Those darn Irish weirdos eccentrics have thrown down the pink rubber glove and think they can get more Ks together on St Patrick's Day weekend (14 & 15th March, St Pats day is the 17th) than the Aussie Desperadoes and to prove them wrong I have chosen Eden to do this. Why do you ask?  Because its a damn good place. Plenty to do and see heaps of good roads and some straight ones as well, even a charter boat for fishing would be available.
The 2 Caravan Parks that seem to be the best http://www.edentouristpark.com.au/index.php and http://www.edengateway.com.au/
Prices are fairly good as that time of year is very much off peak.

Have a look and tell me what you reckon about the place and accommodation etc and if you have any other places in mind then speak up.

Charter fishing boats?

Bribery!

Lads, its time to raise the Titanic. That's a challenge if there ever was a challenge!

The idea of a nice friendly St PatricKs Day is brilliant. How about a similar idea over in US or Canada to mark the start of another season? It would make a great joint thread and get a few Ks oot and aboot!

Let's see what the time difference is and if someone brings a laptop and Skype we might be able to share a toast on the day!!

A touch of a legacy of Saxon7. Of course Sean is as Irish as you can get!!!

On your Patricks Day get together think of sending someone our way. Not in a box of course. We might just find him a K and show him some nice places.

Rick you have given me an even bigger idea which will be floated in due course. . . .

Top idea Rick. Now all I need to do is convince Mrs rosskkko to travel down on the bike to celebrate our wedding anniversary with a bunch of hairy bikers

So long as she brings a K along to boost the numbers.

Unfortunate timing.
I'll probably be closer to the Irish Eccentrics on both the March and August dates.

Won't be here for the Aussie March one, and won't have a bike for the Irish August one, so can't contribute to either.    

Bill

All other possibilities considering, I'll be in that, who cares if it's my wife's birthday week. Live dangerously. (she doesn't know how to login  here hahahahaha)

indian036 wrote:Unfortunate timing.
I'll probably be closer to the Irish Eccentrics on both the March and August dates.

Won't be here for the Aussie March one, and won't have a bike for the Irish August one, so can't contribute to either.    

Bill

Bill

If you are over here we will surely find you a K!!. . .

92KK 84WW Olaf wrote:

Bill

If you are over here we will surely find you a K!!. . .

Now there is an offer to be examined closely.  

There's a good chance I'll be in France around that time. Now if I can get a leave pass from the family for a trip to Ireland for a few days . . .

Thanks for the thought.

Bill

RT wrote:All other possibilities considering, I'll be in that, who cares if it's my wife's birthday week. Live dangerously. (she doesn't know how to login  here hahahahaha)

I'd be living dangerously too if my wife looked at some of my musings on this forum!

Bill

Bill

Lots of air routes into Dublin. There is a regional service to quite a few airports in Brittany like Nantes Rennes Paris Lorient..
www.aerlingus.com Friendly airline
Also
www.ryanair.com Not so pleasant but they get you there.
Its also possible if you are in north east to take trains to Brussels or Amsterdam or Charleroi.
Or from Lille take Eurostar train to London or Birmingham and fly from there.
Lots of options and not much need to book for now. Depends on when you do it, Patricks weekend and Easter are very very busy with people coming back here for the weekend but still a lot of choice. Dublin probably best bet.

Bugger! I'm taking the week off at the end of March to go to Brisbane (Hint Hint)

Mate if you can persuade the Irish to move St Pats day then we can have it the next week end or where ever they move it. 
I think that would be as successful as getting them to forsake the Guinness.

Very interesting idea, but it's a bit difficult to predict how long the winter will last in Canada. Usually, in mid March, the road are still covered by snow and are in a very rough shape.
I always wait for at least 2 weeks after the melting before taking the bike for a long spin. This leaves a bit of time to DOT to fill the craters on the roads.
For years, I had friends going to a rally in the US (in April), and they always came back with horror stories about their trip (Snow, Ice pellet.....)

RicK G wrote:Mate if you can persuade the Irish to move St Pats day then we can have it the next week end or where ever they move it. 
I think that would be as successful as getting them to forsake the Guinness.

Its all in the gentle art of persuasion and lateral thinking.

You don't ask us to move St Pats Day. That's a no no.

But you could always ask us to have a second one...........that's a different story altogether....

rosskko wrote:Top idea Rick. Now all I need to do is convince Mrs rosskkko to travel down on the bike to celebrate our wedding anniversary with a bunch of hairy bikers

Will that be before or after we 'move' St Pats Day.......?

Crazy Frog wrote:For years, I had friends going to a rally in the US (in April), and they always came back with horror stories about their trip (Snow, Ice pellet.....)

Umm. Sounds like a good Dragon Rally to me!

Problem with moving the date is that the schools start 2 weeks holidays the next weekend and with 3 different states to have school holidays they are staggered so the next date we could get accommodation there is mid April and the weather starts to turn then and there is a good chance of rain and the Famous East coast lows coming through. So we would have to move the location as well.
If any Aussies have any ideas then speak up

Well the weekend of 20-22 February is the World Superbikes at Phillip Island.  As Eden is just up the road, how about the weekend after?  1-2 March 2015. 

Just a thought.

That would be OK by me so lets run it up the pole and see who salutes it.

Opinions please

I'd need 2 days for travelling either side so that's a week total for me and I've already got a totally booked March. Feb is a better possibility for me but its going to be a stretch because work commitments pop up quickly.

Feb= hot down there, maybe the qlders won't think so. I'd be keen to swing back up through the Snowy Mountains which is best done mid March. However as I'm reasonably close I need a Rickmeisteresque trip Robertson, Bundanoon, Goulburn Tarago (Loaded Dog Pub), Bungendore, Cooma, cut to the coast, easy peasy.
Sounds like a plan. 
I can provide lodgings and stables for those weary travellers. I made some beer.

Kaptain Holister wrote:I'd need 2 days for travelling either side so that's a week total for me and I've already got a totally booked March. Feb is a better possibility for me but its going to be a stretch because work commitments pop up quickly.

Definately not Feb as the Karuah River rally is early Feb and that makes them too close.

I'm in!!  Late Feb-Mar is OK. Hopefully I'll be fully functional by then, already thinking about the route, need RT's input, though! Camping? Well, depends. I'll be watching this thread closely.

BTW, have decided NOT to go the "White Knight" route with the newly acquired LT. Will keep the Yellow Beast, and pull the white one to bits for spares.

sounds like a top spot  for a ride away . 
not sure that work will permit the time availability on this one though.
I'll be passing that way as I return from Tassie in Jan , and will be looking for a free campsite in the area to kip the night .
thinking of stopping in at Scrubby Creek.

Just giving this a bump as it is only 10-11 weeks away.
So start saving up the bottle tops.

I will ask now for expressions of interest as to a fishing charter. There are quite a few to choose from but with 8 people it would be a minimum of $100 each for a part day.

The only fish I catch have paper wrapped around them.

ainsjac wrote:The only fish I catch have paper wrapped around them.

Even with a boat and good fishing gear, I have the same problem!

indian036 wrote:

ainsjac wrote:The only fish I catch have paper wrapped around them.

Even with a boat and good fishing gear, I have the same problem!

I think you are trying to cod us.

But the fishing trip sunds a good fun idea. A pity its more than 2 days ride from us. Hope you get a great weekend.

about 2 days ride for us northerners too olaf ...just to get there ...or a real good ironbutt ride

yes, a starter for TacKler's proposed date - 1st week in march.

That extra 2 weeks will make a big difference with the weather, like RT said you still stand a fair chance of really hot weather followed by a roaring thunder storm.
I realize that Tackler and werewasi cant make it for 14/15th but I reckon that it is the right weekend.

Just trying to work a few things out...still the 14,15 of March, at Eden?

It certainly is

I'm still in at this stage. Depends on the swelling of the ankle. I'm giving the fishing charter a miss.

I threw the idea of a days fishing in to see if there would be enough interest but I would say not so I haven't looked at it any more and at about $100 each it was a bit high for my liking.

Rickmeister wrote:I'm still in at this stage. Depends on the swelling of the ankle. I'm giving the fishing charter a miss.

The 3 most important thing with getting through are ice, exercise and beer in that order.

Any suggestions for accommodation or a base for our cultural interchange?

In the first post I gave a link to a couple of van parks. The Eden tourist park is nice but a bit out of town. It has cabins tent sites and caravan sites of course. The position is nice.
The Eden Gateway is closer to the town centre where there are pubs with food and booze etc
I will be at one of the van parks as I will be taking the camper trailer.
The van parks will have a BBQ area and a place to have a few drinks but no booze of course or meals.
One of the pubs would be the logical choice but us owning Ks logic has nothing to do with our lives. Which pub I don't know so long as they serve Cascade or Hann. I know a guy in Bega that will probably be able to point us in the right direction for that so I will contact him.
If there are any suggestions from anybody I will be glad to hear them as it can save a lot of chasing around.
Hotel accommodation will be up to whoever wants it but if they all go to the same pub that would be the most likely place.

The Great Southern Hotel PH: (02) 6496 1515 seems to be the central one with other watering holes at various clubs.
The Great Southern has a reasonable menu and pub rooms with en-suite so would be a good place to start.

Thanks Rick...now we wait to see what people think. I have not been to Eden before...only as far south as Bega along the coast....looking foward to meeting up with people again.

Yeah will be good to see some of the southerners we haven't had a down south meet up for a while.

Sounds good I'm in guys

good to hear halo ....haven't see or heard from you in ages

is andy  also thinking of making the meet ?

was good to hear the outcome of the bottom end stuff on andys bike  ..

cheers

Great be good to catch up Jason.

Cheers Rick & Charlie moved and well settled in and big work project sorted. Yes good to get Andy's aux drive shaft and clutch done (no more rattles for Andy's bike). Just done the fork seals charlie in the 86RS and filter and oil change tonight, the poor things still in under coat from when I moved. Have started on the 84 RS again as well.
Sure Andy will come can't wait to catch up
Halo

I recall early drag bikes having 2 or even 3 Inline Japanese four engines one behind the other.

I have now only realised how you get 3 bricks together......stack one on top of the other. And because they are so well balanced you don't even need a front end.

I'm in!................She's been off the road for many months, new 12 rivet shaft and clutch fitted with many hours and just a couple of drinks at halo's place!

Looking forward to the catchup, the road trip (hopefully not direct) and a frothie or several......and trying out the battlax dual compounds.

cheers!

Andy can you plot your preferred path and display please.
Halo

Halo wrote:Andy can you plot your preferred path and display please.
Halo

ahahahahahahaha.......why?????

You'll just pull up and say "where are we, where to now?" bahahahahah.

yes, i'll do a map just for pure entertainment.........!

........here ya go Jas..........Overnight Khancoban..........

http://goo.gl/maps/3WCf5

O'night in Dinner plain on the way home???  http://goo.gl/maps/ZUQSq

Look above dude