A group of retired men from the Shire's Cronulla Probus Club have shown they are not shy of striking out in new directions.
They recently descended on Glenworth Valley, about two-hours drive north of Sydney to go off the beaten track in a fleet of quad bikes.
Defying the recent controversies and government inquiries into the dangers of quad bikes, they received a comprehensive lesson from instructors in managing the vehicles before being let loose in the bush.
"While there is always a risk, we would not have undertaken this ride without professional instruction and supervision - we're not that crazy," club president Joe Tokarczuk said.
The pre-ride instruction for the retired men included start, acceleration and braking, speed management, weight-shift cornering and slope management.
"We cannot speak too highly of the excellent instruction we received," Mr Tokarczuk said.
"The trail takes you over rises and through shallow streams in the deep Glenworth Valley, all the while surrounded by beautiful bushland or cattle grazing paddocks, and with frequent river views.
"At no time did we feel at risk, although one of our group did manage to go off-track when he missed a turn; fortunately, no damage was done to him or the bike, or our security deposit."
The Cronulla Probus Club's activities leader, Gary Daniels said, "The quad biking was just another event in our annual adventures calendar which also includes regular group kayaking, bushwalking and leisure cycling.
"Our club also offers the usual monthly guest speakers, tours, social and theatre events, Sydney 'Opal' walks, bowls and golf as do many other Shire Probus clubs."
Cronulla Probus meets on the third Monday of each month at Cronulla Golf Club and can be contacted at cronullaprobus@gmail.com or Gary Daniels on 0413 739 015.
Visitors are always welcome. Membership is open to all retired men.
The website is www.probussouthpacific.org/microsites/cronulla
