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Forests in the rain.

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GU221 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 10 Jul 2015 at 04:45

The forests in the south of Western Australia make great road trips. The sight and smell of the forest and its undulating twisty roads are riding heaven, especially in our winter, when it is lush and green. Even in the rain, riding is a pleasure here. Frosts are rare, but do happen. Taking the inland roads south from Perth, the forests start at Bridgetown, then we rode through Manjimup and Pemberton to a cottage we rented for a couple of nights near Northcliffe. Its about 300 miles for the day.

We stoped at Pemberton, an old town built around the timber mill. The Karri trees are the third biggest trees in the world, which grow to 300 feet. Not many that size left, of course. They were mostly milled to make railway sleepers here, and shipped to England. There are still some original stands of karri left after all the massive logging early last century, but most big trees are about 90 years old now. Logging continues, but on a vastly reduced scale and in regrowth areas.

The cottage, on a farm  carved out of the forest. Log fire, no phones, no internet, were the requirements. This place suited us well.

We had lots of visitors here, of the feathered and furry variety. Angus and Murray Grey calves, correllas, black swans, geese, shoveller ducks, all came up to the fence, or on the lawn. These emus are not common here, and surprisingly there were very few roos around.

I love these roads! Fast, and not much traffic. 30-40 miles between small towns. The occasional bit of cleared land has dairy farms and vineyards.

The logs were originally carried on bullock carts. Little railroad tracks then criss crossed the forest to take the logs out on narrow guage lines. Pemberton was the station where they were transferred to normal guage track and taken to Fremantle. Now all the tracks are overgrown, and this train has nowhere to go.

 

The bike makes its own reflection in the forest. It rained hard the last day. Stopping in the forest you can hear all the birds, and breathe in the clean air. The trees are scarred from hot summer fire, probably started by lightning. They recover quickly from the flames, which are just part of the forest’s self renewal every few years.

I may be a bit mad, but we really enjoy riding down here in the rain in the cooler weather. A good set of Rukkas help, with only thermals underneath, and goretex ski gloves. Not to mention a hipflask with a wee dram of Glenmorangie in the pocket. Stayed warm and dry. Its not all hot and brown and dry in Oz. Our winter is a good riding time.

Cheers

Richard

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David Nimrod View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote David Nimrod Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jul 2015 at 08:12
Really nice Ride Report Thumbs Up

Would love to ride those roads...

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Barry View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Barry Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jul 2015 at 08:18
Nice report. Thanks for sharing!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote johnno Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jul 2015 at 08:38
top report and pictures . That is one great looking motorcycle is it a Bellagio turned into a roadsterThumbs Up
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Dave P. View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dave P. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jul 2015 at 09:40
Cracking report,educational too.
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GU221 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote GU221 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jul 2015 at 16:10
Originally posted by johnno johnno wrote:

top report and pictures . That is one great looking motorcycle is it a Bellagio turned into a roadsterThumbs Up
 
Thanks all. Yes, its a Bellagio roadster.
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iceni View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote iceni Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jul 2015 at 17:28
Great country, great roads, great bike. Can't have better than that
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote OldJohnboy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jul 2015 at 19:40
My son and his partner are back off on their travels on Sunday; They're due to arrive in Oz in about 11 weeks time. He's a tree surgeon, so I showed him your photos which has really piqued his interest.
They have arranged their work permits, so he should be able to find some tree work after they've spent their travelling money. He likes the look of your 'neck of the woods' so to speak, (as do I) so thanks for the photos.
I remember seeing your bike on here before - very nice, and why the hell don't Guzzi do something like that?
I know I'm wasting my time even asking that question! Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TooJuicy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 Jul 2015 at 18:10
Originally posted by johnno johnno wrote:

top report and pictures . That is one great looking motorcycle is it a Bellagio turned into a roadsterThumbs Up
 
on the bike, see here for more details:-
 
 
Tony
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