The Dirty Weekend is a gathering of adventure riders at Tingha’s Green Valley Farm – an event where like-minded riders can meet, ride and talk about riding big dirt bikes off road.
Part of the fun is getting there and so we set off from Sydney – in 10 degrees of non-stop rain that fillled boots full of water before we made the Wiseman’s Ferry meeting point.
When the weather sets the tone
But the Dirty Weekend got better from then. A lot better. Myself and my mate Mitch rode a pair of new Yamaha Tenere 700s and were joined with Klim’s International Sales Manager Will Bozung on a BMW GS1300 and Kiwi Steve Gillies from Ultimate Adventure Moto NZ tour company on the new KTM390 Enduro. Small, medium and large adventure bikes all covered.
Route makes the ride
The route was set by new tour company Vagabond’s Jackson Manteit and Max Smith and took us from Wisemans to Nundle on day one via an iconic ADV route including Brokenback, Bowmans Creek and Crawney Pass.
The rain never let up, but on the plus side, the wet gravel roads offered amazing grip. Spirits were high in the Peel Inn at Nundle, buoyed by the sunny weekend forecast.
Our boots stayed wet all weekend. But that was down to deep water crossings rather than the weather.
Rolling into the heart of the event
Day two Nundle to the Dirty Weekend venue at Green Valley Farm just outside Tingha, near Inverell, was a fun high-speed blast along scenic dirt roads, stopping for lunch at the Alternate Root at Uralla with the Adventure Moto crew.
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Green Valley Farm is an awesome location for the 300-strong gathering of ADV riders, with camping and a number of huts available to book. The Stewart family who own Green Valley Farm kept the masses well fed and the bar stocked.
And when you’re not talking about, or riding, adventure bikes, you can always visit Green Valley’s zoo or have a go on the Farm’s vintage mechanical fun fair rides.
Testing riders on the enduro loop
On Saturday, 19 unsuspecting, and quite possibly hung over, riders seeking a challenge lined up at 8am for a morning ride around ‘the enduro loop’. The plan was to get back to the Farm for a gymkhana event at 2pm.
But with Thursday’s deluge, the trails proved tricky with three water crossings featuring decent sized boulders ready to catch you out, muddy paddocks where line selection was critical and the odd rocky hillclimb.
Riders waded in to help others through the water crossings and dug each other out of bogs. The ride was hard enough on a single cylinder enduro bike, so big respect to the handful of big twin riders who powered through the enduro loop.
The rides that stick with you
It’s always the tough rides that are most memorable – because no-one ever told an interesting story where everything goes to plan.
So the enduro loop ride will be remembered, especially by those who drowned their bikes in the swollen creek crossings.
When we reached Bundarra for fuel and a feed at the Commercial Hotel we were already behind schedule.
The second half of the ride was more flowing but still with plenty of trail debris to keep riders alert.
The group rolled back to the Farm at 3pm ready for refreshment and armed with some great yarns for the fireside.
Options for every rider other
Dirty Weekenders opted for a self-guided Adventure ride.
And those who stayed at the farm could book a mini class with Dakar rider, content creator and dirt bike instructor Llewellyn Pavey.
Having learned the ropes from his dad and Dakar legend Simon Pavey, Llel can communicate dirt bike riding essentials as well as anyone.
Grass, laughter and sidecars
The gymkhana kicked off with plenty of classes and prizes up for grabs. The event consisted of a short, timed course across grass that was wet in places for added jeopardy. It’s a fun event geared for crowd entertainment more than winning, as demonstrated by two legends on two wheels in a Ural sidecar outfit.
Building the ADV community
Punters could take the opportunity to visit trade stands and there were plenty of giveaways including riding trips worth up to $6,000 to ensure the Saturday night prize giving was well attended.
Event organiser Steve Smith from Adventure Moto says, “We are building a community here, this isn’t about us making money. We want to give back to the guys that support us by running a fun event.”
All trade staff are adventure riders first with a passion for building the ADV community ensuring that riders who arrive
on their own, leave with mates.
Fire pits and tall tales
Open fire pits played a big part in the social scene. New riding buddies were made, fresh routes discussed, bike setups considered, the day’s incidents laughed over a few cold ones in front of a roaring blaze.
The long ride home
On Sunday, we decided to reverse the ADV route back the way we came.
That meant compressing a two-day ride into one day of around 700km. Fortunately we were all on Tenere 700s, which have to be one of the best choices for covering a mixture of dirt and tar when time is tight.
We left the Farm at 8am, chose only to stop for fuel, one photo at Bowmans Creek Road, a quick lunch at Singleton, a drink at Wollombi – and collected a kangaroo on Murrays Run.
We rolled into Sydney at 6pm on the dot. That’s 1400km of prime adventure riding plus 60km of enduro trails – a great way to spend the weekend.
Looking ahead
Look out for the next Dirty Weekend on 12-13 September 2026.