One hundred cars hit the road on Saturday to start a 3500 kilometre trek across the state for charity.
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The Outback Car Trek is on again this year, after the event was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19.
The 100-car trek left West Wylong on Saturday and will travel through Dubbo before it reaches its final destination in Port Macquarie.
And it's all in the name of a good cause.
The trek is raising money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The trek has been running for more than 30 years and organiser Bill Patrick said they were so gad to be able to support the RFDS.
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"The Outback Car Trek is one of Australia's longest-running and most successful charity motoring events. COVID restrictions have limited the numbers of Trekkers this year, but we'll be aiming to add as much as possible to the some $31 million we have already raised for the RFDS," Mr Patrick said.
It's also expected to provide a boost for Dubbo. With 200 people in the convoy, Mr Patrick said about $750,000 was spent in the towns the trek visited along the way.
He's expecting the visits to the Dubbo and Broken Hill RFDS South Eastern Sections to be among the highlights of the trip.
"We're proud of our long association with the Flying Doctor and this is an important reminder of why we are on the road. Many years trekking through the more remote parts of Australia have taught us just how vital a lifeline they are for those on the land and how much it's still needed," Mr Patrick said.
RFDS South Eastern Section chief executive officer Greg Sam gave a heartfelt thanks to the trekkers who had supported the organisation in the past 30 years.
"Nationwide the RFDS has a 'waiting room' of some 7.6 million kilometres-square and during the past year we flew more than 27 million kilometres to help over 320,000 people, nearly one person every two minutes," he said.
"A third of our funding comes from private donors who help cover the cost of maintaining and upgrading our aircraft, infrastructure and medical equipment and facilitating out clients. In that context, the contribution of the Outback Car Trek over the past 30 years has been immense."
The Outback Car Trek will arrive in Dubbo on Thursday. It will finish in Port Macquarie on Saturday.
Donations can be made via outbackcartrek.com.au
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Orlander Ruming
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
