Tackling the Holland Track
In March of this year, a group of Old Bikes took on Western Australia’s iconic Holland Track, a popular 4WD trail that heads deep into the outback east of Perth. It was a test of endurance for both riders and their bikes, providing a sense of adventure, mateship and self-reliance that’s not common these days. The terrain was tougher than anticipated, with riders having to negotiate everything on the track from mud-filled washaways, to long stretches of soft sand, followed by kilometres of rough gravel. But the Holland Track is much more than an off-road adventure. It also takes you back into WA’s early history and gives you a good appreciation of how tough things were for our pioneers.
The original track was established following discovery of gold near Coolgardie in 1892. This spawned the state’s gold rush and fortune seekers would disembark in Albany, before heading for the goldfields via Northam, a very indirect route. Several attempts to cut a shortcut between Albany and Coolgardie were thwarted by the harsh and waterless landscape. In April 1893, John Holland took up the challenge. With the assistance of brothers Rudolf and David Krackouer and John Carmody, they set out from Broomehill and, in just over two months, successfully cleared a direct route, albeit 500km, to Coolgardie. Use of the track was short-lived though. Within three years, the railway line from Fremantle to Northam was extended to Coolgardie and it was abandoned until around 1992, when a section from Hyden to Thursday Rock was re-cut. Since then, it has since become popular with 4WDs and off-road motorcyclists on modern bikes. For many, it’s a rite of passage into off-road travel, and certainly not a place you’d expect to see pre-war motorcycles.
Inspired by the Red Dust Revival at Lake Perkolilli in 2019, members of the Pre-48 Section of the Indian Harley Club of WA were looking for an adventure that would replicate the challenges of a bygone era. They decided on the Holland
Track. It was decided to hold the event late March, when temperatures would be moderate and the track would be dry and tractable. These plans were almost derailed in February when unseasonal and extreme weather hit. In one 24-hour period, the area received almost 1/3 of its annual rainfall and parts of the track became a quagmire.
Steve Turner was one of the organisers.
“We had concerns leading up to the event. There were several weeks of rain and then there was a hot spell. And then more rain. So, we were concerned it could be under water, or stinking hot. The week before the ride, my son Joel and some mates did a reconnaissance run on their Enduro bikes. Joel reported back that the track had dried considerably and would be OK, so we proceeded.
The trip started at the Ardath pub, which is a classic 100-year-old pub between Corrigin and Bruce Rock. We had nine bikes on the ride, six BSA M21s, two Indian Scouts and a Norton 500T. The oldest was a 1928 Indian. Everyone congregated at the pub on the Monday afternoon for Welcome to Country and then we began tipping money into rural and regional WA; one pint at a time,” he chuckled.
The main support vehicles for the trip were three old Land Rovers. One was a rare 1972 101-Series forward cab tray-top utility vehicle built for the British Military. This vehicle was the main support mule, which carried most of the provisions and equipment for general use. A Series-2 ‘shortie’ and a long wheelbase Series 3 joined in as support vehicles. On the Tuesday morning, after a hearty breakfast at Ardath, the convoy headed off to the start of the ride, a clearing about 30kms from Hyden. Bikes were unloaded, loads secured, and last-minute checks conducted. Early afternoon, the riders headed off on what was a relatively benign piece of track. Bushfires the previous year had ravaged the low-lying scrub and the area was stark and barren. Before much longer though, the terrain changed and the group encountered some muddy stretches, which weren’t difficult but were a sign of things to come.
John Mattaboni, on his M21, struck trouble early in the ride after his bike suffered points troubles. The problem was soon sorted with a bit of Araldite and his bike didn’t falter after that for the entire journey. This first day was a good introduction to the track and the ride was only about 30km. After visiting an abandoned gold mine, the Blue Haze, the group settled in for the night. Mick Turner took care of setting up the camp, and tents and swags were erected while bikes were refuelled and checked. As the sun settled and the chatter of the birds gave way to the silence of the bush, the group enjoyed a few drinks around a camp
fire, chewing the fat and soaking in the atmosphere. All relished being out of the city.
If there was any complacency following the previous day, this was soon dispelled on Day Two. It wasn’t long before several washaways were encountered, and there were sections of heavily rutted clay. Mike Tolj was having a ball on his Indian, but became a casualty of these conditions, stacking his bike in the sludge. No damage was done, but his Indian ingested some water and took a while to get going again. Hamish Cowan’s Indian Scout succumbed to carbie gremlins and coughed and spluttered to a halt. After assistance from the support crew, it was soon running again, albeit with a misfire that eventually cleared. It gave no further problems for the rest of the trek. A highlight on Day Two was a climb up Mount Holland, which is very steep, rocky and loose. Father-son duo of Steve and Joel Turner tried to race to the top. Joel stalled half-way up, allowing Steve to man-handle his bike past, revving hard with clutch slipping in protest as it careered its way to the summit. Peter Lawson made it look easy though as he stood up on the foot pegs of his Norton 500T and made his way up to the top with a great deal of finesse. After Mount Holland, the terrain changed and riders found themselves weaving their way along kilometres of soft and sandy stretches.
“There were a number of incidents,” recalled Steve. “They may not all want me to talk about them, but there was Mike (Tolj) in particular, who roared passed me on a sandy section, only to end up wiggling across the track and biting the dust heavily. When I got there, he was still laying in the sand, just taking a moment; composing himself before he got up and continued.”
Ricky Fraser and Greg Boothey also had a couple of minor incidents, with Ricky sustaining a badly swollen ankle, which caused him to hobble around for a bit. It was later found he had broken a toe. These incidents didn’t stop either rider, although Greg did share the ride with Dave Alderson for part of the way. Gordon Palmer had a ride and pulled in at the end of his stint with a big grin on his face, while ‚
Mick Turner wasn’t as enthusiastic after a short stint. “I let my brother Mick have a ride,” said Steve. “After about 20km, he dismounted and told me I can stick it up my arse,” he laughed. “He was much better behind the wheel of the Landie.” After riding about 120km, Day Two concluded at ‘Cat Camp’, within a grove of mainly Salmon Gums, which lit up and looked spectacular in the late afternoon light. One of the support crew, Tim Smithall, surprised everyone with his culinary skills by providing an ‘exotic’ bush dining experience. He’d prepared a large pot of pulled pork, served up with home-made slaw, Jalapeno pepper relish, and Naan bread. All agreed, it was a highlight and that Tim had missed his calling. Day Three (Thursday) was another long ride. It started with some muddy sections. Even though they weren’t difficult to negotiate, both Steve and Peter Lawson tackled a washaway with a bit too much exuberance and paid a price with both ending up on the side of the track, dismantling points, plug leads, etc, and liberally applying WD40 and compressed air to dry the electrics and get their bikes going. “Day Three, riding wise, also had really long soft stretches of sand that were terrifying,” recalls Joel Turner. “The front would be wiggling round and it was hard to keep control. Your hands would be smacking into branches and it was tough,” he said. There were a few offs, including Jorge Todoroff, who seemed to like the sand. He showed his mettle though and soldiered on, completing the ride. Jorge commented at the end of the event that it was the toughest ride he’d ever been on. There were several stops along the way at points of interest. This included Thursday Rock and Agnes Gnamma Hole, an important water source on the original route.
On the last night, camp was made about 50km from Coolgardie. The mood was festive, with a sense of jubilation. Mick Turner even set up a generator, a projector and a white sheet between trees, to hold a viewing of The World’s Fastest Indian. The next morning, riders headed off along Victoria Rock Road, before turning into Coolgardie. “Everyone was buoyant and itching to get in there and put it all to bed,” recalled Steve of the final day. “We got to the last part, hit the bitumen and made it onto the main street. Everyone roared up to the Denver City Pub, backed ‘em in, and it was a joyous occasion. There was much back slapping and beer being spilt, as everyone celebrated the end of 250km of heavy going!” After four days of riding, the sense of accomplishment for all riders and support crew was immense. All bikes made it through and completed the journey under their own steam. Not one was a placed on a back-up trailer, which was remarkable given the age of the bikes and the conditions experienced. But more importantly, all commented on the camaraderie and friendships that developed within the group, with everyone pulling together to get the job done and enjoying each other’s company.
On a modern off-road bike, the Holland Track might appear a walk in the park. But for these old side-valves and their riders, the event really did capture the essence of a by-gone era, when resilience and determination were the keys to success. It was a unique event and, rest assured, it won’t be the last.