Batehaven's Mick O'Malley is gearing up for a long drive next week as he participates in the 35th Variety Brydens Lawyers B to B Bash.
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Mr O'Malley and his two daughters, aged 29 and 22, will depart on a nine-day drive from Bondi to Batt Reef (Port Douglas) on Sunday, July 28, to help raise funds for charity Variety Australia.
They'll cover more than 4300 kilometres in a 1970 Toyota Crown as they stop in towns such as Singleton, Inverell, Emerald, Georgetown, and Chillagoe.
Mr O'Malley said he was looking forward to participating in the bash with his daughters, signalling a return to his origins with the event.
"I'd been away from home for a while when I first started in 2007, and hadn't done a lot of stuff with my father," he said. "The bash gave me a way to spend a lot of time with my dad and see some spots I hadn't seen before.
"My younger brother came with me that year, so it started as a family thing for us. It took me a while to get back to it, but to share it with my two daughters will be amazing.
"My oldest daughter was very close to coming last year, and she's been super keen. My youngest didn't think the demographic would suit her, but she's swung right around."
Mr O'Malley returned to the bash last year after several years off.
"There's a lot of excitement getting on the remote tracks to places you don't normally travel," he said.
"Typically we'll start the day at a school for breakfast, then we head off down a backtrack somewhere.
"There will be a station that we'll stop at for lunch, and they'll sometimes break up the day with games and activities.
"We'll get to our main stop each night, find our accommodation, then review the day over meals and drinks.
"Variety surveys the towns during the year about what their needs are, so people always know when we're coming."
Mr O'Malley said a common misconception was teams were fundraising throughout the event.
"We pay an amount to participate," he said. "People think we're raising money along the way, but it's quite the opposite. We raise money throughout the year, and our prize is to drive in the bash.
"When we get to a town, there can be 350-400 people showing up to buy fuel and accommodation, and it's quite a financial boost.
"We also get families who will just watch all the cars go past, and experience the colour and noise."
