Exceed 4WD Magazine Sept/Oct 2021 Volume #39 / Issue # 05 | Page 14

MEMBER TRIP REPORT Big Red Bash 2021 30 th June – 8 th July

Participants
Member No .
Vehicle Details
Peter Symons , Janine Harron & Zoe Symons
1577
Grey LC 200
( Trip Leaders )
Russell & Kerri Chatfield
1256
Silver LC 200
Peter & Sue Thomas & Andrea Jordon
199
Gold Nissan Patrol
Peter Van Riel
1154
Grey Toyota 79
John & Leanne Borgy
1944
Grey Toyota 79
Ed Reddick
1623
Smurfinator
Trip Summary
The trip status from months before the scheduled start date was an ‘ on again - off again ’ event . With borders
opening and closing as well as restrictions within Victoria in a constant state of flux . This required numerous trip
plans in an attempt to cover every foreseeable event that may steer our course up to Birdsville , but the stars
aligned a few days before , restrictions dropped and borders opened . So ‘ Plan A ’ it was .
Apologies
Due to Covid issues , the following people had to pull out . Apologies from Jillian Goudie and sister ( temporary
members ), Jackie Smyth , Andrew Douglas , and Heidi Smith .
Fuel & Supplies
Provide some information as to the availability of fuel & supplies .
Difficulty Level / Vehicle Requirements
Easy / Medium / Difficult – Provide some brief information as to vehicle requirements and potential challenges or
hazards . E . g . Requires minimum 2 inch lift , mud tyres and winch .
Tips , Notes and Special Remarks
Provide all other relevant information such as accommodation requirements , suitability for caravans or campers ,
permit requirements , best times to travel , preferred maps , things to do , weather expectations , and so on .
Trip Detail
The trip began at BP Calder Hwy on Wednesday 30 th June at 7:30am . We were to meet John & Leanne Borge , as well as Russell & Kerri Chatfield in Mildura that night as they planned to leave a few days early . The trip to Mildura was a fun event with various stops for fuel and food . Quiz master , Janine Harron kept us all amused ( and awake ) with some trivia . You can find all the answers at the end of this report . Such as Q1 : “ The Beverley Hillbillies came from what Ozarks town ?” And Q2 : “ Which Disney film features the song ‘ When You Wish Upon a Star ’?” Peter Van Riel won the first nights trivia so we spun the wheel to see what prize he would get . Up for grabs was a $ 2.6 million dollar Gold Coast apartment , a $ 175,000 Porsche or $ 50,000 of Gold Bullion . As well as other great prizes . The wheel was spun and Peter was fortunate enough to win a bag of party mix lollies which he shared over fivesies .
We arrived at Mildura Big 4 on Wednesday afternoon . After setting up camp and having a quick beer ( whilst sharing in Peter ’ s winnings again ), we all decided to head off to the working man ’ s club for dinner . Zoe was fortunate enough to be able to celebrate her 16th birthday dinner with all of us crusty old buggers . A memory that I ’ m sure she will treasure forever .