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The Year That Was
ORV Registration
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Pinjar
South West
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Dear Member
As we saddle up for the new year ahead it’s worth taking a minute to reflect on some of the ups and downs of 2016 (excluding Brexit and Trump of course!)
On behalf of the RTRA committee and the riders of trail, adventure and quad bikes throughout Western Australia, thank you for your support of the RTRA. Whether it’s by volunteering, advocating or being a member, you are making a contribution to a sustainable future for trail riding in WA.
Wishing you many miles of great riding for the year ahead.
The Year That Was
The year started with a young boy spending several hours lost at Metro Road - fortunately he was found safe and well.
This was just after the planning reference committee’s first meeting to discuss the Metro Road development process with Parks and Wildlife - more of that later.
In March we met with trail riding fan, Federal Senator Ricky Muir. What a shame Ricky got turfed out in the election. He really was a great ally. The good news is that Ricky is still advocating for riders in his home state of Victoria.
We pledged our support to Murchison Offroad Adventures in their bid to renew their lease and continue to operate the popular riding / camping and 4WDing property.
In disturbing news we learnt of a wire trap set on a private property near Pinjar that caused a serious injury to a 16 year old rider.
In May, Parks and Wildlife notified us that they are looking to upgrade Gnangara with trails and parking facilities. Another two riders were lost (and found) at Metro Road and we all enjoyed the early rains. Of course the big news in May was the commencement of the Manjimup Trails Hub feasibility study.
In June the government announced its Catastrophic Injury Insurance. It’s costing $100 for every registration - painful for those of us with multiple registered bikes and for something we hope we will never need. We made a submission to the Perth Peel Green Growth Plan recommending that the Kwinana ORV Area be expanded and developed, and the Pinjar trees saved to provide habitat for Carnaby’s Cockatoo.
In July we received reports of some unusually aggressive Ranger action - which prompted a ‘So Where Can I Ride?’ information session hosted by Overlander Adventure Equipment. The Manjimup project picked up momentum, with a highly successful survey and several well attended meetings. Meanwhile at Metro Road the process of mapping some of the existing trails was underway thanks to a group of enthusiastic volunteers.
The State Election is in March 2017 so in September we started ramping up our pre-election lobbying with meetings with members from both major parties.
October was a busy month with our AGM and social night, a new Minister for Local Government and our support of Outdoors October.
November was pretty well consumed with our battle against the government’s harsh new confiscation laws. Despite getting support from other parties, we were unable to stop this legislation, but we have certainly signalled our intent to monitor it for abuse.
In December we met with York council and local riders about a possible upgrade to the popular York facility, opened discussions with the Shire of Carnarvon and met with the Shadow Minister for Local Government.
As we head into 2017 we have lots of activity in lots of different areas. Toilets and gates at Pinjar, the Gnangara and York upgrades, Metro Road planning, Manjimup about to go to public comment in early January, plus possible new developments in Jarrahdale, Karratha and Carnarvon - just for starters.
It’s going to be a big year!
Toilets for Pinjar
Parks and Wildlife have confirmed that toilets will be built at the Pinjar Motorcycle area this year.
This is great news, especially for the growing number of female riders up there - plus their families. It's been one of the most requested upgrades at Pijar.
Concerns about the risk of vandalism are the main reason why toilets haven't made it to the list until now, but with the growing number of families now enjoying the area Parks and Wildlife have decided to build them anyway.
We don’t have any more details yet but will pass any information on as we receive it.
Off Road Vehicle Registration - a hidden benefit

Most people think of Off-road Vehicle (ORV) registration as just being needed to access the designated off road vehicle areas. But there is another benefit: traceability. Changes to the way the Department of Transport stores the ORV registration details mean that police can access this data to locate the registered owner in the event that a bike or quad is recovered and suspected to be stolen.
The database capture engine and frame number, so even if the thieving scum who stole your bike remove the registration plate the police will still be able to trace it back to you.
For just $15 this can be a worthwhile thing to do even for MX bikes that are only use for competition, or if you only ride on private property.
Other things to know:
* The bikes don't need to be inspected
* You need to provide a Statutory Declaration of ownership (it's on the registration form)
* Registration can be done at any licensing centre.
* The annual registration fee is fifteen dollars with a one-off fifteen dollar fee for numberplates the first time the vehicle is registered.
* All off road vehicle registrations expire on 30th of September each year.
* ORV registration does not include any third-party insurance
You can access the ORV Registration form here.
New South-West Rescue Helicopter
The new base for the State's second RAC Rescue helicopter has been opened at Bunbury airport. Let’s hope it doesn’t get called out to many downed riders in the south-west, but it’s a bit of reassurance if things go pear-shaped in some of the more remote locations which we are attracted to.
Of course, any form of ambulance cover can be expensive so the RTRA urges all riders - no matter what or where they ride - to ensure that their ambulance cover is current.
Membership Auto-Renewal
If your RTRA membership falls due for renewal in January you will shortly receive a Renewal Invoice.
If the credit card you used last year is still valid and hasn’t expired you don’t need to take any action - your renewal will happen automatically. We’ll get in touch if you need to update your card details.
This is a new system (we announced it last January but it’s only now processing the auto-renewals) so we can't guarantee that there won't be the odd glitch. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Minimal Impact: Be Fire Safe
After a mild start to summer the hot weather can't be far away. Any recreational activity in dry bushland is a fire risk, but trail riding has some added risks so we have to be extra careful when we're out there.
Here are some tips to stay fire safe this summer:
- Don't park your car on long grass. The hot exhaust can ignite dry grass.
- Take care when refuelling. Fill up before you go or at a petrol station and if you must refuel from a jerry can make sure you're on bare ground.
- No campfires, and if you must smoke, extinguish cigarettes on bare ground and pour a little water from your camelback on it just to make sure.
- It should go without saying, but never remove your exhaust's spark arrestor.
- Stay on track.
- Observe fire bans and be aware of total vehicle movement bans that can be proclaimed on extreme fire ban days.
- If you have an off and your bike goes down on grass or pine needles pick it up as quickly as possible and check to make sure it hasn't spilled any fuel. Hot exhausts can ignite dry grass (there was a fire at Pinjar caused by a bike going down). It there's any signs of smoldering use your camelback or whatever you have handy to dampen it down.
Our continued access to forests during summer could be jeopardised by a single trail bike-related fire, so we all need to be aware and take extra care.
Help Spread the Word
New to the RTRA? Here are the four key objectives the RTRA pursues:
- To protect and extend quality, safer off-road riding opportunities for Western Australian recreational trail bike riders of all ages.
- To promote and encourage safety and responsible riding attitudes, including minimising noise and trail damage.
- To actively pursue the needs of trail bike riders with State and Local Government, landowners and other stakeholders.
- To improve the perception of trail bike riding as a recreational activity.
If you think the RTRA is having a positive impact for riders, just think how much more effective we'd be if we had double the members. It's actually not that hard - all it takes is for each member to find one other rider to sign up.
If you have riding buddies who are not yet members of the RTRA, please forward them this email and give them a prod to join up.
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