Les Leahy arrived by "BIKE" (XT600) followed closely by Danny Kosinski in the car. Next to arrive was Wayne & Verity, Ian & Kerrie and Rob, Kirsten & Benny (Rob’s miniature Fox Terrier). Also during the day Tom & Andi had dropped in on their way home. Danny wasn’t up to riding due to strained neck muscles hence the car. Wayne had also trailered his bike along with the Presidential FireBlade behind Verity’s 4WD. Likewise, Rob had a fully enclosed bike trailer for his NX650 and Kirsten’s XT250, which towed very nicely behind the 4WD Suzuki Vitara.

With the weather still a bit overcast most of us did some shopping and settled into the holiday spirit, although Ben did venture out onto Tawonga Gap and Mt.Buffalo.

With the weather now perfect Ben & I did a quick run through the Tawonga Gap/ Dederang Gap loop while the others went horse riding, trail riding or sightseeing. Later while going over to the Alpaca Farm we encountered an R6 that didn’t make it across the Tawonga Gap. He was a local from Myrtleford and he and his mate knew the ambulance officer by first name basis!

With my neck giving me some problems I had managed to book in for some remedial massage in Bright so that I could at least enjoy the nightly run up and down Mt.Buffalo! Speaking of which on our first trip up we came upon a "damsel in distress" actually a ZZR600 rider who had lost the ignition key (fell out!) while on the trip up to the Chalet! We all tried our own keys without any success and as the RACV weren’t interested the only option seemed to push the bike until the downhill section then roll to the bottom. Fortunately a friendly Road Patrol officer offered to transport the bike down.

With Rob and Les off on some serious trail ride Danny, Kirsten, Kerrie and I headed for Beechworth. The others were off trout fishing or sightseeing. We returned so Kirsten could go horse riding to find Craig and Paul had arrived. So once they had unpacked their bikes (yes they had trailered them up also), we went for the usual loop through the two gaps and while still in the mood the nightly run up Mt.Buffalo. Ben joined as for the run down as did Danny in the car. Danny had some concerns as there was scrapping sounds as he rounded right-hand bends, turned out that the right front mudflap touching on the road when the car was at full lean!

New Years Eve would soon be upon us so while the others went sightseeing, bushwalking, horse riding trial riding etc. Ben, Paul, Craig & Ian had a ride up to Mt.Hotham then onto Dinner Plain for lunch. The ride was initially great but the closer we got to Hotham the more low cloud we encountered so by the time Dinner Plain was reached you could hardly see a thing. Wayne who had originally planned to come along got an insect in his eye as he rode to Bright for fuel. The irritation was so bad he had to seek medical treatment and by then he had missed us so went for a solo ride to Mt.Beauty and Falls Creek.

Back at camp, Stewart, a friend of Paul’s, had arrived and he was eager to give his GPX250 a run, so the usual Mt.Buffalo derby now consisted of 4 bikes and 2 cars. Danny even showed that his bike overtaking maneuvers could be applied to 4 wheeled cars! While the others went for a look at the Underground River, I returned to camp to find Joe, (Stewart’s father-in-law) had arrived on his big Harley to join in the celebrations.

After we had all returned and had dinner we started the countdown to midnight, Les retired early, still feeling the effects of motion sickness brought about by the trip up and down Mt.Buffalo in the car. The rest of us sat about getting happier by the hour, although Danny to check out the talent at Bright and Myrtleford! As midnight approached, we joined in the Park organized festivities to see in the New Year. Rob & Kirsten added to the evening with a display of fireworks that had the whole Caravan Park enthralled. Back to the campfire for a couple more hours before bed, although some of the "younger" members almost saw in the sunrise.

A rather late start for most, although Ben had left early as he had to be at work to ensure the Millennium Bug was not wreaking havoc. Les was the next to depart followed by Wayne & Verity then Joe. The rest of us helped Julie pack before bidding her farewell. Soon after Rob & Kirsten left for home. With the rest of us planning to stay the extra day, Danny stayed in bed, Kerrie & I did some hiking while Paul, Craig and Stewart rode to Mt.Beauty and Falls Creek.

For most it was a very early night!

Another great day but with most of us heading home all we did was pack, although Stewart headed off on a lone bike ride to Mt.Hotham and maybe Omeo. Danny was up and about and with 23 hours of sleep under his belt had decided to stay for an extra day or so. The rest of us departed and so ended another successful Club Camp.

Ben – Car, trailer and ZXR750.

Julie, Laura and Robert – Car

Les Leahy – XT600

Danny Kosinski – Car

Wayne Grant & Verity – Nissan 4WD, trailer and ZX9

Ian Payne & Kerrie – Car, CBR900R (via Wayne’s trailer)

Rob Langer, Kirsten & Benny – Suzuki 4WD, trailer, NX650 & XT250

Paul Tallents & Craig Morley – Ford Ute, trailer, YZF600 & YZF750.

Stewart Carse – Holden Ute, trailer & GPX250

Joe Mapleson – Harley Wide Glide

• Les Leahy was the only person to actually ride to the camp. He also camped out one night at Wellington River as his route from Melbourne was via Dargo!
• Stewart had his GPX do a 360-degree spin coming down Mt.Buffalo when he ran wide onto the gravel and gassed it up. It just touched the ground on the muffler and engine case.
• We must have been fairly well behaved as the Caravan Park proprietors have invited us back!
• We met a 996 Ducati rider from Horsham who had come all the way just to explore the roads. He had trailered his bike but looked as though he would need new tyres prior to going home.
• Some inconsiderate person had dropped what looked like "a pizza" outside Craig’s tent one night, some of it had even found its way inside the tent!!
• After Danny’s marathon New Years Eve party and then the 23 hour recovery period the first thing he wanted to do was go to Church and mass!