Australian CamperTrailers Group
2024 national get together
at Mendooran NSW

the week

workshops & activities

Workshops & events began from the Monday after lunch with members & invited guests hosting a number of workshops on a variety of subjects relating to camper trailers, travel & camping in general. This year also saw a number of community lead tours to local venues including visits to farms & businesses.

The itinerary evolved during the week from the initial layout when workshops were quickly organised to fill cancellations of two property tours. Redarc's Cameron Beswick had car trouble earlier in the week, but arrived for the later part of the week keen to present his talks & help members with any problems where he could.   

Community based tours included three visits to https://thebeefarmer.com/ to hear a very informative talk on everything bees by owner Adrian Grew. Afterward there was mead & honey tasting, along with a tasting plate consisting of caramelized peaches on a bed of ricotta with a honey balsamic glaze paired with a bochet dessert wine. Honey & honey based products were for sale.

Members were able to view a new shearing shed while shearing was in operation on Reg & Robyn Sweeney's property. We were lucky enough to also inspect the old original shearing shed & see the vast improvement of not only the efficiency of the new shed, but also the working conditions.

Sharon Nott led a day long tour on Thursday where members could join or leave at anytime. The day started with a walk at the Dunedoo Coolah Landcare center, then morning tea at the woodlands, the White Rose Cafe or bakery in main street. This was followed by a guided tour at the Dunedoo Museum, followed by lunch at the cafe, pub or a picnic. In the afternoon members could explore the main street at their own pace, visiting the railway station, silo art work, wall art or sculptures in the park. There was a visit to Cobbora Station which is a former Cobb & Coach changing station for afternoon tea & an early Australian history talk or alternatively drive back to Mendooran via Digilah. Sharon then led a night sky tour at the showground.

There was a self guided tour of the heritage listed Gramby Inn on the nearby private property 'Closeburn' which was especially arranged for members. The Cobb & Co inn change station was built in 1848. A second building was built in 1852 including a kitchen. Between 1871 & 1880 Cobb & Co ran a twice weekly mail service through the district connecting the Mudgee mail to towns & stations further west.

Owner of https://blueskycheese.com.au/ Deb Kiem with partner Glen demonstrated the fine art of making handmade cheese in the showgrounds commercial kitchen. This process was over the course of the day so members were able to view the entire production, however the best viewing time was early afternoon when the cheese was lifted from the vats. A variety of cheese was available at the shop in the main street.
  
Judy Skinner showed how ordinary unwanted items around the farm can be used for creative recycling, including fallen branches reworked into walking sticks, bailing twine plaited to make dog leashes & old barbed wire made into balls for garden ornaments.

A large number of members enjoyed a hot pot/slow cooker dinner & dessert prepared by the Mendooran Show Society before the start of the auction.

The auction night is always a fun evening as members bid on various items. This year saw over one-hundred items donated by members & local businesses. Auctioneer Billy Tatt provided plenty of entertainment throughout the evening. $5,320 was raised with proceeds donated to the Mendooran Community Progress Group. A bluetooth hoseless watering system and a six pack of dehydrated water donated by Rob Sanderson  & George Mavros sold for $900.

The popular trivia night was hosted this year by Barry & Elaine Collier and Shane & Kim Worth with teams fighting out for the   perpetual trivia trophy. The trophy was renamed the 'Joy Wilkinson Memorial Trivia Trophy' in honour of our long time Australian CamperTrailers Group member & triva night host. Entry was by gold coin donation which resulted in $316 donated to the Mendooran Community Progress Group. A further $301 was raised during the night for the Stroke Foundation.
 
Workshops by members this year included an information talk about Starlink by Jason Cox, campfire walkabout hosted by Craig & Susie Quinn, camper trailer walkabout hosted by Dave Cook, a poets corner & music evening around the communal firepit with George Mavros & Keith Brown, along with a ladies afternoon tea hosted by Carol Sanderson.

Invited guest was Redarc's Cameron Beswick who gave a talk on the new products Redarc have developed plus the ins & outs of AGM deep cycle & lithium batteries. He was also available to assist members on their own battery setups or 12volt problems.

Roger Duck offered sharpen anything with an edge for a gold coin donation. Roger was able to raise $97 for the Mendooran Community Progress Group.