The Men from Loftus Oval (AKA The Dawn Patrol) took advantage of the great weather as seven riders headed south while the morning was still cool enough for comfortable riding. It has been said that when Davo rolls up, it must be time to leave as he is always the last one. Unkind, but accurate. Whispers and Davo on Harleys, an immaculate Softail and a Sportster respectively, Doc Martin and Russell on BMWs, Gary One R on his Can-Am Spyder, Terry on a striking Yamaha Stryker and last but by no means least, Perry on his reliable Honda Shadow.
Task. See if you can match the riders to their bikes.
The plan was to go down OPH to the Picton turnoff, leave the M1 then cut left and wind our way down the leeward side of Mt Kembla, stopping at Cordeaux Caffeine (AKA Irv’s Secret Café) returning via Mt Keira, back to the M1 and then through the Nasho home.
It’s like stepping back into history every time we ride by those little cottages on the LHS of the main drag as we head south between Mt Kembla and Mt Keira. The village of Kembla Heights is a heritage conservation area and as such has dodged development for over 100 years. Established as a company town to accommodate miners, it has been described as “the most intact mining village of the Wollongong Local Government Area ….. with it’s simple, consistent late Victorian and early Federation period cottages…..” The miners were employed after oil bearing shale was discovered around 1900 and processed to kerosene on site. Coal mining took over from kerosene production and the village was purchased by Australian Iron and Steel (AIS) the mines in action until 1970.
Kembla Heights’ place in coal mining history has a more tragic story. The Mt. Kembla Mining Disaster of 1902, took 96 miners’ lives due to a methane gas explosion which caused a roof collapse forcing toxic gases throughout the underground network of tunnels. Carbon monoxide poisoning proved to be more fatal than the actual explosion and cave-in. AIS provided an acre to dig a mass grave for the emergency internment of 33 of the initial victims at Windy Gully, a few kms further south of the township. Many of these victims were residents of Kembla Heights and after the usual rounds of inquests and blame-shifting, the final resting place of these souls was not formalized until 2002 when a plaque was dedicated in their memory.
Irv’s secret café stands up for even the most discerning Ulyssean (if indeed there is such a being); plenty of parking, spacious, great food and coffee and a most welcoming staff. After an informative discussion concerning the variety of our hardware in the parking lot, it was back up the mountain, onto the motorway, turn right to Baldy then through the RNP to see youse later at Loftus. Not going to get a much better morning than this.
Cheers, Davo.
