Sunday Short Ride to Clifton Springs Golf Club 3 April 2022

Report, pics and Ride leader: Peter "The Lens" Barclay.


Was it 9.30,,,10.30,,,,11.30?


Coz, monthly Sunday shot rides start at 10.30, not 9.30, so I`m told. OK, 10.30 it is! Hang on a minute, daylight finish at 2am that morning. So then it`s an 11.30 start, if you didn't do the clock thing. Or is it 9.30? Do the clocks go forward or back? I`m too old for this c**p. (Any way the hour less of sunshine will stop the grass being burnt and slow down the fading of the curtains) When they introduce metric time, what will our start time be? (10 hour days, and 100 minute hours etc).
 
"Anyways" I turn up at 10.30 (that`s the new time) at our start point, Maccas Waurn Ponds. Now it was rather "misty on the moor"! Yep! Wet weather. (How dare it rain on my ride!) So anyways some others turn up as well. Good stuff. So we have 7 riders and 2 in their cars. (Check out group photo) Now our finish point is the Clifton Springs Golf Club Bistro. So a head count is needed, that includes, wife`s and partners. Well I did a head count and come with the total of 12. Was I correct? Nope! Obliviously I can't count above 12 "coz" we had 15. (Total) Much moving of tables and chairs when we get there.  Ok my fault! I beg for forgiveness. Now back to the riding part. Seven riders (including my son Leigh) and two cars take off. It was great to have Noel back with us after he has been poorly recently. And of course Pat does the following part, in the position of Tail End Charlene.


So out through Highton and up Scenic Rd. over the famous Queens Park Bridge. Turn left into Melville Ave. (That's the steep one that winds it way up past the Geelong College Jnr. School) As a piece of useless information, that section of road/street has 3 names between Queens Park Rd. and Aberdeen St. (Melville Ave. Layton Cres. Minerva Rd.) ?????? "Anyways" left and down the Deviation Rd, and a lefty at Merrawarp Rd, Barrabool Rd. and headed south down Andersons Rd. Just for another piece of useless information, not 5 days before, on our Wed. coffee "plunge", Peter T. took us down Anderson Rd.
 
Back to our ride. Left onto the highway and down Cape Otway Rd, to Reservoir Rd and a left onto Anglesea Rd. Now as I`m negotiating the big Waurn Ponds roundabout a car entering the roundabout on my left, gives way to me, (as he should) but the car behind him wasn`t having anything to do with that, and "bonk" straight into the back of him. Did I cause that? I will put my hand up. Only a slight bump, only slight damage I`m sure. Down Baarnip, right and left through the Mt Duneed suburb with a right into Torquay Rd and down Warralily to Barwon Heads Rd. and a left into Lake Rd. And we wind our way down to the Barwon Heads Airport.

 
 This is our surprise stop off visit. We met up with a family friend of ours and his aeroplane. The gentleman's name is Don and his aircraft is a Auster. (Check out photo`s) (I will give a back story on Don and his Auster and the end of this write up) Well a half hour visit, and we are on our way.





Over to 13th beach, through Barwon Heads, up Wallington Rd. left and right into Curlewis Rd. up to and right into Port. Rd. and a left into the suburb of Curlewis, and into Bayshore Drive and then into the Golf Club. That's the ride done, (approx. 85k`s) now into the munchies.


Good quick service, and a great meal. As I said previously, some others met us there. Phil W. and his partner drove straight there, my wife was there, Mark N. Mike A. John G. wife`s met us there also. We had a total of 15. A fantastic turn out considering the weather.
 











Now Don and his Aeroplane. Don has owned this aircraft, an Auster, for 30 years or so, and it has been a slow gradual rebuild over this time. Over the last 6 months he has given 100% of his time and is now ready to go flying. He has done some taxi tests with it, and he admits it may have left the ground just a "little", but technically he still is waiting on the paperwork to be completed before he heads to the sky. Don tells me when the weight of the paperwork exceeds the gross weight of the aircraft, he will have the go ahead and take it flying. Now the aircraft was built in England but the motor was built in Australia. Yep it`s a Holden Motor. Not your Holden red or grey side plate motor but a DE Haviland designed Gipsy Major motor built by GMH at Fisherman's Bend. They built heaps of motors during and after the war mainly for Tiger Moths, but they ended up in a number of different aircraft designs. Don’s aircraft was built in 1953.
 
A big thank you to all of our member that took part in the day.
Thanks to Pat for doing the follow along thing.
And a very big thank you to Don for opening up the hanger and showing us his pride and joy.
That`s it! No more waffle from me.
 
Peter B. (The photographic optical device)           W

An entertaining short ride - well done to all that turned up! I was one of the many wooses that didn't want to get any of my bikes wet and dirty!!

Great to see Noel there!

Thanks Peter for the ride, the report and the photos.
It was another good short run, with the added highlight, and despite the weather, the roads 
were mostly dry.
And good to see partners continuing to come along for the lunches.