Goulburn to Sydney 1928 sash

View this record on the National Museum of Australia's website

Type: Sashes
Place: Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia; Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Materials: Metal - non specific, Pigment, Textile - non specific
Collection: Ken Ross collection
Accession number: 2009.0025.0019

Description

A light aqua-blue watermark ribbed textile sash folded over and joined together with a silver coloured coiled metal button. Attached to the button is a silver coloured metal tassel. The sash is fringed at the ends with coiled silver coloured metal threads. There is gold coloured printed text across the sash that reads 'GOULBURN TO SYDNEY. / ROAD RACE 1928.'. Attached above the button is a grey shield shaped medal made of metal which is engraved with inscriptions that read 'LEAGUE OF N.S.W. / WHEELMEN / GOULBURN TO SYDNEY / ROAD RACE / 128 Miles / Won by K. ROSS / Time 6 H. 34M. 45SEC / 29-9-28 / Pres. by DUNLOP RUBBER Co of AUST LTD.'.

About the collection

The Ken Ross collection comprises 11 medals, 8 sashes and 1 racing jersey which belonged to professional cyclist Ken Ross. Ross competed successfully as a road cyclist in New South Wales during the 1920s and 1930s. He was also among the few Australian cyclists competing in Europe after the First World War and was among the first English-speaking sportsmen to enter German after the conflict had ended. The collection includes medals and sashes won in Australia and Europe. The bicycle has played an important role in Australian life since the 1880s, both as a sport and as a means of transportation. Cycle racing was immediately popular with clubs forming in every state by the 1890s. The period after the First World War saw a great revival of competitive cycling and local and interstate competitions drew large crowds and full newspaper coverage. The few Australian cyclists who left Australia in the 1920s to compete overseas established a long tradition of professional cyclists who have achieved success at an international level.

Read live from the Museum's Collection API (12/11/2026, 6:16:10 am). Record last updated by the Museum 2026-02-11. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.