For Photos of trip click here

Sunday 18th November 2007

Like always it was up early for the drive from our home at Mount Annan across the Northern Road to Richmond.

It’s great days like these that you know it’s great to be a member of the Chevrolet Club of NSW.

Richmond's McDonalds for breakfast and to meet up with whoever were there for the trip to Kurrajong Heights for the Grass Karting. Marilyn and I were on time as usual and at the same time we got there Greg Woollam turned up but we were beaten by Garry and Sue Turney, who were both well settled when we walked into the restaurant,  not long after we got breakfast along came Michael Stephens, Ray Harbour, Ellis and Denise Roughley and family. 

After a hearty breakfast was eaten by all and of course lots of long chats about car motors which always gets above me, especially with Greg Woollam who hots up cars and does motors up, Garry Turney being a mechanic and truck driver, Ray Harbour owning his own business and driving trucks, Ellis Roughley bulldozer driving and fixing up his own equipment talking about rods, cams, Revs, outputs and all other whatnots about cars. It all goes right over the top of me considering I take my lawnmower down to the lawnmower repair shop to get new blades put on. Any way after that great chat on motors and cars we headed off to the Grass Karting. We arrived and drove down the goat track that was a driveway, spraying plenty of dust and grass from the Chevy's exhausts onto people sitting around the entrance. We parked in an up down around about place called a car park and walked in and having not been there before and as usual not taking any notice of the add in the Chevroletter I thought we were Grass Skiing. We stood around chatting and watching participants hopping on the carts, only steering with their feet on each wheel flying down the slopes, no rope to steer like the ones I built when I was a kid. The great thing was, after you hurtled down the slope to the bottom, they had a continuous pulley that you could hang onto to pull you back up the slope, instead of walking back up the hill to the start. Anyway after one of the staff told us we couldn't put up the portable Gazebo for shade and asked if we were all having a go on the karts, because numbers of people that were having a go they were expecting buses today with large groups. After a brief meeting it was unanimous that we give Grass Karting a miss for the day and instead, drive to the Zig Zag railway which I am sure would be better for Denise's grandchildren anyway. Then there was again plenty of dust agrass blowing over everyone watching as we charged out of the so called car park and onto the highway for a great cruise to the Zig Zag Railway.. 

This is the disappointing part of the story for those of you who do not know our President Garry Turney loves apple pie and when ever he can he serves himself up huge portions of apple pie, cream and ice cream, anyway back to the story on the way to the Zig Zag Railway we drove through Bilpin, a little town on the Bell Liners Road where they grow a lot of apples, and every hundred yards there was a sign advertising FRESH BAKED APPLE PIES and straight away I thought shortly we will see the blinker on and will hear the screech of brakes and quick turn in by the leader out the front of the pack Garry Turney. But to my surprise NO, Garry kept going till we hit the car park at the Zig Zag Railway thought what a disappointment Garry tuned out to be.

At Zig Zag Railway we went and enquired on the next train out and we were informed the next train out was an electric train and as we wanted to go on the Steam Train we would have to wait a little over an hour before the Steam Train left the station. So up to a wonderful spray of shaded trees for a picnic lunch, as Marilyn and I were slack and didn't pack a picnic lunch we thought we would just buy some lunch at the shop but Sue and Denise wouldn't hear of it saying they had packed plenty to eat so Marilyn and I sat down with the rest of the clan and had nice fresh buns with lashings of Chicken, Tomato, Onion Cheese Lettuce for lunch followed by lovely fresh pieces of Rockmelon supplied by Ray Harbour. While we were eating the flies wanted to join us, so Sue bought out the Spray.

After lunch it was down to the Railway Station to buy our tickets for the Steam Train trip around the Zig Zag track. Marilyn lined up to buy the tickets and two old timers behind her had a whinge because Marilyn was using the Credit Card I could have interjected and said the cost was $50 mate and if your wife had someone like me to keep your wife would be using a Credit Card also. I am one of the people the reserve bank complains about spending too much money and not saving it.  

Garry and Ray went up the front in the Steam Engine and got the full insight in driving and operating a great Steam Train. Ellis Roughley gave us a history lesson on why the smaller gauge was used on the Zig Zag such as the one used in Queensland and South Australia. I again didn't get into the debate. After the return trip to Clarence Station where we started we loaded up and set off to Bob & Marion Thompson's at Mount Victoria for afternoon tea, on arrival at Bob & Marion's we had a chat first then the women settled in for a long chat while Bob took the men on tour of his workshop and to discuss a lot of SECRET MEN'S BUSINESS Bob has some great classic cars  and trucks plus four Million parts and accessories stored at his place and if any member has the ob's workshop it's well worth the look I beat everyone back from the tour of Bob's to the fresh scones, jam and cream after all the men got back from the tour and fed their faces another long chat.  

We bid Bob and Marion goodbye thanking them for a lovely afternoon  tea and continued our trip home. 

We turned of the highway and went down the Bell Liner Road again and this time the President Garry didn't let any of the team or convoy down. Garry wheeled into the first fresh baked Apple Pie shop we run into and after not only Garry up big we set off after saying farewell for the last leg home.  

Thanks to Gavin Hiller for this story. 

A great day out for all and thanks to Sue Turney for organising yet another great day for members of the ChevroletClub of NSW.