Events

This is part II of the Mystery Ride organised 3 weeks ago. After losing three riders in a traffic jam along the way (my apologies) and a few more at our lunch stop, our group dwindled down to the Magnificent Seven. The event was rather too jam packed for one day so there are still plenty of things to see. Hence, welcome to part II of this ride but with less mystery. 

Ride Description:

We’ll meet at a cafe that’s new to our club in Preston. Our first stop is Edwardes Lake. Next its off to Westgarthtown. In 1850 several German families settled in the area on the banks of Edgars Creek. By 1860 dairy farming emerged as the mainstay of the settlement’s economy and continued thus for over a century. A descendant of these pioneering families, Albert Siebel, established the Pura Dairy in Murray Road Preston in 1934. At that time he had only one cart and delivered to just a few streets. Pura Milk has grown to be one of Australia’s largest brands. There are five heritage-listed bluestone buildings remaining in the area along with a cemetery and Australia’s oldest operating Lutheran church. Then we’re off to Mount Cooper Lookout for a grand view followed by a visit to Bundoora Homestead, an English Queen Anne Style red brick mansion built in 1900. It now operates as an art gallery and cafe. We’ll explore its lavish interior. Next we ride past the old Mont Park Hospital for the Insane without stopping to use it’s modern (circa 1912) electrical apparatus as our Vespas keep us mentally and physically at the peak of health. We’ll pop out at Eaglemont where we will explore some streets within a planned garden housing estate called Mount Eagle designed by Marion and Walter Burley Griffin in 1914. There are three splendid Arts and Crafts Houses by Harold Desbrowe Annear in the area. We’ll visit a secret pocket park, see a Wurundjeri aboriginal canoe tree and stand near the very spot where Arthur Streeton painted his en plein air work “Golden Summer” in Heidelberg in 1889 which was then on the outskirts of Melbourne. We will attempt to peek through the gates of Banyule Homestead overlooking the Yarra Flats in Heidelberg. It was built in 1846 for Joseph Hawdon who was amongst the first settlers to overland cattle from NSW to Port Phillip in 1836. Thanks to the continued demolition of Melbourne’s heritage, after La Trobe’s Cottage, this structure is now our city’s oldest remaining home, albeit a very grand one. We’ll briefly stop by the Viewbank Silos, built in the 1930s, the remnants of a dairy farm. The 1839 Viewbank Homestead was demolished in the 1920s. We’ll discover some secluded pockets of farmland as well as radio antennas. We’ll finish the ride at the oldest apple orchard still operating in Melbourne just 23 kms from the CBD. Hopefully together we’ll discover something new about our great city.

Caveats:

Should inclement weather turn our mystery ride into a misery ride, then just switch off the alarm, roll over and go back to sleep. 

Departure Point:

We leave from Cheshire Cafe, 583 Gilbert Road, Preston at 10:00am sharp. If you want breakfast and coffee beforehand then you’ll need to arrive by 8:30-9:00am. PLEASE ARRIVE WITH A FULL TANK as there will be no fuel stops on this ride.