Leave Vincentia at 11.30am for Nowra then onto Sydney and Home to complete the whole ride and park the bike.
Arrive at Kurnell at 3.30pm approx and unpack and relax.
There will be a final entry in this blog soon when I have had a bit of time to think and try and put the right words down to explain how good the ride and group we went with really performed.
Thanks to all who have followed the blog and by now you all know that I am no wordsmith but have tried to give anybody interested an insight into how the days have gone.
Thanks to all who have looked at the blog over the 5 weeks.
The Around Australia Ride Group raised in excess of $310,000 dollars for the Steven Walter Foundation,
this money is for Children's Cancer Research.
The final entry will be soon thanks again.
John Scott
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Day37 - Sunday 7/11/10 - Weather, Clear and fine all day 19 degrees
Laurie and I leave Thredbo at 8.30am and head for Sydney travelling through Queanbeyan and onto Bungendore and Braidwood down the Kings Highway to Batemans Bay. The first stop is at Bungendore for lunch then onto the coast for Laurie to ride all the way home. I am stopping at Vincentia where I am meeting Tracey My wife, and Sarah my daughter for an overnight stop and catch up at a friends weekend house.
Total klm's 15,097
Total klm's 15,097
Day36 - Saturday 6/11/10 - Weather, Fine to start 9 deg then rain later
The ride around Australia has officially finished, this is the start of the normal Snowy Ride we do most years to raise money for the Steven Walter Foundation, this year Dot, Steve's Wife and Laurie a friend have come down to meet us and enjoy the weekend.
Laurie and I decide to ride up to Charlotte's Pass and have a look at the good roads and conditions for riding in the area, when we arrive at Charlotte's Pass Laurie tells me its his first time actually seeing snow and being in it, the temperature is -3 degrees out of the wind and well below this while we are riding, this seems funny to me because while we were on the ride around Australia when we passed the turn off to Marble Bar the temperature was recorded at 42 degrees and here we are at Charlotte's Pass and the temperature is now -3 degrees.
We have booked a test ride on two new Honda's back at Thredbo and leave quickly to get back to Thredbo, the test was good for both of us, Laurie rode the new Honda 1000 sports bike and I rode the new 1300 Cruiser.
The afternoon saw the weather change to showers and the official part of the day was washed out so we had dinner at the local pub and then an early night.
Total Klm's 14, 635
Laurie and I decide to ride up to Charlotte's Pass and have a look at the good roads and conditions for riding in the area, when we arrive at Charlotte's Pass Laurie tells me its his first time actually seeing snow and being in it, the temperature is -3 degrees out of the wind and well below this while we are riding, this seems funny to me because while we were on the ride around Australia when we passed the turn off to Marble Bar the temperature was recorded at 42 degrees and here we are at Charlotte's Pass and the temperature is now -3 degrees.
We have booked a test ride on two new Honda's back at Thredbo and leave quickly to get back to Thredbo, the test was good for both of us, Laurie rode the new Honda 1000 sports bike and I rode the new 1300 Cruiser.
The afternoon saw the weather change to showers and the official part of the day was washed out so we had dinner at the local pub and then an early night.
Total Klm's 14, 635
Day35 - Friday 5/11/10 - Weather, Cloudy then clearing to fine 18 deg
We leave Lakes Entrance after breakfast at about 7.30am and head for Orbost and onto Cann River for fuel, here we cross the Victorian border and head for Bombala where we are supposed to stop and have morning tea, on arriving we have a cup of coffee and fins out the Police are going to meet us in Nimitabel and give us an escort into Cooma.
When we get into Cooma we find out the whole main street has been blocked off and we have been dedicated an area in front of the park for us to park and be met by the local Mayor who said a few words and tried hard to talk individually to most of us, the people along the main street as we came in all cheered and blew their horns in their cars making the group feel very welcome, most at this stage said how emotional they had started to feel.
The police came back and led us all the way into Thredbo where we also had an area set out to park, then up onto the BBQ area for a Sausage sandwich and beer preparing for the kids from the Children's Hospital who have survived Cancer to give us an unexpected medal for completing the ride, if we thought the group was emotional before this, most were having trouble containing their emotions.
Total Klm's 14,492
When we get into Cooma we find out the whole main street has been blocked off and we have been dedicated an area in front of the park for us to park and be met by the local Mayor who said a few words and tried hard to talk individually to most of us, the people along the main street as we came in all cheered and blew their horns in their cars making the group feel very welcome, most at this stage said how emotional they had started to feel.
The police came back and led us all the way into Thredbo where we also had an area set out to park, then up onto the BBQ area for a Sausage sandwich and beer preparing for the kids from the Children's Hospital who have survived Cancer to give us an unexpected medal for completing the ride, if we thought the group was emotional before this, most were having trouble containing their emotions.
Total Klm's 14,492
Day34 - Thursday 4/11/10 - Weather, Cloudy clearing then showers, 16 deg
We left Lorne and finished the Great Ocean road off then headed for Melbourne, we were not sure of the right way to go to avoid the freeways so Albert led us around the outskirts and onto Trafalgar where one of the riders has a sponsor with a takeaway business so we all went there for Lunch.
All the way along the great Ocean Road I have been looking for whales but have not seen one, not even a dolphin? must be the wrong time of the year because everyone tells me this is the place to see whales?
Then we headed for Lakes Entrance which is the last time this group will have a meal together,we all agreed it should be fancy dress, it helps when Karen being a good sport went to the local Op Shop and bought some ties for us to wear.
The accommodation at Lakes Entrance is really good, the Bellevue on the Lakes has outstanding rooms and the dinner is really good as well.
Total Klm's 14,089
All the way along the great Ocean Road I have been looking for whales but have not seen one, not even a dolphin? must be the wrong time of the year because everyone tells me this is the place to see whales?
Then we headed for Lakes Entrance which is the last time this group will have a meal together,we all agreed it should be fancy dress, it helps when Karen being a good sport went to the local Op Shop and bought some ties for us to wear.
The accommodation at Lakes Entrance is really good, the Bellevue on the Lakes has outstanding rooms and the dinner is really good as well.
Total Klm's 14,089
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Day33 - Wednesday 3/11/10 - Weather, Rain clearing 15 to 18 degrees.
We left Mont Gambier at 7.30am and headed for Lorne for the night, during this section of the trip fuel and stops are no problem which is different to many of the places and areas we have just come from.
We travelled through rain and into clearing weather, this was very welcomed by the group as most have been really looking forward to riding along the Great Ocean road to Lorne.
The stops are great and the scenery is some of the best seen on the trip so its hard to decide which stops you miss out on, but there was no way we could stop at every one.
The road is in average condition and we found it still wet from the morning showers so we had to slow the travel down a bit which is not what motorcycle riders want to do but we all arrived in Lorne without any problems, probably better luck than management.
The accommodation here at the Lorne Beachfront accommodation is really good, the bikes are under cover and the rooms are great with views over the beach.
We ate at the local pub, again most of the group had a social drink and started to exchange details as we only have one more night before we get into Thredbo on Friday.
The Police will meet us at Nimitabel and escort us through the main street of Cooma all the way to Thredbo for a lunch then our final dinner and the normal Snowy ride starts.
We have been told that we have raised over $300,000 dollars since starting the ride around Australia and we expect this figure to grow, a couple of the riders have agreed to have their beards shaved off after 30 years of having them if we can raise $10,000 dollars for the foundation, at this stage we have raised $8,000 dollars towards this event already and expect that on the Saturday at Thredbo we will be able to maybe double it.
We arrived in Lorne today at about 4.30pm, although we had only 400 klm's to do it was all the stops that took the time, who cares it will be a while before we are back this way again.
Total klm's 13,656
We travelled through rain and into clearing weather, this was very welcomed by the group as most have been really looking forward to riding along the Great Ocean road to Lorne.
The stops are great and the scenery is some of the best seen on the trip so its hard to decide which stops you miss out on, but there was no way we could stop at every one.
The road is in average condition and we found it still wet from the morning showers so we had to slow the travel down a bit which is not what motorcycle riders want to do but we all arrived in Lorne without any problems, probably better luck than management.
The accommodation here at the Lorne Beachfront accommodation is really good, the bikes are under cover and the rooms are great with views over the beach.
We ate at the local pub, again most of the group had a social drink and started to exchange details as we only have one more night before we get into Thredbo on Friday.
The Police will meet us at Nimitabel and escort us through the main street of Cooma all the way to Thredbo for a lunch then our final dinner and the normal Snowy ride starts.
We have been told that we have raised over $300,000 dollars since starting the ride around Australia and we expect this figure to grow, a couple of the riders have agreed to have their beards shaved off after 30 years of having them if we can raise $10,000 dollars for the foundation, at this stage we have raised $8,000 dollars towards this event already and expect that on the Saturday at Thredbo we will be able to maybe double it.
We arrived in Lorne today at about 4.30pm, although we had only 400 klm's to do it was all the stops that took the time, who cares it will be a while before we are back this way again.
Total klm's 13,656
Day 32 - Tuesday 2/11/10 - Weather Rain and 15 clearing to 19
We left Lyndoch Hill at 6.30am and this was the first place to offer us to have a continental breakfast in our rooms to allow us to leave whenever we wanted.
This was a good move because some want to leave really early even when we have short days, the likes of Big Jim who knows no other hours, but the ones before daylight to start a day have the chance to catch up on a meal before leaving.
The weather was cloudy and started to rain before we left the Lyndoch Hill retreat, this no longer worries any of us as we have all gotten very used to heavy rain, during the day the rain cleared and the sun was a welcome sight.
We decided to leave the main highway and take the scenic route along the coast which we found a non event as most of the stops were not too exciting except for Beachport which was a really nice little town.
When we got to Mount Gambier at around 2.30pm we were told the Melbourne cup had already been run and the winner was announced, the time differences that we have been facing while changing states has confused more than one of the group.
Before booking in we decided to have a look at the local sights, the blue lake and the surrounding gardens were great, then back to the Quality Inn International and got our rooms organised.
I decided to use this as my last washing stop before Thredbo, so straight to the laundry only to find one washing machine and dryer for the whole complex, the dryer was just about useless so the next best thing was to take the wet washing back to my room and set the air conditioner to full, set up the clothes line and by morning all was dry.
The meal at the dining room here was good and so was breakfast the next morning, some of the group didn't look too good the next morning which may have been due to a little bit too much socialising the night before??
Total Klm's 13,206
This was a good move because some want to leave really early even when we have short days, the likes of Big Jim who knows no other hours, but the ones before daylight to start a day have the chance to catch up on a meal before leaving.
The weather was cloudy and started to rain before we left the Lyndoch Hill retreat, this no longer worries any of us as we have all gotten very used to heavy rain, during the day the rain cleared and the sun was a welcome sight.
We decided to leave the main highway and take the scenic route along the coast which we found a non event as most of the stops were not too exciting except for Beachport which was a really nice little town.
When we got to Mount Gambier at around 2.30pm we were told the Melbourne cup had already been run and the winner was announced, the time differences that we have been facing while changing states has confused more than one of the group.
Before booking in we decided to have a look at the local sights, the blue lake and the surrounding gardens were great, then back to the Quality Inn International and got our rooms organised.
I decided to use this as my last washing stop before Thredbo, so straight to the laundry only to find one washing machine and dryer for the whole complex, the dryer was just about useless so the next best thing was to take the wet washing back to my room and set the air conditioner to full, set up the clothes line and by morning all was dry.
The meal at the dining room here was good and so was breakfast the next morning, some of the group didn't look too good the next morning which may have been due to a little bit too much socialising the night before??
Total Klm's 13,206
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Day 31 - Monday 1/11/10 - Weather, Clear with a cool breeze 20
We went into Gawler for the morning to look around then came back to Lyndoch Hill where we were picked up by a coach and taken on a winery tour.
The first stop on the tour was a lookout that allowed us to see just about the whole Barossa Valley and then onto the first winery Simpatico wines, a lot of wine was ordered when they told us they had free delivery to the door, then we went into Tununda for lunch at the CLUB restaurant and then back to another winery called Langmiel for more tasting and purchases.
The rest of the group headed out on short rides around the Barossa, some ventured to the Biggest Motor Museum which was also close by, all in all another good lay day had by all.
The first stop on the tour was a lookout that allowed us to see just about the whole Barossa Valley and then onto the first winery Simpatico wines, a lot of wine was ordered when they told us they had free delivery to the door, then we went into Tununda for lunch at the CLUB restaurant and then back to another winery called Langmiel for more tasting and purchases.
The rest of the group headed out on short rides around the Barossa, some ventured to the Biggest Motor Museum which was also close by, all in all another good lay day had by all.
Day30 - Sunday 31/10/10 - Weather Overcast then clearing to a top of 19d
Leaving Port Augusta at around 6.30am we headed for Gawler taking a detour along the coast road instead of the highway then crossing to Gawler and onto Lyndoch Hill the weather had finally cleared in the afternoon.
We were all invited to lunch at Peter Cherry's place where the Goldwing club had organised a local Honda dealer to show us the latest VFR and Goldwing with a lot of accessories.
the lunch went well and then we had another auction to raise more money for the foundation, the auction went very well and one of the support crew finished up offering his time to detail a bike in the main street of Cooma this raised $800 coming from one of the trip riders.
We then went back to the rooms at the Lyndoch Hill retreat which were very nice and the meals here were good, this is the first place we found to offer us a continental breakfast in our rooms delivered the night before so we could leave early.
The owners gave us a couple of nights accommodation and some wine to auction which went off very well with the whole group throwing in to buy it for Phil Walters, Alan and families who we all agreed did a great job organising the whole trip.
Total Klm's 12,715
We were all invited to lunch at Peter Cherry's place where the Goldwing club had organised a local Honda dealer to show us the latest VFR and Goldwing with a lot of accessories.
the lunch went well and then we had another auction to raise more money for the foundation, the auction went very well and one of the support crew finished up offering his time to detail a bike in the main street of Cooma this raised $800 coming from one of the trip riders.
We then went back to the rooms at the Lyndoch Hill retreat which were very nice and the meals here were good, this is the first place we found to offer us a continental breakfast in our rooms delivered the night before so we could leave early.
The owners gave us a couple of nights accommodation and some wine to auction which went off very well with the whole group throwing in to buy it for Phil Walters, Alan and families who we all agreed did a great job organising the whole trip.
Total Klm's 12,715
Day29 - Saturday 30/10/10 - Weather, 11-17 degrees heavy rain all day
We left Ceduna at 7.00am after hoping the rain might clear for a while with no relief in sight we got into the wet weather gear again and started off for the day.
The first fuel stop was at Wudina which was the first thing I actually saw through the rain, here I had trouble giving the service station attendant the money for the fuel , I was shaking from being drenched and cold.
These conditions did not let up all day and I really did not see anything more for the rest of the trip, the couple of coffee breaks we made were welcomed and both of us agreed not to rush back onto the bikes.
When we reached Port Augusta the accommodation was reasonable and we set up all the wet clothes in front of the airconditioning units to dry, then went out and joined the veranda party the rest of the group had started, seems that even when the conditions are bad the team all have to have a drink.
This must be a tradition that most riders live by, at the end of a good or bad day the first thing required is a beer to wash the dust and dirt out of your mouth?
Total Klms 12,369
The first fuel stop was at Wudina which was the first thing I actually saw through the rain, here I had trouble giving the service station attendant the money for the fuel , I was shaking from being drenched and cold.
These conditions did not let up all day and I really did not see anything more for the rest of the trip, the couple of coffee breaks we made were welcomed and both of us agreed not to rush back onto the bikes.
When we reached Port Augusta the accommodation was reasonable and we set up all the wet clothes in front of the airconditioning units to dry, then went out and joined the veranda party the rest of the group had started, seems that even when the conditions are bad the team all have to have a drink.
This must be a tradition that most riders live by, at the end of a good or bad day the first thing required is a beer to wash the dust and dirt out of your mouth?
Total Klms 12,369
Day28 - Friday 29/10/10 - Weather Cool clear and 18 deg
We left Border Village and headed for Nullarbor the roadhouse not a town at all this proved to be another short day and we used it to look at the head of the Great Australian Bite which was around 12 klm's off the road, during the day it was interesting to see how close the Eyre Highway comes to the sea then at other points seems to be a long way away.
We stopped and took photo's of the vegetation because most people we talked to before leaving think the Nullarbor is really inhospitable and flat with little vegetation, this is very w2rong and we even got drowned with huge rain showers that came across the hills.
We arrived into Ceduna at about 3.00pm and the accommodation was good at the Ceduna Foreshore Motel.
Total Klms 12,369
We stopped and took photo's of the vegetation because most people we talked to before leaving think the Nullarbor is really inhospitable and flat with little vegetation, this is very w2rong and we even got drowned with huge rain showers that came across the hills.
We arrived into Ceduna at about 3.00pm and the accommodation was good at the Ceduna Foreshore Motel.
Total Klms 12,369
Day27 - Thursday 28/10/10 - Weather, 18-1 deg, cloudy and stormy
We left Balladonia at 7.00am and headed for the usual fuel stops which are all road houses that sell beer and all the other requirements of any truck driver.
The straight flat road continues as far as we can see and is very boring we start to look forward to a crest or a corner so we can discuss it across our bike to bike radios, this is where you really appreciate the music that we also have playing through the headsets, at least it breaks the trip up a bit.
The fuel is not badly priced here at around 161.2 a litre compared to the Northern Territory where we paid 180.5 at Barkly roadhouse, and were told if we didn't like it push the bike on to the next stop and see what they have to say.
There is an interesting point I will have to raise with some well travelled riders, this is why some roadtrains push you to the outside of the road when passing and some suck you in towards the wheels, then there are the ones that don't even make any wind what so ever???
We arrived at border village at about 2.30pm and the accommodation was unbelievably cramped, we shared the room,and when the single and double beds were set up we could not open the fridge door, like everyone we just made do with the rooms and moved on in the morning.
We ate at the roadhouse and found the meals were really good which was a bit of a surprise.
Total Klm's 11,410
The straight flat road continues as far as we can see and is very boring we start to look forward to a crest or a corner so we can discuss it across our bike to bike radios, this is where you really appreciate the music that we also have playing through the headsets, at least it breaks the trip up a bit.
The fuel is not badly priced here at around 161.2 a litre compared to the Northern Territory where we paid 180.5 at Barkly roadhouse, and were told if we didn't like it push the bike on to the next stop and see what they have to say.
There is an interesting point I will have to raise with some well travelled riders, this is why some roadtrains push you to the outside of the road when passing and some suck you in towards the wheels, then there are the ones that don't even make any wind what so ever???
We arrived at border village at about 2.30pm and the accommodation was unbelievably cramped, we shared the room,and when the single and double beds were set up we could not open the fridge door, like everyone we just made do with the rooms and moved on in the morning.
We ate at the roadhouse and found the meals were really good which was a bit of a surprise.
Total Klm's 11,410
Day26 – Wednesday 27/10/10 – Weather, Cloudy likely to rain 20 deg
We left Esperance after breakfast at the Motel and headed for our first stop for fuel at Salmon gums 108 klms away then continued on to Norseman and arriving at Balladonia at around 1.30pm.
At breakfast everyone had been talking about a 30 klm tourism drive around the headland at Esperance and they all told us it equalled the Great Ocean Road so we decided not to miss out and head over and have a look, the drive was very nice and showed off a lot of the smaller bays and beaches all around the headland but to us it did not come anywhere near the Great Ocean Road, still it was worth the detour.
Then we headed out of town and the rain started it was an interesting ride as we could see the rain the right and on the left but the bit we were riding on had no rain for a while then it all clouded over and the bucket sized rain drops started for about 30 klm’s and then stopped again, just enough to get us to put our wet weather gear on then bake when the sun came out again.
The lightning strikes across the fields were clear and direct and the wind that followed us all day was really a big hindrance because when you lean into it to compensate and then it suddenly disappears it means that the bike goes from one side of the road to the other really quickly. Battling this and the heat meant that again we appreciated the short day and when we arrived at Balladonia we were not surprised to see the basic accommodation.
The team went to work setting up a few bars on veranda's around the motel and when we found out the price of a six pack of beer was $25.00 each we asked about the whole carton only to be informed the carton would incur a cost of $60.00 each, we agreed it was up to the individual to get their own beer.
On the way into Balladonia I was following a truck which Steve had passed and I decided to pass it myself, when I went out to pass it the driver swerved off the road onto the verge and sent a plume of dust and rocks up which I could not see anything through so I had to pull up quickly on the wrong side of the road and wait until it cleared, this was the worst situation I have been in on this ride and hope this is the last time it will happen.
The ride has been really good and the group are all working very well together looking out for one another and generally being on good behaviour even when we are all really tired some days, it’s a good thing that we respect each other and have a bit of a laugh now and then.
Any body who rides and does anything wrong has to wear a frilly toto dress for 24 hrs, so everyone else knows he or she has done something wrong, this can be as easy as forgetting your false teeth and leaving then in the motel room then ringing one of the support vehicles to go and pick them up for you or dropping your bike and not being able to pick it up as some of the riders have done all in all it’s a lot of good fun.
We left Esperance after breakfast at the Motel and headed for our first stop for fuel at Salmon gums 108 klms away then continued on to Norseman and arriving at Balladonia at around 1.30pm.
At breakfast everyone had been talking about a 30 klm tourism drive around the headland at Esperance and they all told us it equalled the Great Ocean Road so we decided not to miss out and head over and have a look, the drive was very nice and showed off a lot of the smaller bays and beaches all around the headland but to us it did not come anywhere near the Great Ocean Road, still it was worth the detour.
Then we headed out of town and the rain started it was an interesting ride as we could see the rain the right and on the left but the bit we were riding on had no rain for a while then it all clouded over and the bucket sized rain drops started for about 30 klm’s and then stopped again, just enough to get us to put our wet weather gear on then bake when the sun came out again.
The lightning strikes across the fields were clear and direct and the wind that followed us all day was really a big hindrance because when you lean into it to compensate and then it suddenly disappears it means that the bike goes from one side of the road to the other really quickly. Battling this and the heat meant that again we appreciated the short day and when we arrived at Balladonia we were not surprised to see the basic accommodation.
The team went to work setting up a few bars on veranda's around the motel and when we found out the price of a six pack of beer was $25.00 each we asked about the whole carton only to be informed the carton would incur a cost of $60.00 each, we agreed it was up to the individual to get their own beer.
On the way into Balladonia I was following a truck which Steve had passed and I decided to pass it myself, when I went out to pass it the driver swerved off the road onto the verge and sent a plume of dust and rocks up which I could not see anything through so I had to pull up quickly on the wrong side of the road and wait until it cleared, this was the worst situation I have been in on this ride and hope this is the last of this kind of thing to happen.
The ride has been really good and the group are all working very well together looking out for one another and generally being on good behaviour when we are all really tired some days, it’s a good thing that we respect each other and have a bit of a laugh now and then.
Totral klm’s todate 10,884
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