“The Otways and Victoria Rambling Rally”
Hello readers and welcome to a Rambling Report collaboration between the principle author and photographer John Mannu, and David and Mez. We hope you enjoy the read.
Friday 21st of March, 2025.
CMCCV’s 2025 Rambling Rally was off to a good start with 22 motorcycles and 2 passengers gathered in Gellibrand to meet, greet, rehydrate? and partake in the usual pre-rally banter before adjourning to the local Gellibrand Hotel for dinner.
Riders travelled from afar to attend, some encountering heavy rain on-route, others met with fellow riders and travelled via the Great Ocean Road, some via ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff and some did all of the above. Fortunately, this scribe and a number of earlier departures travelled via ferry experiencing light misty conditions along Eastlink that would clear before embarking on the ferry. On arrival at Queenscliff we were greeted by Gabi before adjourning to the bakery for a welcome breakfast/morning tea, satiated the group continued our journey with Graham Boulter leading the way via Birregurra to Colac for lunch before continuing to Gellibrand.
Straw dry fields interspersed by tree lined wind breaks and the subtle fragrance of damp grass lined our way to Birregurra, this soon dissipated when bright sunshine broke through the clouds. Nearing Birregurra fields of green with walking irrigation/water cannons were a pleasant contrast to parched fields seen earlier in the day, little did I realise oceans of parched dry fields would become a regular feature in coming days.
Shortly after arriving in Gellibrand and settling in to our accommodation some of us were fortunate to meet long time club members Malcom & Christine Wilson, they drove to the event to be with friends in their 1960’s vintage Austin Healey sports car, Christine was keen to share her home baked buttered date scones needless to say we were keen to be recipients.
As they say, “A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to Gellibrand”, although Jimmy Linton would disagree. He had loaded and strapped one of those long 10-pack cartons of beer onto the seat of the Yamaha and headed down Lavers Hill Rd to the Gellibrand Tourist Park. While riding, he diligently kept checking it was still there with his left hand. This road has some bumps that progressively caused a tear in the cardboard on the right-hand end! He kept checking and all felt fine, but the tear got bigger to the point that cans of beer sequentially ejected themselves out of the escape hole onto the road. He checked the left-hand end and all felt fine. Other rallyists like Ian Bryant travelling this road later were suitably amused that the path to a Classic Rally was clearly marked by a trail of beer cans. Jimmy was not amused when arriving at his cabin with almost “The Bike with no Beer”.
Saturday 22nd of March, 2025.
Ride Markers – Gellibrand, Deans Marsh (MT), Lorne, Apollo Bay (Lunch), Lavers Hill, Gellibrand. 202 Kilometres.
It was cold overnight but a dry cloudy day dawned for our briefing. Graham Boulter’s Yamaha battery had decided to “hibernate” and it was not going to wake up despite assembled members attempts to start his bike. Never fear, the Peter Cullen Rally Rescue Services arrived in the form of his four wheeled “Defibrillator”, from which cables and paddles were attached to the patient and with one button press, the Yamaha burst into life.
After our briefing, we headed north for a Big Day Out. No bedside breakfast service at the tourist park, so we are off to Deans Marsh for coffee. Sometimes the memory of riding great roads is seen through “rose-colored glasses” and a re-visit is disappointing. Not in the Otways. It’s a beautiful day and the ride is even better than last year. We relax outside in the sun – good coffee and country Anzac biscuits at The Store.
We take the Deans Marsh-Lorne Rd south, winding through the forest to the coast for a re-group and leg stretch. Lorne is busy, but we are hopeful of an uncongested ride along The Great Ocean Road (B100) to Apollo Bay for Lunch. There were some tourist buses and caravans to negotiate, but with the ocean view on our left shoulder and some clear road ahead, Thruxty was singing and we could ride the good surface flowing curves, smoothly at a good pace – bloody great!
Apollo Bay is a big place with a lot of lunch options. Some went to the Fish Co-Op and we ended up taking Gary and Yolanda’s lead, getting very good Scallop pies from the large bakery on the main street. With a bit of waiting, communication and moving, the group somehow managed to find each other and re-assemble at the south end town exit back onto the GOR for the trip home.
The ride continued twisting its way through the Great Otway National Park, through Hordern Vale and Johanna to Lavers Hill for a rest on top of the ranges. OH, what a shame, we have to ride 30K’s back to Gellibrand on my favourite road, the Colac-Lavers Hill Rd C155! How much riding enjoyment can motorcyclists have in one day – A LOT!
Sunday 23rd of March, 2025. The Morning Ride.
Ride Markers – Gellibrand, Beech Forrest, Turtons Track, Forrest (MT), Gerangamete, Barongarook, Gellibrand (Lunch). 108 Kilometers.
After a good dinner last night at the River Hotel, and a good night’s sleep, we’re back for more at this morning’s briefing. A shorter ride will bring us back to Gellibrand for lunch where those that don’t want to “Ramble-On” like the rest of us, are going home. The morning’s weather forecast looked promising albeit a little damp when leaving Gellibrand light steady mist & drizzle made for a cool start to the day, once on Turtons Track tall heavily timbered hills, fern trees and leaf litter lined the road plus a number of over exuberant drivers coming in the opposite direction required one to be cautious.
Once out onto the Apollo Bay Road the group headed for the Forrest Brewing Co. and Cafe for a much-welcomed morning tea break before returning to the Gellibrand General Store for lunch, via the more “User-Friendly” Deans Marsh Rd.
The above Gallery; (left) After the wet ride along Turtons Track to The Forrest Brewery Café, it is lucky that our Thruxty has a convenient glove drying compartment above the gearbox. Gabi Harangozo was on his space-age 1980’s K100 Beema similar to Nick Oakley’s (centre). The K100 has the 4-cylinder unique horizontal in-line OHC engine often called “The Brick”, lying on its side with electronic ignition and Bosch fuel injection. The engine is almost hidden as the cam cover and crankshaft cover form part of the radical 1980’s bodywork styling. (right) Preparing to depart Gellibrand for Port Fairy, Evan Wilson had joined the group on his Suzuki SFV (foreground) to catch-up with members riding the GOR back to Port Campbell where he lives. Great to see you along Evan.
Sunday 23rd of March, 2025. The Afternoon Ride.
Ride Markers – Gellibrand, Lavers Hill, Port Campbell, Warrnambool, Port Fairy.
170 Kilometers.
Leaving Gellibrand, with Stan Rogers leading the way, we ventured off to Lavers Hill (rest/get petrol) and Port Campbell (pit stop/get petrol/get confused/lose members/ride around looking for each other/find each other/leave). We then stopped at Supercheap Auto going into Warrnambool, as Graham had organized a replacement battery and Ron also got a little box of electrons for his Triumph. Wisdom and good insurance in both cases.
We continued to Port Fairy and the Big4 Caravan Park and other than some slow traffic/inconsiderate bus drivers the ride to Port Fairy was warm sunny and for the greater part roads were in good condition.
Later in the evening, the group dinner was moved from the closed Star of the West Hotel to The New-Caledonian Inn Hotel, which is the oldest continuously licensed hotel in Victoria. By all reports the meals were amongst the best that members have ever had. It’s a good gig riding your bike to the best eating places in Victoria.
Monday 24th of March, 2025.
Ride Markers – Port Fairy, Hamilton (MT), Victoria Valley, Halls Gap (Lunch), Horsham, Dimboola. 290 Kilometers
15 bikes continued “Rambling” from Port Fairy to Hamilton where a number of the riders spent time browsing through Campe’s Motor Museum’s eclectic collection of vehicles, all of which appeared to be on current club plates. Leaving Hamilton, we travelled to Victoria Valley where undulating fields peppered with rocks lined the road, these cleared to expansive parched dry farmland as far as the eye could see, and soon hazy skies cleared to azure with bright sunshine and puffy cotton wool clouds – another glorious day for riding.
Entering the Grampians on our way to Halls Gap, there was evidence of the recent Xmas fires all around us, with scorched earth, burnt trees etc. however it was pleasing to see Mother Nature rebounding with epicormic growth sprouting from trees everywhere.
We are in Halls Gap for lunch and most opted for a sandwich or something light. We decided on an ice-cream in the shade being refreshing enough before suiting up for the twisty ride up the hill to Reed’s Lookout to see the spectacular view of Victoria Valley and The Grampians.
Temperatures were rising and other than some bumpy roads, the conditions were ideal, and so it stayed as we travelled through Horsham, eventually arriving at the Riverside Holiday Park in Dimboola. The Rally Dinner was held at the plush and historic Victoria Hotel, with much palaver and banter (plus a rush on the crumble desert!). On arrival in Dimboola, we got fuel and checked in at the Riverside Holiday Park and unpacked. This is a beautiful Park, with new clean comfortable cabins alongside the Wimmera River.
We went to the IGA supermarket in town to get some “rations” and were approached by a manager Tim, who is a Classic motorcycle enthusiast. He told us of a local man with a collection worth seeing and we told Jimmy (Pres) who thankfully organised a visit for tomorrow morning before we leave Dimboola.
Tuesday 25th of March, 2025.
Ride Markers – Dimboola, Warracknabeal, Birchip (MT), St Arnaud (Lunch), Dunolly, Maryborough. 234 Kilometers.
It is a beautiful sunrise in Dimboola and we have a date this morning with motorcycle history. A short ride brings us to James’ place, and parked in front of vintage horse stables is a plain looking Ducati road bike. We meet James, an avid collector of exotic Italian motorcycles and knows all the intricate details of each bike. His bikes are in either good original condition or pristine fully restored original specifications. The unassuming 54-year-old blue Ducati in the driveway is an “un-restored” original bike from the FIRST BATCH of 1971/72 750cc GT’s that were the FIRST OHC “L” twins that Ducati ever made!
The “L” twin engine has made the Ducati legend and evolved into domination of Moto GP and fast Sports Bikes. This bike is where it began. These first GT’s were so new to Ducati they had Smith’s instruments, Lockheed front brake and AMAL Concentric carburetors.
Leaving Dimboola much of the road consisted of long stretches interspersed with an occasional bend in a seemingly endless ocean of dry parched crop land with sparse trees. Paddock wind breaks were stunted rows of trees optimistically arranged, and we saw one solitary tractor ahead of a wall of dust attempting to spread fertiliser that appeared to blow away in the wind.
A LONG straight blast to Birchip which is out in the middle of nowhere and we had MT at a bakery that honestly puts most others to shame. The roads are not great out here – bumpy and dead straight, so back on the gas to the town of St. Arnaud for a very pleasant outdoor lunch in front of the council library. Next is today’s final leg and nearing Maryborough, the countryside starts to undulate, trees became more frequent, a light green hue can be seen on pastures indicating a future crop is on its way. Having managed to navigate the difficult check-in process in Maryborough, we gathered for the last supper and adjourned in readiness for a long ride home Wednesday morning.
The Bike of the Rally
Somewhere in the wind and motorcycle noise ahead of us I detect a deeper staccato thumping amongst the multi-cylinder road burners. It is distinctive and unmistakable. A 500 Single with an exhaust that doesn’t muffle the low and melodic bass rhythm that sharpens to a crisp cracking as it accelerates up hills and the engine is loaded at speed. John Mannu’s 1950 Matchless G80 is on-song and keeping a good pace with rally bikes more than 3 decades younger. It is 75 years old and a testament to John’s fettling and mechanical skills to get it going so well and so reliable. Motorcycles of that era can be fragile and temperamental, not to mention the stiff unforgiving suspension that must have shaken John to the bone on some of the roads.
The 4 main days of the Rally covered over 1,000 Kilometers, plus Friday to get there and Wednesday to get home, so John and G80 probably did similar to most, a total of more than 1,500 Kilometers, and it never missed a beat. They are the epitome of our Club’s core.
A heartfelt thanks to all persons involved with planning, routes, organisation, communications, ride leaders, TEC and anyone that may have been overlooked in these credits – a thoroughly enjoyable event by any measure. Ride Safe – John Mannu.
Otways and Rambling Rally Participants List.
| Rider | Bike | Year |
|---|---|---|
| John Mannu | Matchless G80 | 1950 |
| Peter Cullen | Honda 250RS | 1981 |
| Mark Mensch | BMW R100 | 1983 |
| Stan Rogers | BMW R80 RT | 1985 |
| Gabi Harangozo | BMW K100 | 1986 |
| Nick Oakley | BMW K100RS | 1988 |
| Ian Snadden | Yamaha FS1200 | 1991 |
| Graham Boulter | Yamaha XJR1300 | 1999 |
| Jimmy Linton | Yamaha XJR1300 | 1999 |
| Gary Moore & Yolanda | BMW R1150R | 2001 |
| Scott Oldfield | Ducati ST4S | 2002 |
| Ron Study | Triumph America Twin | 2007 |
| Ian Bryant | Kawasaki W800 | 2012 |
| Paul Clayton | Honda VFR800 | 2014 |
| Ken Hull | Honda VFR800F | 2015 |
| David & Mez McLennan | Triumph Thruxton S | 2016 |
| Terry Hoare | Honda VFR800X Crossrunner | 2017 |
| Peter Hansen | Triumph Street Twin 900 | 2017 |
| John Best | Suzuki SV650 | 2021 |
| Paul Beukelman | Harley Davidson LoRider | 2023 |
| Markus Leufgens | Harley Davidson Pan America | 2024 |
| Evan Wilson (Sunday visit) | Suzuki SFV | |
| Malcolm & Christine Wilson | Austin Healey |