Brookton

Pingelly to Beverley day 6, Saturday 29 October 2011.

I left Pingelly at 9:14 on a cool sunny morning with moderate E ? SE winds. The wind was perfect and the road was wide and its surface was smooth, and there wasn’t much traffic and no steep hills, just gentle undulations. This was one of the best runs of the ride.

I got to Brookton, 384, non-stop in about an hour. I stopped in the main shopping street and had a rest and a drink. The place was bigger than I remembered, probably because I had only stopped on the eastern side of the railway line before. I had to head into the wind up Brookton Highway for a couple of km then turn back NW into the continuation of the Great Southern Highway towards Beverley.  ... Read more

York to Pingelly, day 3, Tuesday 12 October 1999. The morning was cool and cloudy with a light N drift. I left the motel at 735, 167, and cycled east until I reached the start of the Top Beverley road, seeking to save a couple of km and avoid heavy traffic.

I rested at 190. The wind was very light, from the NW. I rode on through Beverley, 198, without stopping, and rested again at 213, by which time the wind had gone around to the SW, right against me, but it was still gentle. I reached Brookton at 11 am, 232. I had a long rest and drink here. I felt good and the bike was perfect, and the word ‘doddle’ occurred to me as I faced the last 20 km into Pingelly, which I reached at 253, 12:20.  ... Read more

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

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

Beverley to Pingelley, Day 3, Thursday 26 October 1989. Started down the Great Southern Highway at 7:55 into a moderate headwind. Pleasant country. Arrived at Brookton (17171), an attractive town, about 10. I had an early lunch and a sleep on the grass in front of the railway station.

I arrived in Pingelly about 11.55. The hotel was a bit run-down and the owners had gone to Perth, leaving people in charge who didn’t know what they were doing. There is a motel in Pingelly but this wasn’t listed on my accomodation guide, otherwise I would have used it.

The town wasn’t as well cared for as Beverley and the railway station was ruined and vandalised like the one at Mt Barker (qv 1987).  ... Read more

Brookton is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, Australia, 138 kilometres (86 mi) from the state capital, Perth via the Brookton Highway where it crosses the Great Southern Highway. The town is also located on the Great Southern railway line. It is located within, and is the seat of government for the Shire of Brookton.