The Rhino Rally, formerly (for 8 years) in Harrismith at the end of September, has a new venue and date for 2014, the Afridome Showgrounds in the picturesque jewel of the Vaal River, Parys, 110km South of Johannesburg.

The ever expanding Afridome has rapidly developed into a popular events venue, from horse shows to music festivals to weddings. The inside hall/arena is a massive 80 metres by 50 metres, more than twice the size of the already massive tent at the Harrismith Rhino. And, leading into it is a 100 metre (the length of a soccer field) by 12 metre building, giving 5200 square metres of space to house a big music stage, bars, seating, fun and games, the rally office and some of the stalls. A restaurant adjoins it.

It can accommodate 12000, and is on a huge site which has lots of camping and caravan space, accommodation rooms and (for the budget-conscious) stables.

The news of the new venue has been very well received as Parys is already a favourite bikers breakfast run destination with picturesque restaurants and shops.

Coming up!

24 Hour Endurance Race, Red Star, 7-8 December 2013.

With two big and successful races in 2011 and 2012, with 20 and 37 teams entered, we expect 44 teams this year.This has become a legendary instituition that has caught the imagination of riders at all levels. Team ILLITERATE, consisting of four journalists on a Triumph 675, won both years and will be aiming for a hat-trick.

It will be, as last year, in Waterval Boven, one of the most beautiful parts of the country in the picturesque Mpumalanga. The site is a big college campus on the edge of town, with all the amenities and land and fields and buildings available to us as the students will be on July holidays.

The Paradise started at Pilgrims Rest in 1994, moved to the bigger venue at Numbi Hotel in Hazyview for 7 years, outgrew it and moved to Graskop for 10 years, then Nelspruit Showgrounds in 2012 for only a year before this latest move to Waterval Boven in 2013 and 2014.

This has been home to the Oosterlijn Rally before and its organisers, Piet Van Eeden, the local butcher with the best biltong in the world, and Hein Stander, who owns a nearby fishing lodge, are welcoming the Paradise and will be doing much of its organising and the bar and accommodation inside the college.

 Phone Piet for inside accommodation at 013 257 0026  083 463 3948

For food and flea market stalls phone Wilma, the famous Linzi’s Brutworsht lady - 082 683 0328

Scenes from the 2013 Paradise: