VicJam 2022 rides O’Keefe Rail Trail
Bendigo’s O’Keefe Rail Trail was the focus of VicJam 2022, an 11-day Scouts Victoria jamboree based at Elmore Events Centre 50 km northeast of Bendigo, from 28 December 2021.
While the Centre became a temporary ‘town’ for the $5.5 million event attended by more than 7000 children and adults, the Bendigo suburb of Spring Gully hosted an important activity for 100 scout children aged 11 to 14 and 40 adult leaders/helpers.
The event involved 200 specially branded new bikes that arrived late on 29 December, and that then had to be unboxed, assembled and tested before 2 January.
Riding began along Bendigo’s urban off-road trails and then the O’Keefe Rail Trail, with the mid-ride destination of Peppercorn Park at Longlea, 15 km from Bendigo. Portable toilets and drinking water had to be provided at Longlea, which does not have permanent facilities for trail users. Scouts rode in groups of four to six, providing opportunities for the development of leadership skills, and returned to Spring Gully along the same trails.
VicJam volunteer road marshals helped the scout riders with a number of road crossings, including the challenging Napier Street crossing for trail users at White Hills in Bendigo.
Scouts Victoria executive manager Jon McGregor described VicJam 2022 as the equivalent of 200 school camps all happening on the same site at the same time, with the challenge of installing infrastructure such as recycling, a medical centre and a radio station, and co-ordinating nightly concerts and many other activities.
And to say thank you to the Friends of the Bendigo-Kilmore Rail Trail for their help, Victorian Scout Cycling co-ordinator Luke Moore has offered Scouts Victoria’s support for a rail trail related project!
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