The Mudgee Bushwalkers Club has been in operation for over 13 years.

The bike riding came later as an off shoot to the club’s other activities, but is now an integral part of the quarterly schedule.

The current membership is 62.

Although the club has Executive and General Committees, the organisation is very much a shared responsibility. Most riders also walk, but it doesn’t necessarily happen in reverse. About 60% of the membership does both activities.

The Organisation has reviewed and adopted a new constiution to reflect the changes in legislation for Incorporated Bodies (1st July 2010).
Download the New Constitution

The group meets quarterly to organise the next programme of events. The Wednesday evening meeting begins at 6pm in a local hostelry, where as many as wish meet for dinner. At 7.15pm everyone adjourns to the Presbyterian Church Rooms in Mortimer Street, where they are joined by others for the formal meeting.

Members volunteer to organise individual events for the coming 3 months, be it walks, rides or camping weekends. Whatever happens, there will be something to do on most weekends. Many riders also meet on Wednesday mornings for a joint informal ride. Walks and rides are graded according to difficulty. Camping weekends are organised according to the time of year and climatic conditions.

Many walks are relatively local, but some venture further afield. Longer bike rides are ably supported by non biking members who provide back-up vehicles for the event.

Members come from across the whole district as far north as the Totnes Valley and, in the south, from Rylstone and Kandos. Hopefully there is always a good balance of locations for both walks and rides. Where possible, car sharing helps with the economic use of transport.

Mt Kaputar, the Warrumbungles, Coolah Tops, Newnes and Dunns Swamp make ideal locations for camping weekends.

There is no expectation for members to attend all events. People join in as they are able. Very often a walk or ride will end with a shared BBQ. The aim is to provide a programme of events which is all inclusive. On occasions some members may be taken out of their comfort zone through a more challenging walk or ride. This is made possible by the brillaint support and encouragement of other more confident participants.

New members pay a one-off joining fee of $5 plus the current annual subscription of $20.

There is a sliding scale of subscription fees according to the time of year new members join.

The club is affiliated to the Bushwalkers of NSW through which all events are insured for financial members.

Visitors, including young people under the age of 18 years, are very welcome to join any of the events which are felt to be appropriate. However, for anyone under 18 years, an adult has to sign and take responsibility for the young person's safety. Once visitors have attended 3 events, the club ask them to join as regular members so becoming covered by the insurance policy.

NEXT BUSINESS & PLANNING MEETING:
Wednesday 14th March, 2012
7.30pm, Church Rooms, Mortimer St., Mudgee
For those who wish: Dinner at the Oriental Tavern, 6pm.

For more information contact Joby Mitchell (Secretary) (02) 6372 1062
There is an email link at the top of the page.