2021 Rally Muswellbrook to Forster
Beyond Bitumen Rally 2021 Trip Details
Muswellbrook to Forster
March 26th – 29th and again May 28th – 31st
Thursday Night.
We’ll meet up at Eaton’s Hotel in Muswellbrook for Registration, as well as an Orientation Session for first time participants. Thursday night is always a good time to catch up with mates from last year and dream about what might happen this year. Muswellbrook is only 3 hours from downtown Sydney.
Friday.
We’ll be setting off from Mangoola Coal Mine about 20 minutes west of Muswellbrook. The coal mine is home to Car 82 the Thirsty Merc owned by Troy & Yarro. We’ll have you on some dirt roads before you can say “Which way did he go?”. We’ll check how much water is in Lake Glenbawn before passing some of the best Equine establishments in NSW. The “Linga Longa Inn” at Gundy will come into view before we head up into the hills again.
Lunch will be at the world famous “Ellerston” property that has been the Polo Headquarters for the Packer Family for many years, and is also the final resting place for the late Kerry Packer.
After lunch we will tackle the 23 creek crossings up the Glenrock Valley before we emerge at Nundle. After a quick lap around town, we’ll go north past Chaffey Dam and on to Tamworth for our overnight stop.
Saturday.
Heading west out of Tamworth this morning we will be driving through classic grazing country on our way to Manilla. Lunch will be at Barraba, just up the road from their painted silos. We’ll cruise a few more country roads before we head back to Armidale for some more country hospitality and an overnight stop.
Sunday.
The view will change today as we head towards the coast. We’ll drop nearly 1,000 metres in altitude this morning as we follow the Macleay River while it meanders its way towards Kempsey. We’ll eventually hit the coast at Port Macquarie where we will have our Sunday Night Awards and Auction Dinner. This is the highlight of the event and gives us a chance to focus on why we are all involved in the rally, and what it means to us personally.
Monday.
Monday morning will see us heading off from our beach position into the heavily timbered coastal forests, for a final taste of dirt road driving, before we arrive at Forster for lunch. It’s a comfortable three and a half hours back to Sydney from here, so you’ll be back in your own bed at home on Monday Night.
If you need additional information contact Peter by email here or phone 0414 284 489.
Eligibility There are 3 categories of eligible vehicles:-
• Any well prepared charity event or similar vehicle, is eligible to enter. If your charity car only gets used one week each year, or hasn’t been used for several years, this is a great opportunity to dust it off and get some more fun out of it. All vehicles must be registered and insured.
• Any modern 4WD vehicle (Landcruiser, Patrol, Discovery, HiLux, Navara, Triton, etc.) Some SUVs may also be suitable, but it will depend upon the actual roads that we will take on the event. Please check with Peter for individual cases.
• Any road registered rally car is also eligible to enter, as many of the roads we use have also been used for some of the iconic rounds of the Australian Rally Championships. All vehicles must be registered and insured.
If you don’t have a suitable vehicle but still want to participate, we can put you in touch with a 4WD hire company that can provide vehicles ready to go at economical rates.
Expenses You will need to cover the following expenses:-
Entry Fee: a $675 Non Refundable Entry Fee is payable to Charity Car Events Pty Ltd. Paid via Credit Card or Bank Transfer when you register.
Donation and/or Sponsorship: Remember, this is a fundraising event for Beyond Blue. Millions of Australians are living with anxiety or depression. Beyond Blue is working to reduce the impact of anxiety, depression and suicide in the community by raising awareness and understanding, empowering people to seek help, and supporting recovery, management and resilience.
The team minimum is $1,500. Remember to get your friends and contacts to support your endeavours. All their donations will be credited as part of your $1,500. Of course, you can raise as much money as you want to go towards such a great cause. The highest individual fundraising so far has been $50,000 in one year.
Meals: We encourage you to spread out and always observe Cov-id safety rules. Some meals will be prearranged and provided by local schools and service clubs, etc. for a small fee. Others will be arranged at country pubs if there are limited choices nearby. Meal money for these prearranged meals (previous years was $275 per head) will be due 4 weeks before the event.
Accommodation: Will be at your own cost. We suggest you book your accommodation early to ensure you get a bed, particularly in the smaller towns. More info on suggested hotels coming soon via our newsletter.
Total funds raised so far - over $3 million (and still going strong).