3 Museums April 2021

You meet the nicest people on a HondaBMW

A machine is like a desert. Either it fascinates or appalls you. - Wilfred Noyce, The Springs of Adventure.

Showing up anywhere on a bike means people will often go out of their way to talk to you, to share stories or ask questions. They don't even have to see you together with your bike - the clothes you wear are like a flag signaling your allegiance. Being open to these conversations means that you'll meet people with whom you might otherwise never have had an opportunity to interact. And you will be better for it.

All line drawings of things mechanical come from the classic book by P.E. Irving, Tuning for Speed, Newnes Books, 5th ed, 1969

Tilly

Tilly - short for Matilda - was with her parents when we arrived at the Barrington Riverside Cottages for our first night's accommodation. Even though she wasn't dressed for motorcycle riding - or even tricycle riding for that matter - wearing brown flannelette PJs stenciled with bunny rabbits and Ugg boot slippers, Tilly accepted Peter's offer to pillion for the 100m to our cabin. Realising he may have overstepped the mark - what could possibly go wrong - Peter checked with Tilly's parents that it was OK for Tilly to ride with him. Afterwards she was overwhelmed by the attention she received, clung to her dad's leg and made a dash for the farm ute, so it's hard to know how she felt about her first motorcycle adventure. Indeed, it's hard to know how apparently inconsequential encounters might influence an individual's life choices. Tilly may remember her ride on the mothership (A.K.A. Peter's BMW 1600GT) with affection and could even take up riding when she's old enough.

Getting off highways onto secondary roads is our aim on trips like this. On highways I find myself combating boredom, fighting to maintain the concentration needed to ride safely at legal speeds. On secondary roads it's easier and it doesn't take long to enter a state of flow where all your concentration is focused on the riding, road conditions, the next corner and setting yourself up to ride smoothly - not quite on the edge, but with a margin to allow for the unexpected. It's about living in the moment. There's no need to think about other things that may be troubling you or even about the destination - unless a coffee is required.

The Barrington Riverside Cottages are well worth a visit.

Firepit People

Simon loves his job. We know that because he speaks passionately about the many interesting things on which he works. For example Simon is consulting on the construction of a replica White House - yes that White House at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave Washington DC. It's to be constructed in a paddock near Braidwood, NSW - more on that shortly.

Peter and I were grateful that Simon bought the wine we had for dinner and we were grateful that he bought 2 bottles instead of 3. No doubt we would have consumed 3 bottles if they'd been available, been worse for it on Wednesday and we would have gone to bed instead of wandering over to the firepit and so missed out on chatting with the firepit people.

The firepit at the Barrington Cottages is a basket that had been used to wash coal. It is now being put to a much better use - now you know I'm a tree-hugging greenie!

The fire in the coal washing basket was burning nicely, thanks to the efforts of other residents of the Barrington Riverside Cottages. It soon became clear that the 8 of them knew each other well and we learnt they have travelled together extensively in Australia, including traversing the deserts of WA in rented 4WDs.

When Peter, Simon and I arrived at the firepit, all conversation stopped and the firepit people's attention shifted away from the fire and onto the strangers in their midst. We were interrogated, answered their many questions and we asked our own. Each of us in turn was briefly the centre of attention until finally it was Simon's turn to hold the talking stick when someone said "and what about you, the quiet one?" Oh the irony!

One couple, whose accents reminded me of ABC newsreaders from the 1960s, had recently sold their rural property near Braidwood and moved into "town". They knew, it transpired, the house in Braidwood where my aunt Janelle and her husband Lindsay lived in the late 1970's. They also remembered the manual telephone exchange in Braidwood, where Janelle worked as a switchboard operator and had probably conversed with her many times. Further conversation revealed that they had sold their property to someone with the hair-brained idea to build a replica of the White House. They didn't know the buyer's name, but Simon did.

John

The person who took our money at the National Motorcycle Museum in Nabiac didn't introduce herself and couldn't wait to get back to whatever she was viewing on her iPad.

The person who took our money at the Powerhouse Motorcycle Museum in Tamworth loves bikes and loves talking. He made us a cup of tea. His name is John.

After he made us a cup of tea, each of us had long conversations with John that went something like this: "What are you riding?", "What have you owned?" and "What bikes in the exhibition would you like to take home?" Soon though, the conversation shifts as John turns your attention onto him. "I owned these bikes when I was young" or "I rode to this or that inaccessible location" or "I rode with [insert famous motorcycling personality here]". John was not interested in us, our bikes or our experiences, but was looking for opportunities to make himself the centre of attention.

But, you know, that didn't really matter: the Powerhouse Motorcycle Museum in Tamworth is a wonderful place. And all of us have probably been a version of John when presented with a willing listener who shares our passion for two wheels. Thanks for making our visit to your museum so memorable, John.

Greg - not his real name

"Though sometimes scoffed at as being a butcher's method of obtaining power, the best way to get the most out of a given engine capacity is by "blowing"."
Irving, P.E. Tuning for Speed, 5th Ed. 1969, P202

Recently I read an article about the power used when riding motorcycles on the road. It turns out that even the most spirited rider's power needs top out at 50hp. With that in mind, let's meet Greg, a fellow visitor to the Powerhouse Motorcycle Museum in Tamworth.

After running the conversational gauntlet thrown down by John and drinking our fill from the tea cup and chalice of motorcycles on display, Greg's and our departures coincided. In the carpark we sized up the others bikes - like dogs sniffing each others' butts. Greg was riding a Kawasaki NINJA H2R and was happy to share specs and we were happy to listen.

The Kawasaki H2R Ninja's supercharged engine produces over 300 hp off the showroom floor. Greg wanted more power so he spent $5000 increasing output to an off the dial, insane, 325 hp. Greg laughed through his missing front teeth when he told us this, admitting that a rational person would have spent the $5000 on getting new teeth. But Greg has the satisfaction of knowing that his Kawasaki H2R will reach 50hp much faster than any of our bikes.

Greg's Kawasaki supercharged H2

Greg was heading down Thunderbolt's Way to the National Motorcycle Museum in Nabiac from where we'd just come. We warned him that there were highway patrol cars on that road. Greg wasn't concerned explaining that, as a cabbie in Brisbane, he had earned a get-out-of-gaol-free-card picking up policemen after big nights on the booze. Just how effective this was at keeping him out of trouble is unclear - not very apparently, as Greg admitted to being on his 14th licence. Watching Greg go and waiting for the ringing in our ears to subside from his ludicrously loud exhaust, we wondered whether all highway patrol officers in NSW are ex-Brisbane police lushes and how effectively his strategy would be if the highway patrol officer was a woman.

All trussed up

We decided not to depart Glen Innes for Brisbane in the early morning to allow time for the ice on our motorcycles' seats and the New the England Highway melt. We settled down in the warmth of Smeaton's Bakery in Bourke street for a big breakfast and a coffee or two.

The conversation I have concocted has Peter saying "Simon, WTF, why are you washing your bike - it's freezing cold and I want my big breakfast....now!"

Over our 3rd coffee, we turned our attention to the covered walkway across the road. We decided it was ugly and Simon pointed out that the roof was supported by a king post truss whose design was sub-optimal. I've left out a layman's explanation of that, for the simple reason that I have no idea what constitutes an optimally designed king post truss.

With no room for more coffee, the ice having melted and no other buildings calling out for architectural or engineering critiques, we headed north.

We had expected the New England Highway to be bustling with B-Double trucks and grey nomads in VW Touaregs towing Zone caravans heading north to Queensland's warmth. But we had the highway pretty much to ourselves. Maybe the upgraded Pacific Highway is the preferred Sydney-Brisbane route for road traffic. Whatever the reason, the New England Highway was desserted, which is just as well as we soon stopped abruptly to check out what we later learnt was the Sunnyside rail bridge over the Tenterfield creek.

The Sunnyside rail bridge over the Tenterfield Creek. Simon tells me that this bridge uses queen post trusses.

Stopped on the side of the almost traffic-free New England Highway to checkout the Sunnyside railway bridge

3'6" into 4'8½" won't go

Australia's colonies constructed their railways without regard to cross-border train travel. Queensland built a 3'6" narrow gauge railway, while NSW's rails are 4'8½" standard gauge (named after the British standard adopted in 1845). Those wishing to travel by train between NSW and Queensland changed trains at Wallangarra, a railway town on the border, south of Stanthorpe. Here, Sydney Mail passengers alighted on the East side of the platform and walked to the Brisbane Limited on the West side or vice versa. This ritual was in place between 1887 and 1972 when the railway line was closed for good.

The only sign of sanity is that the 2 states agreed on a single railway station building. Unique awnings on each side of the station differentiate Queenlsand's side from NSW's.

Simon found the special Historic Engineering marker attached to the station, pointing out that he was NSW president of that organisation - appropriate, as he has recently retired and, like fellow retirees Peter and me, Simon is now of "historical interest".

The Wallangarra Station has a coffee shop - unbelievable, I know. While consuming our favourite beverages - large cappuccinos for Peter and me and a small cappuccino with an extra shot for Simon - we watched a Harley rider leave his bike in a nearby street, walk across a park, the 3'6" tracks and clamber onto the platform to buy a coffee. We got to talking. I won't recount his full employment history as a Brisbane truck driver (for which he is still in demand), his early retirement to Tenterfield to be with his mum, the construction of his new home and the detrimental impact hungry mice have had on the wiring of his motorcycles. I will reveal though, that he didn't park in the adjacent carpark because his Harley Davidson would get dusty while he drank his coffee - Harley riders are very special indeed!

Great Scotts

Our hosts in Brisbane were the Scotts - Peter, Judy and Jamie. They generously offered us a bed and allowed us to corall 3 BMWs in their courtyard while we explored Brisbane and its motorcycle exhibition.

Peter and Judy's house is in one of Brisbane's Eastern suburbs, counter intuitively called Manly West. In getting there I made the mistake of assuming that no large cities, other than the one in which I live, have peak hour traffic. So we descended the truly scenic Scenic Rim just as the afternoon's peak hour traffic in Brisbane's southwest started to bubble. No need to worry, though, as our GPSs will get us to where we needed to be. I did discover that having 2 GPSs vieing for your attention - my phone displaying Waze and a Garmin Zumo - is not ideal when negotiating busy and unfamiliar roads on dusk in peak hour. Lesson learned!

This video of our Scenic Rim ride is accompanied by saprano Heather Lee singing O Pastor Animarum written by Hildegard of Bingen who lived between 1098-1179. The vocals are overlain by the sound of a Pulsar PSR B0329+54 which is 3,460 light years from Earth. The radio signal was recorded recently and converted into sound as part of the Sounds of Space project.

Judy and Peter were especially gracious to offer Simon and I accommodation - not because they knew we snored (I don't think Peter Doddrell told them, but I'm sure they found out), but because they were preparing for a significant birthday for Judy - with lots of guests invited and lots of things to do in the days leading up to the big party. The party was why Peter Doddrell and Vicki (Judy's bestie) were there in the first place and Simon and I had piggy backed on Peter D's invitation.

Had this been my house and my party, I may have taken Bilbo Baggins' lead and placed this sign on the front gate - but Peter and Judy didn't and we felt welcome.

Staying with the Scotts allowed us to drive into the Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art (or QAGOMA - a truly awful acronym) wearing clothes more suited to Brisbane's weather. It also allowed us to test drive Judy and Peter Scott's house in party mode. We gave it 5 stars!

Pre-party party time at Peter and Judy Scott's

The 3 Museums

If you ask Dr Google to define a museum, the first result is "a building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited." This is true, but I think a good museum should be more than a building with stuff in it, it should tell a story and take the visitor on a journey after which they feel enlightened. It's not even necessary for a museum to answer all questions a visitor might have - a good museum will leave a visitor wanting to know more than the location of the nearest cafe.

Nabiac certainly fits Google's definition of a museum - it's a big building with lots of motorcycles and other stuff in it. In fact the museum is stuffed on a number of levels: firstly there are so many bikes that it's not possible to see more than the front or rear of most bikes; secondly there is no attempt to tell stories about the motorcycle, the technology or the people who made and rode them. For me the enduring message I took away from The National Motorcycle Museum in Nabiac is that in a shed stuffed with bikes there is a lot of dust.

Addendum: A Canadian friend, Mike Limebeer, who has visited the National Motorcycle Museum in Nabiac, read this blog and suggested that Nabiac really means “numerous assorted bikes in awful condition”. Thanks Mike, spot on!

Two BMW R60/2s. The top is on display at Nabiac, while the other is Ian's. The engine numbers on the Nabiac R60 is 622393, while Ian's in 622274 - only 119 bikes apart. They may have rolled off the production line during the same month or week in the early 1960s. The Nabiac bike, like nearly every other bike on exhibit there, needs some Autosol!

The Powerhouse Museum in Tamworth is tiny in comparison with Nabiac - tacitly acknowledged by a wall of mirrors employed to make it look bigger than it is. It's housed in a small rectangular room with 3 rows of bikes, some standing on platforms to give them the prominence they deserve - for example a brand new and unused MV Augusta. But, as Simon puts it, "Tamworth is like Nabiac with a few gallons of autosol." Every bike is beautifully presented - either in pristine original condition or immaculately restored.

Peter checks out the evolution of Ducati motorcycles at the Powerhouse Museum, Tamworth

There is some attempt at showing how bikes have evolved by placing similar makes and models in groups but the only compelling thing for us was to find a mint condition example of bikes we've owned. The best part of the Powerhouse Museum in Tamworth was the person who took our money, John who made us a cup of tea and acted as tour guide. John loved talking about bikes and animated the museum though his passion and deep knowledge of every bike in the collection, not just those on display.

The Queensland Art gallery and Museum of Modern Art's exhibition "The Motorcycle: Design, Art, Desire’ opened the throttle on the ground-breaking designs that shaped one of the most iconic objects the world has ever seen." certainly set a high bar which I think they easily cleared. Even before entering the exhibition we knew we were in for a treat given the quirky treatment of motorcycle helmets near the ticket gates. I left the museum feeling satisfied in ways the other museums could not match. For example I had a clear sense of the ways in which motorcycles have evolved in response to technological advances. We also saw the how the power of advertising and popular culture can drive motorcycle evolution.

QAGOMA's stunning display of motorcycles

1938 Triumph Speed twin at the QAGOMA

Ian's parents on their 1946 Speed Twin Triumph in 1950. George was 22 and Elaine 19 when these photos were taken.

The last part of the exhibition on electric bikes was exciting. Not only did we get a glimpse into the future but many of the bikes on display were made in Australia. Wouldn't it be great if my next bike was electric and made in Perth.

The SAVIC, on display at QAGOMA, is electric and made in Perth, Western Australia. $24,000AUD, at the time of writing, will get you a bike that produces 60KW and has a city range of 200Km before a recharge is required. A seat for a pillion is an optional extra.

Take a walk through the 3 museums with Simon as your guide

People just like to talk

Simon and I left the Scotts and Peter and Vicki to their partying early on Saturday 24th April.

We took the M1 freeway between Brisbane and the border with NSW. This is an effective way of moving lots of cars and trucks very quickly but with views limited to industrial estates, sprawling residential subdivisions and far too many fast food outlets. It is a transit stage that we couldn't wait to finish. The traffic density also meant that riding on auto pilot wasn't wise, with hundreds of on and off ramps resulting in other vehicles changing lanes with an alarming lack of attention to other road users - including us.

Crossing into NSW and over the Tweed River bridge was like a cool southerly change sweeping away a heatwave during a Sydney summer. The fast food joints and industrial estates were replaced by trees, sugarcane and grassy paddocks.

In Murwillumbah Simon found the Barcaro Cafe next door to the Murwillumbah Arts Precinct. Even the art precinct's office was a beautiful Airstream land yacht - Simon is wondering whether he should cancel his order for a new Zone Caravan and make an offer on this one

We met John in Murwillumbah - a retired truck driver who described in detail how he had modified nearly everything on his Isuzu ute to suit his grey nomad life. The whole conversation started with "G'day mate" from me and ended 30 minutes later when Simon, who is about to become a grey nomad himself, encouraged John to continue sharing his tips and tricks for life on the road.

If you are a VW Kombi affinicando, it would appear that the area around Nimbin is the place to be. So we shouldn't have been surprised that our ride along the Kyogle Road between Murwillumbah and Kyogle was often slowed by beautifully restored Kombis. We know that they were headed to Nimbin because they disappeared at the Nimbin turnoffs leaving the stunning Kyogle road open for Simon and I to have some fun.

The scenery between Murwillumbah and Kyogle owes much to the volcanic peaks of the Mount Warning volcanic complex

An example of a restored VW Kombi like those that hogged the Kyogle road on their way to Nimbin

2pm on Saturday in Casino - a game of cricket anyone? We eventually found an open café where the espresso machine was still hot.

Over lunch in Casino we chatted with Peter Ashby. Here's his story: when we met Peter he was about 20 years of age. He hails from the UK where he is the 4th generation of his family making Esse wood heaters and stoves. Peter and his brother will inherit the Esse business in due course, in the meantime Peter took a year off to work with Australia's reseller of their stoves. Peter's deep knowledge of his family's products and ability on the tools, got him a job travelling in mainly rural areas fixing Esse and other brands of stoves and heaters. In theory he should have been back in the UK by August 2020, but COVID ended that plan.

Got a broken wood burning stove or heater? Peter will fix it

Life isn't all bad for a young single person like Peter, even though he's stuck in Australia. He bought a BMW GS310 because it is learner legal (he had no motorcycle licence in the UK) and because it fits in his van. Each work day, he checks a google calendar, picks up any necessary parts from the local post office and as often as not drives to a remote farmhouse where he is welcomed enthusiastically by the cocky and her husband, offered a cup of a tea, some cake and gets working on their stove. On weekends he pulls out the GS310 and goes exploring the area he happens to be working in - which is what he was doing when we met him in Casino.

Peter was not concerned that he isn't at home in the UK, in fact he expressed an interest in settling here in Australia. What did upset him, though, was when some young ladies he was chatting to in a pub in Bathurst called him a bogan because he likes to drink VB. (see comment from Peter at the end of this blog post)

That's almost it

Our last night was at the Sanctuary Resort Motor Inn in Coffs Harbour. We've learnt that any establishment claiming to be a sanctuary that is located on the Pacific Highway, probably isn't secluded, and definitely won't be a resort. But we can confirm it was a motor inn with rooms and parking. It's seen better days and the retaining wall adjacent to our basement room looked like it would fall down at any minute. I slept well, though, knowing that Simon had decided the wall would stay up for at least one more night - there are advantages to having a structural engineer as a travelling companion!

Coffs Harbour for a big breakfast before heading home

A detour via Gloucester for a cup of tea and an Anzac biscuit - it was ANZAC day

My right knee looks OK, but looks can be decieving - it needs a rebuild!

2021 has been a year of learning. COVID has taught us that we shouldn't take the ability to travel where and when we want for granted. I've also learnt that maturity (i.e. old age) has many advantages, such as having the time to travel without work commitments, but it brings a body that is starting to wear out. For me this means that my right knee is, to use a technical term, stuffed. Fortunately, these days we don't have to simply soldier on and in August 2021 I'll be getting a new right knee.

My hope is that by October I'll be back on the bike with the Scallywags for our next adventure. This gives Simon, Peter and I a few months to gab a coffee, pore over a map, have a good laugh and start planning.

Thanks for reading.

Ian, Peter and Simon.

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Comments

In an attempt to contact Peter Ashby (In an earlier verion of this blog, I incorrectly assumed his last name was Esse) Ian sent an email to the contact address at Esse.com. Martin Ashby, Managing Director of Esse, replied. He shares our passion for BMWs and rides with his friends, Jonathon and Daniel.

From: Martin Ashby, 29th July 2021

Hi Ian,
I would like to acknowledge and thank you for your recent email which has been forwarded to Peter. It's wonderful that he's making the most of his opportunity to see your amazing country and meet interesting people, we're really quite proud of how he has matured over the past 23 months that he's been on his own. I hope you don't mind but I read your blog and enjoyed the stories and the way you presented it. I attach a couple of photos that might interest you, of a trip to Whitby where Captain Cook sailed from to "discover" Australia, his statue is behind the bikes.

Anything familiar about 3 friends on 3 BMWs? The coffee stop is to show Jonathan and David without their helmets, and the last is where we end up when in Yorkshire, a good pub! Enjoy your rides and thank you for spending time with Peter and sending the email.

Martin says of the white BMW: "The odd looking BMW is my bike. It is part a 1977 R100 with modified frame, a G/S rear subframe with twin shocks added, and a G/S 80 engine. It was done around 20 years ago I believe, copying HPN conversions and it is an ongoing project of mine to tidy her up."

From: Peter Ashby, 7th August 2021

Hi Ian
Hope you are well. Its been a few busy weeks for me, I've just finished at Pivot Stove and heating, and moved out of the house I was renting in Geelong. On top of this I've been trying to dodge the current covid lockdowns and have found myself in Alice Springs, finally giving me the opportunity to have a read of your blog. I very much enjoyed it, especially: "Showing up anywhere on a bike means people will often go out of their way to talk to you, to share stories or ask questions." How else would I have ended to talking to you. Was pleasantly surprised on how much you remembered from our little chat and that I had made the blog. After the ride that day I did go check out the train station in Wallangarra, as you suggested, and it was worth the stop. I found it funny that they couldn't even agree on the design of roof. It looked like you had a great few days on the bike and I hope that your knee op goes as well as it can so you can get back on it asap. Sadly, my visa expires at the end of the month so will be heading home soon and have to sell my bike :(. On the bright side I can buy a faster one back home. This will definitely not be the last I see of Australia!

Pete

From: Me, Ian Ralph, 22/10/2021

As I mentioned I need a new knee. I got one on 17th August 2021. Now, a few months later, I've been on my first day-ride with Peter and Simon and can't wait to do much longer rides.

These X-Ray show the titanium or cobalt-chromium (not sure which one I got) parts of the knee replacement with the bits that glide over each other made from medical grade cross linked polyethylene. My surgeon tells me that I should get 30 years out of them. I wish I could get that much out of my bike tyres!

Was it worth it? Definitely!

More from Peter Ashby

Ian wrote to Martin and Peter:

Hi Martin and Peter,

I hope you are both well. I'm assuming that you managed to get home, Peter. The most important thing: have you got yourself a bike in the UK and been for a ride with your Dad, Jonathon and David yet? I think I'd really enjoy riding with my motorcycling son, except he rides motocross ;)

Peter replied on 22nd November 2021:

Hi Ian,

Yes I did manage to get home, though it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. Within a week I had caught covid and that managed to develop further into pneumonia, leaving me pretty sick. Hence why its taken so long for me to reply. What a great welcome home! Despite this I am getting close to regaining my motorbike licence (As the aussie 1 doesn’t carry over), I have redone the compulsory basic training and my theory leaving me just with the final test. After I have done this I will be allowed anything under 48BPH for 2 years, and then finally I will be unrestricted. For now I am on a little 1981 Honda CB125, which I bought at an auction for a bit of fun (see photo attached). It was great to finally get out with dad! Hope your knees on the mend and that you're able to ride further everyday! Stay in touch!

Pete

Here are some photos of Peter and his recently purchased 1981 Honda CB125: