Derby is mayhem during school holidays anyway...
Yep, been there 2 Xmas hols now, its got massively busy in just 18 months to our second visit. So much so that we are not taking our caravan this next time.
Booked into accomodation for 16 days from the 28th Dec this year, split 8+8 with 3 days in Maydena.
In 10 Derby days last year, we did 2 x Blue Tiers, 4 x Atlas and 26 x Blackstumps, my missus shuttled us up for every one of them. We eat out every night and eat out for lunch.... I also donate a shit load of beer tokens at the Dorset and on several occasions each visit, the Branxholm and Weldborough, we buy bike gear and come home with about 6-8 tee shirts each time. Shop in Scottsdale, visit and eat in Bridport, St Helens, Binalong ect...
The only thing we don't do is use the 3-4 operators of the shuttle services.
This new revised time for private shuttle vehicles will mean a lot of people will have to juggle their riding schedules and destinations, I can only think that St Helens and Weldborough will benefit from this. Closing the road will send people elsewhere, riding the trails in the morning, the 10am final shuttle can take in BlackDragon or Krushkas, then down the Trout. Then piss of to Blue Tier for a run to Weldborough or St Helens.
There's 3 of us, the handiness of the misso shuttling is 100% easier, say the 26 Blackstump shuttles we paid $10 each, x 3 of us then x 26 shuttles, you are talking $800, we could have done easily more than half of those within the commoners times, I can definitely tell you that $300-$400 in shuttles will deprive the town of twice that in food and beer over the visit. We had 3 families last year with 13 of us in total.
Good for shuttle operator(s), bad for the town tea time beer and food... Hmmmmm how did that get up i wonder...