The Chronicle

Heading off the beaten track for rural health

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COUNTRY skies, dirt tracks and hidden gems only the locals know will be on the itinerary as 55 4WDs and more than 130 people travel through the Surat Basin on a four-day Great Western Road Trip in support of Toowoomba Hospital Foundation.

Travelling from Toowoomba to Wandoan and back over the Queen’s Birthday long weekend (October 1-4), the RACQ & Excavation Equipment Great Western Road Trip convoy will visit Crows Nest, Yarraman, Yallakool, Mundubbera, Cracow, Wandoan, Chinchilla and many sights in-between.

Now in its second year, the Great Western Road Trip was born out of the desire for more family friendly local travel options following internatio­nal and interstate travel restrictio­ns and the cancellati­on of many festivals across the region in 2020.

Last year, the event raised an incredible $80,000 in support of rural mental health and brought some much-needed visitors to towns feeling the strain of drought and now the global pandemic.

The first event of its kind for a local charity in the Darling Downs, Toowoomba Hospital Foundation encourages participan­ts to fundraise $1000 per car which will then go towards supporting rural health services in many of the communitie­s they visit through their local hospital.

On top of fundraisin­g for local health services, the Great Western Road Trip introduces visitors from across southeast Queensland to communitie­s, destinatio­ns, and local producers in the Darling Downs – the hidden gems off the beaten track.

Even though entries to join the RACQ & Excavation Equipment Great Western Road Trip are now closed, you can still support the Foundation’s fundraisin­g efforts by helping their road trippers reach their fundraisin­g goals.

Visit: www.toowoombah­ospitalfou­ndation.org.au/event/great-western-roadtrip/leaderboar­ds

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 ??  ?? RALLYING SUPPORT: More than 130 people will explore the Surat Basin on a four-day Great Western Road Trip with proceeds to assist the vital work of Toowoomba Hospital Foundation.
RALLYING SUPPORT: More than 130 people will explore the Surat Basin on a four-day Great Western Road Trip with proceeds to assist the vital work of Toowoomba Hospital Foundation.

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