Events

What
The usually sunny and settled weather of March make it a perfect month for getting out and about on your Vespa. This 3-day Labour Day Holiday long weekend promises some memorable riding through the green rolling hills of Gippsland. If you haven't ridden in Gippsland before, then this region offers some of the best two-wheeled experiences in Victoria. The purring noise coming from your scooter will be the sound of pure contentment as you sweep around bends enjoying new vistas. And if you haven’t yet been on a weekend away with the club, then you’ll enjoy the camaraderie, fun, frivolity and friendship that a couple of nights away from the city offers. You might also be surprised at how capable your ‘city’ Vespa really is. This trip will recharge the battery. Not just the Vespa’s but yours as well. 

Saturday 11 March
Leaving from Britannia Mall in Mitcham on Saturday morning, we take a delightful scenic route to our destination and overnight stop in Moe on Saturday and Sunday. Our 142-km outbound route is an easy half day ride. We’ll glide by the huge white-trunked Manna Guns near Gilderoy, pass through fern gullies beyond Powelltown and climb through the forest to Nayook. After riding some fabulous farming backroads, we will have a coffee break in Neerim South. More scenic riding brings us to Old Sale Road, the original way of getting into middle Gippsland. From here its just a pleasant 40-km ride to Moe. After a refuel and a late lunch at the Moe bakery we will be ready to check into our accommodation. We’ll have a pub dinner together on Saturday night.

Sunday 12 March
Our morning starts early with a hearty breakfast at the Wilsons. Club members Noel and Jo will put on an open-fire hotplate-sizzle breakfast in their backyard, subject to suitable weather. Then we head for the hills for Sunday’s Gippy Region Rideout. This promises to be a real treat as we will be guided by Noel who will take us on his favourite back roads using his expert local knowledge of the area. Stand by for some scintillating scenery and exhilarating riding. Gosh, if I won the lottery I’d buy a farm in the enchanting Narracan Valley (wistful thinking David).

Monday 13 March
We head back home via another lovely route. But we are in no rush. Along the way we’ll explore some steep scenic roads at the back of Yarragon in a short loop ride which offers splendid views over the Latrobe River Valley and to Mt Baw Baw beyond. There’s a bit of “functional” riding beside the railway line around Nar Nar Goon on our 166-km return route, but the scenery returns as we climb through beautiful forest to Cockatoo. We’ll say goodbye to any members who live in the southern suburbs at Pakenham. We aim to have you back in the city by around 3.30 pm.

Accommodation
You'll need to book you own accommodation for Saturday and Sunday nights as soon as possible as places are in demand over the long weekend. However as a start I have reserved 7 x Queen bed rooms at the Moe Motor Inn. Prices range from $100-120 p/n. Karen will hold these rooms for us until 10 February at which point she will have to let unused rooms go. If this venue suits you, then call Karen 03 5127 1166 to confirm your booking. Its important to tell Karen that you are from the Vespa Club of Melbourne so she can allocate these reserved rooms.

Another option is the Moe Gardens Caravan Park. Cabins are cheaper as they can sleep up to 6 people for $175 p/n. ($29 p/p p/n). Configuration is usually 1 x double private room for a couple and 4 x bunk beds. Perhaps separate girls and boys cabins might make things more flexible. Use this event page to pair up with others if you'd like to share a cabin. We also have to act quickly on this option as there seems to be an event on in Moe at this time. You can also try the Moe Parklands Motel but it seems full at the moment. An Air B&B house might suit you too.

Ride Departure Point and Time
Britannia Mall 485 Whitehorse Road, Mitcham which is our usual meeting spot in the east. Pull into the north side service road at the start of Mitcham shopping centre. Departure is at 10.00 am sharp so please arrive earlier if you need coffee or breakfast beforehand.
IMPORTANT: Please arrive with a full tank. You should be able to get to Moe on a tank however fuel is available at Neerim South.

Postscript:
The Strzelecki Ranges to the south of the Princess Highway once encompassed much of the great wet forests of Gippsland. These long gone dense and almost impenetrable forests were home to the world's tallest trees, the Eucalyptus regnans. Before the advent of the timber and dairy industries, one forest giant, the famous Thorpdale Tree (felled by a farmer in 1884), measured 114 metres tall, some 9 metres higher than the spires of St Patrick’s Cathedral. Into The Secret Forest