Avon Valley
Trip Leader: Peter J
When:18th Jan 2009
Location: Avon Valley WA
Participants:
10 vehicles met up at Gingers Roadhouse on a lovely Sunday morning, the cooler weather was welcome relief after a hot week.
After purchasing coffees and fuel there was a debate on who had arrived last – Belchers or McPhersons, in the end it was decided Denise and Bridget would combine forces for the notes.
We had an easy picturesque drive through the Avon Valley area to our morning tea stop after a brief sortie off Sapper’s road to find the remains of one of Moondyne Joe’s horse traps. A lively radio discussion was entered into on the way after Sue B. remarked on previously unexposed parts of Tony’s anatomy. Tony volunteered a private ladies viewing but in the end we all had to put on sunglasses for morning tea as Tony tried to get a bit of ‘colour’ on his knees.
Peter J. had hoped we would be able to visit Sapper Camp on the Avon River via a steep descent and possibly have lunch there but the track had been closed by DEC, so we carried on through lovely countryside, the home and stomping ground of notorious Australian bushranger Moondyne Joe in the 1860’s. Chris kept up a brief and very informative history of Moondyne Joe over the radio, from his birth in Wales, transportation to Australia to his infamous escapes from jail. Lots of discussion took place concerning travelling through the area in Moondyne’s time with wild horses in tow. Further details will be found in the book “Moondyne Joe, the Man and the myth” by Ian Elliot – Hesperian Press.
We stopped for a later lunch on the other side of the Avon River, which was the official end of the trip. However several vehicles went on into Toodyay.
Many thanks to Peter J and Chris for an enjoyable day out.
Bridget & Denise