Black Dog Ride - Day 3

While day 3 of the Black Dog Ride signalled the end for myself and a few other Melbourne based riders, it was by no means the end of the whole ride or the cause.

It had rained over night in Swan Hill and looked like it could continue raining through the next day, thankfully it had stopped and to my amazement I found that my brakes were now working, if only just ... it was better than nothing.

At 9am all riders heading for Alice Springs formed at the reception area for the caravan park and after a few words about rider safety we said goodbye to them as they headed off to the next stop at Ouyen.  It was a little sad to see them on their way, good friends had been made, people like Alan who amazingly only has one arm having lost his right one to an accident yet this doesn't stop him as he has a bike with all left hand controls.

They headed off and we packed our bikes ready for return ride home.  A quick refuel and up here the prices are getting high, $1.60 per litre for 98.  Then on to McDonald's for breakfast.  After a fill of bacon and egg McMuffin's we rode out of town.

Almost immediately we were stuck behind a convoy of grey-nomads from South Australia, all doing 80 kilometres per hour.  Apparantly they travel at these speeds to conserve fuel.  For Christ's sake, if you are so tight as to want to save a dollar per journey then stay at home and stop clogging the roads.

We rode past Lake Boga, which has water in it again, I don't think I can remember a time when there was water in it, it does seem to reguvenating the area, the caravan park had people in it and the local boat dealing seemed to be doing business.

A little further down the road is the Swan Hill Observatory.  If you are ever in the area, especially in summer, you should visit this place.  It's run by a colourful husband and wife and if you have an interest in space, or are jsut keen to see some amazing sites then they are more than willing to show you.  It is one of the best places of its type that I have been to.

From here it was the 60 kilometre ride back to Kerang where we had stopped the previous day however, this time we wouldn't be stopping, we'd continue on down the Loddon Valley Highway to Bendigo.  By now the weather had turned and it was starting to become bitterly cold. 

We pushed on and as I was leading the pack I was the first to come up across a two trailered cattle truck doing almost the same speed we were doing.  As I got closer I realised that fluid was spraying on me.  Oh my god I thought, was this cattle waste?  It certainly looked like it as my jeans started to turn a funny yellish brown colour.  I was being sprayed in water down poo.  I cranked it open and flew past at about 160kph, I could wait to get past that truck.

A little further down the road I cam across a horsefloat and the same thing started to happen, this time instead of coming from the horse it was actually starting to rain and come down quite fast.  I quickly decided that Serpentine would be the next stop, a place that has  crossroads and a service station and roadhouse on either side, as far as I could tell this was the entire town.

We stopped here and refuelled, both the bikes and then ourselves.  The dim sims were bloody good, and apparantly so was the hot chocolate.

From here it was just 47 kilometres to Bendigo but as the weather was still very cold it might be a trying ride so we headed there.  Once in Bendigo it was just a quick stop to put on the wet weather gear and then off on the down the Calder Freeway to home.  Amazingly 100 k's from home the sun came out and was actually quite nice, a pity it hadn't been like this the whole way.

In all my part of the Black Dog Ride covered just 950 kilometres over 3 days, and it was just a small part of the overall adventure, but by taking part I hope I was able to give something to the community.  I certainly go something from the ride and hope that I now have a greater understanding of mental illness, depression and bipolar disorder.

If you feel that you might be suffering from a mental illness it is nothing to be ashamed of.  Contact the Black Dog Institute; Lifeline or Beyond Blue for more information or help.

If you would like more information on the Black Dog Ride check out the website.

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.

Black Dog Ride - Day 1

There's no doubt about it, a good cause always brings out the best in people and day 1 of the Victorian leeg of the Black Dog Ride was no exception.  It was an early start at the BP Service Station at Calder Park and what a start it was.  Around 40 bikes lined up ready to tackle the appalling weather that had been sent our way.

The starting point near Calder Park brought terrible

conditions.  Everyone was trying to get their bike undercover.

As the rain cxame down even heavier we headed off towards our first destination, Heathcote, for a morning tea put on by the local Lions club.

We turned off the Calder Highway and headed towards Bulla on the Bulla-Diggers Rest Road.  I have never seen anything like, as continually had to traverse many 'water-crossings', the weather had been so bad that water was running off the hills and across the road.  In some places it was so deep we had to slow to almost walking pace.  It certainly wasn't the best of conditions for a low slung cruiser.

Once we were off this road and onto the Melbourne-Lancefield Road things improved although it did rain almost all the way to Heathcote.

The support we were given by the Lions club was fantastic, they put on hot drinks and plenty of sandwiches and biscuits, exactly what was needed to warm up and fill the belly.  It was only a 105 kilometre ride, but the cold and wet certainly made it painful, when the sun finally started to breakthrough it was great, especially as we were headig further towards the Great Dividing Range where it had snowed just the day before.

The next leg was to Shepperton, where again the Lions club would be helping us.  Another ride of around 105 kilometres, and now the sun was starting to shine unfortunately the wind wasd also starting to pickup.  We headed to Nagambie, the place where a hero of mine lives, Tony Gaze.  We went straight through this picturesque town and on towards Shepperton via the Goulburn Valley Highway.  Thankfully this was only a short run as the road is straight and boring.

As we had lunch at Shepperton, and got to know each other, it was pointed out how many cow statues there are in Shepperton.  It's amazing, they are all life size and yet painted in all sorts of weird and wonderful schemes.  It really is worth checking out.

The final leg for the day was a 123 kilometres to Bendigo, our resting place for the night.  Generally a trip to Bendigo would take only 90 minutes or so however, travelling this way, although it took all day, allowed for some beautiful country to be seen on roads you wouldn't normally use.  It was great as we headed through Tatura and Rushworth.

Once in Bendigo we headed straight to the Ascot Big 4 Caravan Park for our accomodation.  Modest little cabins, yet with a warm shower and even warmer bed.  Great!

Again the local Lions club was on hand to help us and put on a dinner at the Bendigo Bowls Club.  The meal simple home cooked fair, yet was very welcomed after a day of riding.  The night ended with a presentation about mental illness including depression; bipolar disorder; and suicide.  It was great to hear this poinnt of view.  Victorian ride organiser, Ric Raftis, was great with his presentation and sympathy.

The night finished with a raffle draw, and an auction and must've raised around a few thousand dollars for the Black Dog Institute.  Then it was back to the cabin to write this blog and watch a little Tora! Tora! Tora!

Can't wait for better weather tomorrow and a great ride to Swan Hill.

Ready To Tackle A Black Dog

It's just one more sleep until the start of the Black Dog Ride, a ride to Alice Springs to help raise awareness of depression and prevention of suicide.

While quite a few riders will go all the way to the red centre my ride will only take me as far as Swan Hill on the Victoria-New South Wales border, yet the message and the aim will still be the same.

The Black Dog Ride was started in 2009 by Steven Andrews who sadly lost his mother to suicide brought on by depression. 

In Australia, each year around 1,000,000 adults and 100,000 young people live with depression. More than 50% will not seek treatment.  The BDR is all about helping people understand and cope with this disease.

Join me and the other riders on our journey even if just a short one, I'll be blogging our adventures over the next few days.  You can also keep up to date with the ride on Channel 9, as reporter Simon Bouda will also do the entire journey and Morning Show presenter Steve Jacobs will also do his weather reports a few days along the ride.

Linda's Big Breakfast

There's no doubt that if you put on a good feed, for a good cause, people will come flocking and with their wallets open.

The Transaction Services Group at Computershare is no exception, especially the Support Services; Imaging Services; Classify; and Corporate Projects teams, who all helped raise over $500 with a cooked breakfast cooked and served by Linda Caligari.

Linda worked all morning, and even started at around 3am to make sure all of the food was ready and of the best quality.  Her friend Dina even came in to help with everything.

THanks everyone who bought a breakfast and a massive thank you to Linda and Dina, as well as everyone else who helped out.

How About A Long Round In Torquay

Thanks to many very generous donations of prizes I'm able to raise money for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia through raffles and auctions.  The first being a great night away in one of Australia's leading resorts, and a golf one at that.

The Sands at Torquay, on Victoria's surf coast, is regarded as one of the leading golf resorts and here is a very cheap way for you to enjoy a night at the resort, where you can take in a round of golf, before retreating to one of the bars or restaurant, or even go for a surf if you like.

The next morning you will be treated to a full buffet breakfast before again being able to take in the sights of the surf coast and the Great Ocean Road.

This raffle costs only $2 per ticket or three for $5, and will be open for the whole of August and will be drawn on the 31st.  This is a fantastic prize worth almost $300.  If you would like to buy a ticket please email me at leigh.wilkins@bigpond.com