Sunday long ride to Camperdown 25 Feb 2024

Ride leader: Stan Kluzek


Ride Report: Stan Kluzek


Photos: Jules Pearce

From Colac myself and Marlene left just before 7:00am to ride to Waurn Ponds. We wanted plenty of time to top up fuel and have a coffee.  We met a clandestine group of motorcycle enthusiasts also refueling.  I can’t remember their faces but the names were familiar. ️
 
Riders started to drift in to the Maccas carpark at Waurn Ponds.  It was an early departure - 9:00am   By the departure time there were about a dozen riders.  These were Chris, Dennis, Greg, John, Jules, Karl, Kerim, Mark, Marlene, Phil H, Phil W and your illustrious leader Stan.   Incoming President Ray was there to take the family shot.




 
I asked Karl if he wouldn’t mind doing Tail End Charlie.  I was very happy that he said yes.
 
So we headed out of Waurn Ponds down the Princes highway, exiting onto Ghazeepore Road (where the f$& did they get that name) onto Mount Duneed Road and through Moriac.  A quick check of riders at the Cape Otway / Deans Marsh Road intersection with everyone present and enjoying the morning. 
 
As we approached Deans Marsh, the air turned very smoky.  Was this the aftermath of the Beaufort fires? No, there was a fairly serious fire at Maroon not that far from when we were going.  This was evident by the local CFA stations we passed which were empty.  
 
From Deans Marsh we road via Pennyroyal (what a quaint name) towards Forrest.
 
Approaching Forrest, we were stopped by some inconsiderate mountain bicyclist crossing the road.   I got the all clear, and as there was no further corner markers needed until Forrest, I absentmindedly did not look in my rear vision mirrors.  No-one was behind me when I got to Forrest.  The road patrol had only let me through, and the others were still stuck waiting for more cyclist to come through.   Two wheels is all we have in common.
 
Morning tea was relaxed and everyone one sat at the one table engaging in conversation.




 
I contacted Pat who would open the clock tower for us at Camperdown.  I was pretty impressed as I had thought it was going to be opened anyhow.  Turns out, Pat would open it just for us
 
Time for the next leg.  Two of our riders headed back to Geelong.   The rest of us headed further into the depths of the Western District.  We scouted the outskirts of Colac, thought Barongarook, and onwards to Irrewillipe.  We turned past the Simpson Speedway and headed towards Carpendeit.   At the Carpendeit intersection we headed north along the Ansons and Koalloah Roads onto the Lake Purumbete Road.  Going past the Lake’s Edge Café I gave a long toot on the horn, as a friend of mine was having his 70th birthday lunch party there.  
 
 
Now into Camperdown, and Pat,  the clock tower caretaker, was there to meet us.  Despite saying that she did not know as much as the main caretaker, John, who was unable to attend, Pat gave us a very comprehensive history of the the clock tower.  It is one of a few mechanical clocks left in the world.  When fully wound  up it will run for eight days, so there is always someone rostered to wind it up on the seventh day.   The clock keeps perfect time, as noted by us when it rung for 12:30pm.  Checking our phones and it was indeed 12:30pm.  There are three large bells that ring out every quarter of an hour.  The actual clock mechanism is encased in a glass case and looks beautiful.   The mechanism was built in Melbourne.  The clock is a similar design to Big Ben in London.





























 
For further information on the Camperdown Clock Tower, I have scanned it into Exhaust Notes, with a hyperlink .
 
All this for the princely price of $2:50.   The best value for money we spent that day.
 
The Camperdown Clock Tower is open on the first Sunday of the month from 10:00am to 3:00pm and coincides with a market next door. 
 
Thank you, Pat, for your time and knowledge.
 
 












From the clock tower we adjourned for lunch at the the Farmhouse @ 153.   John asked if they did pies.  I said I don’t think so.   However, we all sat down to a hearty lunch and everyone enjoyed their meal and the interaction.   It was also great to see Jimbo from Portland, who quite often rides up to meet up with the Geelong Ulysses.
 
After lunch I gave the group the option of riding on to Timboon via the Cobden backroad through Scott’s Creek.  A few had other commitments and headed back home.   As the numbers had dwindled  I asked Dennis to be TEC, but there would be no corner marking.   Mark departed at Cobden.  From Cobden through to Timboon there were just five of us.   When we got to Timboon, we stopped for the mandatory pit stop.  Dennis gave me a nice compliment by saying this ride has been a ten out ten.  Thanks Dennis.
 
After Timboon, I took the remaining riders via Corriemungle and Simpson, back to Colac.
 
I said my goodbyes at Colac’s Memorial Square and the others headed back to Geelong.


 
I only turned my GPS recorder on at Forrest, so I missed the first leg (see map) but I calculate that back to Colac was about 320 Kilometres, so add another 75kms for the last four rider’s ride back to Geelong -  that’s one hell of a day’s riding.


Stan's map of the route