Temora Run Report

There seems to be something about Birthday Runs and the person having a birthday not being in attendance. Due to a motorcycle accident during the preceding weeks, the birthday boy, David Bolin, was unable to attend.

The run started in cold and bleak conditions due to a cold snap that started the previous night, and would continue for the rest of the day. Mike and Amanda reported gearbox troubles upon arrival at the rendezvous point, which we worked out, with the assistance of Roy, to be low gearbox oil. We filled the gearbox, and headed off from Kamberra Winery at 10:45 with three Toranas, and two daily drivers.

First stop was Yass for Brunch/Breakfast. We met up with Aaron, who since we last saw him has sold his car to Simon in Bowral, but still appears to be keen on his Toranas. The local Café served up a great meal/snack, and it wasn’t long before we were on our way to Temora.

The road to Temora was fairly bumpy in places, and we stopped en-route at a small antique and collectable stand, due to Roy’s interest in old tin pedal cars, which he mentioned at Brunch/Breakfast.

Heading into Temora, we were greeted by a farmer that had recently fertilised his fields with some powerful mix of dynamic lifter, the smell of which invaded the cars. First stop was the driver reviver stop for a quick cup of coffee, and to get our bearings before heading to the Patchwork Inn to check in. Of course, we had to do the mandatory cruise of the main, before stopping at the Inn.

The Inn was an old pub, with individual rooms, a large outdoor BBQ area (it was too cold for a BBQ), and a large TV/Breakfast Room, which we would put to good use later in the night. While different, it seemed to serve us well and was located right on the main street of Temora.

For dinner, we decided to check out the local venues, and after recommendation by the Inn-keeper, decided on the Terminus. Temora, being a flying weekend, most places were booked out, however the Terminus managed to organise a function room for us for dinner. The Harley Davidson Club was there, and the Porsche Club was also in town, with a number of Porsches cruising the streets.

Amanda and Robyn headed off to Woolies for some milk and supplies, brandishing a large double trolley, which they managed to direct into a display end, and had no hope of getting through the checkouts.

On the way to dinner, Pat did his rendition of the Dukes of Hazard, not noticing a dip in the road, a high cambered road, and similar dip on the other side! Once committed to the crossing, all he could do was go for the ride, woohoo.

Dinner was good, with good quality food, at good prices. It wasn’t long till we headed back to the Inn. Putting kids to sleep appeared to be bit of a challenge, Pat falling asleep while waiting for the kids to go to bed (how different!), while others were also delayed as the children dosed down for the night. After this, we returned to the TV Room, some guys not making it to bed till 1:00am. Joe couldn’t sleep, so indulged in a late night walk, reporting that he didn’t get to bed till something like 3:00am. Jeremy and Rose also joined us later in the evening.

The morning greeted us with clear skies, and slightly warmer weather, although there was still a cold bite in the air. We indulged on the breakfast supplied as part of our accommodation before heading off to the Temora Aviation Museum. During the previous night, and that morning, the kids had befriended other kids in the Inn, and struck up some good friendships.

Pat got his directions mixed up on how to get to the Museum. Sensing this, we pulled over, and flagged down an opportune police wagon. With the good oil on how to get there, we turned around, and managed to find our way to the Museum.

The Museum was aware of our pending arrival, thanks to David, and had saved us parking spots right in front of the entry. Other clubs displaying on the day were the Ulysses Motor Cycle Club, and the Southern Tablelands Antique Restorers Club (STHARC), who were also afforded the same treatment. Later in the day, we met up with a very original LH SL/R 5000, owned by a local Temora farmer, Toby, since he was 17, and only 145,000 on the clock. Besides a tidy up of the paintwork, it was very neat.

The museum was fantastic, and organised extremely well. We took in the displays, cinema, hangars, and the flying for the day. They had an extremely impressive range of historic Australian warbirds (military aircraft in civilian hands), complete with a great PA system, commentary, and communications directly with the pilots in the aircraft. We saw the Tiger Moth, Mustang, Spitfire, Boomerang, Wirraway, Meteor, and other aircraft put through their paces, truly impressive. Food was in good supply, with a vending van operated by local charities dishing out food all day, at fantastic prices. The playground impressed the kids, with Wooley taking full advantage of the mega-phone incorporated into the play equipment. Young Aiden undertook a covert operation to try out the playground just before we left.

Roy and Sue headed off early to explore other things Temora had to offer, before making their way home.

Time had come for the return trip. So after refuelling, we made our way home. The trip home was largely uneventful, other than a loose wheel bearing on Lj’s car, which took some 10-15 minutes to rectify near the turn off to Boorowa (another favourite spot for the CTC). We stopped for a snack/dinner at the Yass Truckstop/MacDonalds before heading home.

All in all, a good relaxing weekend away. Something a little different.

Cars Attending:-
Lj, Katrina, Joe & Phil – LH
Amanda, Mike & Wooley – LH
Pat, Robyn, Madeline, Emily & Ainslie – LH
Jeremy & Rose – LH
Roy & Sue – Corvette (looked like an Audi A4)
Lawrie, Tane, Aiden & Imogen - Commodore