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Ulysses Club

NEWSLETTER

Ulysses Club Inc., Bairnsdale Districts Branch

Issue: August 2008

Branch web site http://www.bairnsdaledistricts.digmapsys.com

Meeting Place
We meet every Saturday afternoon at 1.00 pm at the Exchange House store (Lucknow Shop) corner Princes Highway and McKenzie Streets.

Postal Address for correspondence
RMB 7523
Goon Nure VIC 3875

Office Bearers
President:                         Alan Thomas           (03) 5152 3939            0419500530
Secretary:                          Peter Hart                                                0429408451
Treasurer:                        Judy Pyne
Quartermaster:                 Judy Pyne
Committee Members:         David Cross
                                       Ian Hall
                                       Peter Peterovich
                                       Michael Pyne
                                       George Ward

A word from the editors (George Ward and Ian Hall)
It has been much too long between newsletters and in future we will try to produce them more frequently. We have a lot to fit into this belated issue and thank those who have made contributions. The branch goes from strength to strength and to all members we extend our thanks for the support and friendship you are offering us all.

Overnight ride to Bright, 22 and 23 March 2008 (report by Ian Currie)
How do you describe the ride to Bright and back?  Simply brilliant!

Many thanks to Alan and Di Thomas for organising the ride and arranging the accommodation. 

We all mustered at the Exchange House for a pre-ride briefing and then we were off.  Fourteen bikes and twenty-five people on a beautiful sunny morning.

I’m trying to remember my thoughts as we rode away.  “Well, here we go, it’s a long way, hope Ann and I don’t get too sore on the bike as this will be our longest ride to date”

First stop was Swifts Creek for coffee and a chance to stretch our legs, then on through some scenic countryside via Cassilis to Omeo where we enjoyed a relaxed lunch.  

Next stop was Hotham Heights where some poor tourist from NSW was commandeered to take many group photos of us proud travellers.  The fires that went through this area last year must have been extreme, as many of the trees have never regenerated. 

Well, that was the easy bit of the ride.  Yes, I had forgotten how many corners there were going down the other side of Hotham to Harrietville, but it was a nice ride from there to Bright.

We arrived safe and happy with ourselves, we had made it and we both felt pretty good.

Arriving mid afternoon gave everyone time to settle into their rooms and have a look around Bright.  The shops seemed to interest the girls while the boys headed for the pub and the brewery.  I don’t know if any of you saw the sign by the main roundabout warning of falling pinecones.  These were the biggest pinecones I’ve ever seen, if one hit you on the head I doubt you would have been aware of anything else ever again.

Our excellent three-course dinner was much enjoyed followed by drinks at the bar.  Now this next part of the tale is hard to believe.  Have you ever gone away on a motorcycle ride and taken your very own karaoke set up – we did!  Thanks to Mike and Judy Pyne!

The night was a great success, singing, dancing/rock and roll, Ian Hall’s excellent ballads, Alan Kemp’s didgeridoo playing with the help of a vacuum cleaner – you had to be there!

Next day we rose early for a good traditional breakfast.  The forecast was for very hot weather so we were all keen to start our return journey.  A comfortable 23 deg temperature at Hotham rapidly rose to 39 deg at Swifts Creek and continued all the way back home.

What a great weekend, if you missed this ride, make sure that you don’t miss the next one!

Little River Falls, Sunday 27 April 2008 (report by Alan Thomas)
We will run this trip again because this day was a washout and only four bikes turned up. We decided to do a reconnaissance but the weather turned bad and we turned back at Buchan when the weather deteriorated even further.

Licola, Sunday 25 May 2008 (report by Ian Hall)
About 15 bikes headed off from the Exchange House on a very cold morning. We were heading into the mountains and I was a little concerned about ice which will melt as the day goes on. What a great excuse to ride to Heyfield and prop in a café until after midday. A few riders didn’t make it beyond Heyfield and I can’t really blame them for lingering in the warmth of the café.

About 10 bikes headed towards Licola on the beautiful and challenging set of twisties. There were a few corners where it was prudent to slow right down as I at least wasn’t able to tell if the road in the shadows was still icy. We all arrived safely in Licola and were amazed by the destruction caused by the floods. There isn’t much in Licola except a store with outback petrol prices and a few homes. There were no other bike groups there but quite a few hunters on their way back to town, some looking the worst for wear.

The ride back was interesting with a bit of backtracking when we got slightly lost beyond Briagolong but we found our way back to Stratford and home. I would like to thank all who joined in the ride, including the coffee and cake brigade who rode as far as Heyfield with us.

Ulysses AGM in Townsville (report by Alan Thomas)
Alan Thomas and David Cross travelled together from Bairnsdale to Townsville and back for the Ulysses AGM and here are some of Alan’s impressions of the trip. Alan was on an ST 1100 with a 28 litre tank while David was on a BMW R1200C with a 17 litre tank. Alan has promised that he will write more about the AGM in a later article.

Bairnsdale to Townsville
Day1 – Leave home 7.50 am Thursday 22 May. First stop Cann River, fuel for Crossy and a coffee. Met three riders from Leongatha on their way home from a 5000 km ride around NSW. Next stop Cooma, fuel for both bikes. Push on to Yass and a late lunch and give Crossy’s bike a drink. Arrive at Cowra at 4.45 pm after 645 km for an overnight stay.
Day 2 – Breakfast at Maccas and fuel up both bikes and on the road by 8.15 am. Pass through Wellington and Dubbo, turn off at Gilgandra and stop for lunch at Coonamble and a fuel stop and ice-cream at Walgett then a short run to Lightning Ridge for our overnight stop.
Day 3 – Take Crossy for a short ride around town and out into the mining areas, fuel up and on the road by 9.15 am heading for Injune. Crossed the Queensland border at Hebel and met a Melbourne couple on their way to the AGM. Pass through Dirranbandi, St George, Surat, Roma and stay the night at the small town of Injune.
Day 4 – On the road by 7.45 am and passed Carnarvon Range on our way to Rollston, Springsure, Emerald and Clermont for a quick phone call to Belyando Crossing to book accommodation for the night, otherwise we would have had to stay at Clermont or have a ride of some 370 km to Charters Towers with about 100 km in the dark, not a good idea considering the wildlife that was about after dark. Our stay at Belyando Crossing was an interesting one. The proprietor of the roadhouse and motel was a colourful and interesting character. We also had a chat to several road train drivers. It was an interesting insight into their lifestyle.
Day 5 – 8.30 am departure from Belyando Crossing for the last 340 km to Townsville via Charters Towers. A short detour up to the top of Mt Stuart for a breathtaking view of Townsville and Magnetic Island. Then it was off on a 20 minute ride to the AGM registration centre, arriving at about 1.30 pm. We collected our information packs, wrist bands and stickers for the bikes, then it was back on the bikes for the short ride to the AGM site at the Showgrounds at the end of a 2,706 km ride. After finding tent number 34 in Tent City we unpacked and set up camp. AGM details will come later.

Townsville to Bairnsdale
Day 1 – Well they say all good things come to an end and so had the 25th Ulysses AGM. By the time we had packed our bikes and fuelled up it was 9.30 am, time to hit the road. We went down the coast through Bowen, Proserpine and Mackay, staying with some of Crossy’s relatives at Sarina. They live just north of Sarina at a place called Hay Point where they load ships with coal mined in Queensland. At night we could see the lights of 18 ships waiting to come into port to load. We were told that there could be that many again waiting over the horizon.
Day 2 – Awaken to a wet, dull morning and after breakfast of bacon and eggs it was on with the wet weather gear and head for Rockhampton and then turn off to Mt Morgan, arriving at the mining town of Banana for the night.
Day 3 – The day began in bright sunshine but didn’t look too flash in the direction we were heading. The plan was to stay at a mate’s place near Goondiwindi. We went through Theodore, Tarcom, Wandoan with a lunch break at Miles, where we decided it might be wise to put our wet weather gear on. Just as well we did because just north of Moonie the skies opened up and it poured nearly all the way to Goondiwindi. Of the two places where there were roadworks on the whole trip there had to be two, each about 1 km long and which were just slush. Our bikes became caked in road grime. We arrived at the Caltex roadhouse in Goondiwindi about 2.30 pm for a welcome break from the wet riding conditions and a bite to eat. We met up with my mate Ray in Gundi then rode out to his property at North Star.
Days 4 and 5 – After breakfast at “Strayleaves” we said farewell to Ray who had to take a load of grain down to Griffith. I took David for a ride on a quad bike to have a look at a silo complex and the headers in the machinery shed (I travel up there and drive a header at harvest time). Time to be on our way again, next stop Dubbo via North Star, Cropper Creek and joining the Newell Highway just north of Moree, fuel and lunch at Narrabri then on to Coonabarabran where we thought about riding on the tourist loop road through the Warrumbungles National Park, but the people at the Tourist Information Centre told us that because of the overcast weather conditions up on the ranges wouldn’t be very pleasant on a bike so instead we travelled on to Dubbo via Binnaway and Mondooran, arriving at Dubbo at 4.30 pm. By now we were a day ahead of schedule. Ann and Dianne were driving up to Canberra to meet David and me on the Friday and spend the weekend seeing the sights of Canberra, so we decided to stay in Dubbo for two nights and have a look around the area. The management of the F1 Hotel where we stayed gave us a free double pass to the Western Plains Zoo. David wanted to check the town out and I went to the zoo. What an amazing place that is. I spent the whole day there and still didn’t see it all. If you are ever near Dubbo and have a day to spare take the time and go to the zoo. I am sure you will enjoy yourself.
Day 6 – Depart Dubbo for ride to Canberra via Wellington, Molong, Cudal, Canowindra, Cowra for lunch and then on to Boorowa and Yass, finally arriving in Canberra mid afternoon and booked into the F1 Hotel just before the girls arrived.
Day 7 – We spent Saturday riding around looking at the sights of Canberra and a visit to the National Museum and an afternoon at the Australian War Memorial. Sunday morning saw David and I off on our bikes for the final leg of our trip home, all rugged up for the chilly ride through Cooma to Bombala then down to Cann River for a coffee with the girls and of course a stop at the Lakes Entrance icecreamery, arriving home at about 4.30 pm. I just sat there for a minute or two on my bike reflecting on our trip and what a great time we had had. The weather had been just right for our trip, our bikes never missed a beat, the roads were great and of course the AGM was a lot of fun. Thanks Crossy for your company. Listen Mate, about Penrith next year, what do you reckon we go across to Wagga Wagga, Hay, Mildura, up to Broken Hill, over to Cobar, down to Dubbo through Orange to Bathurst with a lap around the race track then travel up over the Blue Mountains then down to Penrith? Only take 4 or 5 days, easy as. Oh bugger, it’s back to work tomorrow. I’ll tell you what mate, if we can get a group together who would take an extended trip to the Penrith AGM I will lead it. And if you haven’t got a bike that is comfortable for a trip like that then get rid of your pile of junk and get one that is comfortable. Come on, let’s do it, remember to look long and stay tuned for the next episode.

Gippsland Aeronautics, Saturday 22 June 2008 (report by Alan Thomas)
14 bikes and 2 cars left from the Exchange House at 10 am on Saturday morning for the trip to Morwell. We travelled via the highway to Traralgon where we arrived at about midday for lunch on a windy and unpleasant day.

We arrived at the Gippsland Aeronautics facility at the Latrobe Valley Regional Airport at 1 pm where we were met by David Wheatland who took us on a very informative and interesting tour of their factory where they construct the AirVan 8-seater as well as a single seater crop duster. David described the AirVan’s development history and led us through the manufacturing process which involves turning sheet metal into a rigid shell by punching, folding and riveting. The finished product is wonderful. We left at 4 pm for a chilly trip home.

Thanks to Gippsland Aeronautics for their hospitality and to David for giving up his afternoon to show us their very interesting project. We wish them all the best in their endeavours to produce Nomads.

Curlip, Sunday 27 July 2008 (report by Ian Hall)
The weather had been terrible and Alan and I had talked about postponing this ride if only a few showed up on the Sunday morning. The bikes just kept coming and after we had collected a few along the way at Swan Reach, Lakes Entrance and Nowa Nowa we had 24 bikes and a trike arrive at the Curlip shed in Orbost for an 11 am tour. I couldn’t take the smile off my face all day. This is a strong and enthusiastic branch and I really enjoy the company and support offered on rides like this.

Thanks to the Curlip folk who let us climb onto the deck of their wonderful paddle steamer which is close to launching. The steamer will carry about 40 passengers on tours of the lower Snowy and Brodribb Rivers. Their first charter is for the long weekend in January 2009 and it is the Macedon Ranges branch of the Ulysses Club which has made the booking. What a great idea if we as a group join them for some time over that weekend. The Committee will try to arrange this.

We had a terrific lunch at the Courtyard Café in Orbost who catered very well for our large group. We then headed to Buchan on the Snowy River road via Bete Bolong in two groups, having fuelled up at the Newmerella servo. A fast group who knew the road left first and I led the slow group in which quite a number hadn’t ridden this road before. We took it easy and eventually met the first group at the Caves Reserve in Buchan for an ice-cream (recommended on a cold and threatening day). In Buchan we all got ready for rain on the return trip and the act of getting on the wet weather gear drove away the rain so that we only got a few drops on the way back to Bruthen where the socialising continued over coffee.

Thanks to all who attended for making this a very happy and safe day.

Low Speed Social Rides
Cold and windy weather has had an adverse influence on our slow speed rides which we hope will pick up when the weather improves. Thanks to the ride leaders and to the riders who joined them on these days.

Bellbird Hotel, Sunday 24 August 2008 (report by Alan Thomas)
We left the Exchange House with about 12 bikes, Dasher picked us up on the roundabout at Lucknow and we then made our way to Lakes Entrance to pick up two bikes and a trike. Next stop was Newmerella for fuel and fags then up the highway to the Bellbird Hotel.

We enjoyed the warm hospitality, open fires and delicious meal. We also chewed the fat for a bit and some tall stories came out as they do at such times. A pink pig was apparently seen flying past the window. After a word of thanks from both parties we said farewell and headed towards Cape Conran, to Marlo and Orbost for a leisurely ride back to Lakes for ice-cream and coffee. Some then went straight home while others took the long way home. Thanks for the company on the ride and I hope that you all enjoyed your day.

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