Ride Report FarRide West #25 – Bailingup WA. 25/10/2014
I met Graeme at Caltex Beechboro at about 4:50am. Headed into the shop for a bottle of drink to get a start docket then a quick check over the bikes and we were on the road at 5:00am. This was Graeme’s first attempt at a FarRide with a previous best distance in a day of 700km.
Our route plan was to head down the freeway to Bunbury and then follow the Bussell Hwy down to Karridale for a corner docket. From there we would travel across to Pemberton via Brockman Hwy and Vasse Hwy (aka Turtle’s Twisties), refuel and then head up to Bailingup for the 11:30am check in. After check in and lunch we would travel up to Collie and across from there to Wagin where we would pick up the Great Southern Hwy taking us up to Brookton and then on to York and Clackline before a final run back down the Great Eastern Hwy to home.
All started as planned and as Graeme and I were travelling down Tonkin Hwy we came across a Wombat and a Turtle spaced within a metre of each other. Luckily they were in a truck parking bay and we of the OzSTOC kind. After introductions we headed off towards the freeway. A quick explanation of the trip ahead on the UHF (including cruising altitude and speed) and we settled in for the ride.
The weather was a little chill with an occasional sprinkle but there was no wind!!! What fantastic riding weather … We all just got into the zone and next thing we know we were passing Bunbury and only a short time later we were bypassing Busselton.
We had decided to stop for Fuel at Margaret River as Graeme’s VFR has around a 300km range. We pulled into the servo and after Graeme refuelled we decided to have a bit of a break. Next thing we know there is a sea of cyclists heading down the road in front of us. We had seen the event signs but to actually see a couple of thousand mountain style bike going past was really something else. The sound was like the buzz of swarm of angry mosquitoes. I took the opportunity to call my wife and tell her what was going on and compared the noise to how her CBR250 sounds. She was not impressed and the guys suggested I just keep riding at the end of the day.
Once the road cleared we headed to Karridale so I could grab a chocolate bar for a corner docket and then realised we needed to make some time back to make the check in. It was onto Brockman Hwy and then Vasse Hwy. These are the dream roads to make some time back up on. Twisting through all the giant Karri trees is one of my favourite rides down the South West and will definitely need to be included in the 2016 National Rally here for those that ride over.
We stopped at Pemberton as Turtle and I were starting to get low on fuel (Wombat had topped up at Margaret River) and then headed up for the 11:30am check in at Bailingup. We made it to the check in at around 11:15am and after checking in and the obligatory FarRide photo settled in for some well-earned lunch. Managed to catch up with Gavo, Mal, and Scarp for a quick chat. It was good to catch up and say hello.
Wombat had a job to look at in Gnowangerup so he headed off his way and Turtle, Graeme and I headed back towards Perth. We spoke with Gavo on the UHF and managed to catch him part way on the side of the road looking for directions to (D)Ravenswood. We rode as a group for a while until Gavo peeled off to go his way and we kept going towards Wagin (after I missed 1 turn).
From here the only really eventful bit was when a stupid magpie decided to commit Hari Kari between my left Highway Blade and boot. Other than that is was a fast, uneventful trip. I made it in to the Brookton BP and got a finish docket for LDR 805Km in under 12 hours at 4:52:42pm. 18 seconds worth of breathing space . We then refuelled and headed back to Perth. Turtle left us at Karragullen and Graeme and I headed home via the hill top roads through Kalamunda. I realised I was going to be 1km shy on the FarRide so I opted to go down the ZigZag and up to a friend’s place in Darlington to make up the distance while Graeme headed home.
I picked up Barry and we finished up at Alfred’s Kitchen and after a great burger and chips I headed home.
Total distance for the day was 1029km. On the 859km that I got fuel for, I used 47.02L.
Thank you once again to all who came.
