Australian 2005 Centenary Rally, Velocette Owners' Club of Australia

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An enthusiastic turn-out of 130 Velocettes gathered in Richmond, NSW, for the photo-shoot on the first day of the Australian 2005 Centenary Rally held in late October 2005. This set the tone for a great week-long rally enjoyed in beautiful weather by over a 100 participants from all over Australia, New Zealand and the USA. The rally was organised around two venues. The main venue used at the start and end of the rally, was the university campus in Richmond to the west of Sydney. Richmond was founded by Governor Macquarie early in the settlement of NSW and is still the centre of a large agricultural district based on the Hawkesbury River east of the Blue Mountains. The second venue was at Wallerawang, a small town to the west of the Blue Mountains. The combination provided rides into some of the most picturesque parts of Australia on classic motorcycling roads with plenty of hills and bends. For me, having ridden these roads last in the mid 60's, it was a wonderful experience to ride them again, this time on a '56 Venom.

After the Monday photo-shoot, the run was to the north-east to Wiseman's Ferry with stop as various view points, the best had a great view of the Hawkesbury River Valley. This winding route included a ferry ride on the Sackville Ferry, a cable-drawn punt type ferry. The ferryman soon learnt to let off all the other traffic before letting off the Velocettes (we just have to find a solution to the starting problem). Lunch was at Wiseman's Ferry Bowling Club, followed by walk down to the ferry proper afterwards. The afternoon run back to Richmond was by the more usual main route. Solomon Wiseman was an early Australian entrepreneur. Transported out as a convict in 1805, he arranged for his wife to come out to Australia as a free settler, got himself assigned to her and set about building a career, establishing the settlement here in 1816.

Tuesday's route to the south provided views along the edge of the Blue Mountains with spectacular views of the gorge of the Nepean River and Warragamba Dam (the main source of water for Sydney). Lunch at Oakdale followed by a visit to the impressive NSW railway museum at Thirlmere (includes a Robert Stephenson "Long-Boiler" locomotive from 1866, railways first operated in Australia in 1854 (Melbourne), 1855 (Sydney). The route then followed a long return loop via Picton along country back-roads around Camden and back to Richmond.

Wednesday saw the tour transfer to the second venue with an exciting ride over the Blue Mountains along the "Bell's Line of Road". The road from Richmond runs flat up to the base of the Blue Mountains when it suddenly takes on a very steep climb through tall forest and fruit orchards. The mountains themselves provide a switchback ride over steep hills and bends cut into the sides of mountains and connected by narrow ridge crossings. This was and still is the second of the only two routes over the Blue Mountains from Sydney. The legend is that 19 year old Archibald Bell found the route by following aboriginal tracks. A rough access track was developed by 1823 and was developed during the gold-rush era (1840-50's) but (owing to some very steep sections) it was opened up to normal road traffic only in the 1940's following extensive road building for WW2. The ride over the mountains had two stops, the famous Mt Tomah botanical gardens, then the Zig-Zag railway where a special steam train ride had been organised (including lunch!). Faced with very steep inclines on the west side of the Blue Mountains, the early railway (1869) used a zig-zag to descend 687 ft into the valley below. Starting at Clarence (at 3658 ft), the railway line falls clinging to the side of the mountain in some parts and over huge viaducts in others to a siding "Top Points"; at this point travel is reversed down a second incline below the first towards another siding "Bottom Points"; again travel is reversed and the line falls into the valley below and on into Lithgow. The Zig-Zag route, replaced with a series of tunnels opened in 1910, fell into disuse and eventually became a tourist track. The current operation was set up in the 1970's by an energetic amateur group; curiously it mostly uses old Queensland (3'6" gauge) track, rolling stock and locomotives as these were readily available. After lunch and a great time on the Zig-Zag we took to the main road, that also plunges down into Lithgow; visited the museum at the Lithgow Small Arms Factory (it makes all of the Australian armed forces' small arms), and on to Wallerawang.

Thursday's route was to the north of Wallerawang along some nice open country roads with morning tea at the "Thermal Museum" at Turon. This museum was hidden in a picturesque valley and had a fascinating collection of operating stationary steam engines (including one from the 1850's) as well as static exhibits of other types of engines including massive ship diesels. The route then passed through hilly and twisty roads via the gold rush district of Sofala and into Bathurst for lunch. For many the rally high-light was to ride the famous Mt Panorama Track (open for tourists but with a strictly observed speed limit of 60 kph, 40 mph). Sadly not for me, the Venom's magneto packed up suddenly around Sofala. After visiting the track museum (the one with the 100mph MOV) the rally returned to Wallerawang via a system of back roads that followed the main railway line.

Friday's trip was a long day first to Jenolan caves (limestone caves) then back to Richmond using the main "Great Western" highway. This roads follows almost exactly the route of the pioneers Blaxland, Wentworth and Lawson who in 1813 found the first way across the Blue Mountains. The main highway includes the spectacular steep climb up Victoria Pass that really challenged the Velos. to sound their best.

Dinner was provided each evening with entertainment put on in-turn by the several States represented. Friday was a spectacular prize giving night, the guest speaker was Anne Frampton daughter of Bertie Goodman who gave her reminiscences of Velocette and a perspective on her father. Anne lives in Sydney.

Overall this was an impressive milestone effort by the NSW team of the Velocette Owners' Club of Australia. All present enjoyed it, well done!

Next year it is Queensland's turn with a week-long rally in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast just north of Brisbane.