chat to Bungendore 18th August 2013

The Riders were:
Outside the Pub at Bungendore


Darren Cullen Suzuki Bandit 1250
Andrew Campbell Kawasaki ZX14R
Ashley Plum Honda Goldwing GL 1800
Therese Merten and Garry McCurley Honda VFR 1200
Kris Jirasek Suzuki GSXR 1300
Neil Goldfinch Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird
Rob Lillie  Yamaha FZ1
Arthur McGlynn  Kawasaki Vulcan
Steve Mills Suzuki SV650
Gary McDonald BMW R100S 77
Michael Winters Blue Bike Triumph Sprint
Janet Mulgue Suzuki Burgman 650
Kerry Mulgue BMW R100RT

Members who arrived for lunch:
Tracey Winters Pearl Wing 2500
Ian Paterson new Black Goldwing 1800
Trevor McCloud Yamaha FJR 1300
Peter Arday Honda ST1300
Alan Munday BSA


Well the sun is getting brighter and the temperature is slightly improving, but the winds can be pretty fierce in August. Nevertheless, a hardy band of riders turned up to the Hume Caltex petrol station to ride to Bungendore for lunch.

We could gone have ridden the easy way up the Kings Highway, which would have taken half and hour, but given we had two hours up our collective sleeves before lunch we opted for a more creative way.
So, (stay with me) We headed down the Monaro Highway for a while, turned left onto the Old Cooma Road, through Queanbeyan (Karabar), right onto the Kings Highway, left onto Yass Road, right onto Sutton Road, right onto Norton Road, right onto Bungendore Road, through the middle of Bungendore on the Kings Highway towards Braidwood, left on Goulburn Road to Tarago, and left on Tarago Road to finally head towards Bungendore.

Great fire!

Lunch at the Lake George Hotel was very pleasant, with a lot of people opting
for the Guiness Pie. The bistro area has been recently re-furbished and looks very modern. However, it does have a beautiful open fire place in the centre of the room which was perfect for shaking off the cold.

So there you have it. A fun day out on our bikes, having a few laughs, and eating some good food.

Andrew

Trevor enjoys hs snag - but someone's poaching his greens
 

Garry contemplates an icecream

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Peter Arday travelling to Vic Lesslie Funeral

Peter Arday advises he will be leaving from the Epic fuel station at 7am on Friday 9th to travel to Vic Lesslie's funeral.

Anyone who wishes to travel with him can meet him there - contact Peter on 0411529151 More details on the <<National site>>



Monday, August 5, 2013

GRABBEN GULLEN RIDE 4TH AUGUST 2013

Sunday’s weather looked not so favourable, however nine riders and one pillion arrived at Nichols and St. Pedro said that the radar forecast would be ok.

By the time 0930 arrived so did the light rain, this was no deterant as we were determined to go for our ride.


Heading out the Barton to Yass then onto Boorowa for morning tea saw us continually travelling through light misty rain and showers, then sunshine then light showers then sunshine, just like a normal day in Melbourne.


Trevor joined us at Boorowa then it was off to Crookwell via Rugby. Great piece of road and some nice corners to boot. However, all riders were shattered when an idiot in a very late model Range Rover decided to compromise our safety by endangering each and every one of us overtaking on double white lines around completely blind corners. It was suggested at our break that maybe he was a drug runner. Just the same we all were very lucky no one was coming in the opposite direction.


Crookwell saw the short ride to Garbben Gullen but the temperature dropped dramatically plus the winds picked up and gave us a nudge or two just to keep the senses wide alert.


A few riders decided that the Seafood Menu for lunch might be somewhat dubious so they decided to travel onto Gunning. However upon viewing the menu those who stayed enjoyed quite a variety of well cooked food. A nice open fire and great country hospitality the chef had a chat to all of us, he rides a Harley and was interested in our travels.


After lunch the crew split up and headed home via various ways.


A shorted ride and another good outing and enjoyable company.

The crew were:
Garry MCurley VFR1200
Richard May FJR1300
Mick Beltrame R1150 GSA
Mike Kelly DL650
Arthur McGlynn Nomad I Think( sorry Arthur)
Peter Arday ST1300
Rick Costain  Duc Monster
Chris Dietzel and Daughter Cherita GTR1400
Trevor McLeod FJR1300
Chas Towie ST1300

Cheers CT