South Bunbury Rotary, Rotary Down Under 750km Centenary Cycle Ride - DAY4
Our second day in the hills :) Today's route followed the Brockman Highway from Nannup to Bridgetown. It was our shortest ride so far at 46km but two big climbs tested our legs. Jim accurately observed, "There's not one flat bit of road on this ride!" The ride cuts through expansive tracts of Jarrah forest. However, it was in a stand of majestic Karri trees at Karri Gully that we stopped for morning tea. The last few kilometres into Bridgetown was a steep descent, which we would probably have enjoyed more, except we knew that we have to ride up it tomorrow on our way to Donnelly River! Reaching Bridgetown at lunch time we were surprised to be greeted by our Rotary President, Peter Hill, who made a big detour from his Dirt 'n Dust Rally 'recon' to wish us well on our way. In the evening The Rotary Club of Bridgetown hosted us to a dinner at the Bridgetown Hotel. An inspiring conversation between our clubs transpired with sharing of projects, opportunities and insights. David Miles presented Bridgetown, President Brendan Punch, with a Centenary plaque and Brendan presented us with a club banner and a letter to convey to the Manjimup club in celebration of 100 years of Rotary Down Under. The Bridgetown club has a rich history of service in the community from its inception in 1954. The club runs the Rotary Tour of the Blackwood, one of the most challenging cycle rides in Western Australia. All proceeds from this ride are donated to Blackwood Youth Action, who provide much needed psychological support services and mental wellness programs for at-risk youth in the Blackwood region. We bid Wally farewell today as he has to return home - he has been a legend of a back-up driver - THANK YOU.
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Sunday May 16th, 2021

South Bunbury Rotary, Rotary Down Under 750km Centenary Cycle Ride - DAY3
Today was hills and headwinds! A tough day navigating the ups and downs from Margaret River to Nannup but the team pulled through surprisingly well. Our first stop today was for coffee at the Rosa Brook General Store. Entering the store is like walking back in time because it's set out and operated as it was when it opened in the 1930s. We were relieved to find the coffee was fresh! We headed on from Rosa Brook riding through the Blackwood State Forest stopping at Sue's Road for morning tea - Thank you Di Getley for the sensational date slices. We reached Nannup for lunch having now completed a total of 220km of the 750km trek. Robyn headed back to Bunbury for the weekend and Jim joined the team for a couple of days. Tonight we are at the Tweed Valley Lodge, sheer luxury after yesterday's dorm. We are now debriefing on the verandah overlooking the Blackwood River enjoying a well earned beer. ... See MoreSee Less

Saturday May 15th, 2021

South Bunbury Rotary, Rotary Down Under 750km Centenary Cycle Ride - DAY 1
Day 1 is done and dusted! An 80km ride from Bunbury to Busselton taking in Dalyellup, Gelorup, Stratham, Peppermint Grove and Port Geographe. Heavy morning showers didn't dampen our spirits and the blustering headwinds couldn't sap our resolve :) Morning tea was overlooking the beach at Peppermint Grove, refuelling on Jo Castro's energy rich (read calories off the Richter scale) Mud Cake- DELICIOUS! Good friends of Rotary Ann Stephenson and Andrew Diment met us at Busselton Jetty to give support and words of encouragement - THANK YOU. We arrived at our overnight stop, Busselton Baptist Camp in the early afternoon. What a location. from our Bunkhouse verandah we look directly out on the sparkling waters of Geographe Bay. In the evening we were welcomed by Rotary Club of Busselton Geographe Bay for fellowship and sundowners. A very enjoyable evening was had meeting up with old friends and making new. We presented their club president, Chris White, with a "David Miles" hand-made plaque commemoration a 100 Years of Rotary Down Under and congratulating the club on its 54 years of service in the community. Bring on tomorrow, we're off to Margaret River. RIDE FACT: Average age of our group - 69 years! ... See MoreSee Less

Thursday May 13th, 2021