Already we have passed the halfway mark of the ride and here we are at the fourth day. This morning started well with breakfast on the balcony of the Villa, with cockatoos and other birds in abundance. Graham urged us to be ready for an 8.50 a.m. briefing for a 9.00 a.m. start. Graham told us it was important that we got to Seymour in sufficient time to attend the Rotary Club meeting. On road captain Tony emphasised the need for care when riding on highways, to reinforce the points he has made previously; single file riding, tail lights on, signalling change of speed and direction etc.
A slight delay occurred when Tony found he needed to repair a puncture on his bike but he sent the rest of us off and said he would catch up to us. He and fellow gun cyclists John Fry and Dave Barratt stayed behind but caught us in no time at all while we were still on the back road to Thornton. The ride to Alexandra was very pleasant with no major challenges. Morning tea at Alexandra set us up for the road ahead.
From memory the first challenge was Josephine's Cutting followed by Eglington Cutting. These were manageable but the real test was Cotton's Pinch. Katharina amazed us all with her ability to go up hills in an effortless manner, despite having a heavy mountain bike with knobbly tyres. We rode into Yea to be greeted by DG David Anderson on his home turf. Another delicious lunch was served by Margaret and Wendy in a well shaded grassy park in the middle of town.
On the advice of DG David, we left town on the rail trail for 8 kilometres or so and then rejoined the road to travel through "undulating" country. It was a hot day and the drink and fruit stop at 85 km was most welcome.
We got into Seymour before 4pm and the pool at the Coach and Bushman's Motor Inn was well patronised.
This evening we all attended the Rotary Club of Seymour's meeting and dinnerwhere we were welcomed by Club President Greg Byers. Graham Brown spoke about our ride and Polio Plus and DGE John Gatt talked about some of his plans for the year ahead. Katharina had earlier introduced herself to the meeting but later spoke very well about her role as an Ambassadorial scholar and the legal studies she is undertaking at Latrobe University which will lead to a Master's degree. We then watched the DVD of the 2011 ride produced by Katrina Watson. All in all, a very interesting meeting with good fellowship.
Progress report on our swimmer Eileen Gatt: 9km today and a cumulative total of 25km - A great effort!
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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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