BMWMCCWA

Hi all,

I would like to dip my toe into the Leading a Ride 'Water', but would like to receive some considered feedback from members before I get too excited.

I would like to visit Wooleen Station in the Murchison in 2015 (if anyone saw tonight's Australian Story you will see where I am coming from).

From my perspective I would like to try and support this young couple and also explore more of the magnificent Murchison given our successful ride to the races at Gascoyne Junction this year.

I think even for blacktop riders this is do-able if my experience of the gravel out from Mullewa these last two years is anything to go by.

There are a range of accommodation options from luxury for you Bill and Doris to hard core for you Steve and Jamie.

If there is any interest then I am prepared to organise whatever I need to to make it an enjoyable experience.

Thank you in advance for any comments.

Cheers

Patrick

Paddy7 wrote:
There are a range of accommodation options from luxury for you Bill and Doris to hard core for you Steve and Jamie.


Patrick

Patrick I like the concept but don't necessarily like the tag of being classified as only being into luxury , that is any more so than any other members. Also break back mountain Steve and Jamie might have their classification questioned also.
My GSA unlike quite a few members has seen its fair share of the dirty stuff and I have gone thru a number of tents and other outback survival gear which generally indicates my fair share of hardcore rides.
But as you have pointed out when riding 2 up and the lack of carrying capacity due to an extra 60 kgs and their accompanying must bring bits and pieces requirements and their other idiosyncratic ideas that if not carried out makes ones life miserable.....then you are right . Some luxury at the end may make or break the trip.

I would like to visit Wooleen Station in the Murchison in 2015 (if anyone saw tonight's Australian Story you will see where I am coming from).

From my perspective I would like to try and support this young couple

I was thinking the same thing and absolutely support this idea. Woolen have a great shearers quarters that would make excellent rider accommodation for an overnight stop

Just need to consult them on best time of year, I think my vote would be for July/August

bill9117 wrote:

Paddy7 wrote:
There are a range of accommodation options from luxury for you Bill and Doris to hard core for you Steve and Jamie.


Patrick

My GSA unlike quite a few members has seen its fair share of the dirty stuff and I have gone thru a number of tents and other outback survival gear .

Maybe try some Moth balls, Bill. That might help with that problem.

Great idea. You could easily ride there in one day. Even on a TW.

Ahab

Sounds good , put Janice and myself down as possibles .

Paddy7 wrote: If there is any interest then I am prepared to organise whatever I need to to make it an enjoyable experience.

Patrick,
Go ahead and organise the ride, but do it to satisfy your own desire to go and explore. Once organised, then open it up to others who may want to come along. If nobody shows an interest, then do the ride by yourself. Otherwise, it will always haunt you as some unfinished business and eat at you like a cancer. Dont depend on the commitment of others to go along because things change (work, family etc) and some riders have to cancel at no notice. This is a relatively 'easy ride'.....low risk and good roads and tracks. There is always tourist traffic using those roads as it forms part of the 'Wool Wagon Pathway'. Take some basic precautions as far as comms / SPOT / check in procedure and let people know what you're doing. If you need some gear to support the ride, ask other Club Members. Go on....get out there.

Good onya for sticking your toes in the water. It will open up a whole new direction.

Put me down as a possability, sounds like a great adventure

Please keep me in the loop on this one.It may fit with something else I am thinking of in 2015.
Any idea what time of year?
McFarkle

Hi again,

To keep everyone in the loop.

Prior to putting my original post up, I sent an email to Wooleen explaining what I had in mind - to bring a group of mature well behaved bmwmccwa members up for a ride - and possibly an eastern stater or two .
I also sought advice on the best time of the year to do this. I noted when I logged onto their website that they are booked out until end of March 2015, although on the program they did mention that in the height of summer they did not take bookings due to their power supply not being able to run air conditioning (sorry Bill).

To date I have not had a reply, but early days yet. If I dont get a response this side of New Year I will follow it up again painting a postive picture of the club and its members .

Thanks for your contributions so far and keep them coming.

Cheers

Patrick

Hi all,

For those who are interested this is the reply I received from Wooleen today.

From my perspective I cannot imagine that 'splitting' the group up of an evening would be a problem?

Hi Patrick,
Thanks so much for contacting us and for your support. Apologies it’s taken us a while to get back to you – we’ve had a few emails since the show went to air.
Wooleen closes for tourism each year from November to March, opening on the 1st of April each year. This is way it would appear on the website to have ‘no vacancy’. In March we except out temps to be in the low 40’s most days.
Normally we keep pretty strict rules regarding our different accommodation types. The flexibility of these depend on how many are in your group. I would have 2 suggestions.
a) You book the Wooleen guesthouses and campsites. You can go between the two at pleasure. The ladies have a bedroom with bathroom and kitchen and you can camp out and visit. The guesthouses however require that you self-cater. Full kitchen facilities provided.
b) You book the Wooleen homestead. The homestead is advertised as an exclusive option and we generally don’t combine it with other accommodation options on the station - but depends on the size of the group. I might suggest that if the group is big enough and you book enough rooms we would proceed to ensure you had sole use of the homestead and we could make allowances for those who wanted to camp to come in and join on dinner – this is normally something we don’t allow. All meals are included in the price of the homestead rooms. We would then need to work out a price for those who wanted to camp to use meal facilities.
c) Alternatively, the ladies are welcome to book a room in the house and use the facilities of the house per the inclusions. Those who wanted to camp can book the campground and abide by the inclusions of camping. This would significantly split you party in half though.
The only thing that is time specific on Wooleen is the wildflowers in August September. However there is no guarantee they will bloom, it’s a bit of a gamble! April, May, August, September and October make it easier to enjoy sunset drinks with warmer weather. Every month at Wooleen has its specialities.
I should also mention Patrick that normally the use of motorbikes on the station concerns us and technically does not comply with our insurance details. However I’m sure if your group was understanding that we only allow people on designated self-drive roads and not to wander through the bush this would be fine. Aside from self-drive we have walk-trails, hike trails, mountain bike trails, guided tours and a small museum to explore.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to let me know,

All the best
Frances and David
http://www.savewooleen.com.au