General News
10 April, 2026
Historic recreation visits Camperdown
A GROUP of four adventurers stopped by Camperdown last week as they recreated the motorcycle ride of two men 100 years ago.
Stephen Wills and cousin James Wills are descendants of Lionel and Phillip Wills, who completed a motorcycle ride from Adelaide to Camperdown in 1926.
The pair were joined by friends Peter Harris and Patrick Keane, who travelled with them to Kingston, Mt Gambier, Lorne and Serviceton as well as Camperdown.
Stephen said the Camperdown leg of the journey saw the group stop at Wiridgil homestead, which is owned by the Manifolds.
“Most of the time we were in Camperdown, we stayed at a motel but spent several hours at Wiridgil homestead talking to the Manifolds and walking around,” he said.
“The house I don’t think has changed much in maybe 100 years – it seemed to be quite a museum-type house, and it was very beautiful.
“We got to take photos in the same places that Granddad took photos.”
Stephen said he found the experience moving, with many people expressing a keen interest in learning more about their journey.
“It was fantastic to just step into his shoes, be on a motorbike like he was doing and think about how it would have been for him mainly going on dirt roads,” he said.
“It gave us a sense of the distance and difficulty he would have experienced.
“We were certainly exhausted after some long rides but imagining what it would have been like on dirt roads, on much lower technology motorcycles and reading paper maps rather than using navigators, I can’t imagine what it would have been like for them.
“Even with navigators, we seemed to get lost a few times.
“There were many towns we passed through like Walwal, which isn’t even a town anymore.”
James, who travelled from Italy to take part in the ride, said he enjoyed the friendliness of people in the communities they visited.
“What’s been fascinating in the whole trip for me, coming from Europe, is how much history there is here and how so many of the smaller towns are proud of their history,” he said.
“We’ve been looking at buildings and wondering if they were there 100 years ago.
“I’m amazed how wet it is in Australia – it seemed every day we set off and it’s raining, everyone tells me it’s dry.
“One of the things I’ve been surprised about is how few birds there are.
“We saw a few, but it’s rare you see more than two or three birds at the same time unless they’re crows or magpies.”
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