2026 Canberra to Cowra
Major Sponsor
26th March – 30th March 2026.
NSW 2026 Beyond Bitumen Rally – Four Days. One Cause. Endless Adventure.
From the moment we gather in Canberra to the final backroad sprint into Cowra, the 2026 Beyond Bitumen Rally is all about great mates, great drives, and going the extra mile for a cause that matters.
We’ll wind through the Brindabellas, taste crisp cider in Batlow, cruise our favourite dirt road along the Murray, and explore the charm of Beechworth’s wine country. There might even be hot laps at Winton Raceway before we roll on to Yarrawonga, Mulwala, and their iconic lake views.
Along the way, you’ll share laughs over breakfasts, stand in awe of silo art, soak in sweeping wheat and canola plains, and raise funds together at our Wagga Wagga Awards & Auction night. We finish in Cowra, carrying home not just dust on your bumper, but stories you’ll tell for years.
It’s not just a rally. It’s mateship on the move.
(Details subject to change after the first survey of the roads and towns involved has been conducted).
The dates are 26th March – 30th March 2026.
DAY 0: THURSDAY EVENING 26th March 2026
CANBERRA. As usual, there will be registrations from 6.00pm with a special briefing for first time attendees at 7:30pm.
It’s always a great night either catching up with old friends or getting to know new ones.
DAY 1: FRIDAY 27th MARCH 2026
CANBERRA to ALBURY. We hope to secure the shores of Lake Burley Griffin as the venue for our Friday Morning Breakfast and Departure Point.
We will be heading west past Cotter Reserve and pretty soon we will have you exploring some dirt roads in the Brindabella Ranges. By mid morning you will be in Tumut and a little bit later we will lunch at the newly built Apple Thief Cider House in Batlow.
After lunch we head south to Jingelic on the Murray River and follow the river downstream to the Ettamogah pub and overnight at Albury. The River Road from Jingelic to Albury is our favourite dirt road in all of NSW.
DAY 2: SATURDAY 28TH MARCH 2026
ALBURY to YARRAWONGA. After breakfast in Albury we cross the border into Mexico (also known as Tropical North Victoria) for a jaunt through Beechworth and its surrounding wine growing districts. Lunch will be at Benalla, which is also the home of the Winton Motor Raceway. Watch this space, we might be able to get a couple of hot laps in at lunchtime. After lunch we head north past the Devenish Silo Art to the twin towns of Yarrawonga and Mulwala for our overnight stay. Lake Mulwala is home to the mighty Murray Cod, and the annual fishing competition sees more than 2,000 keen anglers compete for prizes. There are plenty of motels to choose from in the twin towns.
DAY 3: SUNDAY 29TH MARCH 2026
YARRAWONGA to WAGGA WAGGA. Sunday Morning will see us having breakfast overlooking the lake before we head further north into wheat and canola country. We’ll drop into Narrandera for lunch before we go to Wagga Wagga for our Awards and Auction night on Sunday Evening. The event will be at “The Range” Function Centre. The Centre cost over $5m to build and also cost two prominent politicians their careers. Regardless of its history, it’s the finest venue in Wagga Wagga and will comfortably hold all our mob for our final night dinner. There are a couple of motels near the venue (if you book early) and a whole host of options a bit further away in downtown Wagga Wagga.
DAY 4: MONDAY 30TH MARCH 2026
WAGGA WAGGA to COWRA. Monday morning will see us heading north again chasing all the backroads adjacent to the highways (gotta go beyond that bitumen). We’re heading into Cowra Lamb country on the way through. We will disperse from Cowra at lunchtime, so you will back over the mountains and into Sydney by Monday evening.
SCROLL DOWN TO REGISTER.
NOTE: Some of these details may change after we have completed our full survey of the roads.
Eligibility: There are 4 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, you can rent a “mine spec” vehicle at economical rates from most of the big Hire Companies – Budget, Hertz, etc).
Expenses You will need to cover the following expenses:-
Entry Fee: a $790 Non Refundable Entry Fee is payable to Charity Car Events. Paid via Credit Card or Bank Transfer when you register. The entry fee includes two Beyond Bitumen polo shirts per vehicle. Extra shirts will be available for purchase in due time.
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.
Each car’s minimum fundraising 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. We encourage you to raise as much money as you can to go towards such a great cause. The highest individual fundraising so far has been $100,000 in one year. Obviously that was an exception, but we do encourage you to keep going once you’ve hit your minimum target. If you are part of a team with more than one car – each car in the team is required to raise at least $1,500.00
NB: It is a requirement that each car entry must setup a Fundraising page – all monies added to your page go direct to Beyond Blue and the amount added to your donation tally. All donations trigger a receipt sent directly to the doner.
If you have trouble setting up your page, please contact Trish here and she will help you.
CLICK HERE TO SETUP YOUR FUNDRAISING PAGE.
Meals: Many meals will be prearranged and provided by local businesses and service clubs, etc. Meal money for these prearranged meals (approx $300 per person) 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.
REGISTER BELOW for the NEW SOUTH WALES 2026 Beyond Bitumen Rally.
About Us
When you “go bush” with the Beyond Bitumen Rally you will have a heap of fun, but not at the expense of safety. We make sure that things are done safely, so that everyone enjoys the experience.
We have experienced mechanics that volunteer their time to make sure you get to your daily destination. We also have a camera crew and a medical team.
About Peter Fehon
Proudly Supporting
Major Sponsor
Keep Up To Date With Our Newsletter
Find us on Facebook