Xmas Camp, Mt Buffalo Caravan Park, Porepunkah

Sunday 26^th December to Monday 3^rd January 2005

Christmas is all but on us and it is time to make bookings at our favourite Xmas Camp destination, Mt Buffalo Caravan Park. Situated on the fork of two rivers it offers a fantastic range of activities including swimming, fishing and bush walking. Close by is the Smoko Fish Hatchery, the “Wandi Pub”, the Hedge Maze, various berry, deer and nut farms, and an alpaca ranch. The famous Milawa wineries are close by.

Great road and dirt riding country abounds. Mt Buffalo offers a sensational 25 km climb to the scenic Chalet and lookouts. Nearby are good half-day rides to Falls Creek, Mt Hotham and Dartmouth Dam or full day rides into the Snowy Mountains and some of the best roads in the world. Who can forget Tawonga Gap? On the flip side there are lots of fire trails and mountain tracks offering spectacular views of the surrounding alps, most of which can only be reached by 4WD or dirt bike. So, bring your road and dirt bikes, the missus and kids, and the 4WD. Supermarket shopping is available at Bright, 6 km away.

The Club has secured three unpowered sites. Last year a few couples rented log cabins for the week, another good option. Ring 03-5756-2235 to secure a cabin or powered site. Otherwise tell Ian Payne of your intention to camp with the group. Do it now. And organise your annual leave. At least 8 people have already booked!

Australia Day Weekend January 26^th – 29^th, 2005

As per the Melbourne Cup weekend, the Committee has booked the spectacular “Snowy Mountain Holidays” house and two cottages accommodation package, right on the Murray River at Towong, 11 km out of Corryong. Australia Day falls on a Wednesday and hence we have made a 4-day weekend to take advantage of the great location.

The plan would be to ride up Wednesday, ride around the hills Thursday and Friday and return to Melbourne on Saturday. This means only three nights accommodation and home Saturday night with Sunday free – to go on the Club ride of course! You’ll need to take annual leave for the Thursday and Friday, so book your leave days now.

Cost is around $35 person, per night. Remarkably cheap. All you need is your tooth brush and a change of clothes. Note: Towong payment is by cash only. As per usual, this is strictly first come, first served, with any overflow into the Corryong pubs. Preference will be given to members. A $70 deposit is required. Book now – five beds are already taken.

There will be a two cut-off points when no more bookings can be accepted: (i) two weeks before where we must surrender unused capacity to avoid financial risk to the Club, and/or (ii) when the beds are filled. The latter depends on the make up of participants. As a rule of thumb, the house/cottages accommodation sleeps ten people comfortably (assuming two couples), and less if more singles. The point of this paragraph is to emphasise the importance of committing early, and why it is necessary to do so. It avoids the disappointment when last minute requests for accommodation are likely refused.

Tasmania 2005 – Feb 26^th (Sat) to March 6^th (Sun), 2005

Tasmania is motorcycle heaven: few people, fantastic roads and scenery, relatively cheap accommodation, and the locals speak the same language and love tourists. As per last time, we will set up base camps and do day trips, moving every few days to a different location. Whether you attend an organized day ride or follow your own itinerary is up to you. Usually we meet each night over a meal and share the day’s experiences with each other.

The plan is to go for 8 days leaving on a Saturday and returning the following Sunday week. This was the successful formula we used in 2003. This time we will have two cars to act as mules to carry the luggage, allowing us to ride unencumbered. Both boat trips are day crossings costing a total of $208 (bike) or $218 (car). The first week in March avoids the school holidays and has the greatest chance of fine weather and adequate day light hours.

If you would like to get on the reserved list, please hurry. Last time I booked for 10 people and 14 went. This year I will book for 15. I will be making an additional booking within a week or so. The next job will be to book accommodation. Paul Southwell and I have come up with an itinerary – now we just have to book the accommodation.