Dear Members,
It is with great regret that we are cancelling the Burke and Wills ride.
Severe flooding alerts continue across central Victoria, and there is a wet week of rain ahead. There are still a huge number of road closures that are variable day to day. There is a lot of damaged infrastructure - roads and bridges. There is a shortage of supermarket food and fuel throughout the area. There is formal advice from SES to not undertake unnecessary travel. The club has a responsibility to ensure that its endorsed rides are safe and well planned.
All participants will receive an email tonight regarding the cancellation, and the club will be returning / refunding the accommodation money collected.
Note that David may organise an alternative ride up to Pyramnid Hill over that weekend. If you are interested in this private ride you will need to contact him directly. Advice will be in the email.
Greg and Julie.
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The extarordinary, daring, and amateurish expedition that enthralled Melbourne and Australia in 1860. The expedition set off from Royal Park, Melbourne at about 4 pm on 20 August 1860 watched by around 15,000 spectators. The 19 men of the expedition included six Irishmen, five Englishmen, three Afghan and one Indian camel drivers, three Germans and an American. They took 23 horses, 6 wagons and 26 camels. The wagons included enough food (dried meat) to last two years, a cedar-topped oak camp table with two chairs, rockets, flags and a Chinese gong; all together weighing as much as 20 tonnes. Led by the enigmatic, yet incompetent Burke (who fired and hired along the way) it was a sightseers circus, but also an incredible daily struggle. We track the expedition across Victoria to the border at Swan Hill, where the expedition arrived on 6 Septemenber. The highlight is to find some forgotten places - and to witness the folly of the expedition that led to an extraordinary dash across Qld to the Gulf of Carpentaria, and ineveitably to death and tragedy around the rivers of Menindee and Cooper Creek in NSW. It's an amazing story, and a great ride. Many of the towns along the way have since disappeared - a river punt crossing town deserted after a bridge is built, a town moved to be closer to the new railway - but there are traces! After Swan Hill we'll do a Murray River tour down to Echuca for a rest before heading home. It would be nice to keep going up to Menindee and Cooper Creek, and the Dig Tree, or even right up to the Gulf - but that's another ride...
This is a four day ride with three nights. The cap is 20 people. We are booking 10 rooms at each hotel. For Pyamid Hill, that is the limit.Registration also requires an upfront accommodation payment. $200. Accomodation is a shared room, either couple or twin share for three nights - Pyramid Hill, Swan Hill, and Echuca on a long weekend. You'll find that the accom starts off as basic day 1, but works up to luxurious by the third night. Contact us first to ensure that there are shared accom rooms available and a shared room that suits your gender. After you get the go ahead please pay your accom at the same time you register. We can only confirm your attendance with your payment.
How to pay: (Coming)
There are long roads, and some long days in the saddle. Many roads are 100 kmh. There isn't a Vespa mechanic within cooee. Like the original expedition we'll be avoiding the major towns, and we'll be on our own on the northern plains. So this is for experienced riders only. We're happy to talk it over with you, but we'll let you know if we don't think you should do it.
You are an independent rider. Your bike is recently serviced, well maintained, and roadworthy. You carry your own tools and parts to do minor repairs, including tyre puncture. There is opportunity for some adventure ridng if you want to go off - bitumen. You are insured, and have emergency roadside assist if you seriously break down and need to leave the ride.
Day 1 Sat: The Burke & Wills Track to Pyramid Hill. 274 kms
Meet: Camp 1, Queens Park Moonee Ponds from 8.00 am. Turn from Mt Alexander Rd and park into the forecourt of the Moonee Ponds Bowls Club. MAP We recommend you have a large breakfast at home before departing, but the Cafe in the park 'Curators Collective' serves coffee and light food from 8.30 am. Departure time will be 9.00 am sharp.
Stopping at Camp 2 Bulla, Lancefield for fuel, Camp 4 Deep Creek, Camp 6 Mia Mia, Camp 8 Barnadown, Elmore for lunch and refuel, Camp 9 Kamerooka. Then to Pyamid Hill.
For adventure riders there is a rough gravel option between Camp 9 Kamerooka to Camp 10 Oak Ridge, Mt Terrick, then up to Pyramid Hill. (Map provided)
Accomodation: Victoria Hotel, Pyramid Hill
Day 2 Sun: The Burke and Wills Track to Swan Hill. 150 kms
We leave Pyramid Hill early and stop at the amazing Mt Hope (Camp 11), then around to Tregowel (Camp 12) and the Loddon River crossing. We may then stop in Kerang to refuel the smaller bikes and coffee. The we move on to the very beautiful Camp 13 on Lake Charm for a picnic lunch, past 'The Clump' and Lake Bolac and arriving Swan Hill at lunchtime, finishing the Burke and Wills part of the ride. The afternoon is free to sightsee. You may want to visit the Pioneer Settlement Museum ($30!), but a walk along the River bank is well worth it.
Adventure riders option: there is a complex system of dirt road track between Mt Hope (Camp 11) and Tregowel (Camp 12) which follows the exact expedition path. Detailed map provided.
Accomodation: Paruna Motel, Swan Hill
Day 3 Mon. Murray River ride. 196 kms
A lovely ride ride along the Murray trying to stay off the main highway, through the irrigation area to Barham and down the Cohuna. The ride behind Cohuna along the Murray is beautiful. We'll visit the stunning Torrumbarry Weir, and then down to historic an touristy Echuca. We will try and push you here by lunchtime so that there's time for a tourist look around the old port area.
3.45 PM (TBC) you are invited for a complimentary 1 hour steam paddle boat tour of the Murray thanks to VCoM Ride Support.
Accomodation (enjoy!) Caledonian Hotel, Echuca
Day 4 Tues: Ride home from Echuca. 154 kms to Heathcote
A direct route homeward bound. We'll stop at the art silos at Colbinabbin for a photo shoot (one more time), and then head to Heathcote, where we suggest the big bakery is a good place to lunch and refuel. Then the ride may split into groups depending which side of Melbourne you need to enter for home.
Comments
Dear Members,
It is with great regret that we are cancelling the Burke and Wills ride.
Severe flooding alerts continue across central Victoria, and there is a wet week of rain ahead. There are still a huge number of road closures that are variable day to day. There is a lot of damaged infrastructure - roads and bridges. There is a shortage of supermarket food and fuel throughout the area. There is formal advice from SES to not undertake unnecessary travel. The club has a responsibility to ensure that its endorsed rides are safe and well planned.
All participants will receive an email tonight regarding the cancellation, and the club will be returning / refunding the accommodation money collected.
Note that David may organise an alternative ride up to Pyramnid Hill over that weekend. If you are interested in this private ride you will need to contact him directly. Advice will be in the email.
Greg and Julie.
Dear Burke and Wills riders,
Please read the following information carefully and decide now, whether or not to commit to this revised long weekend ride or to pull out of the event and get a refund. Some riders have decided they will be going. We are sure it will be fun no matter what. To confirm the accommodation booking, I need your response by this Friday night. I will also need your bank details for your refund so please include this in your reply.
Where At this stage it looks possible to ride to our original B&W Saturday night destination town of Pyramid Hill. Here we’ll stay in typical country pub style accommodation at the Victorian Hotel. The hotel has been sandbagged as a precaution but the town is not expected to be impacted by flood waters. The small town is overlooked by the Pyramid Hill granite rock outcrop. The indigenous name for this pyramid like formation is ‘Kilmarbil.” The explorer Major Mitchell first sighted it in 1836. The town puts us in a region that is rarely visited by Victorians. However there is plenty of good riding and places to visit in the area.
Flood Summary Reality Check Echuca (our Monday night stop) has already been impacted by the rising waters of the Campaspe River from Victoria’s deluge of last Thursday (13 October). These waters peaked in Echuca late Sunday afternoon (16 October) and are now receding. However major flooding is expected in Echuca when the peak waters of the Goulburn and Murray Rivers combine on Thursday-Friday (20-21 October). Although there is currently a major effort to strengthen the sandbag levee in the town, we feel our Sunday night accommodation stop in Echuca is too risky and will probably need to be cancelled.
At this stage predictions are for minor to moderate flooding at Swan Hill (our Sunday night stop). This preliminary forecast will be refined once the upstream peak at Echuca is observed. There is a possibility of being able to use our booked accommodation in Swan Hill on Sunday evening. This will be determined later. If not then this event will be based entirely on various ride outs from our Pyramid Hill base camp. So be prepared for 3 nights stay in basic pub-style accommodation.
Riding Options As yet under development but definitely to the drier areas west of Pyramid Hill. A short distance to the east lies another rocky outcrop feature on the otherwise flat plain called Mount Hope which is well worth a visit. We might drop by the Koorong Vale pub, the historic Logan bush pub, Moliagul, the site where Welcome Stranger, the world’s largest gold nugget was found, Melville Caves Lookout in Kooyoora State Park, the pretty town of Inglewood. Yummy award winning vanilla slices await us at the Bridgewater on Loddon bakery. There is also the possibility of picking up parts of the planned Burke and Wills ride route and perhaps an opportunity to see the rare event of the Murray River in flood at some safe viewing spot. Routes are being planned with reference to road closures so stay tuned. This is just one possible example of a day loop ride.
Weather More rain is forecast during this week and next which may impact on this alternate ride. The long range forecast is also predicting rain during our time away so come prepared. We can also choose to hunker down to keep warm and dry in our hotel and have long yarns.
What to Bring A sense of adventure, a sense of fun, a cheerful disposition, a chilled out attitude, flexibility, preparedness to accept basic pub accommodation with shared bathroom facilities. Good wet weather gear. A change of light weight shoes and extra socks to keep your feet dry at the end of the day and perhaps a thermos for a hot drink en route.
Safe Riding We will look after each other. We will reduce our speed so as to keep a lookout for potholes and debris (please indicate these to the rider behind you). We will not proceed past any road closure signs. We will obey directions from emergency personal. We will not ride through water across the road. We may have to travel on short sections of dirt road as a work-around to closed sealed roads providing the surface is stable and safe. We may have to back track from time to time. Adventure without risk. Wear a smile.
From the organising team, Greg, Julie, Pete and David
Due to the Victorian Flood Emergency this ride has been cancelled and is currently being reconstructed to facilitate a weekend ride away for those currently registered. Many of the rivers and towns along the planned route are inaccessible. That's life! Maybe next year?
Being a long weekend we have to utilize some of the already booked accomodation, so look out Pyramid Hill! Watch this space.
All registrants: keep an eye on your email for more news about about a 'different' ride, and you can choose to come along or opt out. There's a team working on something 'different'.
This ride is currently under review given the flood emergency in Victoria. It is unlikely at this stage that the original ride as planned can go ahead.
All confirmed participants have been contacted tonight about.
A group of us are meeting tomorrow to see whether an alternative ride and route can be organized.
Please wait for further advice.
Don't worry Julie. I've already prepared my scooter for this ride:
Watch and wait on this ride. Due to all the rain and rivers flooding we will monitor the next week and make a decision. Most of the flooding rivers are part of our route unfortunately, so potentially we may have to cancel this ride all together and refund monies paid.
Hi Ian
Sorry, the ride is full, we just missed taking that comment out. However if you are looking for a longer ride, then there are still places on the Penola 5 day ride, just mark your attendance and comment which room you would like to book from the 2 choices.
Cheers Julie
Hi Julie,
Is the ride full, or is the last slot still available?
Just checking as the event page says there is still a slot available for a couple.
Thanks,
Ian.
This ride is now full.
Last chances here if you want to come.
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