Motor Museum

As part of the Muresk Odyssey 2021, a group ride event was organised from the Muresk site to The Motor Museum of Western Australia, which is located at Whiteman Park, a unique recreation and conservation reserve that covers nearly 4,000 hectares of natural bushland and leisure facilities in Perth’s northern suburbs.

The proposed ride, with discounted museum entry and guided tour, was very popular on registration with a total of 35 Odyssey participants ready to join in. With such a large group it was planned to break the ride into two groups, one setting off an hour or so before the other. This was to allow control of the museum tour numbers. A couple of Saturdays leading up to the Odyssey were spent by the two ride leaders plotting and checking interesting 100km routes that would take around 90 minutes through the Darling Rangers, the mountains overlooking Perth, to the lowlands. On the Odyssey weekend, the Friday and Saturday weather was fantastic, with many members spending their time riding the roads around the farmlands of Northam, York and Beverley. Late Saturday afternoon however, the forecast for Sunday was very bleak, with a cold front and morning storms predicted to lash over Perth and hills. With that in mind, a few of the museum ride group decided to drop out, leaving around 24 hardy riders ready to face the elements, come rain or hail. Quick change of plans and the two groups were combined to make just the one Sunday ride event. Looking west early Sunday morning, we could see the dark weather approaching, with reports that it was bucketing down in Perth. Most of the group opted for their wet weather gear for as you know, if you put it on, it won’t rain. Leaving Muresk, the first stop was a 25km run to fuel a few bikes that had been left thirsty from the Saturday rides. All was well until around 500 metre from the service station the rain spots appeared on the visors, followed by a downpour as we just managed to get under cover. A ten minute wait, bike filled and everyone said lets go as the clouds parted and some blue sky appeared. With wet country roads a fairly cautious but enjoyable ride followed taking in some of the favourite roads used by WA Branches. By sheer luck, apart from the initial rain patch, the rest of the ride was dry, maybe there is something about wet

weather gear! As we hit the suburbs, the ride group began to split up at traffic lights but all eventually arrived at Whiteman Park ready to take in the Motor Museum. A big bonus for the Ulysses members who took part was that the tour guide was museum manager, Patric O’Callaghan, former Ulysses member and total good guy with a wealth of knowledge on the collection.

The Motor Museum of Western Australia opened its doors to the public on 21 December 1994 and was officially opened on 02 April 1995. The museum was dedicated to the late Percy Markam (1913-1994) in appreciation of his contribution to the historic vehicle movement in Western Australia.

The Motor Museum of Western Australia is governed by the Motor Museum of WA Trust (Inc) and is manned by volunteers drawn from over ninety member car clubs. It houses one of the largest collections of privately owned motor vehicles and motoring memorabilia in Australia. The collection of around 180 vehicles includes examples of motor vehicles dating from the early 1900’s though to the present day and provides an excellent visual timeline of the rich motoring heritage that has helped shape the state of Western Australia as we know it today In addition to the diverse range of passenger vehicles on display, the Museum houses an excellent collection of motor cycles and some 4000 scale models, many being recently donated to the Museum under the Cultural Gift Scheme. The Museum is for the most part self-funded and operates with a limited budget on a not-for-profit basis. It relies largely on revenue received from entry fees, donations, and assistance from organisations such as the Council of Motoring Clubs and affiliated car clubs. It also relies heavily on an army of unpaid volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure the Museum is kept open to the public seven days a week. In hindsight, it was a blessing that we had only one group for the tour, it took nearly 3 hours as we walked around the classic and wonderful collection. Those who had not been to the museum before left in awe while others that had previously visited, once again realised what a gem we have in WA. A late lunch was had at the park café by most before a dry ride back to Muresk for the Sunday nights activities. Ken Eaton #51189