Sh*tbox Rally – Two PropertyChat members travelling 3800km to raise money to fight cancer

So Corey/Waldo, I spoke to Amy the other day. She and Alex are doing this next rally, too. They'll be driving the ******* they brought back from Tassie to Adelaide and then do the rally. I wonder if they'll bring it back to Sydney again?
You two need to befriend them. Tell them you know me. Alex is a bloke you want to know when driving a cheap car a long way. He can fix anything.
Both of them are into property, too.
You'll spot them - he's a good looking young bloke with a big smile and she is a tall, good looking dark haired girl who will be right into the whole thing and lots of fun.

 

Thanks for the info Depreciator - I'll be sure to find them on the rally!

Update:

Well, slight change of plans. @Waldo has had his work give a last minute change to his schedule making him go overseas so he's been knocked out of the rally. Adrian - another broker in our office - is going to help come instead and thankfully he has beyond a 5 year olds understanding of vehicles!

So what's next? We're currently fitting out the vehicle - including:

• stickering/decals over the vehicle
• UHF radio install
• New radio for car - USB and aux cable so we're not just listening to static after a few hours into the drive
• Lights for car

Stickers are still being produced, but the main other points have been now setup. Pictures:

UHF antennae


UHF and new radio head unit


Lights installed



Bonus - we had a red neon light sitting around, so why not add that into the mix.

 

Definitely agree with having a fridge on board. This is the one I recommend and more than happy to take it off your hands when you arrive Wouldn't want it being a burden for you on your plane trip back home

 

@Corey Batt @Waldo When do you guys set off?

 

Good luck, Chaps!

 

Jeez Kinnon - that almost costs double what the car is worth. You pay for it - I'll bring it up?

Hobo: Waldo is out as per the thread but leaving on the 27th, arriving on the 2nd of June.

 

Good luck, and I hope you've given the suspension a good test run.

 

Oh bugger, I missed that update. Ah well, at least a replacement was found easily enough.

Have a blast, and good luck!

 

How'd it go? Should be back in SA by now?

 

Just got off the plane two hours ago - I'm currently going through 500 unread emails and will be unpacking all my gear covered in dirt. Give me 24 hours or so and I'll try have a writeup and pictures here - it was a great trip.

 

No worries. Congratulations and welcome back!

 

I’ve finally managed to scrape in a spare minute of two to do a writeup of how the ******* Rally went.

First up - thanks for everyone who helped with us raising money for this event. It's for a cause that I think just about everyone is affected by, so the more we put towards these kinds of things helps in a significant and meaningful way.

Special call outs in particular for @Peter_Tersteeg from Sage Lending Solutions and @DaveM from REvaluate who both made very substantial donations towards helping us reaching our target - I really appreciate it.

This year topped all others in terms of total funds raised for the Rally– with over 1.6mil being raised for the Cancer Council this year and 11.8mil since the inception of the rally 8 years ago. To give you a perspective of how this plays into funding – this event provides over 10% of the Cancer Council’s research funds each year.

Outside of the fundraising side – it’s interesting to note how positive the local communities felt the rally was in bringing more people to their remote communities, using their services and gaining awareness of what actually is out there in our country – this was by far the most enjoyable part for me, seeing parts of Australia that I otherwise never would.

The Trip

Travelling over 7 days – we travelled a little over 3800km, staying at:

• Roxby Downs
• Oodnadatta
• Alice Springs
• Tobermorey Station
• Burke and Wills Road House
• Einasleigh
• Cairns

Event Logistics

With 239 cars in the rally, 20 support vehicles which consisted of mechanical support and three medic vehicles – the rally participants were grouped into buddy groups of 6-7 vehicles. Each group had to look out for each other, whenever a team member would break down or need assistance you would pull over and help.

Daily Highlights

Day 1 Adelaide to Roxby Downs (567km sealed road)






Starting at the Torrens Parade Ground, all the cars took out in groups from 9am towards Roxby Downs. For those who are not familiar – this stretch is effectively the most carefree part of the rally, with fully sealed flat roads for the entirety of the day. This didn’t stop problems emerging with the cars however. Each rally car had a UHF/CB radio – which gave us constant updates on various groups having to pull over due to blown tyres, overheating engines etc.

Our group did OK – one of our cars in the group was an early 70’s Mini Clubman which struggled with the strong headwinds reducing its speed – so we emptied out as much weight from it as we could into the other vehicles. We also had a late 80’s Magna which managed to destroy the sidewall of one of its new rally tyres due to a really rubbish alignment. A few minutes on the side of the road for both and we were back on track.



Making it into Roxby in the early evening – everyone lined up at the petrol station before heading to the local football grounds for camping. There’s nothing like waiting in line with hundreds of cars to get fuel – so people throughout the trip tried to space it between various stations where possible.

Camp setup, dinner served by the local community – most people got an early night as we had a big day on the dirt tomorrow.



Day 2 Roxby Downs to Oodnadatta (9km sealed road, 455km unsealed)

Whilst day 1 was a fairly easy drive, day 2 was going to make it up to us by being the opposite. The Oodnadatta track is over 600km of unsealed dirt track which in the best of times isn’t great for driving – so doing it in rubbish low clearance two wheel drive cars made it all the more fun. Just to make things even more interesting – Day 2 had a theme – everything yellow. So we saw people driving the track in banana suits, Ali G costumes, fluro outfits and just about every other yellow idea someone could come up with.

The track wasn’t in great condition at this time as heavy rains etched in substantial corrugation into the dirt, washouts and exposed rocks. The conditions did throw a lot of people off and it was a struggle to try encourage people to gain decent speed to reduce the issues caused by heavy road corrugation (if you drive slow on these bumps, the car will effectively rattle itself to pieces, whereas if you pick up speed to 70-90km/hr the ride with smooth over).

Overall the Oodnadatta tracks surrounds are very desolate – though there was nice changes of scenery ie Lake Eyre.



The first casualty emerged on the track – the Magna’s exhaust rattled so much that the brackets fell off and the back of the exhaust hit the ground in a pile of dirt and sparks. A bit of bush mechanic work and the pipe was held back up with a mix of cable ties and wire – enough to hold it on until we made it to camp.



We make it to Oodnadatta at sunset – with our fuel gauges low and in need of fuel. Whilst getting to the end point ahead of most groups, it was still nearly a 50 minute wait to get to the one functioning bowser.



After setting up camp in the dark, the exhaust pipe situation was fixed (read: cut it off. Exhaust pipes are optional anyway?)



Speaking of dodgy car fixes – this night was full of them. Quite a few car sumps were destroyed from the sharp rocks on the track. One particularly enterprising mechanic decided to try fix one Volvo’s multiple sump punctures using fibreglass glue to fill the holes, then weld an old kitchen sink over the sump as a sump guard. (this actually worked and it survived for another two days before other issues took it off the road for good)

Day 3 Oodnadatta to Alice Springs(450km sealed, 210km unsealed)

Day 2 of the Oodnadatta track – we start off in the morning. Amusingly the radio is filled with chatter from various groups calling out their vehicles breaking down within the first kilometre out of camp after dodgy fixes failed, or new issues emerged. There was no doubt a lot of cars which had leaks over night which turned small problems into bigs ones.

We continued with our luck of no serious issues whilst passing numerous groups with tyre blowouts or worse. The occasional line of oil on the road would show where car sumps would meet an untimely end.

Finally making it back onto sealed road – the speed limit increased up to 110km/hr, however with our motley crew of cars we were lucky to average a speed above 90km/hr with a tailwind.



Early evening, we made it into Alice Springs – did the usual fuel stop and then setup camp. Some groups were making use of the local McDonalds etc thinking they were onto a smart idea. I’m sure they were a little disappointed when they turned up to camp and found out the local hotel/casino was providing dinner – a full buffet which was effectively what you would think of as a wedding function with silver cloches etc. A live band and well stocked bar meant that many of the rally goers didn’t get to bed until early in the morning – and you could certainly tell it from their miserable faces come the next day!

Day 4 Alice Springs to Tobermorey Station (180km sealed, 391km unsealed)

Trump day! The second theme day was everything Trump – and there was a huge variety. Trumps, trump hats, Mexicans, people dressed as Walls, it made for an amusing group of people. During the morning briefing we were warned that there was limited fuel where we were heading, so we needed to plan our stops carefully to make sure we didn’t run out.

Heading out of Alice Springs we hit the Plenty Highway in the morning. This quickly reduced to a single lane asphalt lane down to soft red dirt before you knew it.



In the early afternoon we hit our refuelling destination just off the highway – a petrol station (I use this term loosely – think a 2m x 2m tin shed and a petrol bowser sitting in a dirt field). The organisers had called this station previously to let them know we were coming through and to gauge how much supplies they had – they were told they would have plenty of fuel but to take note – the attendants would close and go to lunch from 1-2pm. I think they misunderstood how much fuel we would actually need for 239 vehicles, so by the time we got there they were rationing the fuel to each car. 1 hour in line we got our 25L to keep us going. (The bowser was running so low so they were using the bowser next to it to fill up bowser 1 at the same time – as the 2nd bowser had a broken reader.)

The final trek to camp was very up and down and particularly rubbish in terms of road quality – which was epitomised by the lines of cars on the side of the road being repaired again. We managed to make it through unscathed, but this involved taking it slowly in the dark with kangaroos crossing the road a number of times at the last minute.

We setup camp at the Station, enjoyed the warm food and a large bonfire.

Day 5 Tobermorey Station to Burke and Wills Roadhouse (213km sealed, 317km unsealed)

Do you ever have trouble waking up to your alarm clock? I’ve got a great alternative for you. At around 7am this morning I woke up to the sound of helicopters taking off a short distance from our tents – certainly got me up. (the station uses a pair of choppers to herd their cattle) The station kindly took up the media team for the rally up in the choppers and they managed to get some great aerial photography of the camp and rally rolling out in the morning.



The drive out was more of the same as the previous day – rough roads, plenty of cattle crossing roads so we had to keep an eye on any which would get spooked from the cars passing.



Eventually we hit sealed roads and we quickly see which cars blow their tyres by driving too fast after thrashing their tyres on the dirt for hundreds of km’s. Our group still going good without any blowouts, however we’re taking it easy with the slower cars with the Mini having an upper limit below the speed limit. A few hours in we made it into Mt Isa – which after the last few days was the pinnacle of civilisation. Shopping, food, multiple petrol stations and phone/internet reception – we all made as much of it as we could in the brief time we had available. Before we knew it we had to get back on the road however, otherwise we would be pitching tents in the dark, no hot water in the showers (if the lines were short enough that you could get into them before you needed to get to sleep)



Pulled into burke and wills roadhouse at dusk with a great reception – the roadhouse had finger food for when we arrived, so we had a snack whilst getting fuelled up and acquainted with where we would be camping.

Turns out we had good camping site – hot showers and large area to eat (and drink) at the road house. This night was the state of origin and we were in QLD, so they had setup a number of screens to show the game much to the enjoyment of the NSW/QLD participants. The bar had exceptionally cheap alcohol – so the QLDers were able to drown their sorrows at the end of the game.

Day 6 Burke and Wills Roadhouse Einasleigh to (487km sealed, 108km unsealed)

This was a relatively uneventful day. Largely sections of sealed road, most people coasted through with ease in this section. Of all the places to do it – our screen was cracked by a stray rock on the sealed road. Every bump the crack would spread to the point the small 3cm section was a bit over 20cm long.



We made it into camp in record time (the third group into the gate out of ~40), so we managed to score a lean to shed and setup tents underneath. Weatherwise the entire trip had been warm sunny days but the clouds that evening were giving the impression that it was going to rain – which it did. We managed to find a cut barrel and firewood behind the shed so we were setup well for the night.

Facilities wise the camp site was interesting – bathrooms consisted of petrol barrels half dug into the ground to make pseudo long drops and the showers were run via a wood fire attached to a pump.



One of the locals who were organising the food found a snake on the grounds which caused a bit of a ruckus, so I think everyone checked their tent zips 3x that night before going to sleep.

Day 7 Einasleigh to Cairns (330km sealed, 50km unsealed)

The final day – the rally organisers had the groups leave later than usual as the final trek was significantly shorter and a supposedly easier drive. We end up being one of the last groups out and it turns out the unsealed small patch was some of the roughest, with water crossings, sharp angled crests and washouts. Fun driving, but it meant it took a little over an hour to get through 50km’s. Being out the gate later and one of the last groups we were looking at arriving Cairns late at the best case. (the aim was to get in by 3pm to the Hotel lobby for drinks). As we begin driving on the sealed road we quickly get alerted by the Mini in our group that they were having a bit of trouble – it appeared they were only firing on three cylinders and were sluggish at best trying to maintain 70km/hr.

Doing some quick numbers it looked like we would make it at 5pm instead – we could work with that so long as the Mini kept running. As time goes by we get updates that the Mini is struggling more and more, with it reducing down to circa 50km/hr. At this point the radio contact becomes more feint as the distance between the group spread. We end up pulling over when we find a clearing and wait for the tail end of the group to catch up. The Mini pulls over and it appears the head gasket is gone, the plugs are fouled and it’s chewing oil like crazy (but come on, it’s a Mini so what are we to expect?)

A support vehicle comes up and lets us know they’re the tail end of the rally – so the Mini has to be put on the car trailer so we can make it to Cairns at some point. We take the drive of the Mini and his partner goes in another vehicle and we start heading off to Cairns. Just before 7pm we make it into Cairns and we rendezvous with the support vehicle, who lets us take the Mini off the trailer. With a bit of coaxing its running enough to drive, and we make the final trek to the Hotel which is the finish line. Chugging at 50km/hr we crawl on into the car park – we’ve all made it.



All cars in the group made it and we were quite lucky with how resilient each teams vehicle was in making it over this entire journey.

That night we all grabbed something to eat and then got to enjoy the luxuries of hot showers, no lines and proper beds.

The next day all of the cars in the rally which were not purchased back by the participants were then auctioned off and all proceeds given to the Cancer Council to boost up the fundraising amount. A post rally party was in the afternoon but I fell asleep in the hotel until just before the end – it’s amazing how much it takes out of you physically.

So that’s pretty much it. Overall this was a fantastic event which was for a great cause. I got to meet some various passionate and interesting people from all over the country and got to see parts of Australia that you would never otherwise see.

Would I do it again? Absolutely. That’s it for me from here. I’m not big on cameras but I tried to take as many pics of things as I could remember.

 

@Corey Batt - An amazing read! Well done on an awesome adventure while also helping hundreds and thousands of people you will never meet! Kudos!

pinkboy

 

Well done, Corey. That was a great write-up. I spoke to Amy and Alex the other day. Did you manage to meet up with them? They are doing the next one as well - Brissy to Darwin. That's three in a row for their XC wagon.
Scott

 

Awesome write up Corey

 

Just brilliant Corey.

 

Great work! sounds like good fun and your "*******" looks pretty flash compared to some of the others!

 

Yep, great write-up and great event to raise funds for a much needed charity. Selling the cars at the end is also a great side of the event to boost the donations to the charity. Interesting concept in the whole and I didn't know it had grown so much.

Certainly on my bucket list.

 

Ahhhh! That looks like an incredible experience, thanks so much for sharing some of it with us in your write up. Go Volkswagen!