All manner of machinery was used to tackle the terrain at North Star

Only the air was rock-free – at times

race trailride

Dalby Moto dalby moto trail ride series north star northstar

What’s so enchanting about vine scrub?

Nightly entertainment included a timed three-barrel sprint

Following the leader is easier said than done

Rockstar

words & PICS // Grant “goba” o’brien

When God created rocks, he got lazy and dumped them all at North Star, a small town that hosts part of the Dalby Moto Trail Ride Series

N Mount Mitchell, North Star’s only hill, kept riders on the edge of their seats

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orth Star – it’s a cool name, but where the hell is it? Sounds like a town from an old western movie, I thought to myself as I punched the name into the web. After a few stabs it told me North Star lies 40km south of Boggabilla, which didn’t really shed much light on anything! I also found out, however, that it was close to Goondiwindi – about five hour’s drive west from my humble abode near Kyogle in northern NSW. Arriving at these small country towns is always a trip as you can drive right through them if you blink. But the sight of a field jammed packed full of vehicles, tents, trailers and dirt bikes told me I’d arrived at the place I was looking for. It felt great to peel my arse out of the van after successfully dodging countless kangaroos during the 420km journey. Guess I better find my bike, eh? But what was it that Dalby Moto’s Craig Hartley tried to say to me on

the mobile in poor reception a few hundred klicks back? “I can’t make it, mate, but I’ve sent you down a KTM 250EXC two-stroke with the Dalby crew… static static… beep beep beep”. A two-stroke! I can’t remember the last time I rode one of those old gals. And how do you find the Dalby crew amongst a swarm of 700 people? That guy over near the sign-in about to spark up the PA looked like he might know. “G’day, mate, I’m from ADB, here to do a story on the ride, but first I need to find my bike. Got any ideas how to find the Dalby crew?” The guy, Jeff Nixon, picked up the microphone, speakers booming across the already pulsing field of dirt-bike junkies, and screamed out the obvious, making me feel like a lost kid at a carnival. But hey, a few minutes later and I was hooked up with an awesome machine for two days of trail blasting. Right on!

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My back wheel all of a sudden overtook my front and I woke up lying in a pile of rocks with stars circling overhead WHO ORDERED THE ROCKS? The riders’ briefing was the only thing stopping me from hitting the trails, and this Jeff fella, who seemed to be quite a character, started telling a story about the price of beers. “We’ve got dollar pots at the North Star Sporting Club tonight,” he said. “The last time they were that price was back in 1970 when you could have bought a GTHO Falcon Phase 3 for $4000, or you could have bought 4000 beers. Now, the ones who bought the Falcon would now have an asset worth $750,000, whereas the blokes who bought 4000 beers only have a beer gut and stuffed kidney to show for it!” Okay, so we established the beers were cheap and Jeff’s humour definitely hit home with many of the older crew. But I was of the same mind as the young grommets, who just

want to get onto the trails. Time, after all, is a precious commodity. But in no time we were off. It was after midday, the trail loop was open, the Dalby crew had taken me under their wing and we were on the gas following red arrows and pink ribbons tied to trees on the first loop of the weekend. I slotted in behind young Dalby charger Josh Edwards and within 15 minutes we were charging through the wide-open smooth dirt trails of Falcon Hell quarry and into the Enchanted Forest. Now I don’t know who named it “enchanted”, but the vine scrub covered single trail section definitely put me under a spell. I entered the tunnel-like vortex feeling like a kid with a new toy, one that gave the impression that it could do no wrong while flowing from one turn to the next.

My KTM 250EXC two-banger didn’t miss a beat, but then, while looking ahead checking out Josh’s lines through the twisting trail, my back wheel all of a sudden overtook my front and I woke up lying in a pile of rocks with stars circling overhead. Gathering my wits, I picked myself up and soldiered on over trails littered with the buggers for what seemed like hours, as my body got used to the constant hammering. Navigating rocks and dodging stuck riders on North Star’s only hill, Mount Mitchell, kept the blood pumping through my veins and my mind focused on reaching the top without another spill. I learned later on that the locals are very proud of the only hill in the North Star region – not only because it claims many victims each year who try and tackle it on their dirt bikes – but because it is also home to a

WORD FROM THE NORTH STAR TRIBE It’s a big thumbs up from all involved

They came to North Star from far and wide: mothers, fathers, girls, boys… dirt bike fanatics of all ages. And after two days of riding ‘til their hands bled, or making sure their kids and others were safe and having a blast, they still had enough energy to share their experiences with ADB before heading home.

Allan Molloy, 48, and Mike Stevens, 50, Ipswich, Qld: Mike: We planned to come last year but didn’t make it, so we pulled out all the stops to come this year and we’ve had a brilliant time. Our older bikes are slower than the others out there, but we give them a good squirt every now and then on the big straights, blasting past the four-strokes. Allan: I had two nights of little sleep putting the RM500 together before coming to North Star, but once we got out there she loved the big rocky hill section and went up like a little yellow tractor. We love getting out on these rides. They give you a good opportunity to get away with your mates and the rides support local communities. 80 | www.adbmag.com

Ben Edwards, 39, Dalby:

“We were here two years ago and enjoyed it a lot, so this time we’ve come back with three other families. We try and do most of the Dalby trail ride calendar as there’s a good variety of terrain and we all enjoy riding motorbikes, meeting different people and, for the adults, a few beers around a fire at night. It’s a safe environment for the kids – much better than having them out on the streets running amuck and instead they’re out here on trails having fun.

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mobile phone tower that lets them communicate with the outside world. I pushed on, passing a nice section of trail bordered with long, gold-coloured strands highlighted by the soft glow of the winter sun. I took the opportunity to stop and take a few happy snaps, which also gave me time to rest up and check out the other riders who’d made it to North Star and their motley assortment of dirt bikes. That’s what I love about these mega trail rides; they attract all types of riders on all types of bikes. From clapped-out bangers, to tricked-up enduro weapons, to motocross racers, to big adventure machines and even pit-bikes – it doesn’t seem to matter what people ride, so long as they have a go!

Light my fire Back at camp, I couldn’t believe I’d only done 80km in three hours, because it felt like 300km. Maybe it was the slower pace because of all those rocks, but I must say the 30km run back through a series of creek beds had very few rocks. And it was awesome! But it was too late to hit another loop as the gate had shut at three. And the Dalby crew were off to their accommodation at the local pub, so I needed to find me some new mates. I swung my attention to my neighbours to the west. “Hey fellas, how was your day?” “Brilliant, you want a Bundy?” came the response. “Ahh, 4 o’clock, nah, I’ll hold off for now, but thanks anyway”. Over the next few hours, the “Bundy Crew”

from Brisbane kept up the pace, warming their insides with the golden brown liquid while warming their outsides by a glowing campfire. In no time I became part of the family, keeping myself warm around their campfire as the cool and darkness set it. I couldn’t get my head around the Bundy, but I did get to chuck a steak on the barbie and tuck into their leftover mash and vegies. Over at the equestrian ring, the horses were taking on the motos in a timed sprint around three barrels. As hard as the fellas on their 30-odd-horsepower dirt bikes tried, they still ended up two seconds slower than a singular horse, and kicked up a hell of a lot more dust in the process. I decided it was time to sneak off and

The action was great, with riders steaming up the insides of their helmets while trying to hop over rocks

Anyone for a sausage (fest)?

Brendan Griffiths, 39, Goondiwindi, Clerk Of Course: “The weekend has been terrific. We started with about 70 riders four years ago and we cracked a total of 620 riders this weekend. And after two days of riding it’s been relatively incident free. The trail ride has exceeded our expectations. The rain we had earlier in the week has kept the dust down on the trails that are a mix of tight rocky sections. Dalby Moto is exceptional in the promotion of their series and I’d say a lot of our publicity has come from people promoting the event on other websites.”

Emma Laidlaw, 21 (yeah, right), and Gypsie Andrews, 19 (whatever), from North Star, both riders’ mums: Emma: “Our weekend entails running around doing fuel drops, making sure the kids are okay, taking care of food, etc.” Gypsie: “I get a kick out of seeing North Star lit up as it’s usually a quiet little town of around 68 people. It’s great seeing everyone have so much fun and the event grow so much over the four years its been running. Plus my daughter works in the kitchen and they served nearly 400 meals on Saturday night in a couple of hours, which is amazing. It’s a great community gathering really.” www.adbmag.com

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fire-hop my way around the campsite to meet the other crews. Old faces from the past appeared out of the darkness. Sitting around the largest fire in the paddock, I found my old mate Chris Thomas from Moree and his crew going at it in the same vane as the Bundy lads. Music was pumping from a nearby van and the fire-talk was in full flow under a blanket of stars. There were tales of the day’s ride, thrills and spills, the last moto event attended, the 4-Day, Chad Reed in the States, who sucks in the industry and who doesn’t. A few hours flew by before my head hit the pillow.

crack of dawn I woke up early as I needed a piss and the first thing I thought about were the dollar pots at the North Star Sporting Club. Damn, I knew there was something I missed last night. But hey, I came out here to hang out under the

stars and sit by a campfire, not sit inside a bar. I looked over at the Bundy camp, where one punter was up boiling the kettle. That’s what I need, a nice hot brew to start the day. Sore heads emerge from tents as sunshine lit up the cloud-covered sky in a dream-like haze of yellow and blood-red orange. I spend the next two hours chasing my tail, getting my camera gear, backpack and bike ready to rock. I ran into Jeff Nixon and he gave me the heads-up on getting to all the hot spots to take photos. I nodded, thinking it was a good idea, but in the end he just said, “Look, just follow me out and I’ll lead you through a back way so you get to the best points in time.” “Suits me,” I said. My camera gear is heavy, so this way I can get the job done and dump it! The day rolled on with plenty of action, especially on Mount Mitchell, with Jeff redirecting riders around the hardest section. The action was great, with riders steaming up

the insides their helmets while trying to hop over rocks, some falling over backward, some giving up and letting other riders get their bikes up the toughest sections. Over the next few hours, the Kato two-banger and I became well acquainted and I started to get used to riding over millions of rocks without smacking my head on the ground. “Forty ain’t too old,” I thought to myself. These trail rides are perfect; you can go as fast or slow as you want and, so long as you keep following the arrows, you’ll make it back to base. Riding back past the last marker and into the campsite, my memory drifted back to the Bundy crew’s fire last night and to John Newton’s (Bundy elder) eternal quote, “It’s not the years left in your life, but the life left in your years”. I promised myself then and there that I’d return to North Star to master those bloody rocks before packing up and heading home to rest my weary bones.

The odd grassy field offered short but muchappreciated respite from the rock-strewn trail

You can go as fast or as slow as you want and, so long as you follow the arrows, you’ll make it back Lara Emily Smith, 10, Dalby: “It was my first time trail riding and my friends and I had a race on the novice track and I won. It’s good going away camping with the family and I can’t wait for the next one!”

Brett & Ben Walters, 45 & 24, from Toowoomba. Brett: “I come to these events as I love riding bikes and it’s a good thing to do with my son Ben. We’ve never had a bad day at any of the rides. Ben: “It takes two things to have a good day – that you don’t break anything and you don’t hurt yourself. Who’s the quickest? Ben: Dad is, unfortunately, as there’s a lot to be said for experience. The trails were good, rocks made it interesting, but you have to have that otherwise it would get boring. Brett: You’ve got to have something you don’t like, because if you don’t like something you just have to get better at it. We try and do all the Dalby series calendar as the rides are just fantastic!” www.adbmag.com

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THE DALBY Moto TRAIL RIDE SERIES Twenty-seven years on and still going strong

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raig and Tony Hartley from Dalby Moto are the men who had the vision to unite the many trail rides in South East Queensland and Northern NSW under one blanket to make promoting the events a hell of a lot easier and more cost-effective for all involved. Craig points out some facts and figures on a trail ride series that he says is the largest of its kind in the world. “The series formed back around 1992 when we saw how a lot of people were trying to organise trail rides, but there was no rhythm or structure to them. So we decided to put a calendar together and to promote and market the trail rides as a series, and the whole thing has grown from there. “The Bunya trail ride in 1993 was the first to kick-off the Dalby Moto Trail Ride series, with around 300 riders in attendance. Money raised from each event is donated to the local community via schools, sporting committees or clubs. “Anywhere between $15,000 and $40,000 is raised from each ride, depending on attendance, as some rides are more popular than others. The amount of rides per series varies each year and in 2009 there are 14 rides on the calendar. So when you take into consideration the overall figure, you can see how much trail bike riders give back to local communities. “In 2007, the Dalby Moto Trail Ride series won the Queensland Outdoor Recreation Federation Award for excellence in an Outdoor activity. The series also received funding from Sport and Recreation

It’s just not about the riding

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and sponsorship from the Ride Smart, Ride Safe and Ride in the Right Place initiative. “Over the years, some of the events in the series have seen attendance climb to 1200 riders, but to minimise impact on the land – depending on weather conditions – I feel around 400 to 700 riders is the ideal number. Most rides can handle more, but I don’t think we’ll see the numbers pass the 1000-mark in the future as the series continues to grow. “It takes around 40 to 60 people to run each event. That includes event organisers, marshals, catering crew, SES people, etc. “We’ve done a lot of research regarding trail rides and there’s not another series as big, or like it, in Australia, or anywhere in the world for that matter. So we reckon we could safely say it’s the biggest trail ride series in the world! “We currently have a database of around 14,000 riders, but I must point out how important it is for riders to include and update their email addresses when signing in. As costs for mail-outs and marketing increase, reaching people via email, our website and ADB Magazine may soon be our only option. “Our main sponsors – ADB, Yamaha, Honda, KTM, M2R helmets, Kenda tyres, Rock Oil, and Motorcycling Queensland, have given incredible support in making the trail ride series a success. Tune in with our website www.dalbymoto.com.au for all the latest info regarding the Dalby Moto Trail Ride series.”