Mlle Serpolette's itinerary

Mlle Serpolette's Australian tour, 1898

A number of sources reported that Mlle Serpolette's visit to Australia was to last eight months, and would encompass exhibitions, racing and record breaking. For whatever reason, these plans were not played out, and she seems to have been involved in only three major public events: one in each of Western Australia (North Fremantle Bicycle Club), South Australia (Ariel Cycling Club), and New South Wales (demonstration at the Sydney Cricket Ground). For a trip said to be sponsored by the Gladiator Cycle Company, surprising little time seems to have been devoted to promoting the sponsor's product, although M. Ullom was active in signing up agencies in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney.

Thursday 21 April 1898	Mlle Serpolette and M. Ullmo arrive in Albany, Western Australia, aboard the Armand Behic
Saturday 23 April 1898	Arrives in Perth
Sunday 24 April 1898	Rides her 22 lb racing Gladiator cycle to Osborne
Tuesday 26 April 1898	Rides bicycle to Fremantle to inspect cycling tracks. Lunch at the Cleopatra Hotel, then entertained on board the steamer Kalgoorlie
Wednesday 27 April 1898	"Indulged in training operations on the roads"
Thursday 28 April 1898	Rides the motor cycle to Fremantle - return in 38 minutes including stop to light lamp. Trains on the new North Fremantle velodrome
Saturday 30 April 1898	Exhibition of cycling at North Fremantle track. Banking too steep to allow motor tricycle demonstration.
Sunday 1 May 1898	Rides from Osborne to the West Australian offices on St Georges Terrace in 15 min 4 sec, into a head wind
Monday 2 May 1898	Proposed ride from Perth Park on Mt Eliza to Osborne
Monday 9 May 1898	Serpolette on motor tricycle leads parade in Perth to farewell F.A. White on his attempt cross the continent on his bicycle. Sponsored by Gladiator, parade stops at Jacoby's Hotel where Ullmo proposes toasts.
Thursday 12 May 1898	Serpolette and Ullmo sail for Adelaide aboard Britannia
Monday 16 May 1898	Britannia arrives in Adelaide. Stays at South Australian hotel
Sunday 29 May 1898	Test rides on motor tricycle
Monday 30 May 1898	Exhibition of cycling (controversially, on lady's machine), and unsuccessful motor cycle demonstration on Jubilee Exhibition Oval. Motor cycle running and "taken all around the city" later that evening.
Tuesday 31 May 1898	Lunchtime demonstration of motor cycle. Serpolette and Ullmo leave Adelaide on the afternoon express, bound for Sydney via Melbourne
	Presume time spent in Melbourne? No record found so far...
Monday 13 June 1898	Serpolette and Ullmo arrive in Sydney
Saturday 25 June 1898	Serpolette gives first public demonstration of motor tricycle at Sydney Cricket Ground
Sunday 26 June 1898	While riding her motor tricycle in Centennial Park, Serpolette collides with "scorcher" on bicycle, is injured and conveyed to hospital
15 July 1898	Said to be "almost recovered from her recent mishap" and "about again on her machine"
August - October	Little known of this three months - much "chatter" about being "in great demand" by country cycling clubs in NSW, dates proposed for return visit to Adelaide, and a possible visit to Broken Hill in October, but no concrete reports of activities
Thursday 18 Aug. 1898	Serpolette fails to appear at a cycle meeting in Junee, country New South Wales, despite the fact that "visitors came many miles to see her perfomanace"
20 Aug. 1898	Serpolette appears on a motorcycle at Cootamundra, country New South Wales, "last week"
29 October 1898	The Critic reports: "Serpolette has packed her bloomers and left these shores, unwept, unhonored, and unsung." Date and means of departure not yet known.

I'd be most interested if anyone can fill in details of Mlle Serpolette's visit, particularly in some of the "unexplained" periods.

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