2020 Ulysses Odyssey

Red Dwarf & Red Devil at Castle Bay

As we found room for the last minute things in the loaded panniers I was reminded of our nights on the Nullarbor Plain, with the first signs of light appearing in the eastern sky and Red Devil (F650GS) and Red Dwarf (R1200GS) itching to be underway. As soon as we pulled out of the driveway I tuned into the commentary inside my head and it wasn't long before I heard a little voice say "beware of the extra weight when stopping."

Steve found a nice rest area on the edge of Waroona and we drank tea and ate fruit and felt happy to be on our way to the 2020 Ulysses Odyssey at Taunton Farm.

Wellington Dam

The bikes found their way to Wellington Dam, the temperature sitting hard on 15⁰C but it felt more like 10. Abseilers were spray cleaning the dam wall in preparation for mural artist, Guido Van Helten, to paint one of the most stunning murals we are ever likely to see. Then The Big Apple Bakery lured us to Donnybrook for a good pie and a cup of tea. Unfortunately our departure from Donnybrook was slightly delayed while we tried to wash the copious amounts of chicken satay out of the sleeve of Steve's clean jumper.

From Donnybrook we rode on through Nannup and then Mowen Road took us to Margaret River. The cops were waiting for us on the outskirts of town but we were behaving ourselves and just cruised on through the endless detours and we were setting up the tent at Taunton Farm by 2:30pm. By the time we had lived through the case of the missing hammer, and then the case of the missing shoe, we were ready for a beer so we joined a group of Ulysseans in the campers farm shed where we talked of past Odysseys and great bike roads before turning in for an early night.

Taunton Farm

The group ride on Saturday morning took us south along beautiful Caves Road to Augusta. Our speed was regulated by a succession of tin tops but it gave us time to enjoy the trees and the curves. We heard a rumour that they are planning to close parts of Caves Road. While I rode along I gave thanks that I have had the privilege of riding one of Western Australia's great motorcycle roads before they take it away from us.

Is this George or Malcolm?

The group ride continued on to Nannup while some folks stayed in Augusta and enjoyed fresh bronzie (Bronze Whaler shark) and chips overlooking the Hardy Inlet. Then we rode Caves Road once more before heading back to the farm for dinner. We dined under the stars while a good Margaret River band played into the night. We'd crashed by 9pm and didn't hear the band play their final set.

Taunton Farm is a great location for a getaway. I particularly enjoyed the farm animals, George and Malcolm Crackling (resident pigs), Rex (retired stallion), Peanuts (the biggest steer ever) and the peculiar looking Irish miniature donkey, who came with papers to prove his worth although questions have been asked by inquisitive farm quests.

We took the scenic route

On Sunday Steve tested his navigation skills while he found his way along some back roads to Dunsborough. We waddled out to the whale watching lookout at Cape Naturalist and were rewarded with a sighting of a Southern Right blowing in the distance. Steve wasn't done with the back roads and after lunch he found another set to take us back to the comfort of Taunton Farm.

We dined under the stars once more with the fire pit blazing. Many volunteers give their all to make events like our Western Australian Odyssey happen, thanks a million guys and gals for a really great weekend.

Pre-dawn at Taunton Farm

The ride following the Blackwood River along the Balingup Nannup Road was a treat on the way home. As we cruised through Waroona, I glanced across at the rest area where we had stopped for refreshments on the way down. Part of me wished I could turn the clock back to that moment when the weekend had only just begun; until next time....