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Wing Notes |
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Newsletter
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April 2006 |
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Phil and Vicky at
the Ulysses AGM |
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www.auswingriders.com |
Australian Wing Riders Association (Qld) Inc Ashgrove
Qld 4060 |
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Wing Notes |
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OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE AUSTRALIAN WING RIDERS ASSOCIATION QLD INCORPORATED |
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EDITOR:.............Bevan Bradford Phone: 07 3822 3512 Mobile 0408 714 000 E-Mail: mail @
auswingriders.com Wing Notes is produced with the object
of keeping members informed about matters of interest to AWRA members. A electronic copy of each issue is
available to every financial member of the AWRA. Copies are also distributed to selected
motorcycle dealers in the greater Brisbane area |
Submissions for inclusion in Wing Notes should be with the Editor no later than the Friday following the monthly meeting, i.e.: Friday after the 1st Monday of the month. DISCLAIMER: Although Wing Notes will endeavour to reproduce submissions in their original form it reserves the right to edit submissions as it sees fit. Views expressed in contributed articles in Wing Notes are not necessarily those of the AWRA or the Editor. Wing Notes is produced with care, in good faith and from sources believed to be accurate at the time of writing. |
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Management Committee: |
Meetings: |
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President E-mail: |
Meetings are held on the 1st Monday
of every month |
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Vice
President Rob (Bear) Harriss 0409 052 218 E-mail: RHMRS @
bigpond.com.au |
Next meeting: 1st
May 2006 7:30 pm |
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Secretary Val Thomas (07) 3848 0498 E-mail: secretary @
auswingriders.com |
Pineapple
Hotel |
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Treasurer Eric Madjeric (07) 3886 9845 E-mail: magic @
auswingriders.com |
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Special
Notice |
Upcoming
activities: |
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Membership Renewals All
members are reminded that memberships were due at the end of February. Renewal
forms are to be completed by ALL
members and forwarded with renewal fees to the Treasurer. |
23rd April Ride and Social to Weise’s
restaurant Reg
Jeffrey ride 5th – 7th May AGM at North Star Resort 12th May Vic group Dinner 21st May Ride to Maryborough |
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AGM Accommodation If you haven’t yet booked
accommodation for the AGM and want to share a Chalet. Give Mary or Lionel a
call. |
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The President Speaks…. |
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The Secretary’s Desk…. |
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G’day everyone Here
it is the April magazine. Late again
but a bumper magazine and worth waiting for.
Preparing a magazine and writing about our Tasmanian trip is certainly
not as much fun as when we actually were there doing it. So,
we now have double demerit points if you speed by more than 20klms per hour
twice in twelve months. Great, I don’t
have a problem with that and it has some potential to affect some people
where they are persistent offenders and actually get caught, as did the first
one on Saturday where he got both within a few kilometres. Unfortunately,
it doesn’t have a lot of effect on the ones I see each day cruising along
using the mobile, eating their breakfast and going through red lights. And at some sets of lights, it’s not one
vehicle, it’s the ones still coming through when the opposing light has
already gone green. I have to assume
it happens at every light change ‘cause I don’t believe it only happens at
the change that I see. If it’s so
frequent, why is there no enforcement?
Is red light running less dangerous than speeding? Having
a mobile phone user drift into then back out of my lane while I was in the
car on Saturday, again reminds me that it’s not motorcyclists they don’t see,
it’s any other road user. Keep
your eyes peeled and ride safe Happy reading. Bevan |
Hi all, I
apologise for failing to do a report last month. Much too self-involved. Life
is all swings and roundabouts. Having
been able, as most of you know, to purchase a really well priced GL1800 we
now need to sell the GL1500. I
merrily took it along to my favourite bike shop to get a roadworthy, only to
be told, after inspection that it failed miserably. It will need a couple of thousand dollars
worth of important bits (brakes, tyres, suspension) to make it saleable. Oh
well, on the bright side, Charleen and I won’t be riding an unsafe bike, as
apparently we have been, and someone is going to get a tip-top machine. Whilst
at the shop, I got roped into a “customer service” exercise whereby I was
sent to approach salesmen in other shops (where I’m not known), pretend to be
buying a bike, then writing an assessment of the service. Good fun, even if a bit mean to the
salesmen involved. But it turned out
they were excellent so I was able to turn in good reports. A
quick look into a nearby GoldWing dealer whilst in the area revealed that all
the Wings on sale are being fitted with handgrip heaters, which are
apparently standard on the 06 model.
Also the 06 will not be released officially until all the 05 ones have
been sold. Good deals on 05 models
abound Clint |
Hello everyone, Well
we have been reasonably busy for the past month. Mainly confirming details for our up and
coming Annual General Meeting. Our
committee members are making only one main change with the nomination of
Geoff Mead “Meady” as our new Treasurer.
Congratulations Meady, but we are not going to totally miss Magic, as
we have asked him to look after our Regalia for us – Thanks Eric. I
am also looking for someone to look after our social and special events for
us. As we are becoming an increasingly
busy club, we really need extra hands to assist with organising you boys! We
spent a great week-end with our Emerald Kids, and they seem keen to see more
of our club as they have purchased themselves a home in Landsborough. This will give us another reason to tour
around the hills, and another spot to rest for us. Looking
forward to the chocolate and wine week-end – Easter. Ray will be busy making nests for our
littlies, and then eating the chocolates! Happy
and safe Easter everyone – see you at our next ride. ValerieandThommo |
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A miracle An Irish priest is driving
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Where
to start. We noticed early that the 2006
Ulysses AGM was to be held the week following Phillip Island Superbikes, and
a friend who goes regularly to the Furthermore, we were being surreptitiously recruited into trailer relocating. A Ulyssian from nearby had requested via the web for anyone travelling up from Melbourne who could tow up his recently purchased Shadow. As we were going that way anyway, we volunteered. No sooner was that arranged than another Ulyssian from down south wanted one to be taken down from here. It worked out perfectly that we would be able to travel with a trailer on behind for the whole journey. This was to be an excellent opportunity for us to try out riding distance with a loaded trailer. Due to sailing dates and Superbikes, we forwent
travelling down to the AGM with other AWRA members and instead took up with a
group of sports bike riders who we were to spend the weekend with at |
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Next morning our group consisting of a CBR1100XX
Blackbird, a VTR1000SP2, an FJR1300, an R1150S, a Ducati 749 and our GL1500
complete with Classic trailer, set off.
You can see how out of place we were in this company. But of course the GoldWing/trailer combo
proved to be very popular by the end of the trip. You see it had an ESKY. Nothing better than pulling up after a long
day’s sport bike riding and by the time the leathers are off, up pulls a
mobile bar with cold drinks on ice. We travelled via Wiseman’s Ferry to Lithgow, then
across to Bathurst for the obligatory lap and on to Cowra where we managed to
get a room that accommodated all seven of us.
Up early next morning and down past Wyangala Dam and Boorowa to Gundagai
then south to Victoria where we pulled up in Bright, under the famous Mt
Hotham. I had a scare towards the end
of the day whilst trying (foolishly perhaps) to keep up with everyone down a
particularly twisty road. The foot
brake system boiled. That takes out
one front and the rear disk and leaves only the one front disk operated by
the handbrake (as we all know). Scary
moment over I slowed right down and crawled down the last part in second
gear, trying to not use up our last remaining stopping mechanism – if you
discount the dismount method of stopping. All was well next morning
for the climb up Hotham. Great fun as
usual but we were a little more careful descending the other side so they
were all waiting for us at Bruthen for morning tea. From there it is a long and boring ride to
the Island, but we made it a little after lunchtime and settled into our
house for the weekend. Charleen and I
had use of our own room with ensuite so we were very comfy. Superbikes was a lot of
fun and although we didn’t have the only GoldWing there, we did manage to
stand out amongst the myriad sport bikes. |
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We
certainly had the only bike that picked up trackside broadcast. Wherever we parked it, there was usually a crowd
of people poring over it, respectfully not touching. As it turned out we had the only red
GoldWing there. Maybe that explains
it. The
weekend over, we bade farewell to out sporty mates who all had to return home
poste haste, and went to visit our son in Hawthorn and wait for our sail time
on the Spirit of Tasmania. Meantime I
picked up the second trailer, a Shadow and parked it at Adam’s place ready to
be swapped over on return from Ulverstone.
We also went to meet those who were sailing out on the Monday night
only to find they were confined dockside under the watchful eye of an
over-zealous security guard who held them prisoners – or something, Bevan
will explain. Meantime we met John and
Karen and Doug and Preeta for a dockside fishandchip dinner nearby then
went back to Hawthorn to await our passage. Having
learned from other’s mistakes we arrived after 6pm next evening and only had
to wait an hour or so on the dock then a couple on board before we too sailed
across Bass Strait. We made what we
consider to be a mistake in taking sit-up class. It was certainly cheaper but we got no
sleep all night and were pretty tired when we disembarked in Devonport. We led Turbo and Wendy off in the wrong
direction but soon corrected ourselves and shortly later were arriving at our
caravan park in Ulverstone. Only to be
told our cabin was not ready yet, could we go away and come back later. Aaagh. So
we went and registered then around to the Ulverstone RSL for a nice
brekky. Then it was back to the C/P and
the cabin was all ready so we settled in and caught a few Zeds. |
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Mind you it was only a few,
because there was soon a knocking on the window. Apparently we never even heard the
doorbell. Bill and Mary had arrived
and wanted to settle in as well. So we
gave up any idea of sleep that day and promised ourselves an early night. The next few days were spent
enjoying a wonderful AGM. The people
of Ulverstone were very friendly and helpful.
Many of the shops had dressed up their windows with motorbikes and
everywhere we went there were “Welcome Ulysses” signs. This wonderful welcome extended out to
nearby towns and by all reports, across the whole island state. An example of the
friendliness was when Charleen and I were on a lone ride and filling up at a
servo in Burnie. A local approached
us, admired our bike (naturally) and asked where we were going. We told him and he suggested a more direct
route out of town and a scenic road to our destination. How very nice. |
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The dinners were a lot of
fun as usual and I even attended the actual AGM. The parade was very well attended by the
locals with the Mayor reporting later in the paper that 10,000 people lined
the streets. That’s about Ulverstone’s
population. After
the AGM, many of our club were staying on and visiting other areas of the
state, but we had booked a Monday morning boat and after a very wet couple of
hours waiting to get on board, we were on our way back to the mainland. Incidentally the second day of the whole
trip and that morning were the only two wet-weather parts of our whole
journey. Back
to Hawthorn and swap trailers over, then we headed off down the eastern side
of Port Phillip bay and caught the ferry over to Queenscliff. Whilst on board we managed to sight the SOT
heading back out towards Devonport and also caught a glimpse of a couple of
fairy penguins swimming away from us.
The penguins were a first for us.
First time we have seen them in the wild. Then
we headed west for the Great Ocean Road and had a very nice ride along there,
almost having the run to ourselves.
Our previous time there was during the Geelong AGM when there were
hundreds of motorcyclists giving it a go.
We pulled up at a nice looking motel for the night. The lady took one look at our bike and
started enthusing –as people so often do.
But there was more to it, it seemed.
Last From
Warrnambool we headed north for the Grampians and had a very nice ride
through the area. The roads were good,
but the area had been recently burned out and was just starting to regrow. Many of the national park areas were
closed, probably due to safety measures. From
the Grampians we headed out onto the plains of western Victoria and made our
way to Kerang, not far from the Murray River. We
decided to then go home the quickest way and headed up the Newell and were
home two days later. Travelling at
speed with a trailer for long distance sure uses up some petrol, with the
GL1500 using 20% more than average for that part of the journey. All up with the two trailers, we only used
10% more than our average, so taking into consideration the fast section,
trailers probably do not use too much more fuel so long as you take it easy. Back
home and back to work again (sigh), Charleen back to the grind and me
ferrying trucks up to Townsville for Energex.
Whilst waiting for a plane, I got a call from Despite
the dirt and dust, it looked in good order to my trained eye (chuckle) so I
handed over the cheque and rode off on our new GoldWing. The
ride home consisted of 400km the rest of that day, 1200km on Sunday and about
600km on Monday. Monday afternoon was
spent washing off the grime and applying liberal amounts of polish so
Charleen could proudly ride it to the meeting that night. I followed on the 1500 and we really
enjoyed riding side by side along Wynnum Road on our two Wings. Can’t last though, the old girl, Lucille
that is, has got to go so our sorry-looking bank balance can once again poke
it’s head above water. Clint |
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Victorian ride on Sun 9 April 06 The
ride for today started off with an usually cold morning for this time of the
year in Melbourne. With a very cloudy morning I thought we would be in for a
wet trip however I thought, “have faith in the weather reports that reported
fine and 24 degrees”. Whilst getting ready I heard on the radio that the
tunnel was blocked due to some fun run with school kids. I think to myself, “that’s OK, as I will
just go around Batman Ave to the start point”. As I near the tunnel the signs soon tell me
that Batmen Ave is also closed and Punt Rd is open. Thinking again, “no problems just ride down
Flinders street back onto to ring road”.
Good thought process however ALL streets in the central business area
of Melbourne were closed. After some
cursing and looking at my watch thinking that the rest would have left
earlier and missed the closing. Time
was getting short and with some precision speeding, I got to the start point
with minutes to spare only to find no one there. I
had a well deserved hot chocolate and some brekky while wait for the rest
when an older rider arrived and proceeded to talk to me about the ride we
were going on today. I didn’t know
this guy from a bar of soap and finally got to tell him that I was waiting
for some other riders to go to the show and shine in Riddells Creek, however
this did not seem to deter him from thinking I was coming on his ride, (the
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After
some time I finally found out that he belonged to the three wheeler club of Victoria,
as they started to arrive his attention was diverted to other things however
he must have told their ride leader that I was coming on his ride as he come
over and introduced himself and proceeded to tell me the ride destination. As he was telling me this was finally saved
by Steve and John arriving and I think only then did they get the message
that we were separate to them and doing our own thing. With
the rest arrived and a hot coffee under the belt we headed to the show and
shine at Riddells creek, this was the first year it was held and thought we
would see what it was like, I also had arranged with Ben a prospective member
to meet him there as he had found us on the internet and was interested in
joining, Ben is restoring an 1100 and doing a great job. The show and shine
was not well attended. A few Goldwings
from the Goldwing Club of Victoria; with a category for tourers and $20 to
enter we decided to get on our way and enjoy the rest of the day riding. We
left Riddles Creek and headed towards Lancefield and then across to
Daylesford on some roads that I have not been on before. A hot pie and a drink at Daylesford, the
day was as predicted, beautiful and sunny.
After the food and with the sun on my back I could have been somewhere
else but on the bike, but the road was calling to head home. We headed towards Ballarat where Ben asked
us over for a cuppa. We accepted and
he lead the way to his place. After a
cuppa, we headed straight back to Melbourne and with approx 400 kms under the
belt we headed home. Regards
to all |
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Lost A boss wondered why one
of his most valued employees had phoned in sick one day. Having an urgent problem
with one of the main computers, he dialed the employee's home phone number
and was greeted with a child's whisper "Hello? "Is your daddy
home?" he asked. "Yes,"
whispered the small voice. "May I talk with
him?" The child whispered,
"No." Surprised and wanting to
! talk with an adult, the boss asked, "Is your Mummy there?" "Yes." "May I talk with
her?" Again the small voice
whispered, "No." Hoping there was somebody
with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, "Is anybody else
there?" "Yes," whispered
the child, "a policeman." Wondering
what a cop would be doing at |
his employee's home, the
boss asked, "May I speak with the policeman?" "No, he's
busy", whispered the child. "Busy doing
what?" "Talking to Mummy
and! Daddy and the Fireman," came the whispered answer. Growing more worried as
he heard what sounded like a helicopter through the earpiece on the phone,
the boss asked, "What is that noise?" "A
hello-copper" answered the whispering voice. "What is going on
there?" demanded the boss, now truly apprehensive. Again, whispering, the
child answered, "The search team just landed the hello-copper." Alarmed, concerned and a
little frustrated the boss asked, "What are they searching for?" Still
whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle: "ME" |
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BBQ on the deck at
Yeronga–25/03/06. We had been looking
forward to this week-end. We were
catching up with everyone after the Ulysses A.G.M. in Tasmania, and the
‘other’ social weekend in Coffs Harbour.
We also had the added fun of having the Lapslie’s and Harriss’
sleeping over, so Saturday morning began with a very relaxing breakfast,
before setting up for the barbeque. Firstly, I had
banned Bear and Thommo from the bar before 2 pm! But shortly after it was open – and at 4 pm
KevinandMorag arrived – let the fun begin. |
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Meady and the Jones’ with their flash computer
satellites got lost finding their way – funny that. We may have to hold more socials on the
deck – any excuse for a party anyway.
Steadily, our deck filled up – wow – we have 27. The loudest cheer was reserved for BevanandTherese who made it, after leaving another party. Thommo fired up the barbeque and promptly handed
over the cooking to Bear, along with the apron and bottle opener! The
cooking went smoothly, and the table groaned with the weight of all the
dishes on display – what a feast. What
a great night – plenty of stories told, fun and |
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wonderful company. We even had room for
deserts, luckily we were able to use the micro-wave as my conventional stove
has died. Followed by the very welcome
tea and coffee we were reluctantly saying good-night. Very slowly though, as lengthy discussions
continued downstairs between the 1500’s and 1800’s. PaulandSheree did not trust their
satellite, and waited to be piloted out of Yeronga following ClintandCharleen! Thank you for a great night everyone, it was fabulous to catch-up
with you all. We didn’t sleep in
Sunday morning either. |
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We were up at 6 am to see the ‘kids from Emerald’ off. Ray was most
impressed at how I jumped out when the alarm went off, but MikeandMarie
were already relaxed on the deck with a cuppa. I wasn’t going to make my
effort go unnoticed, so I made the kids have some |
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toast with their cuppa! Then
we sleepy four waved MikeandMarie away at 6.45 am, and decided we would stay
up for breakfast. It was a great
week-end. Thanks again to a great bunch. Love Thommo
and Valerie |
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Beer And Your Health Rich in Vitamins and Good for the Nerves Beer is rich in
important vitamins - most are delivered to you by the beer's yeast. Vitamins
B1, B2, and B6 and H contained in beer are food for the nerves: They improve
your ability to concentrate, support the production of red blood cells, have
a positive effect on your blood circulation and stimulate your
metabolism. Minerals for the Metabolism A scientific study
undertaken at the Technical University of Munich concluded that the
collection of minerals and trace elements in beer have a favorable effect on
nerves and muscle strength, electrolyte usage, enzyme activation and hormone
levels. In addition, iron and copper help blood production, phosphorus
supports metabolism and magnesium strengthens the heart muscle. Zinc is
necessary for your pancreas' production of insulin and fluoride protects your
teeth from cavities. Finally, Maganese also helps in the production of beer's
Vitamin B, which is very valuable to the human body. Beer helps you relax A hectic lifestyle,
stress or problems with your job or family often lead to nervousness and
sleeping problems-your blood pressure rises. A glass of beer before going to
bed is the "best medicine" against all of that: The hops in beer
(with all four important B vitamins) have a calming effect on exhausted nerves
and relax your muscles. The small amount of alcohol (4.5 to 5.5%) and the
carbonation relax your body. The commentary of the Munich study concludes:
"The life expectancy of people who drink beer in moderation is longer
than of people who abstain." |
The calorie count rises... Beer is comparably a
low-calorie drink. A twelve ounce glass of beer has about 160 calories; only
mineral water, coffee and tea (without milk or sugar), skim and butter milk
have fewer calories than beer. "Hard drinks", wine, champagne and
liqueurs as well as fruit, lemonade and whole milk do not. Additionally,
beer, because it has practically no sodium, promotes tissue drainage and
sodium expulsion. Beer gives you momentum Beer is
healthy-sport medicine specialists have also recognized that fact and have
drawn uses from it. One example is the two Italian sport doctors Antonelli
and Romano who came to the conclusion that a litre of beer a day increases
performance, concentration and reaction and strengthens muscles. The American
cardiologist Sheehan maintains that after long distance running, jogging,
cross country skiing or marathons, beer ideally replaces bodily fluids and
energy. The French doctor Gulpin discovered decades ago that beer increases
lung capacity and speeds the lung's ability to process oxygen. Beer in old Age Doctors and
geriatricians have recognized that beer - in addition to all of the
previously mentioned health effects - works against the possible breakdown of
the aging human body. Also noteworthy is beer's sociological aspects: Beer is
cheerful, makes one sociable and makes it easier to make contact and win new
friends. In an opinion poll of German general practitioners, 81% were
convinced that one or two beers a day could "beautify" retirement. From Spaten Bock, a Munich based brewing
company http://www.spatenusa.com/3_products/3_4_beer_health/index.htm |
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17 Days of the 2006 Ulysses AGM Larry and Annette, Des and Joan and Therese and I
left Mc Sunday, and the goal was Seymour. A couple of hours on the road and road
works. Why do we always get to road
works just after the water truck has gone through? In this case, the truck dropped plenty of
water turning it into a very slippery, sticky, clay surface that caused a few
problems for heavily loaded Goldwings |
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We all survived but
the bikes had a layer of clay distributed inside the guards and a couple of
inches thick under the motor. At
Seymour we farewelled Next morning we met
up with Eric and Deb in Melbourne. A
tyre check revealed a split rear tyre on Des’s bike so that meant a stop for
tyres. We were supposed to meet |
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We sailed into Devonport just after dawn and were
heading for Ulverstone by 7:30am. With
Des and Joan off to their accommodation, Larry and Annette and Therese and I
headed into Ulverstone to get established in our tents. What a great site. Lush green grass, no dust, football club at
our back door, close meals etc. Could
only have been better if it was also the AGM site, or at least if it was in
easy walking distance. Our first trip was due
west along the north coast to Stanley for a visit to The Nut. Apparently it was a typical north-west
coast day with showers and cold. From
Stanley we continued west to Dismal Swamp.
This area gave a real eerie feeling as we rode through some of the wooded
areas. The ride back to Ulverstone was
a bit more relaxed as we played tourist, stopping at various sites and
travelling minor roads to really get a feel for the area. Wednesday saw us
heading east along the coast where we visited Port Sorell then headed toward
Exeter. From Exeter up to Point Beauty
then back across the Tamar, north, east, then south |
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back to Launceston. Therese had spotted wild blackberries
growing along the fence lines and wanted some. We stopped so she and Larry
could have a fruit picking session.
The wild apples were out of the question unless identified 200m in
advance. The best laid plans always
seem to go astray and we arrive in Launceston too late for the city tour and
the Boag’s Brewery tour, so we did our own tour of the old buildings and
fascinating architecture then back up the Tamar valley to Exeter and
Ulverstone. On the way, eagle eyes
Larry had spotted tree stump carved in the shape of a bull so that had to be
found. No one actually believed him
but sure enough, we found and photographed it. |
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Thursday was a planned rest day at the AGM site and
catching up with the rest of the AWRA crew.
So much for a rest day, Larry wasn’t feeling too well early but with
the washing done we headed for the AGM site but by smoko we had Larry on his
way to hospital. Shades of Canberra
and Lionel all over again. After
finding Eric, also sick, and Deb, Phil and Vicky and Rusty and Maree and receiving
and giving all the news, we utilised Clint and Charleen to get Larry’s bike
back to the camp ground. During the
afternoon, we were unable to contact Annette but the hospital confirmed Larry
had been discharged. With no option but to wait we went, back to camp and the
clubhouse for a beer. Larry and
Annette were already there waiting for company. Friday and with Larry OK we headed for Leven Canyon
and Cradle Mountain to enjoy some scenery.
We were joined by Bill and Mary and as usual, regardless of where we
rode, there were dozens of other bikes out and about. As usual, we took a wrong road then back
tracked to find Leven Canyon where those who didn’t like heights had to hold
their breath for the photos. An
interesting sideline on the way back was a collection of old motorcycles. Mainly Nortons and Vincents with an Indian
Chief and a few other old bikes thrown in, half the bikes were fitted with
side cars which of course had my interest.
After following some great roads to and from Cradle Mountain with the
beautiful Dove Lake at its base, we ended up in Sheffield where every second
building has a mural painted on the front and/or side. Saturday was the
grand parade and with a couple of thousand bikes and the town turning out to
give every one a wave. These AGMs
really are appreciated in the smaller towns.
It was much better than last year at Canberra or even Geelong. On Sunday we packed
up and said say goodbye to tent city and headed south. The weather was still great, as it had been
except for the north-west coast on the first day. South to Perth where tree stump sculptures
made an impressive tribute to the railway workers. . Then on to Ross which had to be one of the
more fascinating places we saw. This
town has more convict buildings within a few blocks than |
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anywhere,
most still in use. Structures included
a bridge built by convicts and still in every day traffic use. Monday and a big storm during the night and looked like it would hang about for a while. A quick reschedule conference and we booked a bus tour of Hobart and caught a cab into town. Of course by this time the rain had stopped and we had a great tour in bright sunshine and learnt heaps about Hobart. In the afternoon we rode south for a walk on the Tahume Airwalk. A terrific ride through old forests followed by a walk through the treetops with great views of the rivers below. As we headed for the bikes it started to rain so it was into the |
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wets
and back to Hobart. On the way back we
stopped at a roadside apple stall so Therese can get fresh Tasmanian
apples. They were great too, much
better than out of cold storage. Tuesday
and time to leave the motel but we had an afternoon tour booked at the
Cadbury factory. The morning was spent
doing a loop through Margate, Cygnet to Huonville for an early lunch at a
great little bakery with lovely fresh pies.
A fellow Ulyssian tells of his cold wet trip from Queenstown to Hobart
during Monday’s rain. A few souvenirs
and back on the road to Hobart to ride up Mt Wellington before the chocolate
factory. Time is getting a bit fine
but how long can it take to get to the top of a mountain. A good 25 minutes actually and then we had
to look around and take photos, way longer than we had time for. It was well worth it though. On a clear day, you can see one third of
Tasmania from up there. Down the
mountain a lot quicker than we went up and we rushed through town and into
the Chocolate factory only a couple of minutes late for our tour. Thankfully, we haven’t received any photos
of that ride yet. Loaded with chocolate
we headed to Eaglehawk Neck for the night. Wednesday and up early before breakfast for some
sightseeing. Breakfast at a roadside
caravan was fresh locally made curried scallop pies. On to Port Arthur which was a real eye-opener. Certainly learnt a lot of history I wasn’t
previously aware of. Shame so much of
the place was destroyed by fire many years ago but the work goes on
maintaining and restoring. While
looking around we ran into Eric and Deb, Geoff and Julie. With a ferry to catch Thursday night and still a
fair bit of the east coast to see, we headed off after the most expensive
lunch ever, ask Larry about his sausages.
If you get the chance, ride the east coast, if you were there and
didn’t, I guess you missed as much as we did by not riding the west
coast. Into Bicheno right on schedule
to collect the tickets for the penguin tour that night. We spent an hour or so wandering about the
shoreline looking at the Little Penguins coming ashore for the night;
apparently they’re no longer called Fairy Penguins. Thursday, bugger, overcast. There are three things to do today, ride
over Elephant Pass, visit a new friend in Derby and get to the ferry on
time. Elephant Pass was great but
apparently we should have left before breakfast so we could stop for pancakes
on the way up. The rain held off and
we headed for Derby for coffee with Ulyssian “St Clem” who had been camped in
tent city near us. He adopted his
nickname from the old church he is converting into his residence. |
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After coffee we were back on the road heading for
Scottsdale. A couple of klms out we
hit our first shower of rain and only just made it into the edge of town and
under a covered shelter in time for it to absolutely bucket down. Wets on and
we headed for Launceston. Half an hour
later we rolled into Bridport on the north coast. Oops, missed a turn in Scottsdale while
following the logging truck in the rain.
A quick check of the map, a few choice words and we were back on the
road along the north coast with all thoughts of Launceston gone. After lunch, we retraced roads of a few days ago and
returned to Devonport via Exeter arriving about five o’clock. After locating the terminal and looking for
a coffee shop, we the AWRA crew that were also returning that night. Lining up for the ferry we were close to
the front of the queue but it rained while we are waiting to load. Finally the queue started moving but only
to line us up in another queue. Shades
of Melbourne here. Sure enough, we sat for another hour or more, getting wet
from another passing shower. Finally
loaded, we settled into our cabins and seats for the overnight run to
Melbourne in relatively calm conditions despite some threats of 13 metre
waves. I think he was just trying to
scare Carol. Friday; off the ferry and through the city to drop
Deb off then we headed north toward home.
Geoff and Julie were taking their own route so it was Eric, Larry and
Annette, Des and Joan, Saturday and we continue up through the NSW back
country to arrive in Glen Innes for the night. After we go through the routine of
negotiating a motel we head for one of the local pubs “that does a good
steak”. Boy, did they do good
meal. Ask Larry about his kids meal of
sausages compared to the meal he got at Port Arthur. After a night having a few drinks with the
locals we adjourned to the motel for final drinks to enjoy our last night on
the road. Sunday and we left early for breakfast in
Tenterfield. We met up with a few
local Ulysses members who offer us the hospitality of a hall should we want
to do an overnight ride to Tenterfield at some time. While eating breakfast, two red 1800s
arrive and it turns out they’re from the Redlands area. We exchange details and gain a couple of
new members. Not much to do now but ride the last couple of hours
to Amberley were we stop for the final photos, coffee and goodbyes before
heading our separate ways to home.
What a great holiday. 17 days
on the road and there were only two of them on which we didn’t do a
substantial number of kilometres. I
clocked up just over 6,000 klms. It
was a first for Therese, having previously only done a couple of two day
overnight rides maxing out at about 1300 klms and it was her first Ulysses
AGM. Did she enjoy it? She certainly seemed to; didn’t have to
look after the kids and me for two weeks and had all meals etc done for
her. Shame next year is at Coffs Harbour, that’s not far
enough away. We may need to plan a
long route to get there and back. Larry and Annette, thanks for the company all the
way round. Bevan |
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AUSTRALIAN WING RIDERS ASSOCIATION (QLD) INCORPORATED
QUEENSLAND RIDE and SOCIAL CALENDAR |
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Date |
Destination |
Ride /
Social Event |
Ride
Leaders |
|
23 April Ride and Social |
Toowoomba |
Meet BP Blacksoil at 9.30am for a 10.00am start Lunch at Weise’s
Restaurant |
Jason King |
|
5th, 6th,7th May AGM |
North Star Resort, Hastings Point |
AWRA AGM. North
Star Resort, Hastings Point. Come down Friday night (optional) – meet 6pm for
a 6.30pm departure at BP Stapleton. OR
Come down Saturday what ever way suits you. All types of
accommodation available from camping to 5 star, BUT YOU MUST BOOK YOURSELF! Quote AWRA for a 10% discount |
|
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21 May Ride |
Maryborough |
Meet at BP North
Caboolture to ride north. Bring smoko, buy lunch |
Des and Joan |
|
27 May Social |
TBA |
|
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|
18 June Ride |
TBA |
|
GeoffandJulie Sheather |
|
24 June Social |
Capalaba |
10 Pin Bowls
challenge with Redlands Ulysses club. No experience necessary. Meet at
Capalaba Bowling Alley, at 6.30pm, or Shell Service Station, Mt Gravatt
Capalaba Rd,Mckenzie at 6pm for a 6.15 departure. Ride to Mt Cootha for coffee after. Notify Ken Tacon,
(his details are on the website), with your booking |
Ken Tacon |
|
18 July Ride |
TBA |
|
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22nd,23rdand24th September Social |
Biker’s Dream |
Weekend at
Biker’s Dream; Bunkhouse has been booked for the group. Members contact Bevan for bunkhouse |
Bevan and Therese |
|
Ride
Coordinator - Bill Carter – Tel: (07) 5564 8996 e-mail: carterbm @ bigpond.net.au Bill’s a/h mobile 0428
248 160 RIDE DATES; Unless otherwise arranged, rides will be on the 3rd Sunday of the month, and Social rides, the following weekend, with other social events as announced through the year. ** Ride Leaders: Please check the details of your ride and let me know of any changes. Ride leaders are also asked to organise 2 raffle prizes for their ride. Suggested value approximately $10.00 each. Raffle tickets will be made available from Eric Madjeric. IMPORTANT: Even if you have not finalised the details of your ride, just supply the start timeandlocation, the general direction of the ride, and the meal arrangements. *** Ride Leaders:
Please provide a short pre-ride briefing that outlines the basic safety
precautions that we in the AWRA like to observe when riding in groups, and a
little about the ride and the rest stop locations. |
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PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY ON RIDES: · Each motorcyclist is responsible for at least the following; · The roadworthiness of your vehicle (including trailer) · That you are in a fit condition to control the vehicle, (including trailer) · Make sure you have a full tank of fuel before departing on a ride. · That you obey all the traffic rules and ride in a safe manner. · That you ride in a considerate manner that does not endanger, or unnecessarily inconvenience other road users. · To be correctly attired for safe motorcycling. · To have fun and enjoy the day, and the company. Thanks for all those that have offered to organise rides
and socials, that is what makes this club so great. If you are yet to conduct a ride or
organise a social, please start to plan something so that when your turn
arrives you will be ready. You don’t have to wait to be asked, just let me
know. |
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Members If you haven’t been on the ball and have forgotten
about our AGM, hurry up and to book your accommodation. See the January magazine for details. |
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AUSTRALIAN WING RIDERS ASSOCIATION (QLD) INCORPORATED
VICTORIAN RIDE
and SOCIAL CALENDAR |
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|
Date |
Departure Point |
Ride
Details |
Ride Leaders |
|
23rd April |
Reg Jeffery Ferntree Gully |
Reg Jeffery
Ride; Support Reg and
the boys as they support us. Details
later, check Reg’s web page for up to date details |
John G |
|
3rd - 9th May |
TBC |
AWRA AGM Ride to Qld for the AGM last year was a
great ride; if you can spare the time don’t miss this one. Intention to leave
on the Thur 3 May and return on
the Tue 9 May |
John G |
|
12th May |
|
Dinner
Location (Eastern side of Melb) |
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JUN,JUL,AUG rides are held on impromptu notice due to the weather Dinner’s
will be held over these months |
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8th September |
|
Dinner
Location TBA |
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17th September |
Mc |
Tarwin Lower. Pakenham(SP), south to Koo-wee-rup and
Phillip Island visit Churchill Islandandmorning tea, from Phillip Island, back to
Anderson's corner, then Wonthaggi, and Inverloch via Cape Paterson. East Tarwin Lower for a counter lunch
at the pub, then north to Meeniyan, Dunbalk, Mirboo Nth,
Thorpdale and final coffee at Trafalgar.(FP)
Straight down the Princes Hwy to home. |
Denny |
|
-- September |
Mc Western Ring Road, |
Malmsbury
Bike show (Not AWRA Event) Bike show for the inmates at the juvenile
detention centre with the God Squad Motor cycle club, well attended by Goldwings and other bikes. |
John G |
|
6th October |
|
Dinner
Location TBA |
|
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15th October |
Mc Western Ring Road, Sth side heading west |
Castlemaine
loop ride Melbourne(SP) Heathcote onto Bendigo
through to Bridgewater left to Maldon, Castlemaine, Woodend into Melbourne
(FP) |
Denny |
|
10th November |
|
Dinner
location TBA |
|
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18/19th November |
9.00 am Shell Service station on the northern side of Lilydale |
Overnighter
to Corryong ( with side trip to Kiandra) Day 1
Melbourne (SP) to Mansfield, Whitfield Myrtleford, onto Bright left at Bright
on up to Tallangatta via Gundowring out to Corryong (overnight) side trip to
Kiandra for those that wish to go around 160 km rtn. Day 2 Corryong to Towong following the Murray River into Albury
straight down the hwy to Melbourne coffee at the Mobil service station
Seymour (FP) |
John G |
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Notes: · Note: Rides depart 9.30 am sharp 3rd Sunday of
every month. · Social Dinners are also held around Melbourne on a
monthly basis. These are notified at
least a month out · If interested in coming for a ride then turn up on
the day and ride as a guest of the AWRA if you like what you see then join
AWRA to enjoy future rides · Rides during the winter months will depend on the
weather |
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Ride Coordinator: e-mail: mywing @ optusnet.com.au |
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Each motorcyclist
to be responsible for the following: 1. Your bike is to registered and roadworthy including trailer 2. You obey all traffic rules and ride in a safe manner 3. You are in a fit condition to control the bike according to state road laws 4. You be correctly attired for safe motorcycling 5. You ride in a considerate manner that does not endanger other road users or other riders 6. You have a full tank of fuel before departure on the ride Remember to have fun and enjoy the ride
and the company |
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