Narrogin

Narrogin is a large town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, 192 kilometres (119 mi) southeast of Perth on the Great Southern Highway between Pingelly and Wagin. In the age of steam engines, Narrogin was one of the largest railway operation hubs in the southern part of Western Australia. The Old Court House Museum is a major attraction for tourists.

Perth to Dumbleyung 2007, 9 days, cumulative distance 455 km. The aim of this trip, the first since 2005, was to take an opportunity which probably won’t come again; to start deep in the Great Southern and ride home via Dumbleyung and see Dumbleyung lake, which was more full than for some years due to a reasonable season in the area. I had this plan some years ago, during the Stirlings ride of 1993, but didn’t feel able to go there on that occasion.

Again I took my digital camera on this trip. I took pictures of orchids again, reflecting my particular interest, and of the towns and countryside and of bodies of water that were in better shape than usual.  ... Read more

Wagin to Narrogin day 5, Monday 22 October 2007. I left the hotel at 9:45 am on a cool sunny morning, with winds SSE, helpful again, a tailwind. I found the Great Southern Highway without any trouble. There was a long climb out of Wagin, and when I stopped at the top of it and looked back there was a great view of the country behind. I passed through Piesseville – there were a hall and a few buildings – and rested after that, at 490.

I reached Highbury at 507. There was a shop, established 1945. I went in and bought a drink. The lady was dressed in a thick cardigan and asked how I could go around in just a shirt when it was so cold.  ... Read more

Narrogin to Williams day 6, Tuesday 18 October 2007. I left the motel at 10 am but didn’t head for Williams straight away. I took the opportunity to ride into Foxes’ Lair, a nature park on the other side of the road from the motel. The motel brochures encouraged guests to visit it. There were gravel tracks going in to a car park, where there were information boards about walk tracks of different lengths. I took one of these and took some pictures. The wildflowers were splendid. At one point the walk track ran along a cliff edge and there was a view of the woodland and country.

The wind was behind me as I turned back onto the main road and headed for Williams.  ... Read more

Williams to Wickepin, day 5, Friday 17 October 2003.

ANOTHER WIMP-OUT

When I awoke I found it hard to get up, I felt unable to manage the next two days, with two 70 kilometre runs. I did get up and get going, but this feeling on first waking up was the seed of the wimp-out to come.

I left the hotel at 8:23 am on a cool sunny morning, with winds westerly to south-westerly, a tailwind. The day became overcast as I went on. I went over the bridge and turned onto the Narrogin road, and took my first rest at 1044, at a concrete bench and seats conveniently set up beside the road. I was not carrying too many drinks – I was going to buy one in Narrogin to have at my second rest.  ... Read more

Cottesloe to Harrismith 1999 – 11 days, 726 km cumulative distance. The aim of this trip was not decided at the outset. It depended on weather and wind conditions, how I felt and how the new bike, built with some difficulty and finally with some haste, would go. I was clear that I wanted to reach Wickepin on Day 4, but after that I would be flexible.

Originally I had planned to start from Albany and come back through Denmark and Walpole, visiting the Valley of the Giants and trying the new tree-top walk, but the ‘Walpole Problem’ of a 120 km gap with nowhere to stay between Walpole and Manjimup made me realise that I would have to come back through Northcliffe and up the South Western Highway, which I had only done the previous year.  ... Read more

Harrismith to Narrogin, day 6, Friday 15 October 1999. This loomed as the second challenge day of the trip, though more so than Day 3. I thought that if I made Narrogin on this day it would get progressively easier and I would get home all right. I was dismayed to find when I awoke that the wind had freshened again and was nearly as strong as the day before, and shifting NW. It looked as though another strong rain system was moving in, though the morning was sunny. Clouds gathered as the day went on.

I went into the hotel kitchen and made my breakfast. Another man was staying at the hotel and was doing the same. We sat and ate breakfast and read some of the papers that were lying about.  ... Read more

Narrogin to Williams, day 7, Saturday 16 October 1999. The day was cold and the wind was SW and moderate to fresh as I rolled away from the Narrogin motel at 9:30.

It was only 31 km to Williams by the shortest road so I decided to take the long way to look at the southern part of the Dryandra Woodland. I took the Narrogin-Congelin Road and reached the junction with Bradford Road, 446, and took a break. At this point I was going to decide whether to go further west and link up with Rosedale Road, or just go straight down Bradford Road to join Clayton Road and proceed to Williams. The roads to the west would be gravel and they didn’t look all that good at the start, so I decided to take Bradford Road.  ... 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

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