Ulysses Rally – What is it Anyway?

I’m back from another longer than expected blogging break to continue the story of our recent holiday…..well not so recent…..it is actually a month since we left home and two weeks since we returned.

Anyway, the reason for our trip was to attend the Ulysses Club AGM.  The Ulysses Club is a social club for motorcyclists.  You have to be 40 to be a junior member and 50 for full membership.  The event goes for a week, with a few thousand people turning up from all over Australia.  The actual meeting only  has a hundred or so turn up……the rest of us are only there for the social side of things.

This time everything was based at the Maryborough Showground, which has an area of 200 acres and is also set up for equestrian events.  A couple of thousand of us camped on site. 

Originally, most would be in tents and a few would tow a trailer carrying our stuff.  We used to fall into that category.  Now heaps of us, Mick and I included tow camper trailers.  As usual, we camped with the Rockhampton group.  They are a great bunch to hang out with.

This time there was also a large contingent of caravans and motor homes on site, as many members are not up to riding the large distances any more and unable to sleep on the ground.  Fair enough, as it still gives everyone the opportunity to be involved.

There were trade stalls, a supermarket, charging station for your mobile devises, motor bikes to drool over and take for test rides, heaps of food outlets and a great meeting place with live music most of the time.  You really didn’t have to leave the site for a week if you didn’t want to.  The best bit is catching up with mates that you may not see from year to year.

This year there was even a restaurant on site with great value meals which we attended a few times.

The Saturday at the end of the week is when the locals get to see us all and appreciate just how many of us were there when we all participate in the Grand Parade.  It is also when we get to see just how many of us are there as well.

There we are in the middle, complete with camper trailer in tow, as we were starting on our trip home straight after the parade.  We were the last bike in the parade.

The local really turn out in force and were still cheering madly at the end of the parade.

It was a fantastic event.  Despite storms around the area, we had a dry week and I didn’t need to put on a jumper for the whole rally week.  Very nice indeed. 

Next year we will make the trek to Alice Springs for the AGM, which is somewhere we’ve never been. Bring it on.