For those who missed it last year, for new members and for others who just want to do it again, here is a re-run of the "Warburton in Springtime" Ride along with a re-cycled description.
New Departure Point
This ride will depart at 9am from Britannia Mall, Mitcham not the Abbotsford Convent as previously posted. See instructions on page two of this post.
The Destination
Warburton is an attractive country town nestled between mountains in the upper valley of the Yarra River some 75 Kms East of Melbourne. In days gone by grand guest houses provided a retreat in fresh mountain air as an escape from the grimy city. The town still retains its health resort reputation. Pretty houses with wood smoke drifting from their chimneys set in lovely English gardens make Warby a very picturesque town. In the old days steam trains used to bring in flour and wheat for the Sanitarium Health Food Factory. A new factory was built in 1936 after floods washed away the original one. Although no longer used, it is considered a modernist gem.
Ride Description
Except for a few kilometers the route avoids the main highway to Warburton making it suitable for smaller capacity engines or slower geared classic Vespas. It will be a lazy meandering ride on some delightful little-used back roads that meander through picturesque rural scenery. Throughout the trip mountains form a constant backdrop to rolling pastoral landscapes, farmhouses, vineyards, orchards, creeks and rivers. At times our road provides an intimate experience where the forest and its canopy cocoon us, at others, it presents an open vista as grand as a Wagner Opera. These are great roads for two wheels and for those who enjoy curves and the unfolding narrative of a winding road.
Lunch, Fuel and Coffee Breaks
We'll have a 30 minute coffee upon arriving in Warburton at the fabulous Wild Thyme Cafe. Their cakes are sensational. We'll then head up to the summit of Mt Donna Buang (1250 metres) which looms behind the township. It is the closest snowfield to Melbourne. On the way to the top we stop by the Rainforest Gallery and Skywalk Gallery which juts out amongst the tree tops 17 metres above the lush forest floor. There is a beautiful 15-20 minute walk among the fern trees. On the summit of Donna Buang a spectacular view can be had from a very tall (21 metre) vertigo-inducing observation tower. On a clear day you can see the skyline of Melbourne to the West across the Yarra Valley. Lunch will be back at Warburton but we will all fuel up beforehand at the only service station in the town. Behind the row of old timber shops in the main street there is a delightful picnic spot along the banks of the Yarra where we'll find rocks, dogs, ducks and kids splashing in the waters of the Yarra. The feedback from last year's ride was to allow more time to explore the township so let's do it. There's an the old wooden suspension bridge close by and paths for a river walk. On the way back to the inner suburbs, we'll stop for a farewell coffee at Mailing Road, Canterbury in the ambience of its 1930-40s streetscape.
Route and Ride Length
The route to Warburton is via Park Orchards, Wonga Park, Coldstream, Woori Yallock returning via Yellingbo, Wandin East and Mount Evelyn where hopefully the orchard fruit trees will be in full bloom. The round trip totals about 209kms. Excluding breaks it takes about 2.5 hours each way traveling at a sedate 'classic' speed. The ride ends around 4.30pm. Please arrive with a full tank of fuel.
Comments
Thanks everyone for today involvement made such a lovely event and a special thanks for David organising a special/interesting/winding ride, what a day.
I did get few drops of rain the last 500 meters from home, and thinking Tufan mast have god a lot more.
Overall we can certantly say the weather was kind to us, cheers Gino.
What a great day!! Thanks to everyone involved today, especially David for organising.
Definetely a day to remember.
Thanks David for a great Day such beautiful countryside to ride through and just a great club atmosphere, really enjoyed the day, home safely just kicking back with a nice glass of red oh what a great life we have . Cheers Steve A
Thanks for coming along Tufan. It was great to have your company. What a hero for traveling so far for this ride.
Just home in Geelong at 7.40, running a hot bath after a terrible last hour in the dark the wind and the rain!
But that didn't dampen the day - what a great day - Thanks David for organising, and showing us all those back roads. Thanks to all for the great corner marking - it worked so well!
Thanks to all for such an enjoyable day (special thanks to Gino for fixing my cable - what a man!!)
Anyone else wanting to meet us at the Convent please be there at 8am sharp we will then ride to Mitcham to meet up with all the other adventurers...
Greg, Julie, Phil, Steve, Domenico and Sandra
Hey David. Unfortunately Anne and I will not be able to join the ride tomorrow. Have a great day everyone. Ride safe.
Thanks for letting us know Martin. Happy Birthday for Sunday! We'll have some cake with our coffee at Warburton and think of you.
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