26/12/98 Les and Rob arrive. Rain and snow on Mt Hotham, hail and rain in Melbourne. Ben and Ian consult and defer departure from Melbourne due to weather conditions.

27/12/98 Ben, Julie and kids arrive and set up 4 tents. Ian and Kerrie arrive. Les and Rob reading bike magazines and eating sausages under gazebo. Ben rode up Mt Buffalo in evening. BBQ tea, camp fire, port, Christmas cake. Bliss.

28/12/98 Rob & Les overland to Harrietville. Ben, Julie, Ian, Derrick & Kathy over Tawonga & Dederang Gap. 140 km loop. Up Mt. Buffalo in the evening. BBQ dinner. Fresh rainbow trout from Smoko, 4 km before Harrietville. $8/kilo (gutted), catch your own. Potatoes in ashes and silver foil.

29/12/98 Les off home via Metung, Rob to explore Buckland & Wonnangatta Valleys. Kerrie & Kathy bushwalking up on Mt. Buffalo. Julie & kids sightseeing around gourmet tourist attractions (venison, cheese, berries, nuts, wines, etc). Ben, Dave, Bron, Ian & Derrick 380 km round trip to Dartmouth Dam via Tawonga Gap. Rob got booked $20 for riding his pushbike without a helmet (had already been warned the previous day). Usual evening run up Mt. Buffalo. Pizza dinner in Bright.

30/12/98 Kerrie & Bron bushwalking on Mt. Buffalo. Jon & Zara sightseeing. Rob pedals to Bright then dirt ride to Harrietville. Ben, Ian, Paul, John, Dave, Derrick & Kathy over the new sealed section to Omeo. Julie and kids yabbying (to no avail). Swimming in river in afternoon. Dave and Ben rode up Mt Buffalo. BBQ trout for tea.

31/12/98 Dave & Bron to Wodonga. Ian & Kerrie Milawa & Beechworth. Jon & Zara to Bright. Rob overland to Abbeyard. Steve, Sue, Derrick & Kathy to Falls Creek. Dav & Paul home. Ben, Julie & family up to Hotham for chair lift and sight seeing and soccer game. Then onto Dinner Plain for lunch. Swimming most of afternoon in river, floating on inner tubes. Usual strop up Buffalo. Dianne and Wayne arrive by car. Dianne sets up tent by torch light and Wayne sleeps in car. Bronwyn produces the very popular "Pass the Pigs" game. Ben and Julie and kids to the "city" centre for the "action". See in the New Year then bed about 4am for some!

01/01/99 Wayne, Dianne, Ian & little Rob and Jon, Zara & Rob (in cars) and Derrick to Mt. Hotham. Kerrie swimming, Kathy visit relatives. Ben, Julie, Dave & Laura to horse riding. Steve, Sue, Dave Bron & Oswald head home. More trout, scrabble.