Motoguzzimackers' Moto Guzzi Diaries

Fanged up to Jingellic, NSW, for the bi-annual meeting of the Moto Guzzi Club of Victoria and the Moto Guzzi Owners Association of New South Wales.  This is held on the river flat adjacent to the Bridge Hotel in Jingellic, on the banks of the Murray River.  (The name of the run is from the book and mini-series All the Rivers Run, set on the Murray River).

• Corryong Country Motel:  The second time we’ve stayed here, close to the centre of town.
• Alpine Hotel:  The second time we’ve stayed here, in the centre of town; undercover motorcycle parking, good service, and they gave us a discount because we were motorcyclists!.
• The Lott Cafe:  a 2 minute walk from the Alpine; good service and surroundings.
• Saltwater Cafe:  good food and nice location on the harbour.
• Halfway Motel:  flat parking in a not-so-flat town.  Close to everything.
• Marlo Hotel:  One of the best hotels we’ve ever stayed in; great rooms and views from the bedroom verandah and beer deck.  We’ll be back!
• Minnies:  very pleasant and private B&B but a touch pricey,

Spent a few hours running through Castlemaine and Newstead.  Finally dropped into the “Lost Boys” memorial park on the outskirts of Daylesford.  The 3 boys, aged 6, 5 and 4, went missing in 1867 while looking for wild goats.  Their bodies were found 2 1/2 months later.  This memorial park is at the location they left from and there’s another near where they were found.

http://www.turnbullclan.com/tca_genealogy/tca_all2-o/exhibits/the_three_lost_children_1867.pdf

We needed a long run on the bikes, so a run to Warrnambool was on the cards – just the right distance for an overnighter.  Set forth and took the lovely road through Dean to Ballarat where we stopped for a coffee.  Temperature was rising into the 30s and Ballarat is such a pigs arse to get through.  Then down to Rokewood to visit Wilbur, who was lying in the shade and declining to accept visitors.

Onto Cressy and Camperdown, for a cold drink and lunch, before tracking through Cobden to Port Campbell.  This road is quite bad – the surface is OK but there’s been a lot of sink-age, a legacy of the drought followed by heavy rain, perhaps.  Had a drink overlooking the beach then fanged into Warrnambool.

Arrived at Warrnambool about 5pm to find that the whole town was booked out due to several sporting events, a 3-day speedway event and a major conference on breast feeding!   But one of the motel receptionists knew someone who ran an occasional B&B and pretty soon we had a bed for the night.  Had tea at the pub and a wander around, before returning to the B&B and watching “Chocalat” which we hadn’t seen before.  Julliette Binoche is a bit of orright.

Sunday dawned hot, so we didn’t explore any backroads, just headed home with the occasional stop for fuel and drinks,  and lunch in Ballarat.   It was hot.

I wandered over the road to view the recently erected statue of one of Ballarat’s favourite sons, Major General “Pompey” Elliot.

Pleasant 5 hours or so running up to Shepparton and back on the Cali.    Came across this windmill, now used as a tourist attraction.  I’ve erected and serviced many windmills in the south-west of W.A with my father, mainly Mettars windmills, but none as big as this  25 foot Southern Cross.  The stand would have been much higher originally.

I’ve been involved in the Guzzi club’s A to Z competition  where we have to photograph our bikes and ourselves at a  location starting with each letter of the alphabet, while holding a “secret thingy” ( so you can’t use an old photo).  I needed an “I” so fanged up to Inglewood, a cruisey cruise up the freeway before turning off towards Mildura.

Then I ran down to through Rheola (the Berlin goldfield) and Moliagul where I stopped at the John Flynn memorial and the Welcome Stranger memorial:

…before dropping into Dunolly for a cup-of-chino and a biscotti.

Cut across to bendigo and then a pleasant cruise down the freeway again to home.  An easy 350 kays!

I’d heard that there was a memorial to 3 VC winners at Longwood, in central Victoria, so set out to find it.  It wasn’t sign-posted but after a couple of u-ies I found it at Old Longwood.

Presidents of the Returned and Services League

Our small township of Euroa in the North Central district of Victoria has a unique position in the
British Commonwealth in that it is the only district that has fathered three Victoria Cross recipients
and our intention is to honour these men with the erection of three life sized bronze statues.

LtCol Leslie Cecil Maygar VC, DSO, VD, MD (4 times).

Maj Frederick Harold Tubb VC

Cpl Alexander Stewart Burton VC

LtCol Maygar received his VC as a young Lt during the Boer War in 1901 in an action at
Grelhoutboom when one of his troopers was unhorsed on an open plain under heavy Boer fire from
only 200 metres away. Maygar dismounted and placed the man on his own horse, himself running the
gauntlet on foot until he reached cover.
Maygar went on to serve in WW1 in command of the 4th and 8th LH Regiments and later the 3rd LH
Brigade at Beersheba where he was killed. Leslie Maygar is buried at Beersheba.

Maj Tubb received his VC as a Lt Platoon Commander at Lone Pine on 9th August 1915 displaying 
exceptional bravery in repelling a Turkish advance.  Advancing up a sap, the enemy blew up the sand bag barricade leaving only one foot of it standing. Lt. Tubb lead his men back, cleared the sap, and rebuilt the barricade. Supported by a strong bomb attack the enemy again succeeded in blowing in the barricade wounding Lt. Tubb on the head. After the sand bags had been replaced a second time and again blown up by the enemy, Lt. Tubb for the third time rebuilt the barricade, and succeeded in maintaining his position under heavy bomb fire. Throughout the action Lt. Tubb distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry exposing himself freely in order to inflict losses on the enemy and to encourage his men at a very critical period of the defence.  Maj Tubb was wounded and later died after leading a company of the 7th
Battalion in an action in France at Polygon Wood on 27th September 1917. Frederick Tubb is buried in Belgium.

Cpl Burton received his VC in the same action as Lt Tubb “For most conspicuous bravery at Lone
Pine trenches in the Gallipoli Peninsula on the 9th Aug., 1915”. Side by side with Lt Tubb and Cpl
Dunstan (another VC recipient) he rebuilt the barricades time and again until he was killed by a bomb.
Alex Burton was awarded his VC posthumously. There is no known grave for Alexander Burton.
This proposal of national significance is to honour these men and have their deeds recognized in the
form of three life sized bronze statues and explanatory plaquing. Planned completion of the project is
the ANZAC Centenary, 25th April 2015.

As you probably realize, a project of this size and importance will require significant funding if it is to 
be done right and we ask that you support us through the attached Subscription Form.
Our business plan is available to those seeking to make a significant contribution as are our committee
members to make a presentation to your Branch or Sub-Branch if you see that this would be an
advantage.
Yours sincerely,
Fred Wawrzik
Secretary and Treasurer
Euroa RSL

Met up with Club at Mansfield where we parked on the central plantation.

I decided to set off early and take some footage of the Guzzis. Up through the twisties, through Tolmie, more twisties through the power-lines and onto the straight section just before the descent into Whitfield where I pulled over and set up the Drift HD camera. The bikes came cracking through shortly afterwards. When I turned back to my bike, I saw this:

Closer examination showed the shocker, CARC and rear wheel slick with oil. Oil had even splattered on the number plate and the rear of the panniers.

My first thought was that the oil filter had come loose, but no, it was dripping from a crack in the sump. When I’d ridden over the curb at Mansfield, I’d felt a slight thump. Presumably that’s when the crack occurred. There was a smudge of cement on the sump fins. It’s hard for me to believe that I could have ridden all the way to the top of the descent into Whitfield with the tyres in that condition. Perhaps the heat finally tripped the crack, closer to where I stopped.

Kev and Karen stopped by and commiserated with their tale of cracking their sump in Mongolia.

I tried Motorcycling Australia – a waste of time. I didn’t have a GPS or property number, so they were more at a loss than I was. Totally useless and frustrating.

Then I remembered my RACV Total Cover! An hour or so later I was in the truck back to Mansfield and then approved for the return of me and the bike to Lancefield.

Very professional response from the RACV and they returned phone calls! And very good service from Mansfield Towing and Salvage, too. Broke down at 2pm, in Mansfield at 6pm and home by 9pm.

The Club stopped in Mansfield on the way home and spotted this:

Run to Guildford:

Decided to make a surprise visit to Canberra to visit the daughter.  Up through Moyhu and Happy Valley to Corryong and overnight at Tumbarrumba.  Both pubs here have lock garages for bikers – I stayed at the Tumbarrumba Hotel.  Food and room were OK but the bar/lounge left a bit to be desired – nowhere comfortable to sit.

Then through Batlow (6C) to Tumut and into the Kosciusko National Park.  Stopped at Talbingo to see the hydro generator:

Over the high plains to Adminaby.  Had an excellent run with very little traffic.

Then on to Cooma, which was chokkas with bikes for the Snowy Ride.  Passed hundreds more bikes as I headed to Canberra and surprise!:

Had to have a famous Brodburger!

Home the quick way down the freeway, which I pretty-well had to myself until Albury.  Canberra to Lancefield in 6 hours 34 minutes – 2 fuel stops and a coffee.