Very cool and very very dry conditions were the order of the day for last weekend’s Northern Adventure Congregation hosted by our friends of the above magazine and the extremely good folk of Green Valley Farm.
An excellent turnout of around 250 riders was well up on last year’s more soggy affair.
Riders that booked in early had a choice of heated cabins while the rest camp out in the cool conditions throughout the park like grounds.
Yours truly also have been tent bound for the last couple years and while it’s difficult trying to erect tents, quick shades, setup and display our product we now have one of the one bedroom cabins with our name permanently etched into it !
Most riders turn out on the Friday afternoon, some solo, some in pairs or small numbers but a lot travel to the event through an organised bunch of friends Facebook clubs or similar.
Friday night is a pretty casual affair, big BBQ and even bigger fire, riders gathered around with stories of the day or days gone by. Bar facilities no doubt helping wash down the days dust. Some riders wander off to their own small group areas, the people of Green Valley Farm generous with fire pits and decent hardwood. Some of course crash after a big day in the saddle while a few of our friends snuck back to our cabin to take in the last half of the football semi finals on the box!
Ride technique demonstrations, a tyre change demo and different levels of adventure ride loops are on offer on the Saturday. A late afternoon rally talk by John Hudson paves the way for riders to ready themselves for an evening of food, fun, a few prizes and giveaways.
Saturday nights meal in the converted old wool shed is nothing short of superb ! Melt in your mouth lamb and pork, a very tasty potato bake along with an excellent array of salads and pasta dishes goes down a treat.
Our friends at Green Valley Farm Tingha put on a really good weekend, free firewood, excellent meals both breakfast and dinner. No one could complain about what’s on offer they do a great job. If you have younger children this is a great place for a long weekend with a huge water slide and other water activities, rides, putt putt, gardens, museum, kiosk, lots of animals, ostrich, emu, deer, wombats, monkeys and more. All this in the middle of nowhere !! and we always enjoy the drive, good roads, nice little towns and countryside.
And while our original intentions were to take in more of the farm this year ourselves, not to mention take some decent photographs, setting up, packing up and then manning our own ABA stand keep us well and truly busy all weekend.
Again thanks to the organisers and the people of Green Valley Farm we look forward to seeing all our friends and fellow riders again next year!
