On a crisp, clear autumn morning last week, more than 240 trekkers in vehicles over 30 years old departed Mount Panorama / Wahluu for the start of the 35th Outback Car Trek – an 11-day motoring adventure raising vital funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).
This year’s event marked the largest number of participants since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the course of the journey from Bathurst to Cairns, trekkers, support crews and officials are expected to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the life-saving services provided by one of Australia’s most trusted charities.
Since it began in 1990, the Outback Car Trek has raised over $36 million for the RFDS. These funds enable the RFDS to deliver more than 345,000 patient contacts annually through aeromedical retrievals, remote clinics, and telehealth consultations.
“The Trek not only raises funds for our core work. The ethos of the event — to provide social and economic benefit to the communities it travels through — is closely aligned with our mission and commitment to regional, rural and remote communities,” said Greg Sam, CEO of the RFDS South Eastern Section.
More than 100 vehicles are travelling through remote outback tracks, stopping in towns like Dubbo, Longreach, and Julia Creek — the historic site of the RFDS’s first-ever aeromedical retrieval, then part of the Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical Service.
The Trek also marks the final year of service for Bill Patrick, the long-serving “Chief Excitement Officer,” who has led the route planning and logistics for nearly two decades.
“Every year is an opportunity to explore different parts of this amazing country,” said Mr Patrick. “We regularly take the back roads and travel the long way around, and you get a real sense of just how isolated some communities are from modern conveniences and essential services like healthcare. It’s an absolute privilege to support such an important cause.”
The economic benefits to host communities are significant. Each stop generates an estimated $75,000 in local spending on food, fuel, mechanical repairs, and accommodation. Beyond this, an additional $100,000 is raised through local donations to schools and community initiatives along the route.
To learn more or donate, visit outbackcartrek.com.au
Pictured: you were not going crazy if you thought you saw a dog driving through Bathurst last week, it was just the Big Dog team!
