WORTHY MOTORING HIJINX
TRAVELLIN’ IN A FRIED-OUT KOMBI
Travellin’ in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail head full of zombie” – well… almost – we were in a Kombi, but our heads were filled with more red dust than zombie! There were some strange ladies, but I think we made them nervous, and all manner of great people took us in and gave us breakfast.
I’m talking of course about the 2019 Variety Vic Bash, an amazing event defined by the slogan, “Ya Gotta Do It!”
Variety – the Children’s Charity – is a national and international organisation with individual state bodies that each run its own series of events raising money for kids who just need a little help in life. Their needs may be physical, intellectual, financial, or even dealing with geographical challenges that affect some kids – and Variety steps in to help.
This Bash attracted a massive 94 vehicles/teams with a combined fundraising total of over $1.82 million. In perspective, that sum could amount to 20 Variety Sunshine Coaches, 160 powered wheelchairs or even 30 sensory playrooms!
To enter the Victorian Bash, vehicles need to be at least 30 years old and two-wheel drive. The course is long and arduous, with much of the journey on tracks mostly reserved for off-road vehicles. It’s quite a challenge for both man and machine, but there’s plenty of back up and support.
This year we went about as far west as you can from Melbourne, all the way to Geraldton, WA. Covering over 5,000 km in 10 days may sound like a piece of cake to some but when you see the tracks, the hazards, the washouts, the sand, mud, bulldust and corrugations combined with some climatic extremes plus a huge amount of stopovers, gutter parties, school visits, destinations, sightseeing, meal breaks, and yes some pub stops to mark the journey, it really does become quite formidable. It’s great fun nevertheless.
THE CAST AND THEIR CONTRAPTIONS
The unassuming husband and wife team, the Redpath’s, have now completed over 20 Bash events in their EH panelvan. They actually rolled it on the first day of my first Bash back in 2012 but the team of mobile mechanics patched it up like Humpty Dumpty and quickly got them on their journey.
There’s a plethora of EJs, HTs, HGs, HKs and HQs including the Smurfs in their beautiful blue Brougham. WB Statesmans are popular, especially a few that have been converted to limo status, adding a level of comfort to the long journey. Early Commodores are slowly edging their way into the field including a $2,000 special that was sourced in Hahndorf on Facebook Marketplace by team 6969 when their 1983 Mercedes 280E finally cooked itself into an outback grave.
Old Mercs are very popular with many entrants recognising the solid reliability and high level of comfort over those many miles of spine shattering corrugations. Old Chevs fall into a similar category with their rugged build, power, comfort and load space in abundance.
“KAZ N SHAZ FROM CAR 1985 CAME TO EARTH WITH POWERS BEYOND THOSE OF MORTAL MEN”
ZH and ZG Fairlanes, LTDs are common choices, for similar reasons to the Mercs and Chev ys, and of course there’s that certain something that stirs the spirit with the gutsy note of a big V8, especially when they’re driven by The Flappers, a team of four gorgeous women with their 1920s Charleston theme that warmed all our hearts and minds. Same too for F-trucks, one of which with an extended wheelbase has now completed many gruelling Bash events for Team Security. Another new arrival is the Refreshment Truck on board for those all-important wayside stops commonly known as Gutter Parties that seem to erupt to cheer up the most desolate and unlikely places.
Ex-ambulance F-trucks have always been great Bash vehicles with their accommodating bodies, high wheel clearance, power and strength. This year’s Bash saw one such truck transcending the holy Hairy Krishna team plus another with those strange visitors from another planet who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Kaz n Shaz from car 1985 embodied their award-winning Supergirls theme, sometimes zipping past faster than a speeding bullet and more powerfully than a locomotive.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE CHARACTERS
We had a plethora of Superheroes including Gotham’s Greatest, Land Monkeys, Super Mario Bros, Apollo 11 Astronauts, The Dead Men, Lord of the Rings, Grumpy Old Men, The Royal Queens, Gold Digger Sisters, Shrek characters, Mad Hatters; Where’s Wallys were every where (with their very popular but often absent mascot), Sesame Street (now progressed to a Coaster bus), Toy Story, Dracula, Minions, Dr Seuss, Wiggles, Thunderbirds, Blues Bros, Karate Kids, Pirates, Flintstones, Beach Boys, Da Bier Wagen, Men At Work, the toffs from the Outback Polo Club (who won the Stuffed Compass Award for