Perth to the Stirling Range 1993

Perth to the Stirling Range, 9 days, 1993. Cumulative distance 596km. This was to be the fulfilment of a dream that started in 1987, when I rode by the western edge of the Stirling Range and was prevented by weather and tiredness from taking a detour into it.

The idea was to get to Bluff Knoll, climb it, and ride back to Perth. Instead of starting the ride at Bunbury, as I had so many others, I decided to start this one at Albany, using the new flexibility offered by the discovery that, for $25, Niteroad will take your bike to Albany or Bunbury in less than 24 hours, or to any other point at which it is desired that a ride should start.  … Read more

Perth to Albany Coach Ride, preliminary day, Tuesday 19 October 1993. The bike had been taken down on Monday 18 October by Niteroad and left at the depot in Albany. I took the 9 am Westrail coach for Albany, the fast 6-hour journey via Williams. I had already booked a room in the Ace motel.

The coach was crowded. I sat next to a man who wanted to hear all about my proposed ride. The bus passed through forest, with the occasional roadhouse. The wildflowers looked good. We arrived in Williams 5 minutes late and had a half-hour break. South of Kojonup the Stirling Range began to loom up and looked very impressive in the distance, a bit daunting to me planning to ride through them and climb the biggest mountain.  ... Read more

Albany to Porongurup, day 1, Wednesday 20 October 1993. Cloudy, cool, ENE headwind as I left the motel at 8:38. I went round the great roundabout and headed up the Chester Pass Road towards the Porongurup Range looming in the distance. The odometer seemed to be reading quite precisely, checking it against the 5km posts beside the road.

I passed through pleasant wooded country and rested for the first time at 27342. As I approached the mountains I was climbing steadily but it was manageable. I rested again at 27358 and reached the Porongurup Road turnoff at 27363. The road became hilly. After a downhill run to the Karribank Motel (now the Karribank Retreat) I reached it at 11:40, 27372.

I booked in, dumped the heavy luggage and went back to the Bolganup Road turnoff, 27373, to climb the Porongurup Range.  ... Read more

Porongurup to the Stirling Range, day 2, Thursday 21 October 1993. It had rained most of the night and was still drizzling in the morning. Grey clouds tumbled down the Porongurup Range and a cold wind blew from the ENE. When the hills were visible and the sky had brightened and the rain eased to a few spots I decided to get going, which I did at 8:05. The rain increased in intensity after a few minutes and kept going, though the sky seemed to be clearing, for an hour.

I had decided to take a short cut through ‘Spring Road’ a muddy gravel track, saving about 3km of the journey, though I don’t know if it was worth it. I was soaked by the time I took my first rest, at 27396.  ... Read more

Stirling Range to Gnowangerup, day 3, Friday 22 October 1993. I cleaned and oiled the bike, as I normally do on these rides after a wet ride, and left Stirling Range Caravan Park at 9:38. It was late but I had wanted to rest up.

This was to be a harder day than I had expected. I think I had overdone it on Thursday, also conditions were different from what I had imagined when planning the trip. I had thought I would be leaving the Stirlings with a good downhill run and a tailwind. Actually the winds turned northwest and freshened, and they were to stay NW for five days – quite unusual and demoralising for someone riding NW for five days.  ... Read more

Gnowangerup to Katanning, day 4, Saturday 23 October 1993. The winds started out with a promise of a bit of southerly in the westerly but as the day went on they shifted to the north again. This was to be 61km into a fresh head- or cross-wind.

I left Gnowangerup at 9:04 and took my first rest at 27533, then again at at 27546. I wanted to save a kilometre by taking the gravel track 1km before the normal turnoff to Broomehill, because the map showed it going right into the town. As it turned out the roads got a bit confused, or I did, and the km was wasted finding the Great Southern Highway again. I stopped at Broomehill, 27561, for a drink, at a shop in the main street.  ... Read more

Katanning to Wagin, day 5, Sunday 24 October 1993. The wind had strengthened from the west and there was to be rain. I left Katanning at 9:35 and headed due west for 12 km. Rain started soon after my day’s ride began and kept falling. It doesn’t take long to get soaked under these circumstances.

The right toe-clip fell off at 27588. The nuts had shaken loose after only a few hundred km and the thing was dangling by a strap. I tied it on with wire and it was perfect. rested at 27595, after which the road turned north for a while. This was better because the wind was mainly a cross-wind, turning a bit southerly after squalls. Later the road resumed its NNW alignment and the wind was either against me or not helping.  ... Read more

Wagin to Narrogin, day 6, Monday 25 October 1993. The day was fine with a light westerly, sometimes going WSW, not helpful but not too opposing. I cleaned and oiled the bike and left Wagin at 9:40. I had slept in after a Panquil but still felt a bit challenged by the mere 50km to Narrogin.

I got a bit lost on my way out of Wagin, because the main highway resumes after going along a street to the northwest of the town. I rested 27653, passed Piesseville without stopping at 27656, rested again at 27668 and 27678. I arrived at the Hordern Hotel, Narrogin at 12:55, 27688. This is a big dark old-fashioned country pub which like many of them is past its best.  ... Read more

Narrogin to Brookton, day 7, Tuesday 26 October 1993. The day started off calm, but a westerly steadily increased in strength. This was mainly a cross-breeze, opposing slightly most of the time with the occasional bit of help when the road ran a bit NNE. The day was clear. I left Narrogin at 7:59. I felt surprisingly good, as though the efforts of the previous 3 days were finally paying off in better fitness.

I did not stop until 27706, north of Cuballing. I had done just under 19km in the first hour. I rested at Popanyinning, 27721, had a choc milk and sat at the picnic spot for a while. I rested at Pingelly, sat down for a while, 27737.  ... Read more

Brookton to York, day 8, Wednesday 27 October 1993. I had a good night’s sleep in Brookton without any pills. Rain started to fall at about 10 pm and kept on through the night. The morning was clear, but very cold and windy with a promise of more fierce squalls to come drifting across from the west. The wind had enough south in it to be helpful, and after leaving the Brookton Hotel at 7:58 I made good time in the first hour of a beautiful sparkling sunny morning with the countryside looking fresh.

I stopped for my first rest after doing 21km in the first hour, at 27779. Two strong dark storms approached from the west as I rode on but there was a clear gap between them, and I thought that with their direction of travel and my northward progress, the gap would pass over me.  ... Read more