ALBANY VINTAGE & CLASSIC MOTORCYCLE CLUB

February 2012 Club News

The Short Ride to Denham

By Chester and Andy

This story follows on from Andy’s story on the ride to Marble bar.

FRI 23
Trudy, I and Andrew Haydock left Albany for Perth where we all stayed with friends. We had our camper trailer with us.

SAT 24
Wes Thomas left Bremer Bay for Perth where he camped the night. The arrangement was for all to meet at Ikea Sunday. Clive Smith and Dave Webb left Albany to meet everyone at Toodyay but couldn’t find anyone. They only went for a overnight ride and hence returned to Albany the next day. Unbeknown to them Clive Oakes,  Dawn and Stewart were there, a little disorganized, sorry about that.

SUN 25
Andrew, Wes, Trudy and I all meet at Ikea and head up the freeway to the new coastal road and onto Geraldton where Trudy and I stayed with friends. Wes and Andrew did a detour through the picturesque Chapman Valley to Northampton to meet up with Ron Allen, Clive, Dawn and Stewart who had ridden from Toodyay.

MON 26
While fuelling up in the morning in Geraldton, Frank and Helen Cook turned up. So we all rode together to Denham. We set up our camper. Frank and Helen had a self-contained cabin with ensuite. The rest of the mob was already there set up. Went to sporting club for tea but it was closed, long walk for nothing.

TUES 27
Beaut morning, 22 degrees and a little overcast, so we all headed off on a short ride to Monkey Mia to enjoy the dolphin experience with a dozen or so showing their stuff. A few of us decided to do a tour of the Blue Lagoon Pearl Farm which is very interesting and informative. They can grow pearl over gold nuggets or opal stones, a different looking natural gem, it takes almost 14 months to do.

Some of us wished we had left our credit cards behind. We then took a sail boat cruise to find some Dugongs (sea-grass eating cows). We only saw them from a distance, but it was a very relaxing couple of hours.

After lunch everyone did their own thing, check out coffee shop, the visitors centre, etc. The new fishery and fauna building is something else. Twice the size of Albany’s council building. Two storeys, all for a couple of Govt rangers. What a waste of taxpayers money. Trudy and I went looking for a house that Trudy’s dad built 40 year ago and found it a little worse for wear but great location at the eastern end of town on the waterfront.

That afternoon Andy, Barry, Kim and Warwick rolled up from Carnarvon. Now the whole tribe were together so we all walked to the sporting club for tea. Most of us had fish and chips and a few ales. The cook was a little overwhelmed and he and his helper had some choice words to each other. On the way home we dropped in to have our pictures taken with Charles and Diana, a couple of replica dummies in someone’s front yard. A few beers at the camp and a lot of stories from a Canadian couple travelling around and then to the fart sack - back to Andy to finish

WED 28
Thanks to Chester for his bit.
The big event this day was a short trip to Ocean Park Aquarium to watch sharks being fed. It turned out a very interesting tour. We where introduced to all types of marine life from eels, stone fish, turtles and scorpion fish in small tanks, to pink snapper, cod, dew fish, barramundi, huge mulloway, sharks and every other kind of fish in big tanks. The big event was the feeding of the shark and barramundi. Wow, how fast are those barramundi? A great tour for $17.

After the show Clive, Dawn and Stewart headed down to Kalbarri, the rest of us relaxed back at Denham, some walking the waterfront looking for souvenirs (Kim). Others, Andrew, Frank and Helen took a scenic flight over the Big Lagoon and Denham Steep Point and Zuytdorf Cliffs. Andrew was little concerned with the condition of the Cessna and said it got a bit bumpy at stages, but worth it. That night we took over the camp kitchen to cook ourselves a BBQ and have a few drinks and good night chatting and laughing. Last night all together.

THURS 29
All up and packed, no tents to pull down for our little clan. Wes went inland to stay a night at his mate’s. The next day he rode 800 kms to Bremer, obviously pining for Barbs and excited to give her his pearls.

Andrew was off to Geraldton, but decided to carry on the Perth to be with Wendy. Ron Allen was off to Jurien Bay with Chester and Trudy as tail-end Charlie. Unfortunately, Chester must have left his key on and when he went to start the big girl the battery was flat. He managed to get a jump start from a guy who told him to stop at the cattle grid with the high fences. When he stopped at the grid a recording of dogs barking loudly starts. It has been design that way to keep animals out of the national park

The rest headed to Kalbarri. Warwick rode to the turn-off with us and carried on to his mate’s place in Geraldton. Frank, Helen, Harley, Dave, Barry, Kim and myself all turned off to Kalbarri. On the way in, Kim and I took a detour to have a look at the Hawks Head Lookout which over looks the winding Murchison River which has carved out these beautiful gorges The river ends up at Kalbarri.

We did notice something - that the flies were getting very friendly and there where heaps off them. On the last stretch to Kalbarri we noticed two bikes coming out of a gravel road it was Clive, Dawn and Stewart. They had been to see some gorges 13 kms away on a corrugated gravel road.

Going there Dawn was almost catapulted off the back of the bike when it hit a big pot hole, the only thing that saved her was her knee catching under Clive’s arms.

We booked into the Anchorage Caravan Park $10/n. Peter from Donnybrook was there on his K75 BMW. Frank and Helen had booked a unit in the park. Kim, Harley, Barry and myself went for a walk into town to get some lunch at the café. Frank and Helen went for a nice cooling swim. They reckoned it was beautiful. That night the park put on a hamburger and soup night $2 each, we had already bought our tea at the IGA so we ate in the camp kitchen.

FRI 30
Another great morning. Packed and on the road to Northampton via coast road - George Grey Drive. I really enjoyed this road, nice to get some corners again. Stopped at Northampton for a coffee, Clive, Dawn and Stew were off to Geraldton, as Clive needed a new tyre, would catch up later. The rest of us rode down to Dongara where we stopped and had lunch at the Bakery, where we were all eating pies and flies there was that many bloody flies.

When filling up with fuel Chester and Trudy rocked in on their way to Perth. We carried onto Green Heads were we stopped for a rest and a cuppa. Dave decided to go down to Perth and catch up with his sis Jo Harro. Hi Jo. Then there where 6.

We reached our next stop, Ledge Point, mid afternoon. This place is really booming. New houses everywhere. We stayed in the Ledge Point Holiday Park $25/n, Frank and Helen had a cabin. We all, except Peter, went out for tea at the country club. Barry in his leather pants and braces stopped the pub every one just stopped stared. It seemed a long time I guess only seconds before things became normal. One bloke even asked him were his whip was, small town small minds. We enjoyed our company the cheap drinks and had a nice meal, all good.

SAT, 1 OCT
Packed up for the last time - Barry, Kim, Frank and Helen all heading for Albany. Peter was off to Donnybrook. Harley and I had arranged to meet Clive, Dawn and Stew, who camped at Jurien Bay, at the turn-off to Ledge Point at 9.30 and then carry on down the new coastal road.

The school holidays had just happened and all the idiots were racing each other to the campground to get the best spots. Both Stew (towing his trailer) and I had clowns pull out to pass right in front of us, making us brake hard to avoid a head on. We said bye to Harley and Stew at the Roe h’way and Clive, Dawn and I carried on to Clive’s for a BBQ tea and nice soft bed.

SUN 2
The Classic M/C club were holding their AGM at Whitemans Motor Museum and Clive invited me along. They gathered at a petrol station, a great variety for British and Japanese bikes. The heavens opened up and down came truckloads of rain. It eased up and Clive had a great lot of fun on the wet roads on his sidecar with me and his pouch as passenger. Apparently the pouch was a little heavy as he couldn’t get the sidecar wheel high enough off the ground. Thanks, Clive, I had a ball and a there was a nice bunch of guys and girls in the club. The museum was interesting as well. Watched the Japanese GP at Clive’s and headed off to do my things in the city.

MON 3
Doing things in city is not much fun.

TUE 4
Meet Harley in Vic Park and ride home. What a great ride with great people. Until next time, be safe.