JUNE 2019
www.bmwmcq.org.au
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF QUEENSLAND INC. Established 1958
BMW Motorrad Australia is thrilled to announce the 2019 End of Financial Year Sale. For a limited time only, experience irresistible Ride Away Savings on selected models. These offers are strictly while stocks last at Morgan & Wacker BMW Motorrad. morganandwackerbmw .com.au
OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB OF QUEENSLAND INC.
The Committee President- Paul Hughes Ph: 0409 814 633 President@bmwmcq.org.au 1200 GS / 700 GS
Vice President - Richard Maher Ph: 0415 111 454 vpres@bmwmcq.org.au R 1150 R
Secretary - Tony Gray Ph: 0409 493 605 secretary@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 GS (The Grey Ghost) R 60/6
This Issue - JUNE 2019 Contents:Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Committee Reports . . . . . . . . . . 5 RAY OWEN’S CLASSIC BIKE SHOW. . 6 General Meeting Minutes. . . . . 10 ON THE ROAD RECOMMENDATIONS. 11 CLUB RIDE MARYVALE HOTEL . . . . . 12 EPIC RIDE TO ULURU . . . . . . . . . . . 14 ON TOUR USA WITH CHARLIE PT 2 . 19 PELIKAN RALLY SA. . . . . . . . . . . . 24
20th FRIGID DIGIT . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 FOR THE AIRHEADS . . . . . . . . . . . 29 FRIENDS BENDS AND AUTUMN . . . . 28 BMWMCQ Supports. . . . . . . . . . . 36 ADVERTISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 BMWMCQ Events Calendar 2018. 38 Cupla Adverts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 LUNCH RIDE TO O’SHANLEY’S. . . . . 41 CAMPING WEEKEND. . . . . . . . . . . 42 AUSTRALIAN SUPER BIKE CHAMPS. 43
Advertisers
TeamMoto - Front Cover
Treasurer - John Eacott
Ph: 0428 383 826 treasurer@bmwmcq.org.au 2017 K1600GT 2016 R1200GS Tripple Black
Editor - Dave Hepburn
Ph: 0422 080 524 editor@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 RT
Records- Greg Gaffney Ph: 0411424 219 records@bmwmcq.org.au R 1200 RT & R 90 S Events -
Ph: events@bmwmcq.org.au
VACANT Regalia -
Ph: regalia@bmwmcq.org.au
VACANT
Tools/Spares - Bill Luyten Ph: 0438 123 747 tools@bmwmcq.org.au R1150 Rockstar - R1200 GS LC
Caloundra Motorcycles Cafe2U - P.28 Good Wool Store - P.32 Munich Motorcycles - P.32 Northside Motorcycles - P.34 Morgan and Wacker - Back Cover
O
On The Cover
ur 17day 7,450km ride to “The Rockâ€? is now over. I must say it’s been an amazing journey across the many landscapes and wildlife encounters we experienced. Special thanks to Cindy and Duncan for organising and to have spent this journey with such a great bunch of people for the short or long part. Look forward to our next adventure. Mario and Fiona.đ&#x;’–
Sub Committee
• Dealer Liaison / Advertising - Don Grimes Ph: 0411 601 372 • Forum Moderator - Garry Hilton
Club Details BMW Motorcycle Club of Queensland Inc.
2. Improving the service and availability of spare parts for BMWs in Queensland using the advantage of a united effort.
Address all correspondence to: The Secretary PO Box 3669 South Brisbane QLD 4101
4. Organising day trips, tours and outings.
ABN 30 351 243 651
Monthly meetings are held on the first Thursday of the month at the:
Geebung RSL Club
323 Newman Road Geebung A Club Ride is usually held on the first Sunday after the monthly meeting. BMWMCQ AIMS The objectives of the BMWMCQ are to increase the enjoyment of motorcycling by: 1. Improving the opinion of the public towards motorcycling in general and associated members particularly, by careful, courteous, considerate riding, especially when riding with the Club, and rendering assistance to all road users in difficulty.
3. Decreasing maintenance and running costs by mutual assistance on mechanical problems. 5. Encourage and support Regional Ride Groups 6. Affiliation with other clubs/associations where such affiliation would be of mutual benefit. DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed in this Journal are those of each contributor and are not necessarily shared by the Editor, management, and / or membership of the BMWMCQ. The Editor reserves the right to refuse any advertising or delete any material which could be considered or interpreted as questionable, libellous or offensive, without consultation. WEB SITE Visit: www.bmwmcq.org.au
4
Editorial
JUNE 2019
Dave Hepburn
Editor’s Report
I
t has been a very busy time for your editor this month, with unprecedented article support by members coming across my desk. So much so that a new bench mark has been achieved with the publication of a 44 Page Journal. Many thanks to all those that have contributed to this month’s edition it is very much appreciated. Thanks to Duncan and Tony, Charlie Brown and Dieter Harm (Dieter won the Pelikan Rally Long Distance Award) for their contributions. The provision of photos by Richard, (Club Ride to the Maryvale Pub, Ray Owens Classis Bike Show) and Fiona Grossi, (Lunch Ride to O’Shanley’s Irish Bar Clifton, Various photos of the Rock Ride).Most of the events are receiving good attendance by members and we are certainly providing a wealth of activities that should meet all members’ needs. July is shaping up to be another good month. Safe Riding to you all Dave
This URL will take you to You Tube and the 1st 58 seconds at BP BLACKSOIL of the start of the EPIC RIDE TO THE ROCK by the BMWMCQ Riders Group: https://youtu.be/IiJVSpQy_Xg
VENUE FOR BMWMCQ GENERAL MEETINGS GEEBUNG RSL CLUB 323 NEWMAN ROAD GEEBUNG MEALS OPEN AT 6.00 PM MEETING STARTS 7.30 PM
NEXT MONTH : 7.30PM 4 JULY 2019
Committee Reports
JUNE 2019
Paul Hughes
5
President’s Report
W
ell May has been pretty busy. It started out with the Rock trip organised by Cindy and Duncan. A multi day adventure to Uluru and various routes home. I decided to tag along for the first day and night and went as far as Roma. Lots of trip-snap shots and reports, prove the members that did go the whole way had a very memorable time and saw some spectacular scenery. After living at the Rock for 6 years and in the Territory for another 4 years, I can attest to the absolute beauty and rawness of the landscape. I expect this ride will be run again at some stage for all those that haven’t been there yet and couldn’t make it this time.
The committee has decided to resurrect the “Training Subsidy” for members. Simple rules for this: 1. Must be a member for at least two years 2. The course needs to be pre-approved by the committee
3. Get a receipt for payment of the course fee (must be more than the subsidy)
4. At completion of the course provide the receipt and completion certificate to the records officer 5. Receive up-to a $30 subsidy from your next membership fee payment
6. I would recommend this to all members. Skill courses, first aid, accident management, all these qualify and will make us a safer club
Big events that are coming up are:
1. July club ride to Morgan Park for the Super Bike Championship 2. End of July (last weekend) the Fridgit Digit
3. Last weekend in August another camping trip to Cressbrook Dam
4. Long weekend in october (5/6/7) The Cane Toad Rally ....details to follow 5. Last weekend in October the” Back to the Bush” to Miles QLD 6. Club Christmas Party on December 7th
All of these events along with our regular monthly events will round out a pretty full program. We have plans for another weekender and a 4-day excursion over summer/autumn months next year In June, we have Tony and Janes Poker Run on June 9: Drinks with Dinner If You Like at The Glen Hotel Eight Mile Plains on June 14: Back to an old favourite for the coffee meet up at Preece’s café Redcliffe on June 22 and the club lunch ride on June 30 to Ricks garage at Palmwoods. There’s plenty for everyone here to choose from. Last weekend I rode through Numinbah Valley and noticed a large police presence. I had a chat to them (no I wasn’t pulled over for an offence). Seems the boy racers have caused some angst again with locals. So, I recommend, no matter where you ride you remember we share the road and the community and it is best if we assist each other in preserving the status quo. Now Gary Bennett has come across some exciting news in his research, but that will have to wait until next month. Ride safe Cheers Paul
6
JUNE 2019
Richard Maher
Committee Reports Vice President’s Report
RAY OWEN’S CLASSIC BIKE SHOW
Committee Reports
JUNE 2019
John Eacott 3:52 PM
Treasurer’s Report
BMW Motorcycle Club of Queensland Inc
Profit & Loss
02/05/19
February 1 through May 2, 2019
Cash Basis
Feb 1 - May 2, 19 Ordinary Income/Expense Income Advertising Income Interest Received Membership Fees Total Income Expense Affiliation Fees Australia Post / Post Box Rent Computer costs Internet Services Software Expense Total Computer costs Government Charges Miscellaneous PayPal commission Postage Telephone Tools Expense Website Domain Expenses Website Hosting Expenses Website Maintenance
4,150.00 2.80 2,897.64 7,050.44 238.00 195.00 152.90 69.95 222.85 55.35 58.46 34.25 100.00 10.00 -10.00 56.36 91.74 1,540.00
Total Expense
2,592.01
Net Ordinary Income
4,458.43
Other Income/Expense Other Income Donations Income Event income Regalia Sales
27.00 2,000.00 25.00
Total Other Income
2,052.00
Net Other Income Net Income
7
2,052.00 6,510.43
8
JUNE 2019
Greg Gaffney
Committee Reports Records Officers Report
B
ack from the rock. A great trip and great company: Unfortunately, I didn’t get to climb the rock, as it was closed due to high winds. Uluru is unbelievably spectacular up close! Avoided lots of interesting wildlife on the ride including a plague of goats between Broken Hill and Cobar: Unlike the roos, they are grazing all day and may cross the highway at any time always as a group of about six to ten.
New Members Paul Mennes S1000XR Stanley Topp R1200GS & K1600GT
Special Interest Vehicle Concession Scheme continued from page 9
The administrative process for supporting an event is at the discretion of an individual club or ASRF and must ensure members comply with the special interest vehicle conditions and restrictions of use. • exhibiting the vehicle in displays, fetes or similar functions conducted for religious, charitable or educational purposes • ceremonial purposes (such as weddings, formals, funerals) involving immediate and de facto family members, or as part of a sanctioned incorporated club event, provided this is not done for fee or reward • preparing for, proceeding to, and returning from the above activities • direct travel to and from an approved inspection station to get a safety certificate or certificate of inspection before offering the vehicle for sale • travel in order to have the vehicle repaired. There is no distance restriction, however, such travel must be reasonable and justifiable by the vehicle operator • road testing within a 15km radius from the place where the vehicle is garaged or is being repaired. The purpose of the travel must be to road test the vehicle following repair or restoration, or for general vehicle maintenance and not for any other purpose
Tools for loan There are special tools available including the GS-911WiFi and 3 pin diagnostic tools. Special Tools • Twinmax electronic carburetor balancer (Twin BMW engines) • Vacuumate (electronic synchronization of throttle valves up to 4 cylinders) • Clutch alignment shafts (3 sizes) • Compression gauge (cylinder pressure) • Steering head bearing puller and seating tool • Gearbox output flange puller • GS-911 Wi-Fi Diagnostic tool (Wi-Fi and USB Version) • GS-911 3 pin Diagnostic tool (for older bikes) • Tyre Pressure Monitor Sensor (TPMS) tool • Enduralast hall sensor tester • Brake bleeding tool (suction bleeding via the brake caliper)
Club Tool Loan: $50 deposit (refundable) for GS911: Tools and spares can be picked up or brought along to the next meeting or Club ride. Contact Tools Officer Bill Luyten 0438 123 747 (wluyten@bigpond .net .au) or Club email: spares@bmwmcq.org.au
Submissions for the Next Journal (JULY 2019 Edition
Committee Reports Bill Luyten
I
9
JUNE 2019
Tool’s Report
Special Interest Vehicle Concession Scheme
mentioned at the last general meeting that I’d try to explain the scheme. “Note, it does appear somewhat restrictive for bike riders” Here’s a cut down version of what’s required. See Website for the complete guide: https://www. qld.gov.au/_qgdesigns/content/guide-printing?root=44821 A concession (or Restricted Registration) is available if you are registering a classic vehicle. This concession is based on the vehicle having a very strict and limited road use which is reflected in the reduced fees and compulsory third party insurance premium. • vehicles that are at least 30 years old
How to apply Complete the Registration Concession Application (F3937) and take it to your nearest Transport and Motoring Customer Service Centre.
Proof of eligibility Club Membership – You are required to provide evidence of current membership with a Queensland incorporated vehicle club or association to be eligible for this concession. This membership should be maintained while the vehicle is registered under the scheme. Your club can provide evidence of your current membership, which needs to: • be on club letterhead • include details of your vehicle (make, model, year and chassis number) • be signed by a club official
Dating Certificate (if applicable) - A Dating Certificate is only required if the Department of Transport and Main Roads cannot verify the date of manufacture for your vehicle (from an existing or previous vehicle record, import papers, or from the identification or manufacturer’s plate). If a dating certificate is required, a dating officer (or club official) from a Queensland incorporated vehicle club or association will need to certify the vehicle’s authenticity and year of manufacture. This must be on club letterhead or other official club documentation and include details of the vehicle (make, model, year and chassis number). Conditions and restrictions A special interest vehicle must not be used for: • General purposes - for example, to commute to and from the registered operator’s place of employment. • For hire or reward - a fee cannot be charged for use of the vehicle, and the owner cannot receive any consideration or reward for supplying the vehicle. You and anyone driving your special interest vehicle must only use the vehicle for: • participating in rallies or events, including impromptu events organised by an incorporated vehicle club or events sanctioned by the Australia Street Rod Federation (ASRF). Note: o a rally is a social event where a parade of special interest vehicles travel together for competition or to meet at an agreed location o an impromptu event is an event that has been initiated by a club member, involves one or more vehicles, and is supported by an incorporated vehicle club or the ASRF
Rallies and events(including impromptu events) must be listed in the incorporated club newsletter or on the incorporated club’s website or social media page (or in another manner approved by the club or ASRF, such as the club calendar of events) prior to the event.
continued bottom of page 8
n) closes on 15 JUNE 2019 - Just soes y’all know!!!!!!
10
Committee Reports
JUNE 2019
Tony Gray
Secretary’s Report
BMWMCQ Meeting Minutes 2 May 2019 Venue: Geebung RSL Meeting Opened: Apologies:
7.30pm
Maggie & George R. Steve & Rossi J. Mal Cramer. Darryl Gowlett. John Allan. Michael & Ann Ahlberg. Rob Wynn.
Minutes of Previous General Meeting: Accepted: Geoff Hodge Number of Attendees:
New Members (Name & MC): Visitors: Returning Members: Treasurer Report: Editor Report: Tools Report:
Regalia Report: Records Report: Events Report: Secretary Report:
Dealer Liaison Report: Vice President Report: President Report: Other Events/Buy/Sell/Swap:
Past rides: General Business
Closed:
Seconded: Charlie Brown 28
Nil Nil Nil
$26,750 in bank incl $2,000 seed funding for Nationals. Nil
GS911 has been upgraded. Rob W was very thankful for the letter received. Bill is doing the long ride to Darwin. Bill is looking after the register for special interest vehicles. Don has taken on the regalia role.
228 Financial members. New members can join on line and 2 have done already. Thanks to Greg for all work that has been done. Monthly Ride 12 May. 9am meet at Blacksoil. Lunch at Maryvale Pub.
Nil Mail in or out. Jane Gray has list of available books for loan in journal and website. Advise in advance and book can be bought to general meeting. Visited Slacks Creek BMW. Free training available for bike purchasers. R1200R available for test rides. Test rode S1000RR from M&W.
Suggestion to put names and recommendations for bike friendly pubs in the journal and also on the club website now done.
Canetoad. Bookings open now. A lot of cabins available. Suggestion of an annual dinner. TBC. 4 members going to the Budgie Rally.
JE gave report on the annual Clubs Aust meeting in Melbourne that he recently attended. Report is in the journal. Update on the 2020 National Rally at Stanthorpe. 2 to 5 October. Wall to Wall ride on again in November and registrations are open. Peter Pope has donated Motorcycle Atlas that will go into the Library. Northside tyre service attended by Frank. Good service.
8.30 pm, next meeting 6 June.
ON THE ROAD RECOMMENDATIONS
A
JUNE 2019
11
new initiative proffered up by Tony Gray to members is a list of accommodations encountered on members’ journeys and their evaluation of such fare for other members’ information. The first of the lists is below and will be updated each month: so if you have recommendations related to accommodation please pass that on to Tony who will collate and give to me to publish in the newsletter. It is anticipated that the feature will also translate to the BMWMCQ web site…..Ed LOCATION
PUB NAME
Uralla
Top Pub
Bathurst
Knickerbocker
Myrtleford
Railway
Omeo
Golden Age
Cooma
Alpine
$$$ ROOM TYPE 50 Selfone Contained 80 two 85 Shared Facilities 57
SelfContained Price/head for shared room 50 SelfContained Price/head for shared room 45 Shared one Facilities
MEALS
BIKE STORAGE/COMMENTS
No Breakfast
Very bike friendly Pub. Excellent Restaurant. Safe Yard. If weather bad then can lock bikes in bottle shop after hours. Good bistro. Centre of town. Lock bikes in bottle shop but not until 9.45pm. Hotel has closed but good Motel with undercover parking in safe area. Dinner & breakfast options very short walk away. Secure gated lockup for bikes but not undercover. Excellent bistro meals.
Cooked Breakfast included No meals
No Breakfast No Breakfast
Very bike friendly Pub. Excellent Restaurant. Lock up garage just for bikes.
From the Pen of Jane Gray REMEMBER WHEN JEGMay2019 Remember when there were Sheilas and Blokes Laughing and crying at very bad jokes Ever so cool with “packets of smokes” Bugs Bunny farewelled us with “Th-Th-That’s all Folks” Monaros and Chargers were for weekend cruising Larrikins were said to be “fit for a bruising” Vietnam conscription was not of our choosing But Roadrunners antics were grossly amusing
Long hair and beards & colourful clothes Strutting around and striking the pose High platform shoes that could give a blood nose Or very short skirts where bums nearly froze BSAs, Nortons and Triumphs were IT Till Kawasakis & Hondas became a big hit Then BMWs and Ducatis with their extra kit Made so many others look & sound like s#*# Easy Rider & Stone were the must-see flicks Drive-ins were great and some got in for nix Beyond where you lived was “out in the sticks” Remember when we all got up to tricks
12
T
JUNE 2019
CLUB RIDE - MARYVALE PUB 12 may
hanks to Charlie for a great ride on roads many had not been on before Great day out with friendsđ&#x;‘?đ&#x;‘?đ&#x;??đ&#x;?? Paul Hughes Yep. Great days riding: The exploring we did on the back roads is a really satisfying way to spend a Sunday. Even if I did manage to get both wheels off the ground at one point trying to keep in front of the new R1200Rđ&#x;˜‡ Richard Maher Paul Mennes I’ll need to check the website for future rides so I don’t miss out again. Nice to have been able to welcome you to Maryvale one and all: Please do not be strangers; come back again! Dennis G Wood
CLUB RIDE - MARYVALE PUB 12 may
13
JUNE 2019
M A M A C R E E K S T O R E
14
JUNE 2019
Ride to the Rock? Not Quite
I
rode a grassy country, a land of swarming flies: Of reasonable accommodation, and pub steaks with salad and fries. I rode her far horizons, and stopped for morning tea, I even did some dirt roads, the wide green land for me. Dorothea Mackellar would have written it like that if she had been on the BMWMCQ May “Ride to the Rock” starting just west of Brisbane, and I thank her for the format. The Cindy-inspired plan was a seven-day epic to reach Ayres Rock (Uluru), with stops at Miles, Blackall, Longreach, Mt Isa, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs before hitting the Rock. Routes for each day were loaded into the GPS, although the tight schedule and paucity of road options meant simply putting the day’s start and finish accommodation in – Basecamp for idiots fortunately. Once at the Rock, all navigation assistance was cancelled and riders were tasked with working out how to get themselves back, because I no longer cared. With Cindy recently starting a new job she could only get as far as Roma before risking running out of weekend, and with a month off planned in June for the Compass Expeditions Alaska tour I could only go as far as Longreach using Newton’s third law of motorcycling; “for every day riding out, there is an equal and opposite riding day back”. The trip was a farewell lap for The Precious, with the trade-in to a 2019 Triumph Tiger 800XCa planned for late May. With 90,000km of epic riding on the clock, The Precious has truly been a life changer and will be a very hard act to follow, and so a big trip into uncharted territory was a suitable send-off.
CLUB EPIC RIDE ..... TO ULURU The send-off at the Blacksoil BP on Day 1 was well attended by riders and supportive club members Les and Kellie and Dave and Tracy. Les was immediately into action and managed to complete repairs to Craig’s R100RT gear lever suitable for surviving the 7,000km journey. At the advertised time of 9:00am after some group photography by Editor Dave, we hit the road north to do a tough 38 minute section before stopping for morning tea and meeting Huw and Liezel in Esk to make 15 riders in total. After the inevitable cappuccino for me and a lactose-free latte for Cindy, we re-grouped and hit the road for the next target of lunch. The weather was looking pretty dodgy by this stage, and we went through heavy rain before Oakey, but it had mainly cleared to a cool dull day by the Jondaryan Woolshed lunch stop. After a relatively short day by club standards to avoid traumatising the unprepared glutes, we pushed on through Dalby to Miles.
Bike Inventory – Day 1
• R1200GS x 4 (Paul H, Mark G, Huw & Liezel, Don & Kate) • R1200RT x 3 (Greg G, Dave W, Mario & Fiona) • R1200R x 1 (Chris H) • R100RT x 1 (Craig B) • Chain-driven Unmentionables x 3 (Cindy, Duncan, and Cees)
Miles Cross Roads Caravan Park and Cabins didn’t mind that we didn’t have caravans, and the cabins were basic but good quality. A sign at reception invited all park residents to share a meal with the BMW riders that evening, which was a lot of pressure for the first night of a long journey. Fortunately, the stew that was put on by the owners was so good that time was better spent eating rather than talking to BMW people. Eventually the social scene loosened up, possibly due to the vast quantity of drinks consumed before, during, and after the stew, and the BMW riders were almost indistinguishable from the vanners, Gomads and campers and their 4 legged companions around the fire.
CLUB EPIC RIDE ..... TO ULURU
Day 2 was a big 629km day to Blackall, with Don and Kate heading off to the Bunya Mountains and Cindy and Paul making it to morning tea in Roma before heading for home. The rest of us ploughed bravely on in the perfect weather, and the wide-open highway and reasonable petrol station frequency allowed for some reasonable speed so we arrived before 5pm. The Blackall Caravan Park also didn’t mind that no-one had a caravan, and the house Dave W and I shared had a footprint similar to the Palace of Versailles so I took the west wing while Dave took the east wing, and we met in the Great Hall for drinks which didn’t include any town water as it smelled of sulphur. A wander up to the Barcoo Hotel to meet the rest of the team for more non-town water drinks and dinner concluded the day.
Day 3 was a short one, with Longreach and its
tourist attractions the target. A ride up and down the main street of Blackall indicated that breakfast options were numerous, just not in Blackall.
JUNE 2019
15
Dave and I decided that Barcaldine was the logical place because it was the next town, and thoughts of a full English breakfast kept us going for the 109km. The weather was again perfect, just a little crisp for those who had forgotten yet again to put in a long sleeve riding shirt. Barcaldine was partly locked down due to the Labour Day public holiday, with public sector unions getting set up to conduct a parade to the site of the Tree of Knowledge to celebrate the Barcaldine shearer’s strike in 1891. Our breakfast venue was fortunately outside the blocked off area, so we sat down to celebrate an Eggs of Poached while the rest of the team slowly wandered in.
The Blackall pioneer bore spoke at length of his stamp collection then became histerical After another 109km, we had seen the 1 mile of tractor porn displayed in Ilfracombe and pulled into the Longreach Tourist Park. This place is enormous and takes advantage of the fact that Longreach is almost impossible for Gomads to avoid if coming from the south, which of course they must be. There was plenty of room as we were early in the season, plus the flooding rains of previous months and resulting road closures had delayed the progress of the swarm. Having managed an upgrade from the sub-par Ringer’s Quarters into a deluxe cabin, I headed off with other team members to the Qantas Museum.
16
JUNE 2019
Captain Greg and Last Officer Duncan test riding a BMW R747GSA The museum is very well done, with Boeing 747-238B and 707 jets parked outside with a DC-3 and the magnificent-looking Super Constellation long distance passenger aircraft. We did the 747 and 707 interactive tour, read all the history of the two ex-WW1 pilots who managed to get the whole thing started, watched Mario crash the simulator biplane into a simulated orphanage, then headed back to the Tourist Park for bike maintenance and/or a lie down.
They normally use frozen chooks for this test At 6pm we all loaded on the complimentary bus and headed to the Bird Cage Hotel for a great dinner, which rounded out Dave’s and my last day with the rest of the intrepid group going all the way to the Rock. Day 4 commenced with emotional farewells from me and Dave to the group, and a breakfast in town before heading south west. The distances are apparent out west, we had a 505km day just to get south to Quilpie rather than make a dent in the easterly direction to get home, but the opportunity to see more of the south west while already out there was not to be missed.
CLUB EPIC RIDE ..... TO ULURU
Crossing into the Torrid Zone which prompted a torrid response from a local regarding my parking The road headed toward places which are probably familiar to Gomads, such as Stonehenge, but completely new to me. The landscape 100km down the road was remarkable, flat open plains which were expected to be brown and dusty looked like the Serengeti – grass as far as the eye could see. Herds of Wildebeest and Zebra were anticipated but must have still been in Africa scavenging the last of the feed over there. Unfortunately, herds of flies were in residence in their trillions, swarming around any exposed areas which prompted putting the helmet back on with the visor closed to keep the masses at bay.
Guarding the bikes against hyenas towing caravans on the Longreach Serengeti We pulled into Jundah at roughly morning tea, and in keeping with long distance travel in the outback protocols I filled up with fuel.
CLUB EPIC RIDE ..... TO ULURU
JUNE 2019
17
Dave’s 25 litre tank was barely dented, so he decided to wait until the next stop to fill up, and we sat at the little shop and tried to have our refreshments while battling unwinnable fly invasions. There were two roads to Quilpie, one of 300km and the other slightly further, but the lady in the shop mentioned that the shorter route was mainly dirt, and as I wanted to see Windorah we took the long way.
Pretty un-fly for a white guy Swinging into Windorah, we marked our arrival at the most westerly point of the voyage by pulling up at the only service station, only to be told that due to the public holiday the day before, the fuel truck had not arrived and was coming the next day. Dave’s trip computer calmly stated that based on its calculations he was 15km shy of Quilpie, which we decided was close enough for him to abandon the R1200GT and walk the rest of the way, or I’d go and get fuel depending how I felt at the time. Typically out on the wide plains, 115kmh had felt about right, but with limited fuel, the consumption could be markedly reduced, by travelling at 100kmh to Quilpie, or in Dave’s case 90kmh at the end. Dave was so focussed that he ignored the service station coming into Quilpie and coasted 2km further on to a servo on the other side, which didn’t have premium so he had to speak loudly about 98 octane to distract the BMW while sneaking a couple of litres of 91 in.
Quenching at Quilpie with 98 octane liquid gold The motel in Quilpie was excellent, big rooms and undercover parking to keep the dew off the seats. The evenings had settled into the motorcycling norm by this time – relaxing in the room for an hour or so before dressing for dinner, then off to the pub for drinks, and in this case back to the motel for some excellent rissoles and a nice bottle of wine.
Sunset over median strip cow silhouette in Quilpie Day 5 we’d decided must chew up a bit of distance now that we were heading east, otherwise we’d end up with a ridiculously long day or an annoyingly short day to finish off. Just to add to the challenge, I decided to keep going south and do some dirt down to Thargomindah, while Dave headed in the right direction via Charleville, and we planned to meet up in Cunnamulla for lunch.
18
JUNE 2019
CLUB EPIC RIDE ..... TO ULURU
Tribute to the Real Ride to the Rock Heroes There was only about 35km of dirt on the 195km trip south, but it was enough to satisfy me for a bit, especially the loose gravel, the ruts, and the occasional wash-out on the just re-opened road.
Proper outback riding with ruts Arriving in Thargomindah at precisely cappuccino o’clock, the reason for road closures was made obvious on the way in with the Bulloo River running a banker. Having seen Dave nearly learn the hard way, a top up of petrol and lengthy discussion with a bloke who owned seven KTM’s and I was finally and permanently heading east through Eulo for the un-emotional reunion with Dave at Cunnamulla for lunch. A decent Caesar salad lacking only for anchovies, and the slog commenced toward the challenging target of St George.
The cruising speed was pushed up as being caught west of Toowoomba in the late afternoon and evening is scary, as the trip had already been an occasional kangaroo and emu dodge even in the middle of the day. With 50km to go, the sun set and speed dropped and paranoia levels peaked, but the rains had grown grass everywhere so there wasn’t the normal clustering of suicidal marsupials along the road, and with relief we rolled into St George after a 686km day. Just for something different, we had both drinks and meal in the same place at the Cobb and Co Hotel, before repairing to the Ballone River Motel for the last night of the adventure: while the long-distance crew posted photos of their ride from Mt Isa into the Northern Territory to Tennant Creek. Day 6 saw a parting of the return team, dirt was apparently in the offing past Moonie for me on the more direct road through Cecil Plains, however, this turned out to be all bitumen, a spectacular motorcycling road and a more direct route to Toowoomba, than Dave’s ride probably was through Dalby. Toowoomba was avoided by heading south across the cotton growing plains, before running parallel to the Warrego Highway back into Brisbane in the late afternoon.
CLUB EPIC RIDE ..... TO ULURU
JUNE 2019
19
Thanks to all the team who made my half-baked effort a lot of social and riding fun, especially Dave for his company on the return, and his ability to select top wines even in the remote outback.
South of Toowoomba in Cotton Country, thinking about cigarettes for some reason
The Ride to the Rock before a full retreat route
Duncan Bennett
PART 2 OF CHARLIE’S ON TOUR.........USA
I
CHARLIE IN THE US OF A PA R T 2
worked for Ted for a couple of weeks taking scrap to the merchant to sell. I was there when immigration raided the place and rounded up some Latino men. Most interesting. There were about 8 or 9 men standing around when one of them yelled “FEDERALIES” and they were gone. The FEDS questioned me and I was allowed to go. So on another hot, fine Californian day Ted and I headed east towards the cost and Hwy 1 and the coastal Redwoods. Stockton was retreating in the bike mirrors (best place for it) and I was looking forward to Oregon and Washington. The land east of Stockton is mostly marsh and swamp but there is a shipping channel to Stockton for wheat export. It looked strange to see a large bulk carrier seemingly in the middle of the flat landscape. The ride to our first stop at Pope Valley was uneventful, besides Ted coming down on some gravel. Well he sort of came down. The rear wheel let go but the left hand cylinder hit the ground then sort of bounced him back upright! I saw it but couldn’t believe it, neither could Ted. Pope Valley is a strange place, population 5 people, 15 or so dogs, a dozen bored rattlesnakes (in an old bath) and one cat that looked like horse from Foot-rot Flats… As we fuelled up, I kept looking at the houses and thinking “squeal like a pig”! I told Ted that if I heard a banjo I would “valve bounce out of here”.
We rode on past Guyserville and the coastal ranges. I always thought that the Old Faithful geyser was in Yellowstone, it is but the guys in Pope Valley said that “this here y’all is the real McCoy”. The temperature was dropping dramatically as we rode over the coastal ranges and descended to Highway One. The coast was fogged in so the scenery was a bit thin for a while. It cleared as we got to Legit where the redwoods start. The rest of the trip to the camp site was a great ride with great scenery. We had something to eat at Walkerville then headed inland to the camp site Ted knew. It was dark by the time we got there and we sat around talking about nothing in particular. One of the greatest pleasures I know is to just sit around a camp-fire with good friends and solve the world’s problems. I asked Ted what to do if a bear came along and his answer was great. “Just stand still and it should go away” I amended that to, just stand still after climbing the nearest tree! I lay in my sleeping bag and looked up at the stars, another great pleasure. As we rode down the mountain I got to see the views I missed the day before. The fog in the valleys made the ranges look like islands in a sea of cotton wool. Very pretty. Ted turned back to Stockton and I headed north along the Avenue of the Giants. The “avenue” winds through the tall redwoods (the giant mountain redwoods come in later) and the ride was wonderful. I stopped at the Visitors centre and took a group tour with one of the rangers.
20
JUNE 2019
ON TOUR with Charlie Brown - Part 2
The coastal redwoods are the tallest trees in the world....now. The ranger wasn’t too happy when I said that the tallest tree ever cut down was an Australian Mountain Ash at 435 feet.
Avenue of the Giants The redwoods were left behind and as I headed to Oregon and Crater Lake. The weather was getting colder and wetter so at Cresent City I decided to call it a day. Most towns in the States have cheaper “Mom and Pop” motels on their outskirts and I found one for $22 and it even had cable TV. Monday dawned fine and crisp and I set out on Hwy 99 towards Oregon and Crater Lake. The road enters Oregon through a tunnel about a kilometre long and descends through the pine forests to the town of Grants Pass. Here I found a motel in the main street by the name Bates Motel! I quickly jumped onto Interstate 5 and rode about 20 miles to the turn off to Crater Lake. On the interstate, something that caught my eye was the “Ben Hur Memorial Wayside” of all things. The road to the lake was through wooded country and great fun.
When approaching from the south, Crater Lake looks like rolling hills and gives no indication of the beauty it offers. At some roadworks I got chatting to a couple of guys on bikes from Chicago. They were heading up to the rim to have lunch and they invited me to join them. Once at the top, we climbed down to a ledge overlooking the lake and they shared their lunch with me. Very pleasant and the view was stunning to say the least.
CB at Crater Lake Andy and Wayne were heading to Lava Lake for the night and they invited me to ride with them. On the ride up there we passed what I took to be mine tailings that went on for miles. I finally realised that they were ancient lava flows. We got to the camp and set the tents up. I asked the boys if they were on ‘vacation’. They worked for a ceramics manufacturer in Chicago who was a friend. “We have worked there for 7 years and our friend gave us three weeks of” said Wayne. “So you get 3 weeks holidays a year” said I. No. As it turned out, they got 3 weeks after 7 years! Then Andy dropped the big one saying “And he has paid us for one of them”. I told them what we got in Oz and they were stunned. Anyhow, it was HOT so we decided to go for a swim. Now Lave Lake is very badly missnamed, and is surrounded by snow-capped extinct volcanoes. Bit of a hint there Charlie! I went out on the jetty and took a run up onto the spring board and did a big parabola and entered the water almost vertically. The dive took me down deep and I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO COLD. The cold went straight through to my bones. Andy said this blue thing came out of the depths like a Polaris missile. I got out of the water so fast they said I looked like Flipper standing on his tail and going backwards. I got back to the camp-site and recovered by the fire. As dinner was being ruined, a Wayne Gardner style motor home pulled in with a Range Rover a-framed to the back. I struck up a conversation with the owner while he was setting up the satellite dish for his TV. He proudly showed me the ‘special’ wooden blocks he used under the hydraulic
ON TOUR with Charlie Brown - Part 2 levellers of the motor home. “These were on special” he said “they are Australian Hard wood and only cost $38! Only in America. I had to get moving the next morning as I had to get some tyres at Olympia, Washington. The ones on the bike were getting a bit thread bare. Hwy 26 took me through Warm Spring’s Indian Reservation and up past Mt Hood, the highest point in Oregon. I rode through Portland and up Interstate 5 to Olympia and the Greyhound bus terminal. The tyres were strapped to the bike and I went in search of a place to have them fitted. I found a place on the Pacific Highway not far up the road. I went for a walk while the tyres were fitted and had a late lunch. Back and got the bike and as it was a bit late I started looking for somewhere to sleep. All the RV Parks didn’t want to know about a guy on a bike wanting to put a tent up. I rode on and found a camp-site on the high bank of the Nisquilly River. It was a very pretty and peaceful, so I thought. According to my map the Fort Lewis Army Base was on the flat land just over the river. What I didn’t know was that Army companies were getting into positions for a night live fire exercise. About 23.30 I was woken by artillery firing as they put up star shells: then the chug chug chug of a 50cal opening up firing tracer: followed by the Abrams M1 tank. It went on for about 30 minutes and while it looked fantastic, I could have done without it. The next morning I headed inland on Hwy 7 towards Mt Rainier. The road was great, well surfaced and very twisty. I had fun punting the /7 along through the forests. Mt Rainier is the highest point in Washington State and an active volcano and even in mid-summer there was snow everywhere. As I rode higher it started to get very cold so I stopped and put another layer under the DriRider. As I was doing this I suddenly realised what had been bothering me most of the morning. The roads here had no guard rails.
Road to Mt St Helens
JUNE 2019
21
By the time I came down and started toward Mt St Helen (my goal) it was getting late so I got a room at a motel in Randal. I had a great time in the bar over the road. Err yes I did have a couple too many and staggered back to bed fairly late.
Mt St Helens Things were a bit slow the next morning as I rode through the mist towards the devastation of Mt St Helens. On Sunday, May 18, 1980, an earthquake caused the entire weakened north face to slide away, creating the largest landslide ever recorded. The pressure that had been building up in the volcano was suddenly released and 3 cubic km of ash and rock burst out of the side of the mountain. I stood on a ridge at the view point and for as far as I could see there was nothing but ash and destruction. 9 years after the eruption there was nothing green to see for miles. I left the north and headed south to meet up with Ted at Stumpy Meadow Lake for a Californian BMW club camp out. I got to the Columbia River and rode along the north bank until I got to the town of Hood River. The bridge across the river was a grating bridge so that snow and ice doesn’t build up in winter. Very hairy in the rain and with a cross wind. I stopped early as it was bucketing down and got a room in a motel at The Dales. Friday dawned fine so I set off early and did a ‘MACH’ run across the high desert of Oregon and down through Bend and Klamath Falls. I didn’t see any falls or for that matter anything that looked like a Klamath. Just an observation. Just over the border in California I stopped at a place called Hatfield for a smoke and a map check, when the CHiPS man pulled up and asked if I needed directions. I asked him where McCoy was and he replied with a sigh, “Yes....everyone asks that” and he drove off. I went to Lava Beds National Monument.
22
JUNE 2019
ON TOUR with Charlie Brown - Part 2
I spent a couple of hours crawling through the lava tubes there. I rode on some dirt through the lava and forest to make up some time (I had to be at a rally on Saturday). Just before the town of Burney I saw a lady trying to change a flat tyre so I stopped and gave her a hand. As it turned out she and her husband had a motel in town so I followed her there (I was going to stop there anyway). They gave me the spare room for free and apologised that it had no TV. No problem. What it DID have was a HUGE bath, an old one with the big feet on it and almost big enough to do laps. Man I just lay in that for about an hour. After a bath and doing some laundry, I accompanied them over to the bar and spent the next few hours listening to some incredibility good blues and Jazz music.
Lassen Volcanic Monument no guard rails The next morning I headed out to Lassen Volcanic Monument and another good ride on mountain roads. I pulled up at the entrance to get a couple of photos and got talking to a couple of young ladies each riding newish K bikes. They said they were heading back to the Ranch in Nevada. I found out that “The Ranch” was a place that practices the world’s oldest profession. Hmmmm The rest of the day I rode on the minor roads down through Almann, Graeagle, Sierraville and finally Truckee where I stopped for lunch. This is the area where the early 60ies TV shows Bonanza and Rawhide were filmed. Truckee is a rustic, authentic, ‘frontier town’: that is to say EXPENSIVE! After a gold plated lunch I jumped on to Interstate 80 and rode down the mountains to Auburn and on to Stumpy Meadow Lake. Ted was already there with a pannier full of ice and some cold Michelob beers. I was introduced to the others there and had a good time yarning. There was a guy there whose claim to fame was to ride down to the camp and lock up his rear brake and skid to a stop. They were all calling him “Skidmark”. They wanted to know why I was laughing so I told them what a skid mark was in Oz and they were most amused.
Ted and I rode up the dirt road into the pines to “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” complete with a sign”NO DOGS OR GUNS IN THE BAR“! Only in America! A good time was had that night at the camp with the Michelobs going down quite well. As the night wore on I was asked about Crocodile Dundee, kangaroos, koalas and drop bears. Zen and the art of exaggeration! Ted went back to Stockton the next day and I headed off to Sequoia National Park. I read about the Redwoods in a National Geographic and since then I had wanted to see the Giant Redwoods and the General Sherman tree. To get there I had to ride through the town of Fresno. As I came off the freeway and rolled through town someone was robbing a servo and getting away on a blue bike. Enter Charlie Brown from the west on a blue BMW. I saw the blue lights in the mirror and pulled over, got off and reached into the top box to get my licence and passport.
“Freeze” boomed a massive voice so I made like Lot’s wife. “Turn around and keep your hands in the open”. I complied and found myself looking down the barrel of a shotgun, noting with some amusement that the barrel was filthy. The end result was me lying face down, handcuffed on a hot Fresno road. Meanwhile three more cop cars sirened up and the police proceeded to search both me and the bike. One of the officers had my passport and said to me “You ain’t from these parts are you?” A little while later another car arrived with the station owner, who looked at me and turned to the police and said, “Let him go. He’s the wrong colour” Thank You. I reached Sequoia National Park early afternoon and booked a camp site for 3 nights. Tent up and I sat around with a bucket of ice and some more Michael blobs (beer). I had the CB radio on the bike going and was listening to the Truckies, sorry Truckers, talking in the Midwest. One guy kept coming on and saying, “They grow corn in Kansas. Theygrowcorninkansas, theygrowcorninkansas. etc., etc. An hour later he was back with “They STILL grow corn in Kansas, theystillgrowcorninKansas, etc. A couple from Texas walked up and talked to me for a bit. Robin and Griz were on a west coast trip on their Honda Aspencade. Griz asked if I would mind sharing a site as the place was booked out. I spent a very pleasant couple of days with them. Griz was a musician and had booked time with the rangers to sing at the evenings Camp-fire Programme. This guy was a classical guitarist and he played some classical stuff that was fantastic. After that he started the 60ies protest songs, “The Times are A Changing. Don’t think Twice etc. I for one sang my head off, helped along by
ON TOUR with Charlie Brown - Part 2 Griz’s friend Mr Johnny Walker. Robin kept us fed for the 3 days and what she could do with nothing was incredible.
Robin and Griz
JUNE 2019
I walked through groves of trees that were young when the Pharaohs ruled Egypt. I finally came to the General Sherman tree, said to be the largest thing to have ever lived. It is fenced off but when the ranger found out that I had come from Australia to see it, he let me walk up and put my hand on its trunk. In that moment I turned, for a minute, into a tree huger. The next day I said goodbye to Robin and Griz and headed down out of the mountains and back to Stockton. My round the world odyssey was coming to an end. As I boarded the Continental DC10 in San Francisco I was sorry it was over but I was looking forward to getting home. All in all I think that I rode about 4500km on the west coast. The scenery was fantastic and the hospitality of the people I met really made the trip special. San Francisco-Hawaii-Cairns-Brisbane: Through customs and out the door and into milady’s arms. Yes it was good to be home.
Charlie Brown
More Pics from the ROCK
Robin and Griz at the 4 Guardsman
23
24
JUNE 2019
PELIKAN RALLY and LAKE EYRE
PELIKAN RALLY & LAKE EYRE
S
aturday 19/5/19 will long be remembered as the night of miracles, not for the Liberal Party victory, but for when a bloke from Queensland ventured to South Australia and lost his Rally Award virginity by cleaning up the Longest Distance Award at the Pelikan Rally.
I have long felt the trophy cabinet deserved a longest member award, basically since high school and puberty, so it is great to see that spot finally filled. With reward comes obligation so I am recording this momentous event in our magazine so all can celebrate. YES President Paul & Gary, I did promote the Cane Toad Rally, but unless you are able to organize a display of generators, there is unlikely to be much interest from our S.A. colleagues. I would like to assure the membership that despite pressure to convert to Coopers, VB & a Barossa developed red drink; I remained loyal to Bundaberg Rum and suffered accordingly. Flashback to another Bundy night at the Cullendore Camping weekend when I tapped the Club knowledge on the Oodnadatta Track thinking I would require a 300km gravel trek to William Creek Hotel for Lake Eyre flights. The Lake Eyre Basin has always intrigued me as the topographical maps are vague on boundaries given the complex nature of the drainage for the Cooper, Warburton etc. There has been significant interest in Lake Eyre Scenic flights given the Queensland floods earlier this year and it turns out similar 2 hour flights ($500) are available from Marree Hotel which would require only a 90km gravel trek. With the Pelikan Rally Registration submitted, the camping gear loaded, open roads and clear blue skies beckoned as I headed southwest. As seems to be the norm when riding through drought stricken areas, it does not take long for the skies to turn grey and approaching Wilcannia it was clear the area had been drenched.
PELIKAN RALLY and LAKE EYRE The roads along the Darling both north to Tilpa and south to Ivanhoe were closed and red slime was across the Barrier Highway at the floodplain dips. The goat herds which normally graze on the verge adjacent the scrubland were now drinking pooled water in the table drains adjacent the highway. It did not take long for Billy, on the sound of an approaching GS to decide to cross over for a drink with Silly and provide some exciting riding manoeuvres. Suitably enlivened, I decided to fuel up at the Wilcannia BP down by the river and try and stir up “cranky old mate”, the local Darling expert. I am working the bowser when I spot him in the workshop and yell “Hey what’s going on, the place is drenched, the local roads are closed, but the Darling is still a millpond?” He responds immediately with his “those bastard Queensland cotton farmers” rant and it takes a lot of control to keep a straight face. If the fuel wasn’t so expensive, the performance would be worth tipping. Even the streets of Broken Hill had received a good drenching with plenty of slippery red slime in the dips on Chloride, Oxide, Cobalt streets etc. Chemistry teachers have always warned against mixing water with metal oxides. It was then on to Flinders National Park with some great riding through Parachilna Gorge and the various lookouts.
Unfortunately the WA 4x4 Cruiser Club were having their AGM and with over 100 participants, were often in convoys of over 20 vehicles which made avoiding their lookout locations critical. I also managed to hike the St. Mary Peak (1180m) trail. This is described as “Outside Trail6 hrs, 14.6km return. Inside Trail - 9 hrs. 21.5km return”.
JUNE 2019
25
What they should be saying is that if you do the loop (18km), do it anticlockwise so that the steep exposed rock section is a climb rather than a descent. This descent could be quite dangerous after hiking 11km on the inside trail (google itdeaths have occurred!). The next day a southern cold front hit and despite the area being in severe drought, it rained for the next 30 hours. The forecast was for 3⁰ with snow on St Mary Peak. With the strong winds, the wind chill made it feel like -5⁰. I was happy to put in some pre-season training for the Frigid Digit, but this was more like an Antarctic Expedition. There was no alternative but to bunker down, keep the Chicken Noodle soup simmering and listen to Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women”
Whilst waiting for the weather to clear, I booked the Lake Eyre flights out of Marree and some accommodation at Leigh Creek. Leigh Creek was developed in the 1980’s as a fully functioning mining town to support ~ 1000 people working on the nearby open-cut coal mine.
26
JUNE 2019
It was closed down by the State Government in 2016(transition from coal to windmills/solar/ gas) and is essentially a ghost town with basically just the Pub, Service Station and a Foodland open. The Pub runs the accommodation and the facilities are an absolute gem. The fittings were designed to mine industry standards, excellent water/pressure/communications/infrastructure etc. You also have access to your own Oval, Tennis Courts, 50m Pool, Gym & Sports Hall. The Hospital and Airstrip are apparently on standby for any local emergencies (I chose not to put this fact to a test run), and if you are really bored you could probably go and study in the empty school classrooms. If you like to chat to people on your morning walks you will be disappointed, but you could head towards the truck stop and campground by the highway to find a truckie or grey nomad to pester. I loved the place. The food at the pub is excellent (the Chef previously worked at the Mine Site) and there were no queues. You pretty much have the Dining Hall, Bar, Pool Tables and Sports TV’s to yourself (note there are a lot of advertisements for generators on S.A Channels). Leigh Creek is ~ 60km from the Parachilna Gorge turnoff and ~ 130km from Marree, so is a good location to base yourself for exploring the Flinders and Gammon ranges (Arkaroola). The road to Marree turns to gravel after the Strzelecki turnoff at Lyndhurst. It turned out to be some of the best maintained gravel I have ever travelled, pretty much the full 90km was a 4th gear 80km/hr. jaunt with occasional 3rd gear in the softer flood plain dips, all finished in just over an hour of travel. At Marree the road splits to the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks. At the time the Birdsville Track was closed and the Strzelecki was closed after Innamincka due to flooding. Whilst waiting for my afternoon flight at the Marree Hotel, I was amazed at the constant stream of people asking about ways to get north to Birdsville despite all the road reports being on the notice boards. Frustration abounded everywhere. The Marree Hotel also hosts the Tom Kruse (Birdsville Mailman) Museum and it was interesting to compare my frustration at losing ~ 30 hours due to bad weather whereas video footage would show a nonchalant Tom spending weeks digging his truck out of bogs whilst crossing Cooper Creek. A different era.
PELIKAN RALLY and LAKE EYRE
The Lake Eyre flight was excellent, initially up the west side over “Marree Man”then across to the Warburton Groove. Most of the pelicans and birdlife were on Silcrete Island in the lakes deepest section at Belt Bay. It is really only from the air that one can appreciate the expanse of deserts and creek channels that make up the basin. The return leg down the east side was over the Goyder Channel which was yet to flow into Lake Eyre South.
It was then a trek south towards the Murray River and the shores of Lake Bonney at Barmera for the Pelikan Rally. There were about 50 participants, approx. 50/50 split of SA/VIC members with a few stragglers from ACT/NSW. An excellent 2 course dinner and breakfast were provided as part of the registration. All agreed Lake Bonney was an excellent location and the weather remained fine although another cold front was working its way from the west and would hit tomorrow.
PELIKAN RALLY and LAKE EYRE I believe the Victorians are organizing next year’s Pelikan Rally (Naracoorte Caves?) and I certainly had a great time attending. What happens on tour stays on tour, plus the Bundaberg Rum always lends a vagueness to the nights discussion. I do however remember one Victorian member booking his Phillip Island accommodation at San Remo and ending up with a lovely villa in San Remo, Italy. It pays to check details before hurriedly pressing “BOOK NOW” for the last remaining room. Next morning it was a cold shower and slow breakfast before heading back to Qld. It was with an element of schadenfreude that I headed north east to clear blue skies whilst our southern colleagues turned south to grey skies and an approaching cold front. Some like it hot and dry, others cold and wet, weather that is.
Dieter Harm R1200GS
BMWMCQ
A Quick Glance in the Mirror Back in 1982 the club received by mistake, (unfortunately) a cheque for a sum of money in excess of the treasurers calculator’s ability to count. “The cheque will, of course be returned to it’s rightful owners” quoted by both the treasurer and president, giggling sillily as they flicked through travel brochures of Brazil. They had considered holding the cheque for ransom until the company had made an adequate subscription to the club. Sourced by Gary Bennett #509 From the 1982 06 Journal
JUNE 2019
27
28
JUNE 2019
THE 20th FRIGID DIGIT !!!!!
MYSTERY WEEKENDER FOLLOWING A PROUD TRADITION OF OVER 23 YEARS, 3 “BEST ORGANISED RIDE AWARDS”, TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELLED OF MORE THAN 6,300km, MORE THAN 640 PARTICIPANTS AND 14 DESTINATIONS.
BMWMCQ PRESENTS
THE 20th FRIGID DIGIT The Tradition: A Mystery Weekender on the last weekend in July, travelling on great motorcycling sealed roads to a destination within 2.5 hours from Brisbane and guaranteed to be cold. Camping and Cabin accommodation. Enjoy each others company at social gatherings at morning tea, lunch and in the evening and cap the night off with some warming liquids telling yarns around a campfire. Some previous destinations have included, Queen Mary Falls, Jondaryan, Esk, Goomburra, Binna Burra, Bunya Mountains, Stanthorpe and Kilkivan. This Year: It’s on again (27~28th July) and the location will be revealed on Ride Directions handed out on the morning of departure or on the GPS Route emailed out the night before. The ride directions will guide us, via morning tea and lunch stops, to our mystery destination. With lots of cabins available this year, it has the potential of being largest turnout since 2009. A venue is close by for the evening meal and social gathering. So be quick to book and get your winter woolies ready, because it’s going to be a lot colder than Brisbane and hopefully we can match last years sub zero temperature. Camp Details: Camping costs $27 per tent (1 or 2 people). Excellent amenities with hot showers and fireplaces. Cabin Details: $130~$160 for 1 or 2 people. Linen is included. Each cabin has an ensuite and kitchenette. There are two cabins set aside for lone riders Contact:
Gary Bennett on 0411 784279 or gbennett777@gmail.com
FOR THE AIRHEADS - and they are many
JUNE 2019
29
MMM BOXERWORKS AIRHEADS GROUP PAGE Each month Mark will endeavour to provide a couple of links to his instructional videos on dealing with all matters pertaining to BMW Airhead Motor Cycles. These are the three links this month to Facebook Video’s:
https://www.facebook.com/Boxerworks/videos/1180881572068917/ https://www.facebook.com/Boxerworks/videos/208079190099264/ https://www.facebook.com/Boxerworks/videos/1969793313343960/
30
J
JUNE 2019
FRIENDS BENDS AND AUTUMN LEAVES
FRIENDS, BENDS & AUTUMN LEAVES
ane and I love the seasonal weather changes in the high country of the Granite Belt and the New England Tablelands. Autumn is particularly beautiful when the rustic reds, gold and ochre colours take over from the abundant green leaves on the deciduous trees that dominate in these regions. It didn’t take much talking to convince Mark & Donna to join us for a few days away on the bikes, definitely better than work or play at home. Sewed into our planning was the intention to visit some old club friends along the way.
An early Tuesday start saw us quickly sipping the day’s first coffee in unseasonal warm sunshine in Killarney. Suitably satiated we moved onto some graded dirt roads heading across through Legume towards Stanthorpe being passed along the way by a helmetless and plate-less local on a trail bike. It seems that normal rules do not apply in this part of the State. We dined in Stanthorpe before a short run down to visit George and Maggie in their new home in Wallangarra.
Maggie was busy doing charity work in Tenterfield at the time but had made sure we wouldn’t go hungry with some freshly baked date muffins awaiting our arrival. Yum. They have set up a great place for themselves in a quiet rural setting well away from traffic lights and congestion. The garden is filled with productive vegetable plants and the free range chickens provide eggs aplenty. George now has his garage well organised and his GS on battery tender awaiting his return to good health.
We waited for Maggie to return from her day’s endeavours for a good old chat before we departed with the days last rays quickly disappearing and the temperature beginning its descent. Tenterfield won our business for the night with a comfortable stay at the reliable Peter Allen Motel and good feed at the adjacent Telegraph Hotel.
FRIENDS BENDS AND AUTUMN LEAVES There was another Qld registered GS1200 at the Motel which scored a BMWMCQ calling card so hopefully another new member on the way not too far down the track. Wednesday dawned cool and bright for the 100k trip down the highway for breakfast in Glen Innes but not before we had toured Tenterfield to observe what we had come to see – the autumn trees. They may have been a couple of weeks past the peak but the trees were still beautiful. The section of Highway between Tenterfield and Glen Innes is always heavily policed so an eye must be kept on the fun dial but I always enjoy the road through this country.
The colours are best in autumn but the rolling hills, rocky outcrops and grazing sheep always present an iconic image of Australia to my eye. The café next to the Central Hotel in the main drag provided us with a good feed and coffee so one to remember when next in GIen Innes at breakfast time. They were certainly doing a good trade. Our next stop along the way was Uralla with a visit to the Ural Distributor on the agenda.
JUNE 2019
31
The outfits they are selling these days are a very well sorted unit and a far cry from those earlier rough and ready examples imported from the Motherland under various names. A long chat with Matt the resident mechanic revealed a connection to the BMWMCQ with Matt being related to our very own Geoff Hodge. Now that should attract a discount for anyone interested?
The Oxley Hwy beckoned so off we rode onto one of Australia’s best pieces of motorcycling tarmac. The road has had some bad press over recent times with a speed limit reduction and melting bitumen on newly laid sections. Of greater concern to me however was the addition of raised ‘cat-eye’ markers all along the centre lines of the tight hill sections of the road. This additional ‘safety measure’ may alert a drowsy driver if they drift onto the centre line but what of the rider who has misjudged the corner and moves onto these very slippery, raised markers while heeled over? The consequences of such an error could prove fatal for the rider. Fortunately there was no such problem for our team so we made it to Gingers for a late sandwich and coffee.
32
JUNE 2019
FRIENDS BENDS AND AUTUMN LEAVES Dinner at the nearby Club North Haven with a couple of beers/wines and all was good with the world. Next morning we were joined by Harold & Jo Read for breakfast at the Brewhaven Café (next door to the Motel).
We were the only customers as had been the case with our run down the road, having found it devoid of traffic. The weather started to deteriorate as we tackled the next section of the road to Wauchope where light rain was falling.
Our destination for the night was North Haven about 40km south of Port Macquarie. Darkness had descended and the light rain was still our companion as we pulled into the Woongarra Motel to a warm greeting from bike riding host Gary.
Harold had a plan (if we were interested) to show us around their best local roads and sites – there was a unanimous YES and we were off, first to North Haven Beach where we immediately ran into Darrell Jordan having a quiet coffee run on his Ducati. It didn’t take much convincing to have Darrell join our growing caravan.
Unfortunately with no prior notice Trish wasn’t available to join us – next time we will plan it better. Aitch then led us up what must be Laurieton’s best kept secret – the lookout on North Brother Mountain in Dooragen NP. If there is a sign to the lookout then I must have missed it on previous trips through these parts so it must be very subtle indeed.
FRIENDS BENDS AND AUTUMN LEAVES JUNE 2019 The views to the north across Queens Lake to Port Macquarie and to the south across the river estuary and mountains are stunning.
33
Down the mountain and off to Wauchope on the Bago Road which was definitely a better trip in the bright sunshine than the previous night’s damp dark conditions. Still heading north out of Wauchope we took the Stoney Creek and Pemberton Roads after which it got a bit murky for me before we landed in that surfing mecca of Crescent Head where the local school kids were surfing as a school lesson – lucky, lucky buggers.
We agreed to push on a bit further to Gladstone (yes NSW has one too) for lunch. This little historic village is another well-kept local secret with many well preserved historic buildings.
There is even an ANZAC Memorial on the mountain top commemorating that event in 1915 from which the Nation still draws so much pride.
After lunch we bade our farewells and thanked Aitch, Jo & Darrell for sharing their beautiful home patch with us. This is a great area to explore and one well worthwhile for the club to consider for an extended trip away.
34
JUNE 2019
FRIENDS BENDS AND AUTUMN LEAVES
Mark, Donna, Jane and I headed on north looking forward to a spirited ride up Waterfall Way from Bellingen. Unfortunately old Murphy had something to say about that and the expected spirited run became more of a nightmare. First it was the rain, then it was the fully laden semi-trailer blocking our path and then it was the road collapse with stop/go lights but ‘best’ of all was the diesel spill that extended for the full length of
What a waste of what was and could still be a top tourist attraction on this otherwise deserted road. If there was more tourist traffic then the State Gov’t might be tempted to fill in some of the pot holes. Why are GS BMW’s and Adventure Bikes in general so popular in Australia? You need look no further than the Nymboida Road for the answer. the climb up to Dorrigo. By the time we got to Dorrigo we had had enough so paid our way for a bed, feed and liquid refreshment at the Dorrigo Hotel (now rebadged as the Heritage Hotel).
The rain backed off overnight but the road was still damp by the time we left after our well supplemented continental breakfast provided as part of our room cost. We chose to head down the mountain via the Nymboida Road past Russell Crowe’s Old Coaching Station, still sadly closed.
FRIENDS BENDS AND AUTUMN LEAVES JUNE 2019 We dodged Grafton (sorry Paul Malcolm) to take in a short section of Highway to Ulmarra in order to introduce Mark & Donna to a top little spot for coffee that Jane and I had discovered on a previous trip. Nestled into the back of the Ulmarra Hotel is a very pleasant café perched on the banks of the Clarence with tables scattered among the shady trees. It is a very nice spot to kick back and enjoy a coffee, lunch or beer. Maybe this could be an overnight destination for a future ‘Back to the Bush’? The pub has accommodation.
35
From Kyogle it was a pleasant ride through a couple of short showers over the Lions Road, to Beaudesert and home by late afternoon.
We covered just under 1500km in the 4 days (a few more for Mark & Donna from the north-side) so a great way to spend a few relaxed days on the bikes among friends.
Tony Gray
The cross river ferry is just a couple of hundred metres further downstream which provided a nice free (Qld Govt take note) alternative route to join the Lawrence Road and then onto the Summerland Way to Casino. We opted to push onto Kyogle for lunch where there is a favourite bakery of mine but the short 28km ride between these 2 rural towns must have been one of the most heavily Policed roads in NSW on that Friday afternoon. We even got to see one of the latest dark blue 5 series BMW unmarked cars grab another victim. The NSW Police must be flush with funds or maybe they buy their Beemers out of the ticket revenue? You have been warned.
36
JUNE 2019
ADVERTISING & BMW SUPPORTS
ADVERTISING & BMW SUPPORTS
JUNE 2019
37
38
JUNE 2019
BMWMCQ 2019 Events Calendar
BMWMCQ Club Events Schedule JUNE 2019 Date Start Thu 7:30 06 PM Sun 09
9.30 AM for 10.00 Am Start
Fri 14
6.30 PM
Sat 22 Tue 25 Sun 30
Event Club General Meeting Club Ride
Details Geebung RSL Club, 323 Newman Road, Geebung Qld….Meals from 6:00pm with meeting commencing at 7.30pm. ALL WELCOME! Come and meet people who share a common interest. Tony and Jane Gray POKER RUN Start with coffee at the Old Fernvale Bakery and rider briefing at the park opposite from 9.30am and then savour riding country back roads on your way to lunch at the Grand Old Crow Hotel, Crows Nest.
Drinks The Glen Hotel 24 Gaskell Street Eight Mile Plains With Dinner If You Like 9:30 Coffee Ride Preece’s at the Jetty AM 155 Redcliffe Parade - Redcliffe 6:00 German Brisbane German Club, 416 Vulture PM Club Social Street, East Brisbane …Come along and Dinner enjoy the company of your fellow Club members. 12:00 Lunch Ride Rick’s Garage …14 Margaret St Noon Palmwoods
DATE
Contact president@bmwmcq.org.au
Tony Gray Explanation: Collect a poker hand of 5 cards at way points during the run. At the lunch venue the winning hand will be determined gold coin cost of entry for donation to RFDS president@bmwmcq.org.au
president@bmwmcq.org.au editor@bmwmcq.org.au
president@bmwmcq.org.au
EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS CALENDAR TIME
EVENT
DETAILS
CONTACT
BMWMCQ 2019 Events Calendar
JUNE 2019
BMWMCQ Club Events Schedule JULY 2019 Date Thu 04
Start 7:30 PM
Event Club General Meeting
Sun 07
Make our own way 9.00 AM 6.30 PM
Club Ride
Sat 13 Thu 18
Coffee Morning Drinks With Dinner If You Like Sun 12.30 Club 21 PM Lunch Ride Sat 07.30 FRIGID 27/28 AM DIGIT Tue 6:00 German 30 PM Club Social Dinner
Details Geebung RSL Club, 323 Newman Road, Geebung Qld….Meals from 6:00pm with meeting commencing at 7.30pm. ALL WELCOME! Come and meet people who share a common interest. ASKB at Morgan Park Warick Queensland for further details see PAGE 43
Contact president@bmwmcq.org.au
Gary Bennett
0411784279
Cafe 63 Homemaker The Valley - 10581062 Anne St Fortitude Valley
Pineapple Hotel 706 Main St Kangaroo Point
president@bmwmcq.org.au
Royal Hotel 1 Queen St Harrisville
president@bmwmcq.org.au
Meet Mt Cootha Car Park - Mt Cootha
Garry Bennett
Brisbane German Club, 416 Vulture Street, East Brisbane …Come along and enjoy the company of your fellow Club members. A limited amount of parking is available in the club carpark however, if this is full, parking is available on Duke and Linton Streets.
editor@bmwmcq.org.au
39
40
JUNE 2019
A Couple of Adverts................
Call now for our frEE parts CataloguE
Genuine & Aftermarket parts (from 1955 onwards) • Accessories • Australian Agent for Hepco & Becker Luggage Systems and Crash Bars Electronic Ignition Systems Unit 5&6 / 9 Hayden Crt Myaree, Perth, 6154 Western Australia
www.munichmotorcycles.com.au TrAde enqUiries WelCoMe (open till 7pm est.)
Phone: 08 9317 3317 Fax: 08 9317 3359 email: munich@iinet.net.au
??? SMOOTH OUT YOUR RIDE ???
We’ve got you covered. GENUINE AUSTRALIAN
SHEEPSKIN SEAT COVERS
ADVERTISING SPACE AVAILABLE
From business card to full page, all sizes are available. The BMWMCQ journal is distributed to members throughout Queensland and is also displayed in QLD dealerships. In addition, copies are sent interstate to other BMW affiliated Clubs. Get your message out to people who own, ride and restore BMW motorcycles. Rates are below. Phone your requests to Don Grimes - Ph: 0411 601 372
Good Wool Store Pty Ltd 49 Queen St BERRY 2535 P 02 4464 2081. F 02 4464 3344
www.goodwool.com.au
Lunch Ride to O’Shanley’s Pub - CLIFTON
JUNE 2019
41
42
JUNE 2019
CAMPING WEEKEND AUGUST 2019
CAMPING WEEKEND 31 st AUGUST 2019
P
aul Murray and I have confirmed the venue for the camping weekend as Lake Cressbrook near Crow’s Nest. It has a camp kitchen in a covered area, hot and cold showers, plenty of camping area with a number of sites being able to hold more than one tent. Camping fees are $8 per person pay on arrival. We intend to have a good campfire going as it should be reasonably cold. It is a bitumen road all the way to the camping area: Numerous ways to get there including dirt routes from Esk and Toogoolawah. Bill Allen
BMWMCQ BOOK EXCHANGE BOOKS AVAILABLE
Race to Dakar Charley Boorman Extreme Frontiers Charley Boorman (Racing Across Canada) What If I Had Never Tried It Valentino Rossi (The Autobiography) The Road to Mali Craig Carey-Clinch No Room for Watermelons Ron & Lynne Fellowes Great Motorcycle Tours of Europe Colette Coleman A Motorcycle Courier in the Great War Captain W.H.L. Watson Australia Motorcycle Atlas With 200 Top Rides (6th Ed) Herma Maps Overland Magazine Issue 11 Overland Magazine Issue 19 Overland Magazine Issue 21
Overland Magazine Overland Magazine Overland Magazine The Touring Motorcycle
Issue 22 Issue 25 Issue 26 Jeff Ware & Kris Hodgson
2 x On Tour with Compass Expeditions DVDs
The Club has taken up the initiative commenced by Cindy Bennett and that is a book exchange facility via the Club. The initive is being overseen by Jane Gray and yoou can communicate with jane vis email at: mailto:library@bmwmcq.net.au Arrangement can be made with the librarian as to pick up drop off procedures and wew wouold antici[pate this occurred at the monthly Memebers meeting.....Editor
AUSTRALIAN Super Bike Championship
JUNE 2019
43
BMWMCQ CLUB RIDE 7th July 2019 Australian Superbike Championship Rd. 4 at MORGAN PARK, Warwick, Qld.
Glenn Allerton riding a BMW S1000RR Won the Championship in 2011 & 2014 Can this be his year to win again on the mighty BMW? And what about Troy Bayliss and his incredible return to ASBK in 2018 at the age of 50, how good will he be at his home track? It’s Round 4 of this great Aussie series right here in our back yard. See our facebook page or Club Website for more details or contact Gary Bennett 0411784279
BMW Motorrad Australia is thrilled to announce the 2019 End of Financial Year Sale. For a limited time only, experience irresistible Ride Away Savings on selected models. These offers are strictly while stocks last at Morgan & Wacker BMW Motorrad. morganandwackerbmw .com.au