The fundraiser the locals have for the upkeep of the nearby hall is an annual motorbike trail ride, up over farmland and through bush. A few hundred people turn up, which is quite the sight (and sound) out here in the middle of nowhere, where the number of vehicles to pass by on any given day can be counted on one or two hands.

There were so many entrants this year that we were asked if they could use a couple of our paddocks for overflow parking. It was odd seeing throngs of people on our driveway; the kinds of numbers usually encountered at an event in town. Unlike city crowds, however, these visitors picked up after themselves and left without a trace.

Most riders were decked out in colourful gear and almost half wore helmet-mounted GoPros.

We didn’t really fit in with the hustle and bustle, but from behind a camera you can seem to belong anywhere, so we observed from behind the security of our lens. We snapped some action shots around the hall, but unfortunately most of the real action itself was up in the hills and trees. There were, however, one or two show-offs which our camera took a liking to.

There was a kiddies’ track, too, which was routed over a neighbour’s hilly land.

Look at those little tykes go!

They were as kitted-out as their enthusiast parents, and actually pretty impressive riders for how small some of them were. It makes me think about how sheltered a lot of suburban kids are. There were just as many girls on bikes as boys, which was nice to see.

So wee!

When the main track for adults opened up, they raced by in noisy vibrant swarms.

We caught some of them getting a little air at the start of the track before they disappeared up into the hills.

It was a pretty bizarre occurrence to have happen out here next to our little slice of paradise, and once the crowds had all gone home it seemed like it hadn’t happened at all. The countryside was reset to its default tranquillity. It may have been a crowded noisy event, but at least it only happens once a year, and it’s actually kind of exciting to see some thrill-seekers in this otherwise perpetually meditative environment.