More than 400 Harley-Davidsons HOG Top End roads for imressive Thunder Run

More than 400 Harley-Davidsons shook Darwin’s northern suburbs and rural areas from their Sunday slumber as one of the largest ever gathering of the iconic bikes, and their owners, hit Top End roads. SEE THE GALLERY

MORE than 400 Harley-Davidsons shook Darwin’s northern suburbs and rural areas from their Sunday slumber as one of the largest ever gathering of the iconic bikes, and their owners, hit Top End roads.

The Northern Territory Darwin chapter of the Harley Owners Group began organising the state rally towards the end of last year, hoping maybe 300 riders would show up.

But the combined effects of two years of lock-downs and the chilly southern weather combined to send the event off the charts, with 460 riders making the trip to Darwin for the three-day event.

Hundreds of those took off on the rally’s Thunder Run finale which began at Club Tropical resort on Lee Point Road, turned left onto Vanderlin Drive, headed across Elizabeth River bridge and then the long-way round to Livingstone Reserve.

Bikes and riders from every Australian state were represented. Out of 43 Harley Owners Groups nationally, 31 had riders taking part.

Jake Jacobsen from Palm Cove in Darwin for the Harley-Davidson Thunder Run

One of those, Jake Jacobsen from Palm Cove in far north Queensland, said “camaraderie and friendship” bind the riders.

“You get 600 or so people getting together having beers and it’s just a friendship thing and a love for the bikes,” he said.

‘Dizzy’ Gillespie from Adelaide celebrated his 21st birthday in Darwin in January 1975 while here with the post-Cyclone Tracy clean-up.

“I can’t believe how much its grown and how good it is these days,” he said. “It’s absolutely a destination city.”

Dizzy Gillespie from Adelaide in Darwin for the Harley-Davidson Thunder Run

Coffs Harbour resident Peter Tanner rode to Darwin via Echuca and will have completed a 12,000km road-trip by the time he’s back home.

“We’ve camped the whole way and stopped at the rock, the Olgas, Litchfield I’ve loved the termite mounds, the red colors and the red earth,” he said. It’s brilliant.

“I love the freedom of riding. Concentrating on the road and all your worries just go away.

“Roads you travel on that are boring are fun to ride on a Harley.”

Darwin Harley Owners Group member and rally co-ordinator Phillip Lodge is thrilled at the response their event has got from riders across the country.

“Our numbers blew-out,” he said. “When we originally started planning this we thought we’d get 300 but we had 460 registrations.

Peter Tanner from Coffs Harbour in Darwin for the Harley-Davidson Thunder Run

“We’ve got people from Tasmania, Cape York, Western Australia, Sydney, you name it.

“Single-minded people just want to go for a ride and I think because people have been locked-down for so long they’ve all got a little extra time up and they just want to go on holidays.

“When they heard we had it in Darwin a lot of people came up with their wives or came up for the V8s and have stayed.”

Tourism Top End general manager Glen Hingley, who took part in the Thunder Run, said the event was a huge success that grew organically out of the efforts of the Darwin HOG organising committee.

“If only we could have had Harley parking at the Travel Centre this week,” he said. “We had a whole lot of people coming in booking jumping crocs tours, booking Kakadu tours, booking around town attractions.

Some of the more than 400 Harley Davidsons cruising along on Lee Point Road on Sunday. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“A lot of these guys are former military so there has been really big interest in all the military attractions around town at the aviation museum, East Point, getting on the local tours. A lot of people have been out on the harbour.

“A lot of money has been spent in the past two weeks pulled together largely by a volunteer committee that wanted to host the ride that’s turned out to be the biggest gathering of Harley-Davidsons anywhere in Darwin and the biggest gathering in Australia in the last three years.”

Drive tourism is crucial to the Territory’s visitor economy, and touring motorcycles are an important niche that deserves a clearer focus.

“It’s a sector of tourism worth tens-of-millions in the USA, Europe and Asia,” he said. “Whether it’s large touring Harley-Davidsons or adventure bike, tourism motorcycles is an opportunity.

“It’s a market that spends and takes the time to stop and enjoy the local experiences.”

Club Tropical’s Alessandro Morandini praised the efforts of resort staff and the Darwin economy.

“This is tremendous,” he said. “Tourism is back in the NT and the city of Darwin can barely handle the massive volume coming from holiday makers and the public sector,” he said.

“There has never been a time to come and live and work here. We’re hopeful it continues to get bigger. There is so much potential here.”