Emus Online January 2011

Emus Online

^{Edited by Robert Edmonds The full edition with pictures can be viewed by clicking on the link above.}

The Great Victorian Bike Ride 2010 – from a volunteer’s point of view

Lauris Stirling

Unfortunately Ian was receiving treatment for a crook hip leading up to the ride and decided on the Tuesday before, that riding 600km was not a sensible idea.

We both changed from rider/volunteers to full time volunteers and still had our ‘week’ away. I guess it was a working holiday.

Since 2001, Ian and I have participated in 8 Bicycle Victoria bike rides, 7 in Victoria and 1 in Tasmania. It is our idea of a holiday. The GVBR is held in the last week of November – first week of December. They focus on one of 5 areas of Victoria.

This year it was central Victoria – Yarrawonga to Marysville.

Given that accommodation is in tents, weather plays a big part. Past rides are remembered for extreme heat, or strong head winds etc. this one was dominated by ‘water’. Alternate camping areas needed to be found, from time to time due to excessive ground water. The challenge each day was to get your tent up between showers and hopefully keep your sleeping gear dry. Although it was wet the air temperature was warm to hot – a bit tropical really.

Read the full story from the link above.

New Equipment Container

The new equipment container arrived at the Nivens, but the truck could not quite put it in the right spot. With all the rain, the truck slithered and sunk, right down to the axels, creating a lot of damage – one tree, one gate post, one fence, one down pipe, one rain water pipe, one timber baulk and that’s only what we could be seen.  There was water gushing up from below.

The driver suggested a 4WD could delicately drive past it then pull the container the last three feet. Either that or push from the front with a tyre in between. That might be safer; at least the 4WD wouldn’t get trapped.  The box then needs to go sideways 6 inches to be actually in the prepared hole. The ground is very soft, so we’ll try again when the ground has dried out.