Ulysses Club - Clarence Valley Group

Clarence Valley Ulysses – Up the Centre Trip – July 2006  (Scroll down for pics)

 We all arrived back home safe and sound - 23 people on 15 motorbikes – a trip up the Centre of Australia taking some 3 weeks. Four female riders, eleven male riders and eight female pillions - most over the age of 50 and two over 70.  Greatest distance travelled in one day was 720 kms from Coober Pedy to Uluru. There was a mixture of all types of bikes on the trip – Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Ducati, Triumph and BMW.

 What a great trip - saw so many wonderful, interesting sights and did so much – words cannot explain.  And what a fantastic time with such a wonderful group of people.  All with a common interest in just having fun and riding motorbikes – all Ulysses members.

 The group commenced travelling on 1 July from Grafton through Moree, Cobar, Broken Hill to Port Augusta, up the centre to Coober Pedy, Woomera, Uluru, Kings Canyon, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek to Three Ways, then east to Mt Isa, down through Winton, Longreach, Mitchell, Goondiwindi and home through Inverell, Moree and Glen Innes. A bit more than 8,000 kms over 3 weeks with accommodation, attractions and most evening meals booked and deposits paid prior to leaving. 

 Such wonderful scenery along the way – absorbing the vast expanses of the desert colour and countryside and its people.  Activities and highlights for each were many and varied and included the underground mine tour at Broken Hill, the Sculptures on sunset at Broken Hill, viewing the Mundi Mundi plains and a triple expansion steam engine at Umberrumbeka, the Flinders Ranges, rockets and missiles at Woomera’s rocket range, helicopter\plane flights over the lunar like landscape of Coober Pedy and the magnificent Kings Canyon, a sunset camel ride and dinner in the desert at Uluru, walking up and around the unbelievable and daunting Ayers Rocks, the Olgas and the craggy cliffs and valleys of Kings Canyon, quad bike riding in the desert at Kings Canyon, organised tours through towns and interesting sights, the huge Boeing 747 at the Qantas Museum and remarkable Stockman’s Hall of Fame at Longreach and a welcomed soak in the thermal springs at Moree and Mitchell. 

 Many a pleasant meal was had together - from BBQs, a campfire night to club, pub and restaurant dinners.  We also had an enjoyable joke night, a couple of entertaining quiz nights as well as a dress up formal night – St Vinnies made record sales at that town.

 Minimal troubles were encountered with the motorbikes enroute - two batteries dying in the cold weather and a one requiring a chain replacement at Alice Springs.

 The main drama was when one member's bike broke down in Port Augusta. The oldest member of our group, Eric, upon enquiry was informed that it would take some 3 weeks to obtain the required part for his bike.  Not to be deterred Eric and his partner, Gwen, stayed in Port Augusta and searched for and bought an old unregistered Kingswood ute - registered it, put the bike in the back and caught up to us at Coober Pedy - Eric said he was not going to miss the trip for the world.  All in all the ute came through with flying colours – didn’t miss a beat after a new battery at Kings Canyon and an oil change at Longreach; Eric and Gwen were able to follow us all the way.  Eric chuckled to himself when asked by a local at one of the stops, ‘bought yourself an old bike mate’, Eric’s response ‘no, bought myself an old ute’.

 Apart from this there was one near miss on the outskirts coming into Longreach when one of our group decided to tangle with a kangaroo for some excitement.  Not a good time to be on the road on a motorbike any later than about 3.30 pm. Fortunately neither the rider nor pillion was injured - the bike sustained a broken foot peg and back brake leaver, which was soon repaired by a local welder to continue the trip.

 All seasons were experienced throughout the trip from a bitter -2 degrees in the mornings to 8 - 22 degrees during the day.  Wild blustery winds and bucketing rain on a couple of days made riding very challenging particularly when passing and overtaking huge long road trains, spraying gallons of water and making visibility near impossible.  On one of these nasty weather days one female rider had a slow drop with her bike in the mud, thankfully without injury.  She was soon off and running again after being housed off by another member at a nearby garage.

 Throughout the trip, for safety’s sake there were always one or two tail-end Charlie riders. These charlies had a radio, riding and remaining behind the group to provide assistance if required and to ensure all arrived safe at each nights destination.  This worked so well and everyone felt so secure with this arrangement.

 Townsfolk along the way would openly welcome us and offer assistance such as when Eric’s bike broke down, locating parts, a courtesy bus to dinner or organising a BBQ or dinners.  The outback and its people are just marvellous.

 One pillion member took a pre-arranged flight home to Grafton from Alice Springs and is believed to be regretting leaving such a wonderful trip and group ever since.

 The whole trip was just ‘magic’ - everyone totally enjoying themselves.  Thanks so much to everybody for making it such a wonderful trip, for coming along, for the fun and for pitching in and helping, especially to the tail-end charlies and backup support for Eric and Gwen (Rod, Ross and Sue), the kitty minder (Rosemary) and all the ladies organising the BBQ nights and in particular to ‘Blewitt’s’ mechanics for keeping the bikes rolling.  And of course, thanks to Graeme and Annette and Lynne and Bob for arranging the several pre-trip BBQs to organise things – any excuse for a BBQ.

 Where to next? – already organising a trip next year from Grafton, up through Queensland to Darwin, then around the west coast of Western Australia and home across the Nullabor.

 P.S. Would you believe – on arriving home and offloading Eric’s bike from the back of the ute – he started his bike and it purred like a kitten after blowing some smoke – it just needed a rest and a sight-seeing holiday!!!!