Black Dog Ride - Day 2

If day 1 of the Black Dog Ride was something special, then day 2 took things to a new level.

It all started with the lovely people of the Ascot Big 4 caravan park putting on a breakfast for us.  Pancakes and fruit, not something I would normally have for breakfast but very nice all the same.  They fact that they did this for us shows how important people take the ride and what it stands for.


Sidney Myer Place in Bendigo was a great
place to mee the locals.

The next step was for us all to head to the city centre and have our bikes on display at Sidney Myer Place for a few hours, while this took place it was a great chance for the public to not only look at our bikes but also to speak about depression and mental illness in general.  There was a great turn out, and the general feeling was the public did enjoy and appreciate our effort.  This is also where the Tasmanian riders joined us.

Our departure time was 11am but in the meantime we had to get fuel, the nearest service station being Caltex in the main street, wasn't this a mistake?  Yet as we rode our way through Bendigo on a route I didn't even know existed I couoldn't help but marvel at just how beautiful this city really is.

The ride through Bendigo showed just
how beautiful Bendigo is.

The first stop of the day was to be Charlton, where we would be treated to lunch by the locals Lions club.  This wasn't a problem but getting there started to be as a number of us found that the fuel from the Caltex servo in Bendigo was potentially contaminated as our bikes began to lose power and cough and fart.  Thankfully we made it there.

The 105 kilometre ride to Charlton was great, if not cold.  The people of Wedderburn were wonderful as they sat in the main street and cheered us on, this was just a sign of what was to come.

After a lunch of sausages, and a quick check of the bikes it was off to Kerang via Boort.  This meant that we would be taking some great back roads, and almost the entire length of the way people were coming out of their homes to wave us on.  At the time we didn't realise it but the Black Dog Ride has a special significance to this part of the world.

After 95 kilometres we arrived at Kerang where again the Lions club put on a morning tea for us.  It was here that we had a touching tribute to Maggie, who was a real character of the Black Dog Ride.  Maggie was last year awarded the oldest rider on the oldest bike award. yet sadly she passed away earlier this year after a fatal accident.  Many riders had tears has they remembered a great mate.

It was at Kerang I met too amazing people.  The first was some bloke wgo caught me admiring his bike, a beautiful Royal Enfield, the bike I almost bought before the Yamaha.  The second was the local Anglican priest.  He was covered in tatts and rings, and rode a Triumph Bonneville, yet he seemed to be more interested in my bike.  It's amazing the people you meet.

Before we left Kerang we were told that people of Swan Hill had got behind us so much that we would get a police escort into and through the town centre, before heading to our nights accomodation.

Oh Shit! Now I have no rear brakes.

The ride to Swan Hill was just 70 odd kilometres, and for the most part seemed simple enough, that is until I went to use my rear brake and found that the lever wouldn't return, what was more concerniung was that it seemed that the brakes weren't working at all.  Oh well, for the rest of this day I would have to use just the front brake.

When we got to Swan Hill we formed up behind the local highway patrol car did a lap of the mainstreet, before turning to the Big 4 caravan park on the Murray River.  It's a beautiful park, with extremely friendly staff, probably one of the best parks I have ever been to.

After settling into our cabins we had time for a quick shower and a bit of TV, and to our surprise the Black Dog Ride was on the national nine network news.  One of their journalists is taking part in the Sydney leg, Simon Bouda and so coverage is guaranteed, it's also going to be on the morning weather reports.

The second night of the Black Dog heard Ric Raftis give an
honest account of why he does this special event.

The second night of the ride saw us treated to a brilliant dinner again put on by the local Lions club.  Held at the townhall, this dinner saw a number of the local councillors attend and address us, as well as another presentation put on by Ric Raftis, where he touchingly admitted to us that he suffers from bipolar disorder and now works tirelessly to help those afflicted with mental illness.  He's truly a great man.  The night held more significance for Swan Hill as it is the area in Australia that has the highest suicide rate, and surprisingly most of these are young people.  The local council has worked tirelessly to reduce this horrendous trend and are very grateful for the work being done by the riders and Black Dog Institiute.  It was here that a 'Winston' Black Dog was also auctioned for over $300, a great effort.

Well now it's time to settled down and watch a bit of TV and then to bed.  The final day of the ride for me sees me having to try and fix my rear brakes before heading back home to Melbourne ... for those heading to Alice Springs, the journey has really only just begun.