The start point was at 7-Eleven, Rowville, for what promised to be a great day’s riding,
although the weather report for the afternoon was for drenching rain. Much
to my surprise Greg Costello arrived early, which was a first in my book. (Sorry Greg,
I couldn’t resist that jibe. I have included a pic of your very nice Gold Wing to make amends).
Ride Leader, Snads, gave us the briefing and we decided to forgo morning tea in lieu of finishing
early to beat the predicted stormy weather.
We travelled along Wellington Road then past Beacon Hills golf course, and past Snad’s
road. For one fleeting moment I thought that Snads had prepared scones, jam and cream for
our morning tea, but it wasn’t to be. Just past the intersection of Browns and Officer Road, I
was amazed at the number of new houses that have ‘marched’ over the hill from Pakenham.
I reckon 5 years ago there was only the odd farm house here, I guess that’s what they call
‘progress’. Through Gembrook (and what would have been our morning tea stop) we went
onto the Launching Place Road. This road is now in great condition and without any tin tops
to hold us up rapid progress was possible. Across to Gladysdale then on the Tarango Road
to Wesburn and then the Old Warburton Road we went. Again, there was no traffic to hold
us up so this was a real joy to travel.
We arrived at our lunch destination, the Three Sugars Café at Warburton, around 12
o’clock. The café car park was almost full and the café was fairly busy but fortunately we
were able to get our usual balcony tables and we enjoyed a nice lunch accompanied with the
usual good-hearted banter. By now there was not a cloud in the sky and it was time to remove
a layer of clothing for the ride home.
We returned via Hoddles Creek, Sheepstation Creek Road and Macclesfield Road to
Emerald. There was still no sign of rain so we thought a coffee and chat was in order. We
wandered across the road from the old football ground only to discover the power was out,
meaning no coffee. Buggar! Thus, we said our goodbyes to end a great day of riding in the
Yarra Valley in what was a near perfect Winters Day.
Thanks, Snads for a great ride and Tom Thursfield for TEC duties. My total, 190 kms
door to door.
Graham Boulter
Footnote: The predicted storm arrived around 6pm. It was actually a fantastic lightning
show followed up with drenching rain. Thank goodness it was late.
Sunday Ride Participants List 25/08/2024:
| Rider | Motorcycle | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Snadden | BMW R1100GS | 1995 | (Ride Leader) |
| Graham Boulter | Yamaha XJR1300 | 1999 | |
| Peter Trathen | Suzuki V-Strom | 2012 | |
| Ian Bryant | Kawasaki W800 | 2013 | |
| Tom Thursfield | Can-Am Spyder F3 | 2018 | (TEC) |
