AMTRA.com.au

Cup Weekend Abbeyard

Camping on the club property. Plenty of High Country Riding.
Work on the property if you wish there's lots of work to be done!
Bonfire on Saturday night (restrictions permitting)
Hot showers, level camp sites all in a beautiful valley.

Call Tim 03 9728 4164 Mob 0427 454 350

What sort of event is this? Is this a camp out with the boys and some good riding or is it a family weekend with the wife and kids and we dump them for the day when I ride?
If it is a family week end what do the wife and kids get up to when I am riding?
regards Coota

It's a bit of both, I take the family up every year and camp. I usually spend most of the weekend with them, well within earshot!

I do get out there for a ride or two with the boys also.

Some club members come without their families as their partners aren't into the camping thing.  

I've got three daughters between the age of 12 and 5, and they always look forward to the weekend as there is always someone there to hang around with. The kids normally explore, go down to the river, there's the big swing, ride minibikes if the minibike has the appropriate permit.

The wife, she just whinges just like she does at home.

What is the story on the mini bike permit? why do you need one on private land?

The TAC offer a permit that covers the operator of a motorised cycle  (minibike or bigger bike) to medical costs. As long as it is only operated on private land, with the owners consent.

The club has seen this as the best way to cover the kids who ride and others who use the club block. Basically it covers everybody as if it were a normal registered vehicle.

If you go into vicroads and ask for a Non-Registered Vehicle Transport Accident Cover, first off they will look at you strange, then after asking questions they will work it out. Costs about $70 a year.

is it mandetory to have one to use club property?

It is mandatory to have TAC cover on every vehicle that is used on the clubs property. If it's a minibike or a bulldozer, it needs third party insurance.
We've done this so that in the case of an accident the injured person will not be out of pocket and they get the normal medical care that anyone involved in a motor vehicle accident gets.

Quess whose wife doesn't look at the amtra site

While the TAC permit is a good idea, it really DOES NOT work at all!!! unless you have a 50cc motorbike which will cost you $68.20 per bike and then it will cost you:

60cc-125cc $233.20
126cc-500cc $315.70

Who is going to pay those sort of prices for a weekend??? ONLY other option is rec reg but then you have to have lights etc rigged up.

Very stupid policy that needs to be looked at by the club!!!

Very sad that we are running minibike weekends for the kids at all other properties and we can't have one at Abbeyard for the Amtra kids and families!!!!!!!!

Good luck with Vic roads, they will have no idea even with prompting!!!!

If you want the permit PM us as we have a run a few minibike weekends and have looked into it 110% and have got direct contacts, so you wont have to stuff around for hours on end with people who have no idea at Vic roads!

Your right $70 just for the week end and the the 5 hours to get there is a bit much for twice a year, The 8 year old Kid has a 50 cc dirt pocket bike. He normally rides around the house and i wanted to get him to try a bit of bush riding with DAD. does not look look thats going to happen now

No, Not at the clubs property while this TAC rule applies.....

PM us your details and we will be happy to get you involved in our family kids weekends.

Cheers

Pat and Jackie

So Pat you have your own busines off the top of my head im asuming you have public liability insurance ??????
car insurance???
house insurance???


IE: thats what amtra has, and it needs the bike to have a form of reg
its been looked at by the committee more than once
as soon as you mention the word public insurance companys go stupid..

Its as simple as that..

Hope this clears it up

O the weekend you have comping up have you thought about who gets sued if some kid gets hurt???

Well im off to abbeyard for a few days, check out the new eart works!!!
cyas

I forgot to ask .. I assume that the TAC insurance is not age dependent and it will cover an 8 year old rider

This whole matter of the use of mini bikes on the club property at Abbeyard is getting a bit emotional and out of control. I will try to clarify the matter below.

The current rules for the use of mini bikes on the club property were established to make sure that the club and club officials could not be sued if there was ever an accident. There is no insurance affordable or even available for the club to cover the use of any form of motorised vehicle on the club property. Thus we had to take some steps to make sure that prior to the club (as the property ower) giving permission for anyone to ride on the property, the individual must make sure that they have appropriate TAC coverage for the vehicle and sign an indemnity form. This protects the individual and the club in the vent of an accident.

Any form of TAC coverage is ok - full registration, rec reg or the TAC non-registerable vehicle cover will work for us. I understand that the TAC cover for mini bikes is a difficult process to go through as there is not much information or knowledge on it in either TAC or Vic Roads. However at the time when we introduced the rules, there appeared to be no other alternative.

If any member or members would like to have the current rules reviewed or changed and/or to make the whole process easier for all parties, then please present your proposals to the Committee. Without member input, no change will come...and I don't mean just complaining about the existing rules, I mean getting in and at least assisting with the work required to bring about change.
So if there are members wanting to improve the situation then come along, get involved and make it happen.

As a specific answer to the previous question, I understand that it is the bike that is covered, not the individual rider, so I assume that it does not relate to rider age and you could have munltiple riders on the one bike permit. We do need a signed indemnity form for each rider.

Dennis Dorman
AMTRA Secretary

The TAC permit at Abbeyard is pointless unless you own a sub 60cc bike. Nobody is going to pay $250.00+ for a child to ride for a weekend. Thus it effectivley bans mini bikes from Abbeyard unless they are a 50cc

This is why the comittee NEEDS to review the current situation!

Jackie and I think that the TAC cover is a fantastic idea, what we are saying is that it is not cost effective!!!!!

Yes I egree, based on the information you have provided and I agree that the club rules should be reviewed. However it is not just the committee sitting in isolation that do everything. To date all of the work on this mini bike riding at Abbeyard has been done by me while on the committee, but I have no personal interest in doing more because I have no kids below 18 and last time around there was almost no general membership support when I presented all this to a general meeting. There was general apathy.

I suggest that if you have specific proposals then please bring them to the committee and I will be happy to push them along. It seems to me that both you and Jackie are passionate on this topic and well accquainted with and informed on the issues, so please help to drive this to a more workable outcome for members to enjoy Abbeyard while also protecting the club legally. It need not be real hard. Just put forward a well thought out proposal and suggested rules changes for discussion at a committee meeting. I will be happy to assist you on how to put your proposal together and to also advise on how to amend the rules. I just lack the time to do this issue real justice in the short term.

Dennis Dorman
AMTRA Secretary

so then how much is rec rego, and does that include TAC cover?

'cos i thought rec rego was pretty cheap, but TAC cover is not

TAC fees:
http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/7E381681-75DA-487F-93E5-33186FB6D436/0/TACFees2007.pdf

Maybe the questions being asked are wrong.  There is a TAC code 471 for a recreation vehicle < 3 wheels at $55.00, which meets with the TAC charge on a rec registered motorcycle.  So maybe you need to ask for a non registered vehicle permit for a recreational vehicle with < 3 wheels, rather than for a motorcycle.  The motorcycle charges would relate to a full registered motorcycle.

If I have time and energy then perhaps I will follow this up, as I have 2 boys with minibikes so I have some interest in working this out.

But having tried to look at the websites finding the information is difficult.

Regards

Mat.

So how do I find the club property?

First off locate Abbeyard on a map, find Myrtleford and go south about 50 Km. You'll see from that there are two ways to get there, via Myrtleford or Whitfield/Cheshunt.

The property is about 21 Km south of Dandongadale on the Abbeyard Rd.
Dandongadale is not a town, there is one house there!
Dandongadale is a T intersection!

You work your way up the Buffalo Valley, at about 18 km you'll pass Abbeyard station on your right. No buildings just a stock yard.
There is another property on the left but I can't remember it's name. There is a name on the gate.
Just after that you'll cross a small bridge, there is a hound hunters hut on the right just before the bridge.
A few more Km's up the valley you'll come to McIvor's campground on your left and Cobbler Lake Tk on your right, about 300 meters after that the first gate on your right is the clubs property.
There are several places in-between Abbeyard Station and our property all on the left hand side (one is still standing and one is destroyed by the fire).

For your first trip go the Hume Hwy
Take a right on the old snow road to Myrtleford
Take right onto Buffalo River Rd in Myrtleford
About 10 km after you go over the Dam wall the sealed road veers right and becomes Rose River Road - don't veer right GO STRAIGHT ON up the valley on the dirt road. Follow the Abbeyard Road for about 19km
Go past Abbeyards camping area.
When you see McIver Picnic Ground on the left and Abbeyard Cobbler Lake track on the right you will take the next driveway one the right (100m)

Next time you are near Melbourne map centre buy a laminated copy of the Bright-Mansfield rooftop adventure map. You'll use it lots at Abbeyard because Abbeyard is smack bang in the middle (well almost!) of the map.

Any big loops planned?

I'm doing a loop from Abbeyard to Dargo and back on the Sunday.

Not sure of the K's but pack enough fuel for at least 150 km.

The last Abbeyard to Dargo I did was about 450ks from memory.  It was a huge distance but we did it in two days with an unplanned detour that added about 70 clicks.

I think Paul planned the route so he'd be the one who would know.

The route I'm thinking of doing, it should be about 300km round trip.

anybody going up with the kids. I will be taking my two kids 8 and 11 along.

They will ride the PW 50 now they have TAC.

I wont be able to do a big trip on the bike so I will take the 4*4 along for a few short trips.

Are there any working bee projects on that week end?

coota

I'm taking three daughters, 5, 9 and 12 and one wife, old.
They have a bike each.
There is plenty of work to do up there and some will be done at one time or another.

I hope Fiona does not read this or you will be in trouble!

Alex can carry that can. I'll always remember how scary was it looking at that locked gate knowing that we;d have to do an extra 30km without that shortcut. It was nice of the ranger to park in the bush just behind us and "clarify" our thoughts.
:lol:

It's a hard way to lean that they can and do open some tracks but not others.

I've had a bit of a rethink about the big Sunday ride I was going to do.

I'm no longer doing a Abbeyard-Dargo-Abbeyard ride in a day.

I am still doing a big day Sunday but it will not be going to Dargo or Licola.

If your keen on a big day out on the Sunday there will be a ride of over 250km that I hope will not end in the dark.

Make sure you have a working headlight if you want to be a starter.

I'll see who's keen and work on the detail and talk more about it at Abbeyard.

I've changed my mind again! :shock:
The Sunday ride I'll be doing will be Abbeyard-Dargo-Abbeyard, 320km, more than likely ending in the dark!

First he hangs it on Fiona, then he keeps changing his mind.
Pressure might be getting to the pres.
Dargo store for Sunday lunch, better ring Dan and tell him to throw a couple of extra pies in the warmer.Will ride from my end and c ya there.
Thats if you dont change your mind again.

Maybe fiona has told him she wants some peace and quiet from him and the only way she is going to get it is for him to go on the ride, or either that tim is taking female hormones....