Week 2 mileage
Day 8: Esperance to Albany: 483kms
Day 9: Albany to Margaret River: 367kms
Day 10: Margaret River to Perth: 271kms
Days 11-14: Perth: 0kms!
Week 2 mileage: 1,121kms
Total trip mileage: 3,512kms
Welcome to the Week 2 blog post!
After an awesome, refreshing time in Esperance, I came to the realisation that I had stayed far longer than I had planned and had to make a bit of a mad dash for Perth to make my first hospital visit. Esperance is truly beautiful and I highly recommend putting it on your list of places to visit if you are a fan of good beaches, great local produce, and very friendly people.
I will post up photos of my Albany and Margaret River experiences in the future once I have had a chance to reflect and compile those but, for most, it was combatting some average weather at times, detours due to wet roads and a washed-out bridge, and trying to make Perth in time.
Perhaps it is me hanging onto my youth, or perhaps it is because I grew up with Dad being a member of, and serving as President for a time (of which he was particularly chuffed) of the Renmark Wine Club, Australia’s oldest continuous wine club, but I have always seen wine as a bit of a ‘wank’ – not understanding a lot of the ‘nonsense’ coming out of Dad’s mouth in respect of the particular tasting notes and qualities of wines.
Logically following that well researched self-held opinion, Margaret River has never held the same allure for me that it has for many friends and colleagues of mine (fun fact: I have avoided every invitation to a wine tour to date).
However, in my older age (read: closer to 30 than 20), and after attending a Wine Club dinner for the presentation of a posthumous life membership for Dad, a touching and proud night for my family, I have generally appreciated both wine, and what the Club does a lot more – I certainly felt a bit foolish about my past opinions.
I am solely onto reds now (unless it is a particularly nice champagne) so I think I would enjoy a future jaunt to Margaret River, perhaps with some unlucky lady, and without a motorbike in tow. However, for now, fine for it to be in my rear-view mirror.
I made it to Perth no problems in the end and, on Wednesday 22 March, I visited the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children to make my first of ten $5,000 personal donations of my ride.
Walking into the hospital hit me quite hard. I had not been into a hospital since Dad passed back in May 2015 and had never been inside a children’s hospital. Seeing families dealing with grief and worry, and seeing a sick child being wheeled around on a stretcher bed was quite confronting for me.
However, after a quick gut check, I made my way up to the ‘Megazone’, the entertainment precinct of the Hospital, to meet with Jess, the Community Fundraising Manager, to deliver my first donation.
The Megazone is a place where kids and their families can hang out and escape that hospital feeling some of us may be familiar with. Picture arcade games, crazy decorations, face painting, BBQs etc.
A truly fantastic initiative and one which I believe very strongly in.
Entering the Megazone really drove home to me how important areas like this are in children’s hospitals. I am no longer a child (unfortunately – ‘adulting’ can be hard am I right?) and am not sick nor have anything to complain about, yet even I felt immediately better walking into this place.
Thank you to Jess, Ian, and the team at the hospital for showing me around the place and filling me in on all the fantastic work being done there.
What brave young souls these kids are, and what a fantastic team of people they have at the hospital.
My personal donation will be going toward the new Megazone, to be named 'Fun on Four' at the brand spanking new Children's Hospital that is soon to open in Perth.
Here's a photo of me with one of the little troopers collecting the cheque (don't worry I did hand over a real one), with the hospital mascot Stitches Bear bouncing around doing his thing.
Delivering my first of ten $5,000 personal donations. First cab off the rank - The deserving Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth.
I have enjoyed some down time in Perth and will be taking off later in the week to head up the West Coast, riding through Geraldton, Carnarvon, Exmouth etc.
I will also be swimming with Whale Sharks in Exmouth, something I am particularly excited about.
Remember, please click this link to support my ride, every dollar helps: Eyes Open Ride
As I write this, you generous people have donated $17,394 to the Children’s Cancer Foundation. With my doubling amount, we have now, as a team, pledged $34,788 in support of the battle against childhood cancer.
I look forward to sharing the next week of my ride with you all.
Best
James