ALBANY VINTAGE & CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE CLUB

February 2018 Club News

The Ride Around Oz Part Four

Continued from December issue

Continued from October issue

Continued from July issue

Pics and Story by Antoinet

We rode to Goulburn and then off to Kangaroo Valley. We got some supplies at the local service station and put up the tent at Bendeela recreation area. You can camp here for free and there are toilets. It’s a huge area and it’s famous for its wombats!

An animal that I have never seen alive yet, lots of dead ones on the road though. When it got a bit later in the afternoon they were coming out of their holes and I counted twelve at one stage, I was very excited, they come up really close and are not bothered at all by humans.

The next day we rode to Kiama and had a look at the lighthouse and the blowholes. We travelled down the coast to Batemans Bay where we stayed for 2 nights with Steve, an old workmate of Ronnie. We had a great time with Steve who we hadn’t seen for 15 years. The Batemans Bay area is so pretty with all its small bays and beautiful beaches. I said to Ronnie; it’s so pretty here I could live here! A small holiday house would be perfect ha ha.

On Sunday morning we said goodbye to Steve and headed further down the coast towards Eden. We watched whales breaching from Bermagui, they put on a great show, amazing creatures they are.
In the afternoon we got to Eden where we were planning on staying for three nights.

The next morning started off really warm and sunny but we saw clouds coming from the west and in the afternoon it was pouring down with rain. The caravan park had a great campers’ kitchen and tv room so that’s where we were hiding most of the afternoon. The next day we rode up to Bega, took the Snowy Mountain highway towards Cooma and turned off onto the Monaro highway to Bombala and back to Eden.

It was a beautiful ride, not much traffic on the road and we saw snow on the mountains about 60 km away.
Yesterday morning we took off through Orbost and Lakes Entrance and are now with Simon and Katherine and their two children.

When we travelled around Australia in 2002 we met Simon and Katherine in Alice Springs. They were living in Katherine for a while and told us to come and visit them when we would get to Katherine. It was time to look for some work and we both found a job in Katherine in the northern territory and lived in the house with S & K for 3 months. In the 5 years after that we have caught up with them on different trips and they made their way over to Albany years ago but the last time we saw each other was in 2006 or 2007 so lots to catch up.

We will have a look through Bairnsdale this morning and tomorrow we will head up towards Wangaratta, taking the Great Alpine highway. We had two lovely nights at our friends Simon and Katherine, it was great to see them and to meet their children. We explored the area around Paynesville and Bairnsdale, a very nice area close to the lakes and the ocean. When we lived in Katherine up north with them, Simon would make the most delicious pasta sauce, he had made it again this time, yum! We said our goodbyes the next morning and headed off north.

Today we were going to ride the Great Alpine way, hopefully there would be still some snow! The scenery was beautiful, pretty green and hilly. We climbed higher and higher and got to Mt Hotham where there was still quite some snow on the side of the road. They had a fantastic snow season and it had only just finished two weeks before.

By now we were up to 1,800 meters so the temperature had gone down a bit, 8 degrees it was. I was wearing every single layer of clothing I could find but had the biggest grin on my face, what an amazing country! The views were spectacular and I said to Ronnie: “You know how nearly every person asks what our favourite place was on this trip? Well, this was my special and most favourite day of the trip.” I absolutely loved it!

We rode down the mountain, Ronnie up front as he loves the windy roads and me a bit behind, going slowly down the hills and mountains absorbing every moment. Ronnie would wait every time there was a straight stretch and then he would take off again. We ended up riding through beautiful Harrietville, everything is in full flower here and it’s so green.

Bright was another beautiful town and we booked a site at the caravan park. I would love to come back here in autumn one day as the colours of the trees would be stunning.

The next morning we packed up and headed for Edi where we were going to stay near the river. The Moto Guzzi club of Australia had their annual rally there and we wanted to be part of it. Ronnie had met Dutchies Ruud and Marjolijn who are right into the Moto Guzzi’s as well and we enjoyed catching up with them when we spotted them between all the Moto Guzzi’s.

It was a very friendly party and every bike is welcome but most of the bikes here were Moto Guzzi’s. The rally is called the Spaghetti Rally so you can guess what was served that night; Spaghetti! After having our breakfast and chatting more motorbikes we packed up and rode some more twisty roads to Mansfield and to Molesworth where we stopped for some Dutch food at the Hungry Horse cafe. Owned by Grace Lamers, wife of Teo Lamers who owned and ran a big Moto Guzzi business in the Netherlands for 30 years. They moved to Australia in early 2000 and Grace breeds Frisian horses on their property.

Teo still loves Moto Guzzi’s so Ronnie had 1000 questions for him when we met them at their property. Our new friends Ruud and Marjolijn were here too and Teo and Grace asked us to stay the night too. There were also two Dutch backpackers and Grace’s daughter so we spoke a lot of Dutch that evening. Something we hardly ever do because we speak Frisian to each other and to our families and English any other time.

It was a great afternoon and evening, Grace showed us around the property and introduced us to the beautiful Frisian horses. The next morning we said our goodbyes and rode down to Foster where we were going to stay with Ronnie’s mum's cousin Harry and his wife Chris.

We are so lucky to stay with all these great people, everyone is very welcoming and it’s so nice to see everyone again after so many years. Harry and Chris had stayed with us for a few days when they were traveling and we had also met them in South Australia last year. Ronnie did services to both bikes and him and Harry fixed some other bits and pieces. Harry took us for a drive to Wilson Promontory and Chris cooked the most beautiful dinners.

Our first two days in Foster were really quite hot but when we left on Friday morning it was pretty cold and windy. Big clouds were gathering but nothing happened. We arrived at Phillip Island around lunchtime where we were greeted by our friends Huw and Elina from Perth.

We had been looking forward to see Bob, Chris, Huw and Elina after the Grand Prix on Phillip Island and we were going to travel with them for a few days after. Huw had ridden over and Elina had flown into Adelaide. Bob and Chris had travelled with Huw to Port Augusta but had to turn around to go back home to be with their daughter who needed major surgery.

Bob and Chris had rung us with the news and they offered us the tickets to the Grand Prix and the accommodation. We were all very sad for them and for their daughter Katrina but they had to go back.
Lucky the operation went well and she’s back home now to recover, we hope all will go well.

The weekend at the Grand Prix was very exciting. We had been to the Grand Prix in 2001 and always thought been there, done that. To be part of it now totally unexpected was really cool.

The race was awesome, the weather turned out better then expected and everything ran really smoothly. Spending time with Huw and Elina was really nice too and the house we stayed at was lovely.  

Monday morning started very wet and dark so with all our wet weather gear on we went towards Alexandra. The sun warmed us up and everything was dry again when we set up camp at the caravan park. Some drinks, nibbles and a bbq before an early night. The weekend had been go go go so we were all happy to hop in our sleeping bags that night.

We rode through more beautiful country the next day and ended up in Tallangatta. Huw and Elina booked a room in the hotel and we set up our tent at the nice caravan park on the lake. We met at the hotel for a meal which was absolutely delicious and very cheap. The next morning we rode to Corryong together where we had one last coffee and cake together before Huw and Elina were heading towards Canberra and from now on we were heading back west!

The trip along the Murray River was really nice and we set up camp for two nights at Lake Hume near Albury. We had a very hot day in Albury but at lunchtime dark clouds began to gather and we got a lot of wind, some rain and the temperature plummeted.

Ronnie had gone into town on my bike as there was something wrong with my shock absorber. The factory was here in Albury and they changed some things and all is good again.

We had a great ride to Echuca, it reminded me of the straight roads in Western Australia, not much traffic and nice and open roads. We rode through very nice towns, all the gardens well kept, nice picnic areas and everything in full flower. Spring is a beautiful time of the year.

We booked a tent site in Echuca right near the campers kitchen which we had all to ourselves. This is often the case and we take over, tables full with food, plates, laptop, camera, road maps...

We rode to Cohuna to catch up with more family. We went to visit another cousin of Ronnie’s mum, Elly and were lucky to catch up with daughter-in-law Kylie and her three children too. On our way back we had a look at the old paddle-steamers including Emmylou, named after the country singer Emmylou Harris.

The next day we rode through more small country towns, the temperature got higher until it reached 28 degrees, it got really windy and I was glad to get to Ararat where we were going to stay for two nights as the weather forecast showed that we could expect hail, rain, wind and a top temperature of 12 degrees
during the day.

Another great caravan park, owned by a young family who had done a lot of work fixing up the park. A lovely campers kitchen that became our hide away the next day when the rain and hail started. It didn’t last very long but it was very cold. The owners had told us another couple from Albany WA had just booked in and they were camping next to us.

We peeked through the window but didn’t recognize the guy. Later on that afternoon the couple walked past the campers kitchen and I recognized the lady; in 2006 and 2007 we had worked together at Albany Occasional child care centre!

We had a great chat and such a good time listening to them about their adventures through the years, what a small world hey? The next day we put on all the clothes we could find as we were going to ride through the Grampians. It was very overcast and misty so not the best time to enjoy the sandstone mountains.

We got chatting with three other motorbike riders from WA and they had copped a lot of rain on their six week holiday to Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. We are still very lucky with the weather. All up we had maybe a week of rain in the last six months.

We camped on the coast at Portland that night and headed into South Australia the next day. We had a look at Mt Gambier’s blue lake which was very pretty. It had been pretty cool that morning so I was wearing some extra clothes and my thick motorbike pants. So lucky I did because I rode through a big swarm of bees! They crashed against my helmet (always ride with my visor down) and against my chest, everything was sticky and I smelt of honey.

We rode into Kingston SE a little while later and asked at the visitor centre for accommodation. We thought we might book a motel room for once but the lady suggested the Crown Inn hotel. We booked a room for $50 and had the best stay there. We had a beautiful meal, steak and chips for $18 and you should have seen the salad bar! Apart from eight different salads they also had potato bakes, cauliflower bakes and lots of other vegetables, absolutely amazing.

Would it be too far to go there on our club’s winter pub run? Our bikes could be parked in a shed at the back of the pub and would be secure for the night. It was a very nice evening and we recommend to stay there when you’re traveling through.

Next morning we packed up quickly as we didn’t have to pack up the tent, sleeping bags and mattresses.
We took a lot of small country roads to Victor Harbor where we stayed for a few nights with Pete and Loyla. Last year we had been camping here too with the motorbike club when we did our three week holiday here in South Australia.

As I have said before, all the people we have stayed with have helped us out so much and it’s been so lovely to see everyone again. Some people we met for a coffee, some people we had dinner or lunch with, some people we stayed with for a night or two and others have put us up for a week!

We’ve used washing machines, tools to fix things on the bike, people have taken us on sightseeing trips through the area in their car. We’ve eaten the most delicious meals, had nice coffees, big breakfasts...

People have taken us for a two-week trip to Cape York in their cars, people have taken Ronnie on their yacht and sailed on Sydney Harbour. We went to the Moto GP on Phillip Island and stayed in a cute house where we had a really nice time catching up with Huw and Elina. We can’t thank you all enough, it’s been absolutely wonderful and we hope you will all come over to Albany WA (not all at once please ha ha) so we can return a favour.
We have bought another car and a young friend from The Netherlands will drive it back for us. The three of us will have a nice time I think heading back to Western Australia across the Nullarbor, a lot of people hate it but we really enjoy traveling along the treeless plain.

We had a great week in Victor Harbor, it’s a very place in a beautiful area. Pete and Loyla were very helpful and we felt very welcome. We stayed with our friends Reiner and Alice for two nights, they are the people we met up at 80 Mile beach and they owned the car we bought. Ronnie did a service to the car and checked it all over. It looks really good and we were getting excited about our trip back to Western Australia.

Our young friend Hanneke from Ronnie’s hometown was going to drive the car across for us. We took the car for a test drive through the Fleurieu Peninsula and found some amazing beaches, it really is a lovely area here.

Pete showed us the way how to get to the place Hanneke was staying and Loyla drove our car there and we followed on the bikes. It was a beautiful day and we rode through the McLaren vale wine region which was absolutely wonderful.

We enjoyed a cuppa and Dutch biscuits at Hanneke’s family before setting off towards Clare. Loyla and Pete kindly showed us the way until we were out of the traffic and we said our goodbyes. Hanneke took over driving the car and we ended up at the Clare caravan park where we stayed with the motorbike club last year.

It was still nice and early in the afternoon so lots of time to catch up over a drink and some nibbles. The next day we ended up in Wudinna after a warm ride there from Clare. It got really windy in the last hour or so so I was very happy once we arrived at the small caravan park. The next day we didn’t have to go very far, we were planning to stay in Streaky Bay for the night.

We stopped and had a look at Murphy’s Haystacks, granite rock formations in the middle of a paddock. It was very dry and it looked completely different to last year when we were there in April, back then all the grass was beautiful and green.

We got to Streaky Bay early and did our washing. It was very hot and humid and there were a lot of flies, A LOT OF FLIES! It drove Hanneke absolutely insane so I quickly bought her a fly net to put over her head.

The next day started off beautiful, a bit cool and calm until we got to Ceduna. The wind was back and it was coming from the north so it was a very hot wind. I had my camelbak on my back (a backpack with a waterbag in it). I drank so much water that day and every now and then I would let it run out of my mouth so my scarf was getting wet, it’s amazing how nice and cool that makes you for a while.

We were about 20 km from Nullarbor roadhouse where we were planning on camping for the night. The sky was so black and it was very windy, the rain started and there was lightning everywhere. Thanks goodness for the car! We pulled over at the Head of Bight turnoff and hopped in the car to wait for the storm to pass.

There is nowhere else to hide as we were on the Nullarbor which means No Trees. When it had stopped raining we rode the last kilometers to the roadhouse and found a spot between all the massive puddles of water to put up the tent. The skies were beautiful, big black and grey clouds and the sunset was this small strip of bight pink light filtering through just above the horizon.

I really enjoyed staying there that night although the weather came back when we had just gotten into the tent. It blew so hard I thought the tent was going to give up but no, it stayed where it was and didn’t leak or rip apart. Our little green turtle tent has done really well.

We took off in the fog the next morning, something we have never seen before crossing the Nullarbor, this was our 10th time and we always have had good weather. We didn’t have a clue if we would be able the see the Bunda cliffs but when we pulled into a lookout the clouds had lifted a bit so we could still enjoy that amazing coast.

We talked to a couple from the Gold Coast who were planning on riding their pushbikes from Perth back to the Gold Coast. And I think we do it tough! They were very happy when we spoke to them because this was the first day in a week that they had tailwind. I didn’t feel so bad about the headwind when we headed further west because I had seen how happy they were.

At the border of South and West Australia we ate all our fruit and vegetables as there is a quarantine border there. You are not allowed to bring in honey, fruits and vegetables. We gave up our honey but everything else was fine when the officers checked our car and motorbikes.

The clock went back 2.5 hours after we crossed the border so lots of time left to do more kilometeres. As soon we rode into Western Australia it felt like we were home. Everything is so familiar and it felt good. The wind was still there and Ronnie offered his bike for me to ride, it’s got a big windscreen and with the lovely straight road ahead of me I was very happy to ride the big Moto Guzzi the rest of the afternoon.

That day and the next day were our biggest days kilometer wise, both days we did 600 km, something I’ve never have done before. It all went well though and we were amazed how quiet it was. We camped bush not far from Caiguna and had a fire which made Ronnie super happy.

This was Hanneke’s first ever bush camp and I think she enjoyed it too apart from not having a toilet and shower to go to. Anyway, that’s how we travel a lot when we are in the car so Ronnie really wanted for her to experience it once.

The next day we got to Esperance and caught up on washing, shopping and went to Cape Le Grand national park for two nights where we copped more storms with beautiful skies.

Hanneke found a job at one of the hotels in Esperance so she stayed behind while I drove the car back to Albany.

We had taken the bench out of the back of the car and took the wheels off my BMW and parked it in the back of the Troop Carrier! This is how I drove the last 500 km with Ronnie either in front of me or behind me on the trusty Guzzi.

Andrew and Wendy had ridden out to Bluff Knoll Cafe to see us come in which was very nice of them. The weather was great and it has been nice since. We’ve caught up with friends and are camping in our tent at Colin and Leanne’s place which it great. Our house is rented out until May next year but we have planned another couple of trips in the next six months so we come and go back to Albany.

So this is it for the big lap around Australia, it’s been a huge trip and it feels like a great achievement. We’ve met great people, seen stunning scenery, had our ups and downs and caught up with so many friends along the way which made the trip so unique. I would like to thank all the people we stayed with or we traveled with, the people who helped us out in so many different ways and also the people who emailed, messaged, texted or rang us. Thank you so very much!