Geelong to Geelong (moved from Altona)
16 November 2025 - 29 November 2025
Scootaville Victoria 2025 offers an opportunity for ex-service personnel to come together, reconnect with the community, to discuss any problems with their peers and to explore and bring attention to regional Victoria. Scootaville will celebrate what it means to be Australian and raise awareness of the hardships that service and ex-service personal face. With the help and generousity of the community and sponsors, Scootaville seeks to raise vital funds for Legacy and the Air Force Association (clink here for donation link) to assist families of lost or injured service members and homeless veterans.

David is joining some fellow ex-ADF men and women who will ride 110cc motor scooters on the round trip from Altona Geelong. Riding almost 1,700 km will take us 14 days and will be a fundraiser for Legacy and the Air Force Association (clink here for donation link). This is a rare opportunity to explore our beautiful country with our peers, overnighting in Benalla, Beechworth, Omeo, Sale, Tootgarook, Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo, before returning to Altona Geelong on the 29th November.

The ride is presented by the Radschool Association Inc., which is a registered charity formed in 1999 to represent the men and women who were trained by the Air Force to either maintain or operate its electronic equipment. It encourages connection and mateship among its 1,400 plus members through its magazine, website, social media, reunions and special events like Scootaville.

Update:

11 Nov 2025 - Our start and finsist location has been moved from Altona to Geelong due to an unexpected double booking of the Altona Scout Camp. The above map is still the orginal route and is not expected to be updated.

24 Nov 2025 - Another scout hall has been found in Altona for the finish of our trip. We will now be travelling Bendigo to Altona, and Altona to South Melbourne to finish this adventure.

The final distance travelled on the scooter ridden by David was XXX km.

All Photos (credit to David, Trev, Mark .... and many more)

A promotional video (4:46 mins) was produced by Griffith University about this endeavor:

Reference:

• Past Scootaville blogs:
• Queensland: 02-20 September 2022
• Queensland: 22 August - 10 September 2023
• Queensland: 28 August - 15 September 2024
• NSW: 18 November - 04 December 2024
• Queensland: 22 August - 12 September 2025

How can you help?
We invite you to donate via the Scootaville page: https://radschool.org.au/donate/. Your donation is tax deductible. We greatly appreciate your generosity!

Raising much needed funds for:
  

Welcome from David and Lyn.

The format of our site is in three parts:

1. Blog server - our day-to-day travel blogs (this website)
2. Photo server - some of our key photos
3. YouTube channel - our videos (many linked directly from our blogs)

The site includes hundreds of searchable travel blogs. Some of our longer trips are listed below. 

General travel

• Bridge cams - Princess
• Unofficial Travel Awards
• Equator Crossings
• International Date Line

About

• David
• The Thalassophile (lover of the sea)
• The Musician - Uke resources
• The Presenter
• The Photographer
• The Ham (VK4DCP) - Ham resources
• The Vexillophile (flags)
• Lyn
• Countries visited: #1 to #25 | #26 to #50 | #51 to #75 | #76 to #100 | #101+
• Summary of cruises - Pre COVID-19 / Post COVID-19 

Thank you for visiting our website.

Best regards

David and Lyn
e-mail: brizzy@outlook.com.au

Cruise countdown

2026 New Zealand Cruise - Blog Starting Page

2026 European Odyssey River Cruising - Blog Starting Page

2027 Fiji Cruise - Blog Starting Page

2027 Circle Pacific Cruise - Blog Starting Page

Links to major adventures
2025 Pacific North America Cruise Blog - Apr 2025 to June 2025 Cruise #1 - Sydney to LA Repositioning Cruise #2 - Pacific Wine Country Rocky Mountaineer - Discovery Circle Cruise #3 - Voyage of Glaciers (Northbound) Cruise #4 - Voyage of Glaciers (Southbound)
2024 - World Cruise on the Coral Princess Blog - Apr 2024 to Aug 2024 Photos Segment #1: Sydney to Tangier - 35 Days Segment #2: Tangier to Dover (via Baltic) - 21 Days Segment #3: Dover to New York - 18 Days Segment #4: New York to Brisbane - 38 Days
2020 – Indian Ocean & South Africa Odyssey + Southern Australia Explorer Blog - Jan 2020 to Mar 2020 Photos
2019 - Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific cruise on the Sea Princess
Blog - Aug 2019 to Oct 2019 Photos
2018 - World Cruise on the Sea Princess
Blog - Jun 2018 to Sept 2018
Photos Segment #1: Brisbane to Dubai - 19 Days Segment #2: Dubai to London - 30 Days Segment #3: London to New York - 20 Days Segment #4: New York to Brisbane - 37 Days
2017 - Cherry Blossom cruise (a.k.a. China - Japan cruise)
Blog - March 2017 to April 2017 Photos
2016 - World Cruise on the Sea Princess
Blog - May 2016 to Aug 2016
Photos Segment #1: Sydney to Dubai – 20 Days Segment #2: Dubai to London – 35 Days Segment #3: London to New York – 11 Days Segment #4: New York to Sydney – 38 Days Home Leg: Sydney to Brisbane – 2 Days
2015 - Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific cruise on the Sun Princess
Blog - Jul. 2015 to Aug. 2015 Photos
2014 - South East Asia on the MV Voyager
Blog - Feb. 2014 to Mar. 2014
Photos Leg #1 Treasures of Asia Leg #2 Colours of the Indian Ocean
2012 - Caribbean cruise on the MV Voyager
Blog (by Lyn) - Nov 2012 to Jan 2013
Photos (by David and Lyn) Leg #1 Voyage to the Caribbean Leg #2 Caribbean Gems Leg #3 A Tapestry of Central America
2011 – Far East cruise on the MV Discovery
Blog (by David) - Dec 2011 to Feb 2012
Photos (by David) Leg #1 Treasures of the Orient and Vietnam Leg #2 Empires of the Sun Leg #3 South East Asia and Australia
2010 - Caribbean cruise on the MV Discovery
Blog (by David) - Nov 2010 to Jan 2011
Photos (by David)  Leg #1 Discovery of the New World Leg #2 Colonial Trails of the Caribbean Leg #3 Tales of the Old Spanish Main
2009 - Grand Voyage of Discovery from Mumbai (India) to London on the MV Discovery
Blog (by David) - Mar 2009 to May 2009
Photos (by David) Leg #1 India and The Persian Gulf Leg #2 Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean Leg #3 Black Sea, Turkey and Greek Isles Leg #4 European - mainly the Mediterranean

Dinner at the North Ballarat Sports Club.

Day 11 - Ballarat
Wednesday, 26 November 2025
A very cold, windy and wet morning in Mount Rowan. At 9am it was only 9.8^oC and felt like 1.4^oC. We’ll hold off any trips until the weather improves.

A drive this afternoon included stops at The Australian Ex-prisoner Of War Memorial and the Arch of Victory. Dinner again at the North Ballarat Sports Club.

Photos from Ballarat / Slideshow:

Ballarat
A city in the Central Highlands of Victoria. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria.

Within months of Victoria separating from the colony of New South Wales in 1851, gold was discovered near Ballarat, sparking the Victorian gold rush. Ballarat subsequently became a thriving boomtown that for a time rivalled Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, in terms of wealth and cultural influence. In 1854, following a period of civil disobedience in Ballarat over gold licenses, local miners launched an armed uprising against government forces. Known as the Eureka Rebellion, it led to the introduction of white male suffrage in Australia, and as such is interpreted as the origin of Australian democracy. The rebellion's symbol, the Eureka Flag, has become a national symbol.
Source: Wikipedia

Day 9 | 2025 Scootaville Vic | Day 12

Day 8 - Tootgarook to Geelong
Sunday, 23 November 2025
Today was a very short ride of only 53km from Tootgarook on the Mornington Peninsula to Geelong at the eastern end of Corio Bay. Getting across Port Phillip Bay meant a short ferry trip from Sorrento to Queenscliff. We left early under cold and wet conditions and caught the 8am ferry, an hour earlier than planned.

Our first planned stop was a tour of Fort Lonsdale. As the fort wouldn’t be open until 10am, we had time for a hot drink in Port Lonsdale. Obviously walking the dog is the must-have fashion accessory for the locals.

Access to the fort required photo ID. Unfortunately David misplaced (lost) his driver’s licence the night before and required additional supervisor approval to gain access (none of the many other government issued cards being acceptable). The guided tour was worth the trouble. 

Once we finished, we planned to head to a local hotel for lunch. On arrival, parking was not available and thankfully the people in the minibus decided to head straight to the Geelong Showgrounds instead. The riders were all very happy for the crowds at the pub during these cold wet conditions.

Unpacking and setting up in the same pavilion as our earlier visit before a lovely hot shower nearby. The small comforts of life! David also spent about an hour configuring his digital driver’s license on his phone.

Our driver, Robbo has been unwell for a couple of days and has decided to head home for medical treatment. We are now 12 people. Seems most of us have this dreaded cough.

Consensus for dinner was that we return to the Geelong RSL. Sunday night is roast night and a full sized meal was only $18 (same price as a small member’s meal). David couldn’t pass up a nice lamb roast and some veggies.

Day 9 - Geelong
Monday, 24 November 2025
Everyone enjoyed the sleep-in. A lovely sunny morning and not cold like the past few days. It was an opportunity for a few of us to catch up with some laundry at a nearby shopping centre.

Sue made us some Chicken and Noodle Soup for lunch ... very nice. Compliments to the cook, thank you.

After lunch, half the team went for the short 30 minute drive to Portarlington. A lovely little town with panoramic views across Port Phillip Bay. A casual walk along the pier used by the many successful anglers, fishing and pleasure boats, and the ferry to Geelong and Melbourne. We finished with an ice cream in the Main Street … a lovely way to spend a warm sunny Victorian afternoon.

Dinner again at the Geelong RSL ... parmy night.

Photos from Geelong / Slideshow:

Geelong
A port city in Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, about 75km southwest of Melbourne. With an estimated population of 282,809 in 2023, Geelong is the second-largest city in the state of Victoria. It is the administrative centre for the City of Greater Geelong municipality, which is Port Phillip's only regional metropolitan area.
Source: Wikipedia

Portarlington
A town located on the Bellarine Peninsula, 28 km from the city of Geelong. It has a diverse population which includes a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, a high proportion of retirees, and a large seasonal holiday influx. The gently rising hills behind the town feature vineyards and olive groves, and offer spectacular panoramic views across Port Phillip Bay.
Source: Wikipedia

Day 7 | 2025 Scootaville Vic | Day 10

Day 7 - Sale to Tootgarook
Saturday, 22 November 2025

Today we travel 245km or more from Sale to Tootgarook (near Rosebud on the Mornington Peninsula), the second longest for this trip. It's a very complicated route with the odd wrong turn... We just follow the bus! Highlights:

• A very large smoko at the Moe RSL
• Missed the photo stop at the Cora Lyn cheese factory although we rode past.
• Lunch at the Royal Hotel, Koo Wee Rup. A few of us decided on some fruit from the local supermarket ... a wise choice from all the fried food and sweets.
• Accommodation was the Tootgarook Memorial Hall. Unfortunately no shower tonight!
• Dinner at the Rye RSL.

Photos from today / Slideshow:

Tootgarook
A suburb on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, 62km south of Melbourne's CBD, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Tootgarook recorded a population of 3,178 at the 2021 census.
Source: Wikipedia

Day 6 | 2025 Scootaville Vic | Day 8