Easter Weekend at Kerang

The original plan for this weekend was a trip to Broken Hill, but after some discussion at club meetings, it was thought this was too far, and Kerang was selected instead. Bathurst, of course, is held at Easter, and many of the camping regulars went there instead. I arrived at Bulla on a beautiful day for riding (Good Friday) to find about six bikes outside the service station. Ron, on a Honda 500, had come along to see everybody off to, as he had thought, Broken Hill, he hadn’t heard about the change of plan, and as he was reluctant to go to Broken Hill he had left all his camping gear at home in Bayswater. However, he came along with us to Kerang, stayed exactly 35 minutes, and went back to Melbourne. Some sort of record for the shortest stay at a weekend camp??

At the caravan park in Kerang we found Big Daddy had got there the day before, and had chatted up the site manager to such good effect that he (Big Daddy) got served coffee in bed in his tent at 2am – so the story goes. A few others trickled in later that weekend, and altogether about 16 members were at Kerang for at least a part of the Easter break. Vinne, Dennis and David C. were showing off their immaculate Hondas (550,500 and 750 respectively). How they keep the machinery so spotless baffles me. Roger’s 650 Yami looked positively filthy by comparison, and when he started it up the camp was flooded with noxious blue fumes like those produce by typical two-stroke garbage.

Friday arvo was for having a quick look at the town, a visit to the reptile park (snake pit and all), a climb to the top of the lookout tower (a converted water tank), and, by some, an attempt to con off the local ornithology. We also went to see what was on at the 3-days-a-week drive-in. It was “Oklahoma Crude” which sounds like the Middle East’s answer to the Graham Kennedy Show – but is actually about oil wells. A couple of bikie films were on the way, but too late, unfortunately, for us.

Saturday we headed up to Swan Hill. A side trip to Mystic Park didn’t happen, mainly ‘cos someone thought 5km off the main road was too far (after 300km to Kerang!). Swan Hill meant a visit to Pioneer Village, $1.50 but possibly worth it for the Australiana there presented. After lunch in the town, we took a back road to Quambatook – 50km of dead straight, traffic-less (and cop-less) road, and speeds went up and up till Dennis claimed 180km/h and even I managed 150. These long straight roads through dead flat country always remind me of the poem “The Riders” by Edwin Muir ….”At the dead centre of the boundless plain, does our way end?…” That evening was pub night, quoits in the bar with the winner paying for the next round. Modesty forbids my telling you who bought the first couple of rounds, but it wasn’t my pillion passenger Will, nor was it Les Stevenson…..

Next day we had a run to Koondrook, then over the Murray and on to Deniliquin along a typically poor, N.S.W.-type potholed road. Even so we did the distance, about 120km, in not much more than an hour. From Deniliquin we headed out to Steven’s Weir on the Wakool River, where Anthony (Suzi GT 380) and Julie (and Julie’s parents) had arranged a barbeque for us. This was really great, with incredibly long sausages to eat, tomato sauce and so on. The main interest at the weir was the fishing. All you need is a bucket. You squat ‘neath the weir and literally pluck the fish out of the water, as the fish coming though the water channel get caught up in the turbulence and are trapped in a corner. Most of the fish are carp, I think. This fishing isn’t very sporting but is most effective – you can get a bucket load in ten minutes.

From Deniliquin we headed south to the Cobb Highway, across the border again into Victoria, at Echuca, and back to Kerang along the rather featureless Murray Valley Highway. Will, by this time, was fed up with the Honda 500, and had transferred to Mark’s new Water Bottle Suzi 750. It’s an interesting speculation whether Mark will crash his new machine before he blows the engine, ‘cos the way he was riding, some of the time, suggests to me that one way or another it won’t last long. Les had borrowed Dennis’ mount and was obviously enjoying the power of a 500 complete with fairing and other trimmings. Must have felt different to the 250!

After 3 days of sunshine and warmth, the weather broke on the Monday, and most of us headed back to Melbourne that morning. It was particularly cold, and wet, going through the ranges near Kyneton, but we got to Melbourne at last, with most going to Dennis’ place in Balwyn for a drying out, warming up session. Big Daddy stayed on at Kerang for another day – he really must like the place, or was it the lure of coffee at 2am?

It was good to see so many club members at Kerang, even with the competition of Bathurst. The committee should be complimented on the new policy of having a camping trip every month, even during winter. Spending two or three days living in a ring of small tents seems to make for a really friendly atmosphere. Even the more shy and reserved members of the club relax, as they develop confidence in themselves and in each other.

----- Mike Davis -----