With the migration in 2002 of the Akademos to the Blue  Range area, its traditional area in East Gippsland was largely unused by Victorian rallying, With a resurgence of enthusiasm in the Melbourne University Car Club and their experience with that area, the East Gippsland Stages was created in 2007 and ran for nine years, based out of Bairnsdale. The first two editions rang mostly to the east of Bruthen while the remainder ran to the north of Bairnsdale in the Mt Alfred / Bullumwaal area. The event was a round of the Victorian Championship every year that it ran, and for one year was a round of the VCRS in the form of the Bog-a-Duck sub-event.