Page 14 - Exhaust Notes January

Jan 2022 Exhaust Notes - Edition No 309 

Daylesford Ride -12th January 2022

Report By Peter Townsend. Photos by Graham Aitken & Peter
Townsend

advising him of our ETA!) Then it was on up to Bacchus Marsh via Staughton Vale, Balliang and Rowsley
and to the Baby Black café right in the middle of “the Marsh”, where coffee and food beckoned. The
weather was coolish, around 20 degrees with high cloud cover and the odd bit of drizzle to keep us
company, and no wind making for comfortable riding conditions.

After morning coffee 6 of our group headed home for various reasons, leaving 10 of us to continue on to
the lunch destination. We headed out on the Western Fwy, taking the Pentland Hills Rd exit and then to
Myrniong, Greendale, Blackwood and Trentham. The Sun, by now, had decided to join us and the
temperature moved upwards to the mid 20s – extremely pleasant and enjoyable. I was surprised by how
little traffic was on these roads and, from leaving Bacchus Marsh, I don’t believe any cars got in our way
until we hit the Daylesford Rd at Trentham – without a doubt an extremely enjoyable bit of motorcycling,
helping us remember why we do what we do! However, once on the Daylesford Rd the traffic increased
and Daylesford was its usual bustling, busy, slightly chaotic town that every man and his dog seems to be
attracted to! We parked in the main street and found lunch at the various cafes and bakeries that abound.

After lunch, Russell needed to head back to Geelong and the remaining 9 of us refuelled and regrouped
at the BP Servo to commence our homeward leg of the ride. We headed South on the Ballan Rd and
turned right onto the Spargo Creek Rd at Korweinguboora, arriving at Gordon via Springbank Rd and
Moorabool W Rd – these narrow country lanes certainly keep you alert and vigilant as you weave and
dodge around potholes, washouts, oncoming traffic and more than usual large gravel patches ( I guess
washed onto the road by the wet weather these areas have recently had!) From Gordon it was East on the
Old Melb. Rd to the Geelong/Ballan Rd where we turned right and down towards Anakie. At the Stony
Creek reservoir we turned right, onto the Slate Quarry Rd and on into Meredith – the ride’s end. At the
reservoirs, Ian and Mike (big black Indian) continued on to Anakie to head home, so 7 of us pulled up at
Meredith to complete the ride.

Upon reflection, an extremely enjoyable ride to herald in the New Year – the weather gods treated us to a
comfortable Summer’s day (the forecast right up to Tuesday morning was for a very wet Wednesday! –
thankfully that held off to the following day.) Good mix of interesting and sometimes challenging roads –
even had a few kays of freeway cruising at a legal 110Kph! Well done to Graham (who seemed to put the
ride route together on the fly) and thanks to Mal for keeping us together. The 7 riders who completed the
ride included Raff from Cressy (I believe) on a gorgeous looking Triumph Street Cup café racer. Warm
welcome Raff and hope to see you on future rides. By the time I got back home in Grovedale, I had
clocked up around 300 Kays – longest ride yet on my latest steed – which I’m becoming quite fond of!

Peter Townsend

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