Mt. Lindsay Ulysses: Cooyar Blues Rally

HIDDEN AWAY some 30 km from the main highway to Nanango is the small town of Cooyar. Good things happened in the year 1903; not only did Bill Harley and a couple of his mates start to turn out some flash new motor-driven bicycles, but the Cooyar Hotel was built and both have been putting smiles on bikers faces for many years.

We arrived around two in the arvo after a slow start and an enjoyable ride through the countryside. The day’s events were well underway by the time we had set up camp, registered and grabbed a drink to wash the bugs down.

The sleepy little pub was alive to the sounds of music pumping and bikes arriving in their droves. The showground next door was doubling up as a camping area and was full to capacity so the park across the road was commandeered as well.

I was introduced to Walrus and Skids, two of the main organisers, and even though these guys were flat out, they still took the time to make us welcome and gave us a rundown on the arvo’s events.

The kids (and big kids) events had been run, such as the horizontal bungee, tug-o-war, etc. We caught the end of the Show & Shine. People’s Choice went to a pink scooter. Hey, it was a charity thing, alright!

Then it was time for the age old tradition of the slow race and that just wouldn’t be complete without some poor bastard going wheels up. Well someone had to do something to liven it up a bit, and of course, the crowd let him know as well.

While doing the rounds of the tradestalls we came across Steve Wilkins mobile tattoo studio. Quite a flash little set-up he had. He and his wife Natasha had worked hard to get this show on the road (no thanks to the Governmental Health Dept hurdle erecters) and have met all the requirements to enable Steve to provide this extra dimension to the bike show/rally scene. Well done to both of you and I hope your hard work pays off.

Time for another beer or three and try to find some shade as the first of the bands fired up. Two bands, Who Killed Kenny and 3220, took to the stage as the sun started to set. The drinks were going down a treat and the mood was starting to mellow out nicely.

The main drawcard for this rally was the Wolverines. These guys have been delivering the goods for many years with their mix of rock, blues, country, and some customised versions of all our favourites from the past; they are always guaranteed to please the crowds. The boys took the stage at about eight o’clock and please the crowd they did!

And how’s this for a nice touch? When the Wolverines took a break, there was none of the usual recorded music getting pumped through the speakers. Instead, the organisers opted for more entertainment in the form of a wet T-shirt comp and some jelly wrestling! Good shit!! Maybe the NRL and AFL should take a leaf out of the Ulysses book when it comes to half-time entertainment at the Grand Finals!

The tits were bouncing, the water was splashing and the jelly was flying as the girls (and fucken lots of ’em too) got down and dirty for the crowd. As a footnote, ladies, next time you jump in for a wrestle, please ensure that you are completely naked as soiled clothing makes the jelly taste funny afterwards. Just kidding.

The Wolverines came on for their second set and by this time the crowd was more than warmed up and we continued to party the night away in style.

Walrus and Skids would like to say thanks for all the help and support they received as far as getting the show up and running. Special thanks to the raffle bitches, the local P&C and Lions Club for the catering, and to Scott the local cop for being a good sport and putting up with our shit.

A quick look at some of the heads around the campsite the next morning was more than testament that all had a fat time the night before.

words & pics by Chuck U Farley