Peter Hall
Source: heraldsun.com.au
Australia - THE tranquil Sunshine Coast holiday haven of Golden Beach is about to get a rev-up, with hundreds of Bandidos rumbling in for a national get-together.
The motorcycle club has booked the four-star Oaks Oasis at Golden Beach, a stone's throw from the Pumicestone Passage and Caloundra's family-friendly resorts and eateries.
More than 300 of the visitors, who are expected to be under heavy police surveillance, will arrive on Friday for their "national run".
The weekend will be a lucrative one for the Oaks Oasis, with the event likely to reap upwards of $200,000 as the Bandidos stay, eat and drink in luxurious surrounds.
It will be the third time in the past seven years the Sunshine Coast has been chosen for the gathering, which usually sees three or four days of partying with some sight-seeing thrown in.
Unlike some clubs that stipulate member-only events, the Bandidos allow family members to attend.
The Oaks Oasis, which features 181 rooms set among landscaped palm gardens, has confirmed the booking.
It is believed the Bandidos will have the run of the property with no other bookings taken for the period of their stay.
The timing has raised concerns among police, as it coincides with a massive influx of tourists due to school holidays, the new Queen's Birthday long weekend and Caloundra Music festival.
The Courier-Mail understands police, who monitor the Bandidos due to suspected links with organised crime, will draw on resources from other areas to ensure the group's activities are closely watched.
They are planning an "intercept" operation, where the riders will be stopped, searched and checked for outstanding warrants, as they approach the Sunshine Coast.
The Bandidos are not expected to arrive en masse, but rather in groups of up to 20 or 30, riding in full colours as their rules dictate. Some will fly in from interstate.
A police spokesman said officers from the North Coast Region and State Crime Operations Command would monitor the behaviour of the Bandidos during the course of their National Run.
He said police believed a "significant number" of Bandidos and their associates would attend the weekend.
Bandido members who leave to attend other events, such as the music festival, will be put under surveillance.
Previous visits by the group have seen relatively few incidents of bad behaviour with members under strict instructions not to draw attention to themselves.