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 On this weekend run we were blessed with good weather over the two day’s plus fantastic riding well planned and run like clockwork.
Saturday morning saw around 40 plus riders (including a fair contingent of Ulysses’ member’s) assemble under sunny blue skies at the Buninyong Hotel car park. After Burger’s briefing, brand new member Les Snibson led us off as pace leader (a very good one too) with Burger riding ahead dropping off the volunteer marshals.
The countryside was at its very best, green and lush with all dams and lakes full plus good flows in the rivers and creeks. Just about everywhere we rode was picture postcard scenery.
For a while it was a bit blowy but on our return it was mostly at our backs. We travelled through Napoleons, Ross Creek, Haddon and onto choppy but full to capacity Lake Learmonth where we had a regroup and toilet stop before heading up through the Waubra hills. We were now in the Waubra wind farm complex and riding amidst the 128 huge spinning wind turbines all over the hills. What an experience! Some of the farm houses seemed to be almost surrounded by them.
After we came down from the hills I thought that riding among all those huge wind towers would have been the highlight of the day. However after our very nice and relaxing lunch at the Beaufort Hotel, Burger had quite a surprise for us when we arrived at a private property well hidden up a bush track in the Dereel district. Here historic aircraft enthusiast Andrew Willox was building a replica of one of the earliest planes that ever flew. While we enjoyed a cuppa and biscuits Andrew climbed up a step ladder and gave us a talk on the BE1.
Designed and built originally at Farnborough, UK in 1913 and simply called a BE1, this bi-plane, sporting fore and aft cockpits was the forerunner of the Royal Flying Corps de Havilland’s BE2’s that in its military version saw much action in WW1. They were first used for reconnaissance over enemy territory. However these types of early wood and Irish linen clad bi-planes were also used as bombers with observers in the rear cockpit, dropping out grenades and small bombs over enemy positions. That just about beats just riding a classic bike any day!
Andrew’s standard of work is exemplary and the BE1 replica fuselage is a pleasure to behold with its varnished English ash wood frame and taught wire supports. Completion is targeted for the Point Cook centenary in March 2014.
Andrew said his replica will never fly but never-the-less I will be looking out for this plane at the Point Cook centenary in 2014.
If that wasn’t enough we also had the pleasure of inspecting a de Havilland Tiger Moth parked a few metres away and owned by Andrew’s friend, a Virgin Airways pilot. He was only too happy to answer all our questions about his fantastic blue Tiger Moth. Later he fired it up it with a few pulls of the prop, climbed into the rear cockpit, put on his leather helmet and goggles before taking off on Andrew’s grass runway. He then treated us to a couple of fly passes before heading for Kyneton where the Tiger Moth is kept in a hanger at Kyneton Airfield. What an afternoon!
Mounting my bike for the last leg home and all fired up after seeing the Tiger Moth in action I just wished my old Beeza had wings! We returned to Ballarat via Mount Mercer and in the evening around fifty of us had a very nice dinner at the Sebastopol Bowls Club. What a fantastic day!
Sunday morning was also nice and sunny and I took off from the motel a little earlier for a very pleasant run and photo shoot around Lake Wendouree. Nice to see the lake to full capacity at last and the whole area once again green and fresh. Then over to Buninyong for the Sunday start with plenty of time to spare before the ride left Buninyong. People everywhere in the car park among the riders having a look at the classics, even a group of cyclists! I had a brief chat with Maffra members Ian and Jan Kennedy who had popped over to see us off. They also had dinner with us the night before and they are on their way to Adelaide in their 1956 Humber Super Snipe for the following weekend’s Birdwood rally.
This ride was shorter than yesterday but still through lovely countryside. First we meandered over to Gordon skirting around Mount Buninyong. This was our first re-group before riding up and over Mount Prospect (well named with much evidence of old gold mines around). Then an unexpected wait at Smeaton. This was for the back-up trailer and marshals to catch up after having to load up a ‘refuse to proceed’ classic. It was a BSA and thought to be a broken tooth on the fibre timing wheel. In the past that has happened to me twice on my Beeza but no more! I was lucky in getting an original steel one from Modak. At the time they just had one in stock!
Replacing steel timing cogs for fibre (later after market in nylon) was a modification by BSA as they were getting complaints of the steel ones whining. Well bugger the whining! I’m half deaf anyway and I’d rather keep moving thanks!
Riding on we had a second re-group in the centre of Creswick before arriving to our final venue of the weekend at member Bruce Armfield’s place in Ballarat. Here we enjoyed a very pleasant BBQ while also inspecting Bruce’s impressive bike collection, trophy’s and his MG sports car and sedan. A fitting finish to a fantastic and well run weekend’s rally.
At the BBQ I learned that our President Burger Drake had organised this weekend almost entirely on his own. He organised all the dinner and lunch venues plus the motels and the private aircraft venue. He also rode the two routes five times to get the timing and distances spot on. His fine tuning worked a treat and boy was he busy on the two runs leading ahead with his band of volunteer marshals!
When questioned, Burger was quick to give a mention to member Daryle Kopke who assisted him with the route planning of Saturday’s run plus new member Les Snibson who was keen to assist in riding as pace leader over the two days. Also much thanks to our host Bruce Armfield along with Ron & Lyn Richardson, Susie Barrett, Yogi Boucher and Christine Moore who assisted with the BBQ. Also thanks to our volunteer marshals (and that includes the Ballarat Ulysses riders) and a job well done by Maurice Turner with his back-trailer duties. Thank you all and well done.
As I was about to leave for home I congratulated Burger’s wife Margaret on the delicious Devonshire scones, she replied, “it was nothing to do with me, Burger baked them at 5:30 am this morning!” Observing my surprise, she insisted she wasn’t having a lend of me! How about that? Burger the baker!
Top marks on those scones mate……you’ll be on Master Chef next!
Reg Hammond
Ballarat Springtime Bask Participants List
Trevor Evans Vincent HRD 1939
Rod Wright Harley Davidson WLA 1942
Keith McCracken BSA A7 500 1942
Cameron McMahon Vincent Rapide 1950
Burger Drake Vincent 1000 1950
Ken Jackson Vincent Rapide 1951
Bob Allen Vincati 1951
Steve Walsh Vincent Rapide/sidecar 1955
Bob Slattery Vincent RTV Outfit
Vince Rogers Vincent Norvin 1956
Ed Sleightholm Ariel Huntmaster 1957
Reg Hammond BSA Gold Flash 1957
Gordon Paterson Triumph T100 1958
Jol Dunne NSU Supermax 1960
Malcolm Wilson BMW R60/2 1962
Ray Harrison Norton Commando 1969
Stan Rogers Triumph Tiger 1972
Peter Cullen BMW R60/5 1971
Bill Garner Triumph Bonneville 1971
Warren Blandy Triumph Trident 1974
Dean Watts Triumph Trident 1975
Graham Boulter BMW R90 1975
Harold George BMW R100 1976
Ed Lauder BMW R100 RS 1980
Tom Myers BMW R100 CS 1981
Richard & Dot Sommerville Honda CX500 1981
Christine Wilson BMW LS 1982
Robert VanLohuizen Suzuki GS850 1983
Noel Wills BMW R100 1983
Barry Wells BMW R65 1983
Ray Humphries BMW R65 LS 1985
Ross Patrick BMW R80 1986
John & Vicki Best BMW R80 1986
Bruce Turner BMW K1100 1996
Daryle & Kay Kopke BMW R1100RT 1997
Bruce Armfield Kawasaki W650 2001
Peter Howell BMW R1100S 2003
Jack Youdan Yamaha FZ 2006
Les Snibson Suzuki DL1000 2007
Phil Harris Honda Shadow 750 2009
Vern & Marg Dalton car
Keith & Belle Emmett car
Bob Williams, Ken & Anne Butler and Marianne Rodgers car
Back-up-trailer Maurice Turner
Apologies to riders that I missed |
