Bridgetown

This is the eighth of a series of retrospective bike stories, of rides taken before 1987. 1987 was the first ride to be fully documented in the current format, with distances, speeds, rest stops and so on, moreover written as soon after the event as possible.

This was the year in which I got away from the Monday to Saturday 5-night, six-day format. I broke through limits and went further than before, into a lot of unknown territory for me, taking 8 nights and nine riding days. I started on a Friday instead of the traditional Monday.

Charles A. Pierce

Other Days on this Tour:

Daily Locations for this Tour:

Bridgetown to Pemberton, day 3, Sunday 17 November 1985. I had breakfast of snacks bought the previous afternoon. I set off down Hampton Street, crossed the river and this time turned left for the South Western Highway, not right for the Brockman Highway as in 1983.

I had only travelled this road by car and bus and not taken much notice of its topography, so I was pleased to discover that the road between Bridgetown and Manjimup is not too hilly. Just moderate, manageable ups and downs. I did the 35 km in reasonable time, passing Yornup where the radio station 6BY was located. It is now part of the GWN network. I took a drink break at about half-way.

In Manjimup I took the opportunity for a rest and refreshment break and telephoned to book a room in a riverside resort, the Forest Lodge, about 4 km east of Pemberton.  ... Read more

Manjimup to Greenbushes, day 7, Thursday 21 November 1985. I felt a bit better than I had the previous morning, but still had my problem after breakfast. I started on the road to Bridgetown, hoping that things would improve.

I stopped at Yornup to use the public phone and try to ring my parents. I usually rang them every couple of days on these rides because they worried. I hadn’t been able to get them for a few days – the phone was either engaged or they weren’t answering. I had only just got my answering machine, but few people did in those days and there was no 101 service. I couldn’t get them at Yornup so I pressed on.

When I reached Bridgetown after between two and three hours, with stops to rest, it was clear that another Episode was coming.  ... Read more

Greenbushes to Nannup, day 2, Tuesday 22 November 1983. I had breakfast in the dining room, then got ready to leave. I had decided to head for Bridgetown, then turn right and go to Nannup along the Brockman Highway.

I found the going hard because of the effort of the previous day, and not having a sufficient range of gears. There were some good downhill runs but some steep climbs, the one before Bridgetown, Hester’s Hill, being the most challenging, well-known to local bike tourists. After that there is a good downhill run into the town.

I stopped at the corner of Hampton street and Steere Street, bought some drinks at the shop and sat down to rest. I had only done 17 km but it felt like a full day’s riding already.  ... Read more

Bridgetown is a town in the South West region of Western Australia, approximately 270 kilometres (168 mi) south of Perth on the Blackwood River at the intersection of South Western Highway with Brockman Highway to Nannup and Augusta. Bridgetown is the seat of the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes and the centre of a productive agricultural district. Many buildings in the town centre are over a century old. The town has a Jigsaw Gallery and Museum, which claims to host the only jigsaw collection of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, and numerous picnic spots along the Blackwood River.

Manjimup to Greenbushes, day 6, Monday 21 October 2002. I left Manjimup at 9:17. The wind was still a northwesterly headwind, moderate but freshening. The road from Manjimup to Bridgetown is quite moderate in its hills and I got along all right. I rested at 1315, passed Mersea Road, where I had sheltered from that hailstorm in 1998, and got to Bridgetown at 11:24, 1333. As often before I sat on the wooden seat in Steere Street, had a drink from the nearby shop and thought about where I had been and where I was going, and how I felt about going on. I took a picture of the spot.

I got going again at 12:02, climbed Hester’s Hill for a while then just got off and walked to the summit.  ... Read more

Boyup Brook to Nannup, day 3, Wednesday 20 September 2000. This was to be the first challenge day of the trip. The distance wasn’t extreme but it would be hilly. The day started sunny and cold but clouds soon covered the sky. The wind was light SE changing to S then SW. I was going to take a rest in Bridgetown and decide whether I could go on to Nannup. I was determined to go on because stopping for the night in Bridgetown would throw the whole trip out of whack and it would become another 1983, but the option was there if I really needed it.

After a nice big breakfast in the silence of the deserted pub I let self and bike out of the front door and rolled away at 7:47.  ... Read more

Cottesloe to Windy Harbour Tour 1998 – 10 days, 627 km cumulative distance.

The aim of this trip was to return to Windy Harbour, only this time to do it better, faster, with less hardship and fewer mishaps than in 1985, drawing on the experience gained over the years.

Charles A. Pierce

Other Days on this Tour:

Daily Locations for this Tour:

Greenbushes to Manjimup, day 2, Tuesday 13 October 1998. The morning was cold with strong NW-SW winds. Rain had fallen during the night and early morning and would continue to come through during the day, with clear spells.

The sky was blue as I went in to breakfast at 5:40. I had been told that the kitchen was open with breakfast available from 5 am, since this is not a tourist hotel but is geared to workers who travel from town to town, and ideal for cyclists, who often want an early start, as well. I had a lot of cereal, bacon and eggs and toast. When I came out, rain was falling again. I went back to bed for a while and didn’t finally get rolling on my day’s ride until 8:49.  ... Read more

Pemberton to Bridgetown, day 6, Saturday 17 October 1998. This loomed as the second challenge day of the trip, though more so than Day 1. I thought that if I made Bridgetown on this day it would get progressively easier and I would get home all right. I left the motel at 8:19 and the odometer read 6502 as I reached the Vasse Highway and turned right. Winds were fresh W with a bit of NW before a squall but gradually going SW.

I have ridden along this stretch of road, let me see, five times. I thought it had been more. There were some showers but nothing too bad until I reached the well-remembered junction with South Western Highway , 6519, and found somewhere to shelter while I had my drink and a shower moved through.  ... Read more