Scott Cullen, from Toowoomba, was enjoying his Lions Club lunch on Saturday at the trail ride

June 2, 2016

A tent city sprang up in a paddock just west of Kingaroy last weekend to house the hundreds – and hundreds – of trail bike riders who came to town for the annual Lions Charity Trail Bike Ride.

There was a record number of registrations, more than last year and more than double the number when southburnett.com.au first covered this event in 2012.

The Kingaroy Lions shifted the event to a new track this year, and the move seems to have paid off.

The paddocks and creek beds provided different challenges for the riders, and were much more convenient to town … just 10 minutes out of Kingaroy.

This meant that the many campers on site could just nip into town to get supplies, and Lions Club members didn’t face a 45-minute trip if they needed to re-stock any items in the lunch tent.

Three tracks were marked out for riders: a 45km Open track, a shorter Novice track and a short course for Pee Wee riders.

The Open track was described as “very tight” , “challenging” and “very technical” by riders.

Riders came from all over Queensland for the weekend but especially from Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Toowoomba and Ipswich.

A licensed bar was operating in the camping ground area and a mechanical bull provided entertainment at night.

Julie Clifford, from the Kingaroy Lions Club, said there was a small band of volunteers – who were not actually Lions Club members – who were key to making the weekend a success.

“We can’t do this without them,” she said.

“They are a very dedicated little group who have been out here every weekend for the past six months marking all the tracks out.”

Bryan Walker and Kerrod Laine, from Toowoomba, were just two of the many hundreds of riders who registered for the two-day event
A pride of Kingaroy Lions Club members were working hard in the lunch tent …
… cooking up hamburgers, steaks, snags and other hot meals …
… and serving hungry riders such as Owen Craig and his son Travis, 12, from Yatala
CWA members were also selling some baked treats, from left, Cathe Ferris, Kym Lavaring, Brooke Lavaring and Leanne Klowss
This was the view on the side of Weens Road as drivers came over a small rise to discover a tent city had erupted on the left

 

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