Our day started in bright sunshine with a breakfast described as "Continental", but quite superior to any continental breakfast most of us have experienced. This is the "standard" breakfast, but it consists of fruit juice, fresh fruit, preserved fruit, a range of cereals such as you have never seen, toast, jam, vegemite, peanut butter and tea and coffee. It is said that an army marches on its stomach and this equally well applies to cyclists; nothing to do with rotundity!
We cycled through Mansfield to the start of the rail trail which features a number of structures and a display of all manner of objects and art work related to the attractions of the "High Country". We cycled the rail trail, gravel but firm surface, for 22.5 km through scenic countryside before crossing an arm of Eildon Weir at Bonnie Doon. There we had morning tea and then proceeded on the highway through Merton to Yarck. "Proceeded" is not really an appropriate word to describe our toiling to the top of Merton Gap, Jenny's Cutting and Blakeney's Cutting. Peter Carr punctured his front tire and stopped at Merton for repairs with assistance from our leader, Graham "Ernie Shackleton" Brown.
We enjoyed our picnic lunch in a shaded verge on the outskirts of Yarck and were then treated to coffees from the store across the road. Laurie Webb from RC Eltham joined us on the ride at this point and acquitted himself well despite being on what appeared to be a mountain bike, rather than a road bike!
A steep descent into Alexandra ended up being a competition to see who had achieved the highest speed. Alicia (62.2 km/hour) and Bruce (61.2 ) both admitted to having their brakes on, whilst others like John Gatt clocked up 69.8 and Trevor Smith maxed out at 71.76 km/hour. From Alexandra we went through Thornton, well some didn't stop, but Wendy had apparently heard form a reliable source of the reputation of the butcher in Thornton and so she stopped to stock up for the planned evening BBQ at Eildon.
The Caravan Park at Eildon is in a beautiful setting and we are accommodated there in delightful self-contained cabins, with frequent visits from sulphur-crested cockatoos, king parrots etc. Ambassadorial scholar from Germany, Katharina Buchholz, joined us at Eildon today for the rest of the ride. The BBQ was a great success and we were hosted by Trevor and Wendy in their Villa, whilst many contributed to the cooking. John Paton ran an entertaining fines session which raised $72.40 for Polio plus.
Distance cycled today 99km
Update on our long distance swimmer Eileen Gatt - Total of 16km to date
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District 9790 Conference 2013 Ballarat
All donations are tax deductible, cheques to : “The Australian Rotary Foundation Trust – Polio Plus”
or to your own Rotary Club
Receipts will be issued after the ride
Thank you so much!
Fourth Year Sponsor ? : You're a Bikie Angel !
Who knows what this restaurant does??
View Larger Map
It's 25 km longer than last year! - 555 km in 6 days again and even though it is all around the Murray there are hills..
Grand Total 555 km (av 90 km per day)
What was this tower for ?
The Rotary District 9790 Team Ride to End Polio
Ballarat
District 9790 Conference 2013 Ballarat
Map of the Route 2013
Ballarat, Ararat, Hamilton, Port Fairy, Port Campbell, Colac and return to Ballarat....OUR GOAL..
"If we all have the fortitude to see this effort through to the end, then we will eradicate polio." - Bill Gates
Thanks to Rotary and its partners, the world has seen polio cases plummet by more than 99 percent, preventing five million instances of child paralysis and 250,000 deaths. When Rotary began its eradication work, polio infected more than 350,000 children annually. In 2011, fewer than 1,000 cases were reported worldwide.
But the polio cases represented by that final 1 percent are the most difficult and expensive to prevent. Challenges include geographic isolation, worker fatigue, armed conflict, and cultural barriers.
That’s why it’s so important to generate the funding needed to End Polio Now. To fail is to invite a polio resurgence that would condemn millions of children to lifelong paralysis in the years ahead.
The bottom line is this: As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, all children — wherever they live — remain at risk.
How to donate ?
All donations are tax deductible, cheques to : “The Australian Rotary Foundation Trust – Polio Plus”
or to your own Rotary Club
Receipts will be issued after the ride
Thank you so much!
Become a Bikie Angel !
Fourth Year Sponsor ? : You're a Bikie Angel !
How can you sponsor us in 2013 ? Become a Bikie Angel ...
Yes .... you have an opportunity to become a sponsor again!
How you can sponsor us ....
Things about Melbourne you may not know
So you think you know Melbourne ? We aim to surprise you with a few sights you can only see on a bike ?
Today's discovery ....
Today's discovery ....
About Melbourne No 3
Who knows what this restaurant does??
Answer : About Melbourne No.3
This is the "Titanic "restaurant in Williamstown -restaurant guests are be told ahead of time to dres as either first classs passengers , steerage passengers or crew. Towards the end of the evening the restaurant floor actaully shakes violently, giving a definite impresion that the whole place is sinking. Of course, as soon as they put the Celine Dion CD on, everyone abandons ship ....
2011: the route
View Larger Map
It's 25 km longer than last year! - 555 km in 6 days again and even though it is all around the Murray there are hills..
Saturday March 12th - Albury to Walwa via the causeway, Bonegilla, Hume Weir (let's celebrate its fullness!!) and Talgarno - 110 km
Sunday March 13th - Walwa to Culcairn via Jingellic and Holbrook - 90 km
Monday March 14th - Culcairn to Rutherglen via Walla Walla, Burrumbuttock and Howlong - 85 km
Tuesday March 15th - Rutherglen to Cobram via Rail Trail to Corowa, Mulwala, and Barooga - 85 km
Wednesday March 16th - Cobram to Wangaratta via Katamatite and Tungamah - 100 km
Thursday March 17th - Wangaratta to Beechworth via the Rail Trail, thence on to Oxley to meet up with the Conference Sports Day riders and return with them to Wangaratta to be received by District Governor Alan - 85 km
Sunday March 13th - Walwa to Culcairn via Jingellic and Holbrook - 90 km
Monday March 14th - Culcairn to Rutherglen via Walla Walla, Burrumbuttock and Howlong - 85 km
Tuesday March 15th - Rutherglen to Cobram via Rail Trail to Corowa, Mulwala, and Barooga - 85 km
Wednesday March 16th - Cobram to Wangaratta via Katamatite and Tungamah - 100 km
Thursday March 17th - Wangaratta to Beechworth via the Rail Trail, thence on to Oxley to meet up with the Conference Sports Day riders and return with them to Wangaratta to be received by District Governor Alan - 85 km
Grand Total 555 km (av 90 km per day)
Things about Melbourne 4.
What was this tower for ?
Answer: About Melbourne No.4
This is the time ball tower at Point Gellibrand, Williamstown. As this place was the first permanent settlement is Victoria all surveys are measured from the tide gauge at Gellibrand's Point. In 1853, a Mr R. L. J. Ellery, the first Government Astronomer, commenced determining accurate local mean time, and established a time ball so that shipmasters to correct their chronometers "at the fall of the ball" at exactly one o'clock each day.
A time ball was a large copper sphere mounted around a mast.
First the flagstaff at the lighthouse was used to raise and lower the ball. It was later moved to the top of the new telegraph station nearby.
In 1854, ships captains had complained about the visibility of the time ball so the keeper at the lighthouse would darken the light at 2 minutes to 8pm then reignite the light at exactly 8pm to give the true time.
After the discontinuing of the bluestone tower as a lighthouse the time ball mechanism was moved to the top of the tower around 1860. It is definitely known to have been operating there in 1861.
The time ball operated from then until 1926 when the keeper fell ill and died. By then most ships had the more advanced technology of wireless communication time-signals. It is said that when the time was turned off not one person in Melbourne even noticed!
A time ball was a large copper sphere mounted around a mast.
First the flagstaff at the lighthouse was used to raise and lower the ball. It was later moved to the top of the new telegraph station nearby.
In 1854, ships captains had complained about the visibility of the time ball so the keeper at the lighthouse would darken the light at 2 minutes to 8pm then reignite the light at exactly 8pm to give the true time.
After the discontinuing of the bluestone tower as a lighthouse the time ball mechanism was moved to the top of the tower around 1860. It is definitely known to have been operating there in 1861.
The time ball operated from then until 1926 when the keeper fell ill and died. By then most ships had the more advanced technology of wireless communication time-signals. It is said that when the time was turned off not one person in Melbourne even noticed!
Stop Press : Distance between Albury and Wangaratta to increase dramatically !
Last year's Rotary District 9790 conference was in Albury (the Ride to Conference commenced at the 2009 location , Geelong, and finished at the 2010 location - Albury). This year (2011) conference is in Wangaratta - 0nly 84 km from Albury. So how can Ride Direcor Graham "Ernie Shackleton" Brown and co-organiser Trevor "Lance " Smith - make that distance longer ? ... well, apparently there is another route which involves (of course) going over a few "undulations" -
and an extra 475 km!
Congratulations - $22,000 raised - in 2010 !
The Tour de Vic in 2010 raised $22,000 to END POLIO NOW ! The team members all wish to thank all sponsors for their magnificent donations you have helped to END POLIO NOW ... and Bill Gates needs to empty his money box to retrieve another $22,000 !
Click this link to learn more about polio and Rotary
Polio : suffering can become success; tragedy can become triumph
Look Mum - gear too high and cadence too low !
Look Mum -I'm keeping my cadence up
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