Founder Story

ADV FEST was founded by Kurt Quambusch — an Australian adventure rider, storyteller, and long-time advocate for getting people off the bitumen and into the real world of adventure motorcycling.

Kurt has spent over 15 years riding remote tracks across Australia, covering 300,000+ kilometres off-road on everything from lightweight singles to fully-loaded adventure bikes. He’s not an ex-racer or factory rider — just a rider who believes adventure bikes are meant to be ridden where the maps fade out.

Before ADV FEST, Kurt was the founder and publisher of Adventure Rider Magazine, where he helped shape Australia’s modern ADV culture by telling real rider stories, testing bikes in real conditions, and promoting rides that pushed beyond café stops and sealed roads.

ADV FEST was created for one simple reason:
to bring the ADV community together in one place — riders, brands, mates, fires, stories, and dirt.

There’s no ego, no race paddock attitude, and no pressure to be anything you’re not. Whether you’re a first-time ADV rider or someone who’s crossed deserts solo, ADV FEST is about learning, riding, sharing knowledge, and building confidence — on and off the bike.

Kurt is hands-on at the event, often found talking routes, helping riders with setup, sharing lessons learned the hard way, or sitting around the fire late into the night. ADV FEST isn’t a corporate idea — it’s built by riders, for riders, and shaped by the same challenges faced out on the tracks.

This is adventure riding — as it should be.