Annual get together

Serco · Post by **Serco** » Mon Aug 17, 2009 4:35 am

It's now been 5 months since 20 or so big coupes came together at Echuca. I still remember the drives through the back blocks of Victoria and the social nights together, what a festival.
Which made me think to what is next.
1) Should the event be annual or every second year?
2) Where should festival No2 be held, North / South / West NSW, Brisbane or even Melbourne!
I personally would like to see this event made annual and perhaps an unofficial committee formed to canvass ideas and share the venue around so all 6er's could participate.
What are the thoughts?
Regards,
Allan

tvr_v8 · Post by **tvr_v8** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 12:09 am

Certainly sounds like a plan to me, def a case of finding the balance of timing though to make it a big enough special event that people will happily cover the long distances that will likely be involved to attend.

Not sure if this balance point would be yearly/every 2nd year. For me if it was a similar distance out of Melbourne to the Echuca trip then we'd definitely be up for it every year, but if it was up in Brisbane for example then prob every 2nd year would be more likely to make taking on a trip of that length workable. Obviously others had a very long trip to get to Echuca, so it possibly swings the other way for them pending where the next locaton is..

Simple solution, need to make Australia smaller..

ozbmw · Post by **ozbmw** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:06 am

Canberra would be a great place to meet, day trips could be done to the Australian Alps (2hrs each way), Googong Dam-Corin Dam-Cotter Dam and Stromblo Orservatory. Plenty of good eateries, nice local wines

Or

Gather at Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains, Victorians could travel via Corryong, Sydneysiders down the highway 5hrs or via the coast 8hrs.

Best time probably around Easter?

Shipper 01 · Post by **Shipper 01** » Tue Aug 18, 2009 11:24 pm

I'd be happy with an annual event. Canberra sounds fantastic and a snowy highway drive would be one not to miss!

Mark E · Post by **Mark E** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 5:38 am

G'day all...

Have been flat out with work and family issues, so I haven't been on the site for a while, and I got to thinking about our next gathering. So imagine my surprise when I finally logged on to see that Team Serco have already started the ball rolling. Good work Allan.

Okay - my two bob's worth...

- Yep - I'd like to see an annual event.
- But as with Echuca, distance could be the decider, particularly for the Adelaide contingent. I again have several possible starters, but Canberra could be a stretch for us.
- The Albury/Wodonga idea floated last year could however be a distinct possibility. Close enough to Adelaide to do it in a day and also with some very, very good drives around the local area (& good wines!).
- Family comittments would probably make Easter a problem. A similar date in March would work for me.

Anyway, if we can make a decision reasonably soon that would certainly help with forward planning and securing numbers.

Thoughts?

Paul Humpage · Post by **Paul Humpage** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 8:21 am

I'm a firm believer in an official get together every other year. Even the largest of proper clubs here have their national events every other year to get the largest numbers. The lead up to the event takes a fair bit of planning and folks sorting out dates and the normal events get put to one side while that's happening and i think it's the monthly or bi monthly events (at least here in NSW) that keeps the interest up.

Saying that though, i'd love to meet up with interstate 6ers more often than every other year and rather than a full blown Aussie Sharkfest it's easy just to organise a weekend somewhere on a campsite plonked halfway between here and there (wherever there might be) with some decent roads. Halfway between NSW and Qld or Vic is an easy drive but of course not so for Mark and any other South Australians.

Anyway, i'd be up for a long weekend somewhere around the same time as last year whether it was a sharkfest or a just a drive day with bbq and piss up in the evening. I'm easy.

MrE · Post by **MrE** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 7:50 am

I enjoyed our last interstate get-together very much and would be keen to do something like it again. I think we all met some great people on that trip.

Location location location? Its a tough call to find somewhere that's achievable for everyone.

The group I was with for the Echuca trip did the run home north via Albury and the Snowies, which was a fantastic route. Garry put us on to it and from what I understand there are similar exhilarating roads around the Albury area.

I won't knock Canberra, its a pretty do-able destination for me and I know a few good roads around here so I could certainly get our days organised with a couple of good drives.

But I'm not too clued up on what opportunities there are north of Newcastle. It would be good to hear some ideas in that direction and up towards Queensland, though its definitely quite a stretch for people like Mark and the South Australians.

I guess its a matter of selecting somewhere that's reasonable for the majority of participants.

Regards,
Ellis.

hoadie · Post by **hoadie** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:44 am

I'm up for a regular get together. Location doesn't really phase me - if I have to travel for a day to get there then it just adds to the experience.

As per previous posts, an Albury meet point would be ideal as it's very handy to the Alps. The roads there were truly breathtaking.

It would be remiss though to ignore Qld as a destination for a "Natio" event.

Taking tongue out of cheek, there are some great roads around the Qld/NSW border, but I think we would need to canvas the number of Qld participants vs southern & SA folks.

Shipper 01 · Post by **Shipper 01** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 12:04 am

Just as an idea, have we thought about an event somewhere near a track. This would permit us to spend a day doing some laps. Safety gear would be required of course but other wise a three or four day weekend that included hald a day at Wakefield or any other track would also interest me.

tvr_v8 · Post by **tvr_v8** » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:14 am

Winton would probably be do-able for a track day section to an Albury/Wodonga based event.

Serco · Post by **Serco** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 9:27 pm

With the year closing quickly the possibility of a March get together is slowly evaporating.
What is the concensus, plan for 2011 or pick a date in March 2010, Albury / Bendigo / Ballarat and go for it.
Regards,
Allan

Shipper 01 · Post by **Shipper 01** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:20 pm

Again, I'm in if we get it together. Sounds like team Serco is in. How about the Winton idea?

Redaussie6 · Post by **Redaussie6** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 2:25 am

March 2010 still works for me, doesn't matter when!

Cheers,

Alex

itsmesteve · Post by **itsmesteve** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 5:47 am

I'm definitely up for a drive if it involves a track day!!
As for location,coming from Brisbane I'd be very happy to do a days drive or more to get to a good central spot with a RACE TRACK.As has been said,Queensland is a bit of a trip for most members,but country NSW is kind of doable for most.As some of you know,I did Echeuca via Sydney and Victor Harbor ,so a bit of a drive doesn't phase me!

MrE · Post by **MrE** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 8:27 am

I can be easily tempted fellas, and a track day can be very enjoyable.

I've only ever tracked my car at Wakefield Park outside of Goulburn, had a great time. It's a good quality circuit and has been recently resealed, but I know how much excessive wear and tear I put my poor car through as I thrashed the thing hard all day long.

The car did a great job, and I'd love to try it again, but I'd also be very hesitant to put my car through that again especially if its on top of doing serious kilometres to get there. I'm not trying to put the kibosh on people's suggestions, I think its very good idea, just noting my concern for keeping my car in good running order for as long as possible. Maybe I'll just watch, though as I mentioned, I'm easily tempted.

But anyway, I don't know much about northern NSW locations or where there may be some suitable tracks, so would love to hear some suggestions of potential locations if anyone has any.

As a possible destination to consider, how about Bathurst? Is it somewhere that people from other states (ie. Qld, Vic, SA) could consider?

-Ellis.

Shipper 01 · Post by **Shipper 01** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 10:49 pm

I'm not against heading north although this penalises the Victorian guys and let's face it, they rock big time. Still, we did do Victoria (ish) this year.

Mr. E, we do not need to thrash our cars on the track. As you know Greg Young is a V8 touring car instructor and he and I would be willing to bring one of our E9 racers down for people to get some free tuition, for those who don't want to wear out their 6'er. There might be a small fee for petrol, break pads etc.

Secondly, you don't need to thrash your 6'er on the track. You can drive her at 75%.

Winton is good for the Victorian boys but Canberra allows the Queenslanders and Victorians to minimise their distance while all being able to get together. Wakefield raceway is just 40 minutes from Canberra and we can do the Snowy Mountain roads easily from Canberra in a day. I think we try for Canberra for next years 4 dayer. What do the Victorians think? Can they bring our NRL trophy back with them mayhaps???

gwm635 · Post by **gwm635** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 12:59 am

Hi all,
I participate in a similar event with a group of E34 enthusiasts, we run it annually and manage to get between 8 and 15 cars each year from all of the eastern states. We have run a few different set ups but the most successful (and the one we are doing this year!) is;

Meet Thursday evening in Wangaratta - there is a motel there with cheap hostel accommodation for some and individual motel rooms for others - your choice! includes a huge common room to sit, drink and tell lies...

Friday all travel to Winton for an open track day - costs about $120 for those with a CAMS L2S or above. Winton run one most Fridays
Stay in Wangaratta again Friday night

Saturday head through the victorian alps and along the Murray, finishing in Thredbo or Jindabyne for Saturday evening.

Sunday continue North through the Alps, finding somewhere for lunch around Tumut or Cooma, then breaking after lunch each heading their own way home.

Wangaratta accommodation is cheap, cheap, cheap, and in the off season (March) you can normally find cheap accommodation in Thredbo.

Mark E · Post by **Mark E** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 1:49 am

Okay gents (& any ladies who may be present)?

Here?s what I think? purely my personal perspective of course!

Let?s do it and have another get together and see if we can even top last years? numbers. I know many from SA were disappointed they couldn?t make it to Echuca? so if we can lock in dates asap, I can start to spread the word.

Location ? as I mentioned in a previous post, I?d have to say that Albury / Wodonga would be as far as most of us from SA would want to push it. Sorry Ellis, but Bathurst is probably just that bit too far for the ?Crow Eaters?. Having made that trip many times before, I like you don?t want to punish the car too much.

However ? Albury / Wodonga has a lot going for it. Here?s some suggestions:

Reasonably close (88klm on the M31) to Winton for those that want to explore the ?Track Day? option. Not sure what we?d have to do to get access to the track, but I'm sure it can't be that difficult. I like 'Shippers' idea of getting a crack at the racing E9!

Close to many fantastic wineries. Great for a quick tipple or maybe a lunch stop.

Close to many great touring roads and central Victorian destinations (within even closer proximity to those in the Echuca / Moama region). Some come to mind such as Rutherglen, Beechworth, Bright, Mt Beauty and several other charming townships. Some of these roads have been used for several tarmac rallies in the past.

Close to the Victorian Alps. A drive up to Falls Creek in our 6?ers would be fabulous trip. The Falls Creek Hotel is a wonderful spot to spend a couple of lazy hours on their balcony watching the world go by on a beautiful Summer / Autumn weekend. Other Alpine destinations such as Mt Buffalo, Corryong and even Mt Kosciuszko come to mind.

Close to the Hume Weir & the Snowy River Hydro scheme. Plenty of great touring options.

The Brad Jones / BOC Gases V8 Supercar team are located nearby. Could possibly arrange a visit if anyone is interested. Could be part of a Winton ?Track Day? experience???

Stacks of excellent accommodation choices to suit all budgets. If we can confirm rough numbers, we might even be able to do a deal with someone.

Having said all that, gwm635's suggestion of Wangaratta might be an intersting option.

Date: Can I suggest March 19 ? 22. I have commitments at the Clipsal 500 which is the weekend before and it is much easier for me to build my extremely limited and hard-to-get annual leave around that, rather than try and take two lots of leave. Unfortunately that?s the silly business I?m in.

So there ya go. Just my two bob?s worth, but would love to see us pull something together for next year.

Do we want to start to take some votes? After all, this is a democracy? isn?t it???

Paul Humpage · Post by **Paul Humpage** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:27 am

Race tracks hold little interest to me regardless of who's car i'd be driving so the track day is not my kind of thing. I really like both Mark's and Garry's idea of location that still allows those that want a bash at Winton. The date Mark suggests suits me fine too so i'll put my hand up for Albury/Wodonga March 19-22. To be honest, anything that gives us a crack again at going over the alps and along the Murray River Valley gets my vote. Our return from Echuca earlier this year was superb.

Ooh look! Photos

REgards
Paul

ozbmw · Post by **ozbmw** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 1:48 am

This time I will be there (looks fairly certain we will be living in Canberra by then)

I was in the Snowy Mountains last week for a drive or two:

First pic taken last Monday:

Two days later:

MrE · Post by **MrE** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 3:31 am

Paul Humpage wrote: I really like both Mark's and Garry's idea of location that still allows those that want a bash at Winton. The date Mark suggests suits me fine too so i'll put my hand up for Albury/Wodonga March 19-22. To be honest, anything that gives us a crack again at going over the alps and along the Murray River Valley gets my vote. Our return from Echuca earlier this year was superb.

+1. Albury/Wodonga March 19-22 suits me.

-Ellis.

MrE · Post by **MrE** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 3:42 am

ozbmw wrote:
Two days later:

My Gawd!!

A far cry from Mooloolaba! Had you packed appropriately for a blizzard!?

-Ellis.

Paul Humpage · Post by **Paul Humpage** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 3:52 am

By the way, regarding accommodation, i'm keen on camping. I like camping.

Mark E · Post by **Mark E** » Sun Oct 18, 2009 11:41 pm

Okay gents... sounds like plan! Let's lock it in...

2nd Aussie Sharkfest
Albury / Wodonga
March 19 - 22, 2010

Any other takers?

I like Paul could probably give the track day a miss - particularly in my old bus. But the A-W region offers lots of options, so we could incorporate a drive to Winton for the whole group and then those that wish to explore the grip limits of their 6'ers can stay, and the remainder could continue on for a cruise in one of several directions. Just a thought.

For the campers there are plenty of options, so if you like I'll make some enquires and explore some accomodation choices.

Having spent a few years living in the area, I would suggest staying on the NSW side of the river. Albury probably offers the better all-round selection of accomodation options, but I'll look into it.

I'll also start to spread the word locally and see if we can improve on our representation next year!

Bring it on!

Cheers...

Paul Humpage · Post by **Paul Humpage** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 4:49 am

Good man!

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