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Attempted assassination at Clontarf Beach

We have only just found out about the attempted assassination at Clontarf Beach, although we have lived in Sydney all our life. Clontarf Beach can be included as part of your ride. Our North Shore Skimmer takes you past it on the Spit Bridge. If you would like to ride to the beach just let us know when you book. Otherwise, we can design a ride especially for you.

Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh

On 12 March 1868 Prince Alfred was guest of honour here at a sailor’s picnic. He was the Duke of Edinburgh and second son of Queen Victoria.

Attempted assassination at Clontarf Beach

Dublin-born Henry James O’Farrell jumped out of the crowd of picnickers, shooting the Duke in the back. The Duke’s rubber suspenders deflected the bullet, sparing him major injury.

Guilty, O’Farrell was hanged a month later, despite the Duke seeking clemency on his behalf. In the interim, the Irish O’Farrell was quick to air his anti-British and anti-monarchism views.

Sydneysiders were even quicker to fuel existing anti-Irish sentiment. The NSW Government even passed the Treason Felony Act. This made it an offence to refuse to drink to the Queen’s health.

The Duke and the British monarchy were hugely popular in Australia at this time. The Duke had arrived by ship three months earlier. Nearly ten thousand Sydney-siders came out to welcome him in the pouring rain. This was ten per cent of the city’s 100 thousand population.

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

After the assassination attempt, citizens donated money for a “substantial monument. It showed the heartfelt gratitude of the community at the recovery of HRH”. Hence the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney’s inner west was built in 1882.

Attempted assassination at Clontarf Beach is a real mystery to Sydneysiders. Our North Shore Skimmer Tour will take you past Clontarf Beach. If you’d like to actually visit it, let us know so we can ride you to it. https://www.trolltours.com.au/product/the-north-shore-skimmer-trike-tour/

Thanks to Sydney Coastal Walks for this information. Read more about the assassination attempt and the area here:
https://www.sydneycoastwalks.com.au/clontarf-reserve/

Santa is celebrating in Sydney

Santa is celebrating in Sydney already and he decided it was easy to organise a trike ride with us. A lot easier than organising his reindeer. Craig on the yellow trike picked Santa and Mrs Claus up in Casula, a south western suburb of Sydney. They joined the Christmas parade around Casula Mall with the elves, fairies, toys and a brass band. Everyone had such a fun time and got into the Christmas vibe.

If you ‘d like a Santa is celebrating in Sydney visit please let us know. Santa can come on the trike to take your kids for short rides around home or school. Or he can take you, your friends or employees on a Christmas party ride/transfer – even with out Santa.

https://www.trolltours.com.au/product/design-your-own-ride/

 

Santa trike ride

Santa 24.12.18 – Santa trike ride

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved (“good” or “nice”) children on Christmas Eve (24 December) and the early morning hours of Christmas Day (25 December).[1] The modern Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas (a fourth-century Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra), the British figure of Father Christmas and the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas (himself also based on Saint Nicholas). Some maintain Santa Claus also absorbed elements of the Germanic god Wodan, who was associated with the pagan midwinter event of Yule and led the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky.

Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, jolly, white-bearded man—sometimes with spectacles—wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white-fur-cuffed red trousers, a red hat with white fur and black leather belt and boots and who carries a bag full of gifts for children. This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” and of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast.[2][3][4] This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, children’s books, films, and advertising.

Santa Claus is said to make lists of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior (“good” and “bad”, or “naughty” and “nice”) and to deliver presents, including toys, and candy to all of the well-behaved children in the world, and coal to all the misbehaved children, on the single night of Christmas Eve. He accomplishes this feat with the aid of his elves, who make the toys in his workshop at the North Pole, and his flying reindeer, who pull his sleigh.[5][6] He is commonly portrayed as living at the North Pole, and often laughing in a way that sounds like “ho ho ho”. Thanks to Wilipedia.

Harley-Davidson Motorcycle History – read the interesting story.

The Harley-Davidson Motorcycle History – we only use Harley-Davidson single seater motorcycles on our tours, all the sidecars we have are genuine Harley-Davidson ones. It is an iconic American motorcycle and was founded out of a small shed in 1903 by William S. Harley and brothers Arthur and Walter Davidson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Motor Company produces traditional cruiser motorcycles utilizing air-cooled V-Twin engines.

When Harley and Davidson produced and sold their first motorcycle in 1903, they were one of many small motorcycle marques springing up across the country. Flash forward more than a century and the Harley-Davidson brand is so rooted in American culture that the history of the company intertwines with the history of America itself.

Harley-Davidson incorporated in 1907, with William Davidson officially joining forces with his two brothers and Harley. Setting down roots in Milwaukee, Harley-Davidson began hiring employees and by the end of the decade were producing bikes using its signature 45-degree air-cooled V-Twin.

To read the rest of the interesting history, please click on this link. It’s an interesting and well written article thanks to MotoUSA.com

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/2008/02/article/harley-davidson-motorcycle-history/

The nickname “Hog”

Have you ever heard the nickname “Hog” when applied to Harley Davidsons?

This is how it came about:

Beginning in 1920, a team of farm boys  became known as the “hog boys”. They consistently won races and the group had a live hog as their mascot. Following a win, they would put the hog on their Harley and take a victory lap.

In 1983, the Harley Davidson Motor Company formed a club for owners of its motorcycles, taking advantage of the long-standing nickname by turning “hog” into the acronym HOG. This stands for Harley Owners Group. Harley-Davidson attempted to trademark “hog”, but in 1999 lost a case against an independent Harley-Davidson specialist, The Hog Farm, New York. A court ruled that “hog” had become a generic term for large motorcycles and therefore couldn’t be protected as a trademark.

Father’s Day present Sydney – he’d love a ride

A Father’s Day present Sydney is so hard to buy! Does he really want more socks or chocolates? We think he’d prefer a Harley or trike ride with Troll Tours? We love chocolate but have tried every sort there is and it is still forgettable, so how about getting your dad a present he will remember forever! The Harley and trike rides really are a fun, memorable experience. We promise he’ll love you more for it.  ?.  Father’s Day present Sydney – done and dusted!

As a Father’s Day Special we are giving 10% off all rides 1 hour or longer.  This great deal is available for a limited time only – until Saturday 02 Sept 2018.

If you can’t organise the ride now we can send you a Gift Voucher so he can organise a date later on. They are valid for 12 months.

‘One Day in Sydney’ – a Troll Tours experience is a must!

‘One Day in Sydney’ is an article written by one of a few visiting journalists from Indonesia. They visited the usual touristy areas as they should, Sydney is beautiful and has many iconic buildings and landmarks to see. They also went on a Troll Tours Harley tour over the Sydney Harbour Bridge to have a look across the Harbour to the city, the Sydney Opera House and The Bridge from a different angle.

They were driven back over The Bridge, past Mrs Macquarie’s Chair which is located in the Royal Botanical Gardens. This place also has a different view of The Opera House and The Bridge, facing west. They travelled on further through the ‘posh’ Eastern Suburbs and out to Bondi. They had a good look around before being driven through the city and  to their drop off point.

All the journalists had a fun experience on the Harleys and in the sidecar, so we made the list of best things to do in Sydney. This article was published in “Media Indonesia”. It shows that if you have just ‘One Day in Sydney’ or limited time (or plenty of time) take a Troll Tours tour and you are guaranteed to see many of the Sydney sights and have fun doing so.

Mother’s Day presents Sydney – Sunday 14 May 2017

Mother’s Day presents are so hard to buy! Which would your Mother prefer – flowers or a trike ride with Troll? We love flowers but we have been there, done that and we are sure you have too.  How about getting your mum a present  she will remember forever as the fun experience you gave her. We promise she’ll love you more.  🙂

As a Mother’s Day Special we are giving 15% off all rides 1 hour or longer.  This great deal is available for a limited time only.

If you can’t organise the ride now we can send you a Gift Voucher so she can organise a date later on. They are valid for 12 months.

 

Kiss and (Harley) Ride

Troll and his trike were waiting all day under this sign and no one came for a kiss and a Troll Tours Harley ride. 🙁
We are joking but it’s a good sign and a talking point. This particular sign is at Blues Point on the northern side of the Harbour Bridge. It’s one of the most popular stops for our trikes and Harleys as there is a wonderful view towards the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.

There are other hidden parts of Sydney in this area with great views over the Harbour. Most people don’t even know they exist. I have lived in Sydney all my life (though in different areas) and until Troll took me on a sightseeing trike ride, I didn’t know these places existed. Troll and all our other Harley riders know these areas and can show you too!

Christmas on a Harley Trike Ride – such fun

Christmas on a Harley Trike ride, or a Harley motorcycle tour: Christmas presents – what do you get someone (or more than one) who has everything? You give them a unique gift from Troll Tours – our Gift Vouchers are valid for 12 months so there is plenty of time to use them. Our passengers are equally locals, interstate visitors and tourists from overseas. We cater for everyone whether it is on a Harley or on a trike. Each trike can hold up to 3 passengers so everyone can have a chat while enjoying the ride.

Pick a ride from our suggestions or choose a time frame, so when the gift voucher receipient contacts us, they can choose where we take them. It could be popular  Eastern Sydney Panorama – including Bondi, The Beach Beauty – including Palm Beach or further afield to include the Blue Mountains with its scenic views of The Three Sisters.

Trolls are Taking Over – Beware!

The Trolls are taking over Sydney! Troll’s mate has arrived for a permanent holiday in Annandale. He is living under the light rail bridge at the corner of Johnston Road and the Crescent. Can you see the family resemblance? He wants to go on a tour but unfortunately he doesn’t fit on the Harley or trike. Thanks to the Guerilla Gardeners of Channel 10, we need more company as we are a rare species!

trolls3 trollbridge