Page 16 - RidingOn156 SPRING 2022

The long road to Warwick and Back.

P ART 2 MATES , FL OODS , AND W ATERFALLS

Brian and I awoke on our first day in Warwick to moderate ride up the road, confirmed, that it was indeed subsiding
flooding. Unexpectedly, it had rained 66mm overnight. enough for me to try the next day.
Messages were being sent that the Rally registrations were
postponed until further notice and not to attend the site. It was Tuesday was a successful day, my heart full and happy having
quite hot and humid, a huge contrast to using the heated vest caught up with family. I enjoyed the ride over the mountain
only days before. range and discovering the culinary delights at the Arthur Clive’s
Bakery Café in Aratula. I savoured the opportunity of being on
We headed into the centre of town to the tourist information roads I had not ridden before.
centre, gathered some local information and walked around
town down to the river. The Road which we had followed was The day finished by catching up with fellow Ulyssians, at the
under the raging flood waters. You see reports on the telly but now open Rally site, many I had not seen in years. It still
to stand there right next to it, is quite another experience. amazes me, every time I initially arrive at an AGM/National
Rally, I hear a scream and there she is, The Bat Lady, Essey
The township was cut off by most roads except a rare one or Thornton in her usual bat-inspired paraphernalia.
two to the south, which had me worried I would not be able to
make the planned day trip to Brisbane the next day. A trip to Wednesday Brian, Greg and I teamed up again for a day trip to
see beloved family I have not visited in many years. discover the waterfalls in the region. We pulled up at Browns
Falls but found the
After a pre-planned massage, I met up with Brian and John water too deep to
Cook from Melbourne Branch at the beautifully kept historic transverse the rocky
Criterion Hotel in the centre of town. John had arrived from path across the stream,
Brisbane, having defied the flooding by finding a small back so we didn’t make it
road with only shallow flooding across the road. Later, a quick to the falls. Next was

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