THE Scrapheap Adventure Ride arrived in Gulargambone on Good Friday, with a motley mix of motorcycles carrying riders from across New South Wales.

Of the 55 bikes involved, organiser Perry Gilsenan (who received an OAM for his work for the Down Syndrome community in 2020) estimates that around half were of the scrapheap variety - re-built from the bones of machines purchased for less than $1000 - while other touring enthusiasts turned out on traditional shop-bought road bikes.

"We're not really up on rules, it's about going for a ride and having fun," Mr Gilsenan said. "The weather was so wonderful. It was great to get up early and enjoy the blue skies all day."

The whole adventure is undertaken in a spirit of goodwill, raising awareness and funds for Down Syndrome Australia and the weekend's tour received plenty of support from Gulargambone area locals.

"We had about half our normal number of riders but we still managed to crack the $50,000 in funds raised," he said. "We're aiming for $100,000 by the end of the year."

Riders in the Scrapheap Adventure lined up along Bourbah Street, Gulargambone over the Easter weekend.

The motorcyclists descended on Gulargambone on Good Friday, setting up camp in readiness for the expected warm welcome provided by the Gulargambone Caravan Park.

On Saturday they rode to Collie in time for lunch at the hotel, others visited Armatree and returned to Gular for their Monster Auction, raffle and dinner at the Two Eight Two Eight café.

The trip is third time lucky as Mr Gilsenan originally visited to scope out the route and meet the local hosts in 2020 but were thwarted by lockdowns for two years.

"We've been doing this for 12 years now," he said. "A lot of guys plan their holidays around it."

"We've been slammed the last two years but we finally made it."

Gulargambone Caravan Park became home base for the Scrapheap Adventure Ride.

In the past the Scrapheap Adventure has taken riders to locations as diverse as Evans Head, Pooncarie, Cameron's Corner, Nymagee and Bourke, with the next destination announced as part of the "official" business at the main dinner on each ride.

"We just pick a place a bit out of the way and a bit different," Mr Gilsenan said. "I grew up on a farm near Tomingley so I like to keep it rural."

Mr Gilsenan says the main focus is raising awareness about Downs Syndrome but the funds raised are directed towards finding ways for people in rural and remote areas to access services.

"There's a huge need for services, especially at the moment," he said. "We talk to people wherever we go and a lot of people aren't aware of what you can access."

While the Scrapheap Adventure Ride pays for all accommodation, meals and drinks in the communities they visit, the funds raised from donations supports the work of Down Syndrome Australia in regional communities, paying for important workshops or resources for regional families, information for educators and other professionals, or playgroups and other ways of creating connections for families with Down Syndrome children.

During the Monster Auction on Saturday night, a certain custom coat which has been travelling with the tour for some years attracted serious attention from local bidders when they saw it was decorated with galahs.

When it was knocked down for $1500 to a deep-pocketed scrapper, the crafty locals negotiated a deal where the coat would make special guest appearances around the town over the next few months.

Keep an eye out for this special jacket around Gulargambone over the next few months - modelled here by Allan King.

Mr Gilsenan says that, like himself, many of the riders have a family member with the condition but that over the years the ride has created its own community and this year they welcomed Gulargambone into the family.

"The Gulargambone community was absolutely phenomenal," he said.

"David and Bernadette at the caravan park, the Lions Club, and Nic at Two Eight Two Eight could not have been any more welcoming and accommodating."

"Over the weekend we announced our next destination - and there'll be a team from Gulargambone joining us on our next adventure to Dirranbandi in October this year."

"That's how it grows," he said.