Lowmead Ride: 18th November 2007

by Warren Walker

Despite the threatening appearance of the weather a few hardy souls ventured forth to meet at the Quay Street car park at the usual time in a quest for an enjoyable days riding and the companionship of like minded individuals. Unfortunately, due to other commitments, the nominated ride leader was not one of the happy group. This caused some concerns over which way to travel and who should lead. Offering up the suggestion of travelling via Moore Park and checking out a car show I had seen advertised on the board outside the Avondale Tavern I suddenly found myself the ride leader.

So onward we ventured, 8 club members and 2 quests. The group including Harry on “Black Magic” his recycled Honda 750, once again pulled back out of retirement after his mishap from the previous ride and the destruction of his FJR. Although we weren’t going to tell him I think we were all pleased that Harry was able to join us so quickly after such a serious incident and maintain his active participation in the club.

We arrived at Moore Park and promptly took over the shelter shed behind the old skating rink as the threatening rain became a serious shower. Wet weather gear was donned and after some light hearted banter we departed for the ride through Sylvan Sands and Booyan and onto Rosedale Rd. Arriving at the Avondale Tavern we found no sign of the previously mentioned car show and decided to head straight for Lowmead. John Burridge, Ian Weeks and Ian’s neighbour turned off and left us near the Winfield turn off on a clandestine mission to locate some old car. The remainder continued on braving showers and the occasional heavy downfall to arrive at the Lowmead pub. After one or two beers the discussion turned to the activities for the rest of the day. Deciding it was too long to wait for lunch at Lowmead several ideas were tossed around before deciding to head for the Miriam Vale Hotel, simply because most of us had never eaten there before. After further debate it was decided to brave the shortcut, and its dirt road sections, onto the Tableland Road. We duly conquered this, there were probably only 3 or 4 Kilometres of good dirt and gravel surface and nobody experienced any difficulty. The bikes didn’t even get much dirt on them which must have been a relief to those in the group who had expressed concern over having to wash their bikes.

Now trying to be a responsible ride leader I attempted to keep our pace to a sensible speed. However coming up to the turn off to the Table land Road to Miriam Vale I was passed by about half the group. One of the culprits slowed after the turn off and allowed me past but the remaining two bikes continued to mock my sensible approach and maintained a higher speed. Fearing that they may become lost I gave chase whereupon everybody else joined in and we made Miriam Vale in a very respectable time. Again we encountered some rain but nothing too serious. Apologies from Tony and Lou for their errant behaviour were forthcoming before we retired to the bar for a cold drink. Lunch followed with good food and conversation making for a very enjoyable time.

Since it had been a while since anyone had travelled the highway home we headed off that way for a rest stop at Gin Gin. This time everyone decided to stay behind the ride leader and maintain the sensible speed I had chosen. A quick stop for fuel for some, chocolate for one (Peter Hansen of course) and more entertaining conversation and we departed. Lou left us at South Kolan while we crossed over the Cedars Bridge and headed to my place for coffee. Relaxing on the verandah we agreed that despite or maybe because of the rain, we had all thoroughly enjoyed the day. More stories were told before everyone departed for home.

A quick check on the speedo showed we had travelled a bit over 310 kilometres for the day. Thanks to all who rode and to Peter Williams for being tail end Charlie for the day.

Cania Gorge Ride: 20th & 21st October 2007

by Peter Hansen

After a late start, 14 people on 12 bikes set off with Tim as escort to the city limits. I’m sure we was wishing he was going with us. The run was peasant because of the cool cloudy weather and incident free. Did anyone notice how conservatively Kevin was riding? We stopped at Mirium Vale for fuel, morning tea and a good chin wag and then a brief stop at Calliope where Rosanne caught up with her daughter. The trip on to Biloela was short and sweet with some taking the direct route and others going via Coal Road which is a windy country road that skirts the Callide power station. Not a bad ride except for the odd burnt tree limb on the road. There had been a recent fire through the area.

Lunch at the Commercial Hotel produced some surprisingly good steaks for those who had them. At this point I had to order Pizzas from the Duck In in Monto to be delivered that night for dinner. What I should have done was to ask them how many pizzas do we need for 16 people. Jamie and Alison were to join us at Cania Gorge. That would have been a smart thing to do but I have never been accused of being smart. What I did was work out what I thought we would eat. More on that later.

After leaving Biloela, we traveled 12 km to the thriving metropolis of Thangool and onto Mt Scoria, known as the singing mountain. For those of us who took the challenge and entered the spiritual domain of this geological phenomenon, the mountain sang. The pathetic wooses who refused to trek the 80m to enlightenment will be left forever wondering.

After Mt Scoria, our next destination was Cania Gorge. Again a pleasant run, although Kevin was still riding conservatively. I wonder why. Maybe Sandra had something to do with it. On arrival at Cania Gorge, out came the drinks and nibblies including some delicious blue vain cheese and some equally delicious wines. Thanks to all those involved.

Then came the pizzas. I had ordered 9 large ones. Actually, I had ordered 9 enormous ones. We could have fed the population of Thangool with these. Try as we might, we seemed to make very little impact on them. Having been beaten by the pizzas, we continued to socialize, finishing at a reasonable hour but I was concerned about the noise level as I had gone to lengths to convince them we were geriatrics too old to party. I lied. The next morning revealed no complaints so that was a load off my mind.

Some of us went for a walk to the dripping rock and on our return, found the rest in a valiant but useless attempt to eat their way through the mountain of pizzas. The walkers joined the feast but we were defeated. The pizzas won.

Departure time saw Adam and Leanne leave for Bundaberg to avoid threatening rain. The rest of us rode to the dam then onto Monto for a refuel. At the Ceratodus turn off, Harry left us to get to Mt. Perry as he was concerned we would be late for the pre-arranged lunch. We headed towards Mt. Perry, again Kevin riding conservatively, only to find Harry standing beside a bike that initially we didn’t recognize. It was his and in very different shape from when we saw it last. Fortunately, he was ok although obviously shaken. He had run wide on a corner and almost rode it out until a patch of sand brought him down. A passing motorist kindly offered assistance. With some cable ties, tape and string, the bike was made rideable but the decision was made to leave the bike hidden from public view and pillion Harry to Mt. Perry. There was concern delayed shock may impede his ability to ride. As it turned out, that was a very wise decision.

The trip to Mt. Perry was steady for some and quicker for others. I blasted past Kevin on one of his favorite roads; still no reaction. Gee he must be smitten badly. On arrival at the pub, it was a welcome site to see the rest of the club members there. Dave and Veronica left fairly quickly followed by Tony and Lol to come back in Dave’s vehicle and trailer to retrieve Harry’s bike.

After a feed and a beer, Harry looked decidedly uncomfortable so Mike Gibb took him to the Gin Gin hospital where he spent some time till he was transferred to Bundaberg by ambulance. As it turned out, he was battered, bruised and shaken, but that’s all. Tough old bugga our Harry is.

There was almost another accident on the run to Gin Gin. I knew he couldn’t contain himself. You know the long down hill straight, well when Sandra wasn’t looking; Kevin gave it some stick, only to have a wallaby step out in front of him and he had to take evasive action.

There was a fuel stop at Gin Gin for some then off to Bundaberg. When I arrived at Quay St., Rosanne and Kerry were there closely followed by Mark. I noticed strange noises coming from the direction of Kerry. It turned out to be a combination of her teeth rattling and knees knocking. She was saturated and almost suffering from hypothermia. I suspect some wet weather gear might be on the short list.

Although the trip was marred by Harry’s accident, it was warming to see everyone pitch in to help, especially Dave and Tony who retrieved the bike.

I would also like to thank John Alexander for being tail end Charlie; which is where he should have been because he was riding on bald tires; on wet roads.

To Riverheads and back – almost: 15th September 2007

by Tim Sayre

Approximately 18 bikes met at a new spot, due to Quay Street being closed for the Multi cultural festival. The plan called for a leisurely run to paradise dam via Isis mill. From here through Childers to Sexy Coffee for a quick refuel then on to Riverheads with the decision of lunch either at Riverheads or in Hervey bay itself. After lunch, ride to Toogom then up to Woodgate and finally back to Bundaberg. As ride leader I was going to be sticking to 100 to 110 with no ISH this time.
That was the plan, reality was a little different.
It has been arranged to met the Pico's at Childers at around 10:00, so after a quick brief on the day we left at 8:43 sharp (Late already) and headed past Bundaberg High school, on to Walker street and up Takalvan Street.
At the airport we had our first stop of the day. After the initial 18 we were down to 4 bikes already. Eventually we all met up and made our way uneventfully to Isis mill were we took the old road to the highway. I thought I had taken into account most things, but a stupid farmer who couldn’t drive wasn't one I had mentioned. Managed to eventually get past him and on to the highway, where once again set a steady pace to the Booyal turn off, which on the way to we passed Tony Pico heading to Childers. John Burrage decided to follow them. Bike numbers had dropped again, but the corner markers were catching us up, so tail end couldn't be too far.
Made it to the turn off to Paradise dam and for the first time, took a leisurely ride through to the dam wall. On the ride passed a couple of bikes heading the other way pushing hard. These guys were lapping and surprised Tony and Loll. Within minutes, all the riders had caught up and we spend a few minutes recovering. 30 minutes later we were off to Childers.
Dave and Mark had ridden ahead for work reasons and were waiting at the park. We went through Childers with approximately 6 bikes, 4 of which turned off when they saw John and the Pico's leaving Grumpy and I on the highway. Grumpy went ahead to get fuel and eventually the bikes came out and I continued to Sexy Coffee. The traffic was HORENDOUS!! Eventually made it and decided that as it was 11:45, this would be lunch. Ok so the plan was a little bit out but not too bad.
Peter Hansen had to fuel up the new bike after trying to do a dump and burn off all his fuel. These new bikes and their fancy fuel lines! This wouldn't have happened on the old bike.
½ hour for lunch then on again. Tony, Loll and John would meet up with us after a short stop in Maryborough. It was decided that Riverheads was really just the end of the road, and rather than go in, we would just go past, head into Hervey Bay and go down along the esplanade.
Entering the bay via Elizabeth Street we pulled up at Kondari resort waiting for Tail end Charlie. When everybody was assembled, and Mark had scared the local wildlife, we left for the run along the esplanade. Looking in my mirror, it didn’t look like 17 bikes, but maybe I couldn't count.
The esplanade was a pleasant little ride, seeing the sites the bay had to offer. Waved to Tony, Loll and John as they came the other way, and made our way out of Hervey bay. On turning at the fuel station, I was the only bike, and for a minute I thought I had done a Harry and lost everybody, but no here they all came, so off to Toogoom we go for a whistle wetter.
From Toogoom we went at a leisurely pace to Apple Tree Creek, that was until we hit the highway. We had a couple of spurts to get around a few trucks, caravans and idiots, but eventually we made it safely to Apple Tree. In the process Adam, Geoff pulled off at Childers and John kept going through Apple Tree. A whistle wetter later and a few stories, we again were on the road for the last part of the run to Hervey Norman. Pulling up, I was the only one again, but eventually everybody pulled up successfully and we managed to get a group shot.
Thanks to Syd for being tail end Charlie and thanks for all those who did the corner marking. It worked really well.
All in all an enjoyable day covering approximately 390 k's.
Thank-you.

Thebine Ride: 19th August 2007

by Warren Walker

A total of nine bikes left the Quay Street car park on a cool and overcast day. We travelled via Goodwood Road to Childers where John Burridge left us to return home. The remainder of us continued on to the service station outside Maryborough for a rest stop and to allow some to top up their tanks. Continuing on we turned off at Maryborough onto the road to Biggendon and then onto the back road to Tiaro through Mungar. Passing through Tiaro we turned off the highway again and took the road less travelled via Gundiah and onto Theebine.
On arrival at the Theebine pub we discussed the option of the lookouts at the Gunalda Range repeater station and weather radar station. Various reasons were cited for staying at the pub before John Alexandra and Tim decided they were keen to go. So the three of us left to have a look. We went via the old Gunalda Range road (boom gates are meant to be ridden around, aren’t they?) before undertaking the steep climb to the look out areas. Here we were rewarded with spectacular views despite the overcast conditions.
We returned to the pub at a more rapid pace with Tim and I having to chase John who had expressed a desire to have some fun on the series of tight 40 Km/Hr corners between the highway and Theebine. He wasn’t going to be put off by the small matter of a slow coaster bus which got in his way so a small amount of off road work and he was past. It must have given the driver quite a start because he pulled up and allowed Tim and myself to pass easily. Thanks John. We continued on in a spirited manner to rejoin the others.
On hearing a bus load of people were arriving for lunch we decided to get in quick and placed orders for lunch from the customary Sunday barbecue. The bus load of elderly people arrived shortly after with Harry appearing to be popular with several of the ladies stopping to chat with him.
While lunch was good we were forced to eat in the backyard to escape the load music being played by live musicians, with some people expressing doubt over their musical ability. It was suggested that the elderly customers from the bus were able to cope with the volume by switching off their hearing aids but for the rest of us it was simply too loud.
Due to work commitments Veronica was forced to depart early with Dave and Tim electing to accompany her home. The rest of us waited until 1:30 for the possible arrival of Peter and Tony who were returning from an over night trip to Brisbane. We returned the way we had come after deciding it was less hectic and much more pleasant than the highway. Stopping at the Torbanlea Mobil we wondered why John had departed from the plan and pulled up at the servo at Sexy Coffee. John duly arrived to join us for coffee and explain his wayward actions.
Preparing to leave who should be coming down the highway but Peter and Tony. They had arrived at Theebine about 10-15 minutes after we had left. A quick conversation on the servo forecourt ensured where we checked out Peters new Triumph Sprint. We left to do battle with the highway traffic before pulling up at the normal spot outside Harvey Normans.
A more thorough inspection of Peter’s new bike was made by all while Peter extolled its virtues and performance over the weekend. He is obviously well pleased with his choice.
We all headed for home after travelling around 360 kms for the day. The weather had been kind to us and although we had travelled over some sections of wet road the only rain of significance we had encountered was while we were at the pub. We had enjoyed the back roads and found them to be a pleasant and relaxing alternative and agreed that the highway sections of the days travel were heavily trafficked, hectic and nowhere near as enjoyable.
Thanks to all who rode and thank you to Kevin for acting as tail end Charlie for the day.