Not only Australia but a large part of the world has seen a boom in the adventure motorcycling world during the last decade. I personally do not know exactly why this has happened but for me an adventure bike is the perfect way to travel around our beautiful country and explore remote areas that can be tricky to access in a vehicle. It could be the fact adventure bike customers have countless models to choose between when shopping for a bike that suits them. There really are that many options when you are looking for an adventure bike that ticks your boxes. As much as this is a good thing it can also be daunting to someone new to the adventure riding scene. That is where it is nice to see new events like the 2024 ADV Fest pop up on the calendar as a annual event, as it is the perfect place for anyone ADV minded to go sample all different brands of adventure bikes as well as brush up on many things adventure bike related.
It’s almost surreal that a town wants a bunch of off-road riders to swarm it for an inaugural event, but when the majority of adventure riders are post 40 plus, with good behaviour all round, there’s no issues in town. The local folk tell me everyone was pleasant and understanding of how busy things were, the town of Dorrigo really stepped up to the plate.
The concept of ADV FEST was born from a passion for adventure riding. We knew there was a spot in the market for this type of event and Rosie Lalonde and Matt Riley from CFMoto, Mal Jarret from Royal Enfield, Shannon and Nicole for MAP and Luke from Whites all gave it 100% go right from the start. All of them are returning to Edition 2, of ADV FEST
We supplied GPX files from Sydney and Brisbane and both were two day rides of 800km plus and this also inspired a lot of riders to go and do the ride, with a lot of support around. I wanted to make novice riders feel comfortable and show them that adventure riding does not have to be fast and scary. The routes selected were planned carefully by Kurt Quambush and John Hudson and Armidale Adventure Riders after a lot of collaborating.
Local loops were provided for adventure riders with option one designed by Kurt which was an easy loop around the area and John Hudson supplied a more challenging loop and riders were coming back in raving about both. Riding to ADV FEST and then riding the local loops is part of the attraction. It starts when you leave home and ends when you return.
WHO’S WHO!
Special guests like four times Finke King of the Desert Ben Grabham, ex-factory KTM racer John Hudson, Cross Australia record holder and APC Rally founder, Kye Anderson were at ADV FEST talking to the visitors. We also had from backing GASGAS with test rides.
Chris Bostleman (the bike butler) we called a special guest, but not as an ex-racer or anything. You can be in the middle of nowhere with a bike that is having issues, and he analyses what’s going on, finds solutions in his tool roll and everyone is moving again. He enjoys the challenge so he gets the title Special Guest from my personal experience of riding with him,
Davida from Ducati Australia did a bike launch discussion on the Ducati DesertX Rally and he captured the attention of many riders, pulling a good crowd and keeping the attention of everyone.
A few of the manufacturers were backed by Ashley Beaton and his team from North Coast V-Twins, they did an outstanding job.
The events success hangs off the back of Kim and India Quambush, Kurt’s wife and daughter, plus Steven Farley and Gavin Edenborough. Without them and the special guests the event would not have worked the way it did.
GETTING GRABBO ON BOARD FOR ADV FEST:
It started with a call to John Hudson and it went like this “John I need an ADV Skills coach”. John straight away said “Grabbo” and flicked me Ben’s number. I gave him a call and in Ben style he went away thought about it for a day and then jumped all in.
Grabbo ran an ADV School for 30 Riders on the Friday and Saturday, capped at 15 for each school. It started with setting your bike up then three hours out riding in the Dorrigo hinterland. After his school on Saturday Grabbo then did a demo and a Q and A session.
There was an ADV Skills competition that followed, hosted by Ben. The riders were good and seemed to have a handle on the skills put in front of them. A figure of eight around witches hats then around a circle a couple of times. The wooden spooner was Kurt who simply ran out of talent, was thrown from the T7, then jumped on a CFMoto and was still unable to complete the course. Marty Blake
DORRIGO ONBOARD AND COMMITTED TO ADV FEST:
The local community of Dorrigo had a Chamber of Commerce meeting pre and post ADV FEST and it’s great that they got behind the event and want us to keep ADV FEST in Dorrigo. You get a sense of this on how the town, shops and cafes responded and they were calling me leading up to the event to ask questions. The local community bus was supplied and volunteer drivers ferried people from local accommodation to the venue, which is all close, only a couple of minutes drive, but a long walk. The bus fare was a donation to the local footy club.
Prizes were given away on the Saturday night, followed by a speech from Kurt. The raffle prizes were a Garmin XT2 GPS and a Nexx Trailmania helmet along with a bunch of products from Giant Loop. One-off caps were also done this year too, just for the prize winners.
TEETHING ISSUES
There were some teething issues being year one, some caterers and drinks vans did not realise the amount of people who would turn up and things got a little pear shaped on the Friday night, but by Saturday night everything was under control.
Dorrigo Township managed very well.
PLANS FOR ADV FEST 2025 – Edition 2
August 22-24 2025 Dorrigo
WHATS ON AND WORKSHOPS:
Grabbo’s got a permanent seat along with John Hudson, Chris Bostleman and country singer Aaron Walton who will be doing a concert on the Saturday night.
Nick Dole from Teknik suspension has come on board to conduct suspension talks over the weekend.
ADV Bike Builds.
ADV Skills demonstration and school.
Suspension work shop.
Packing for adventure.
Bike product launch.
Local Loops
GPS workshop
GPX route to and from Sydney and Brisbane
Social function
Bike giveaway
BE PREPARED:
We are bringing in an extra coffee truck, and two extra food vans to cope with the event.
Camp zones will be allocated, so it does not matter what time you arrive your camp zone is yours.
More merchandise to take home as souvenirs.
The participants of the ADV Skills Competition get a unique one-off cap that no one else can get, we’re even thinking about making a title for them.
A SECOND VENUE:
We are also incorporating a second venue which we are currently in discussions with. The local Chamber of Commerce want to work with us and incorporate more venues, as we are expecting growth for 2025. We will have a motorcycle (bike and model TBC) to raffle on the Saturday night and a social function. See you there!
EXHIBITORS HERE TO STAY
Nexx Helmets Australia
Endurastan
Motorcycle Adventure Products
LEATT
KTM, GASGAS, Husqvarna
Ural Australia
The Bike Butler
CFMoto
Ducati
Harley Davidson
Royal Enfield
ADV FEST 2024 WRAP UP
145 Campers
102 Glampers
145 Day Visitors
45 Cabins
WORDS | BEN GRABHAM
PHOTOS | MARTY BLAKE
