In fact, the new event committee was thrilled to welcome over 1,350 through the gate on Saturday, with this figure not including the very large number of children who also swarmed in to enjoy the day. 

Once again Bombala welcomed hundreds of visiting riders to the area for the annual event, with many roaring into town on the Friday to take advantage of the free camping at the Exhibition Ground, and a night out in the main street.

Of course it was all about Saturday, and there has been nothing but praise for the Bike Show itself, with all agreeing that the new committee certainly added plenty to this year’s event to liven things up.

Although more riders may have come if rain hadn’t threatened, the number of bikes judged was still solid, with almost 90 being entered into the formal categories, while hundreds of others were simply parked around the showground for all to admire.

And the crowd was certainly left impressed, with everything from rustic vintage bikes to stunning painted and shined machines grabbing everyone’s interest.

The winner of the Overall Best Bike was Byron Kearney, who picked up the title for the third year running with his purple chopper, a popular choice with the crowd.

Mayor Bob Stewart made the presentations, which included handing over the Brian Dumper and Peter Hall Memorial Trophy to the Best Vintage Bike, entered by Mr Whilton.

Of course the winning ticket in the fantastic Royal Enfield Bullet B5 raffle was also drawn, with the lucky winner from Tathra certainly in for a happy surprise this week.

There was much more to the day than the show bikes, however, with one of the main highlights being the incredible trials demonstrations put on by the riders of Flair Action Sports.

This incredible team crossed the boundaries between trials, BMX and freestyle motocross action for the crowd, wowing all with stunts that included everything from the ultra popular backflip, to jumping over riders lying on the ground!

Meanwhile three live bands and solo musician, Ben Fuiono rocked the event, while a larger number of stalls offered their wares and the refreshments just kept coming from a series of different vendors.

Also to be found across the exhibition ground were various special displays, including vehicles from our emergency services, brand new models from Mick Cole Motorcycles, historic engines, vintage vehicles and even a local art exhibition.

The kids were happily entertained, with the jumping castle and RFS smoke house earning rave reviews, along with the air brush tattoo stall, face painting and a dedicated activities area.

Throw in some exciting novelties like the tyre toss, the better than ever burn-out competition and even a quick shear calcutta, and you understand why there has been such great feedback for this year’s Bombala Bike Show.

The Committee would now like to express sincere appreciation to all of its sponsors, business partners and the many volunteers who helped make the day such a success.

They also acknowledge the Bombala Tyre Service and the participants who made the burnout comp so good this year, those who made themselves available in both Bibbenluke and Delegate for the guided tours, and all others who contributed to the event in any way.

There is no denying that there has been huge buzz surrounding the success of this year’s Bike Show, and it is almost hard to believe that the future of the event had been in serious doubt earlier this year.

Thanks to the new committee we say bring on the 2014 Bombala Bike Show!