Australia 2009: Sixth Annual HU Travellers Meeting

Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meeting

Sixth Annual Australia Meeting

March 13-15, 2009

Why Come to a Horizons Unlimited Motorcycle Travellers Meeting?

You can meet people who don't think you're crazy for wanting to ride your bike to South America or Africa or across Asia, or even around the world! Admit it, all your 'normal' friends and most of your family fears for your sanity! So, this is your opportunity to meet the people who will encourage you in that craziness, share their experiences and advice on how to do it, and maybe you'll meet them again in Mongolia or Timbuktu!

The Plan

It's all over, sorry you missed it!

Meeting reports on the HUBB here

 

2009 Speakers and Tech Clinics

How about you? We're all here to learn, and there's LOTS to learn! We want to do more presentations and clinics - but we need volunteers to give them! Any topic you can contribute having to do with motorcycle travel, maintenance, planning etc, lasting 20 minutes or more, would be great. Please contact me here to volunteer.

  • RTW on an Iron Butt
    • Margaret Peart
      ...or how to combine RTW-ing with Iron Butt endurance riding - and still manage to see things.
  • South and Central America, alone or two bikes?
    • Roly Gough-Allen
      Buenos Aries to San Diego in 4 months 11 weeks with a mate, and 7 weeks alone, pro's and con's of each!
  • Getting ready to go - where do you start?
    • John & Alanna Skillington
      Some practical planning tips for organising the big trip.
  • Planning Europe & Russia
    • Michael & Colleen Tharme
      How we planned our 2008 trip to Moscow from London on 1200GS two up.
  • Equipment - the good the bad and the ugly
    • Chris Cowper
      Some of the gear I used, and should not have used.
  • China and Russia 2008
    • Garry Chadwick
      Vietnam to Italy on a maxi-scooter and a local Chinese 125
  • Riding Mongolia
    • Scott Weinhold
      Advice and inspiration for riding across Mongolia, the best country in the world for offroad travel.
  • London to Vladivostok for charity
    • Mick McDonald
      The pros and cons of riding for charity
  • Central America
    • Ben Holland
      Solo in Central America
  • Two up packing demo
    • Andy Longmire
  • For Women Only
    • Panel discussion.

How about you?

We're all here to learn, and there's LOTS to learn! We want to do more presentations and clinics - but we need volunteers to give them! Any topic you can contribute having to do with motorcycle travel, maintenance, planning etc, lasting 20 minutes or more, would be great. Please contact me here to volunteer.

Display 2009:

  • Touratech Australia - will be there with products to see and catalogs to hand out, and will be running a GPS workshop.
  • Robin Box from Touratech/Safari Tanks
    • Whats involded in designing a new model fuel tank
  • Lachlan Campbell - from Jesse Luggage will be there to show you the latest products.

We would like more travel equipment vendors. Vendors please contact me for details.

There will be slide shows and clinics on Friday and Saturday evenings, and more or less all day on Saturday. Come early and make it a great weekend! We recommend riding on Thursday and Sunday, and participating in the clinics on Friday night and Saturday.

camping area

Camping area

 

barbies and picnic area

Picnic area

Membership - Show you're proud to be a Horizons Unlimited Traveller!

Just to clarify the membership situation: Currently there is no requirement to be a member to access the website, the HUBB or to receive the monthly e-zine. For now, what you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive.

We will also upgrade your status in the HUBB to Member. In addition to recognising your contribution through your status, this will allow you to upload a custom profile picture and custom avatar, store up to 50 private messages, upload more pictures (10 MB maximum storage) and create polls.

Another benefit we can provide is if you decide you want a t-shirt, mug, fleece jacket or other Horizons logo product from the Souk, you can purchase Member logo products at the basic price. Just let us know and we can arrange access to the Members Private Store.

You can help!

If you have a few minutes, please download the posters ( Adobe pdf format) and print off a few and hand them round your club or your local bike shop or anywhere seems like a good place.

Australia 2009 Travellers Meeting Poster (886kb) full colour 2009 poster. (You may need to right click and choose "save target as...")

Thanks for the help!

The Meeting Location for 2009

Mitta Mitta, Victoria

The Meeting is at the Laurel Hotel, (ph 02-607-23541).

Pub

Laurel Hotel, accommodation available but very limited.
Call 02 6072-3541, ask for Kim, and say you're there for the Horizons meeting.

Hotel Food:

Saturday and Sunday breakfast at the pub.

Pub meals $14 to $20.

Spit roast at the Hotel on Saturday night at the Laurel Hotel.

Food and accomodation also available at nearby towns

Camping IS NOT included in your entry fee!

Accommodation Prices:

Camping behind the pub is $2 a night, but no showers. A great spot for camping, next to the creek, but limited space, so first in best dressed.

Showers at Magorrra Caravan Park up the road for $2.

Magorrra Caravan Park (02-0672-3568) $10 per person for a powered site or a bit less for unpowered site. Has an amazing camp kitchen and on site vans as well, phone Ted for bookings if you want a van, on 02 60723568 . If camping he has stacks of room and it's right on the Mitta Mitta river and 500 metres from the pub.

The Witches Garden is a great place 4 km away, and would suit 4 couples at around $30 a head (well flash). If you want to impress the Missus phone Felicity on 607-23-533 or check out Witches Garden.

Other Accommodation

Caravan park has vans for rent.
Guest houses 100 metres from the pub are $20-$40 depending on numbers. David - the organiser - has booked one for 10 people. If interested, email him at: thec...@hotmail.com

Laurel Hotel
Omeo Hwy
Mitta Mitta VIC 3701
Telephone: (02) 6072 3541

Lake Dartmouth Hotel
Murtagh Pl. Dartmouth
Mitta Mitta VIC 3701
Telephone: (02) 6072 4255

Magorra Caravan Park
Mitta North Rd
Mitta Mitta VIC 3701
Telephone: (02) 6072 3568

Maps

Google Maps - Mitta Mitta, Vic
Zoom in for more detail.

if you have any links or details or better detailed maps for the area please let us know

Distances:

Melbourne to Mitta Mitta, 380 km, 4:45 hours via Wodonga and Kiewa.
Sydney to Mitta Mitta, 636 km, 8 hrs
Brisbane to Mitta Mitta, 1473 km, 19 hrs
Perth WA to Mitta Mitta, 3,553km, 44 hours
Perth, TAS to Mitta Mitta, 945 km, 16:20

Information about the area

From Wikipedia:
"Mitta Mitta is a small town in the Australian state of Victoria. It stands on the Omeo Highway and is 380km from Melbourne, and is located on the Mitta Mitta River not far from Dartmouth Dam. At the 2001 census, Mitta Mitta and the surrounding area had a population of 151."

Sydney Morning Herald article about Mitta Mitta with good details and info.

Tawonga Track
The Tawonga Track (50 km), a dry-weather road only, heads south-west from Mitta Mitta across to Tawonga on the Kiewa Valley Highway. This pack track was created by cattle workers who drove their livestock from the Mitta Valley to the higher country in the summer months.

Glen Valley, Glen Wills and Mt Wills
The highway is partially unsealed to the south of town and can be snow-bound in winter although the views it offers are quite stunning. At 9 and 22 km respectively are the abandoned goldmining settlements of Granite Flat and Lightning Creek.

47 km south of Mitta Mitta you will see Mt Wills (1750 m) to the left. The summit offers excellent views of the Alps. It can be accessed along the Australian Alps Walking Track (655 km) which crosses the highway at the ghost town of Sunnyside, 52 km from Mitta Mitta. For further details ring 131 963 and for information on the sights further south see the entry on Omeo.

Rafting on the Mitta Mitta
Peregrine offer rafting expeditions along the Mitta Mitta River which depart from Mitta Mitta, tel: (03) 9662 2800 or the Peregrine Travel office in your state capital.

Local Hosts

David Breedon, thec...@hotmail.com (with paperwork help from Sian Mackenzie) is the organizer of this event. Thanks David, much appreciated!



 

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