Bandidos bikies descend on Ballarat, Victoria for club’s annual national motorcycle run

The Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang is out in force for their annual national run in a quiet rural town.

Hundreds of riders descended on Ballarat in north-west Victoria on Friday and will travel to Buninyong, 11km north, before returning to Ballarat.

The Bandidos gang is considered one of the state’s ‘big six’ motorcycle gangs.

Victorian police have vowed to keep a close eye on their activities during the three-day run.

Members of the motorcycle club rode their motorcycles to Ballarat and will soon travel to Buninyong, 11km north, before returning to Ballarat

The Victorian Echo and VIPER task forces will monitor the gang’s movements to ensure everyone’s safety

Local police will help their task force colleagues keep a close eye on the gathering of Bandidos members

Echo and VIPER task forces will be assisted by local police to monitor the gang’s movements and ensure citizens remain safe.

Police have issued a stern warning that they will ‘not be intimidated’ by OMCG members who commit criminal offences, road safety offenses or public order offences.

“Members of the Echo and VIPER task forces, together with local police, will have a vehicle checkpoint set up on the route to ensure riders are adhering to the rules of the road and behaving appropriately,” Western Region Chief Inspector Frank Sells said.

“We will monitor all activities and will be ready to take swift action to prevent, detect and disrupt possible unlawful activity. It will not be tolerated.

“The local community can be assured that Victoria Police has made extensive preparations and stands ready to appropriately monitor and respond to OMCG activities for this national response.”

Hundreds of Bandidos cyclists ride along a main road into Ballarat, Victoria, causing traffic delays for locals on Friday

Ballarat is the state’s second largest city and has hosted the event several times before.

The OMCG held its annual general in Ballarat in 2022 and met at Lazy Moe’s restaurant in November, just days before the state election.

Leaders of the outlaw gang placed an advertisement in Ballarat’s The Courier newspaper, days after leaving their last meetingthanking the city for its ‘warm hospitality’.

Victoria is one of the few states in the country where motorcyclists can openly show their colors and associate in public without risking jail time.

Western Australia has some of the strictest laws, with it illegal for members to even display tattoos of their motorcycle club when out in public.

Queensland will send a motorcyclist to prison for wearing gang colours, with the same prison sentence imposed on third-party offenders.

Victoria is one of the few states in the country where motorcyclists can openly show their color and associate in public without risking jail time

Leaders of the outlaw gang last year placed an advertisement in Ballarat’s newspaper The Courier, days after leaving their General Assembly, thanking the city for its “warm hospitality”.

Victorian police have worked to limit the powers of motorcyclists by issuing a firearms prohibition order (FPO) to almost every member.

An FPO prohibits a person from possessing or using a firearm or ammunition and gives police the power to conduct warrantless searches.

A member who violates this order faces five years in prison.

Bandidos MC Australia, a motorcycle gang that split from the Comancheros in 1983, has more than 50 chapters across Australia.

The extra police presence will continue until the end of the run on Sunday.