{"id":66519,"date":"2020-01-16T05:59:44","date_gmt":"2020-01-15T18:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/?p=66519"},"modified":"2020-01-15T12:53:31","modified_gmt":"2020-01-15T01:53:31","slug":"life-in-the-village-during-roadnats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/sport\/life-in-the-village-during-roadnats\/","title":{"rendered":"Life in the village during RoadNats"},"content":{"rendered":"
THE whooshing of bikes, the clunky rattle of cow bells, the encouraging shouts of locals and visitors, the echoes of amplified expert commentary, and pop music in the gaps.<\/p>\n
These were the sounds in Buninyong\u2019s Warrenheip Street during the 2020 Federation University Road National Championships last Sunday, as elite men and women raced around the township and Mount Helen for an Australian title.<\/p>\nThomas Corcoran, Kim Lowe and Kerrie Corcoran lap up the RoadNats action and feel \u2018Bunny\u2019 pride every January. Photos: EDWINA WILLIAMS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Buninyong local, Kim Lowe has headed to this main drag every RoadNats for the last 10 years, supporting competitors, and enjoying the atmosphere, both sporting and social.<\/p>\n
She said the event is packed with \u201cgreat excitement,\u201d and its quality has grown organically, putting Buninyong on the map.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just love the way Buninyong comes alive. The week or two before, you start to feel the momentum growing with the amount of cyclists that come into town,\u201d Mrs Lowe said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe road race showcases the village and that we can stand on our own as a town. We love the amount of people it draws to the village, the scenery and the way the community supports the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo think that some of the same riders are actually doing the Tour de France, they\u2019re really world athletes on our doorstep. The quality of the teams has grown. That\u2019s fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Throughout the busy township, hospitality businesses boom, like coffee shop Espresso Depot that Mrs Lowe said, \u201cgoes off.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brigid Corcoran, owner of Saltbush Kitchen, usually only opens her bushfoods store on Commercial Street every Sunday, but during the RoadNats she operated daily.<\/p>\n
Also serving morning teas, grazing plates and light lunches, it\u2019s been her business\u2019s first January in the heart of Buninyong, so she took the opportunity to test the water of the RoadNats period.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s such a unique Australian experience at Saltbush Kitchen, my thinking was that for visitors or locals, it\u2019s a point of interest,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey way it\u2019s designed, it\u2019s like walking into a little cave… It\u2019s so nice to be able to share it with lots of different people.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Ms Corcoran\u2019s store so central, she was mindful of the moments of village down-time during each lap of the road races, offering an unusual space for those wandering around until the action passes by again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just somewhere to sit down and eat but somewhere to discover some new Australian experiences. When people come in, they comment that it\u2019s so unexpected to find this in Buninyong.<\/p>\nBrigid Corcoran welcomed new visitors to Saltbush Kitchen all week.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s that sense of discovery for Australian people, they find it exciting, and then you have international people who come in and it\u2019s another level of interest because they\u2019ve not experienced it before,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In the past Ms Corcoran\u2019s both worked and been a spectator during the cycling festival. It\u2019s simply a joy for her to see new people in town.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the highlight for me. Ballarat people come out but also visitors and tourists from all around the place. I\u2019ve had a lot of interstate people in,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople find their home in the town, camping around and becoming that semi-local over three or four days. It\u2019s just a different vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n
The City of Ballarat\u2019s profile as a cycling hub will continue to grow over the next few years, with news this week that the city secured the RoadNats rights for another three.<\/p>\n
But looking back a decade, Mrs Lowe said people used to say, \u201cwhere\u2019s that?\u201d at the mention of Buninyong. Things have changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people say they know Buninyong now, \u2018oh, that\u2019s it\u2019s where the cycling is.\u2019 You can\u2019t underestimate what the RoadNats do for Ballarat and Buninyong,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE whooshing of bikes, the clunky rattle of cow bells, the encouraging shouts of locals and visitors, the echoes of amplified expert commentary, and pop music in the gaps. These were the sounds in Buninyong\u2019s Warrenheip Street during the 2020 Federation University Road National Championships last Sunday, as elite men and women raced around the […]<\/p>\n
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