Recap: Variety Bash’s Weekend At Erldunda Roadhouse

Last week Erldunda Roadhouse welcomed the Variety Bash 2016.

The atmosphere was electric and the air was thick with love for all of the colour characters and cars.

It was the 26th year for the Bash and the collection of more than 250 people drove from Melbourne to Darwin. The event has come a long way since philanthropist Dick Smith famously organised the first trip Sydney to Burketown in Northern Queensland.

For those of you who might not have heard, The Variety Bash is Australia’s largest motoring event with participants travelling through the heart of Australia to areas that they would otherwise not see, and at the same time raising money for children who are sick, disadvantaged or have special needs. It’s about getting these children to live, laugh and learn.

And our team at Erldunda can attest to the way in which those who participate embody this spirit of fun. From the people dressed up (and some very much playing their characters too!) to the spectacular cars and crazy awards given out daily.

There Was A Collection Of Characters To Put A Smile On Your Face

The group of punks with great costumes who were good for a few laughs.

 

The countdown girls were dazzling. They fitted in perfectly too: once the evening rolled on the Variety Bash team has The Countdown Show rolling all night!

The Erldunda staff vote for the best car was “The Camel Chariot”. You can see the camel chariot in the image above with the punks.

A group dressed as the Heroes and Villains of Gotham caught plenty of attention.

The Spongebob car was particularly well painted with some great artwork.

The smoothest crew to come through were the Elvis crew. They even tried to woo some of the girls on site to no avail, and much laughter.

The Beach Boys were well dressed and had a surfing van to boot!

The Indian from the YMCA earned our award for the best dancer.

The best dressed….(drum roll)…. this was not an easy pick but we couldn’t get past David Bowie. Amazingly well done.

The group of minions also left an undeniable impression on Erldunda. Strangely we couldn’t find any photos of them though 🙂

With all the colourful costumes and crazy cars aside there were some wonderful stories shared. Some of which show just how powerful events like this are.

The most memorable story from the weekend was an Akubra hat which was auctioned off at the Erldunda site for the Variety charity by Variety Bash for $700. The hat was donated by a gentleman on the side of the road who had hand-crafted parts of the hat and wanted to contribute something.

The Variety Bash route changes from year to year, but they did visit us back in 2009. It was wonderful to hear recognition from some of those ‘Bashers’ of the changes we have made at Erldunda. In particular, they noticed the growth and change in the site since their last visit and the growth of the business.

In the words of Roadhouse manager Kira Boswell, everyone involved in the Variety Bash weekend at Erldunda “Enjoyed the experienced and felt lucky to be able to contribute towards such a worthy cause.”

 

Some More Fun From The Night Below

The Binns Track is a track that runs from Mt. Dare Hotel, which can be found in South Australia, and all the way through to Timber Creek, a location in the Northern Territory. The track is extremely long and goes through some of the most diverse terrain that Australia has to offer. Many adventurous drivers have taken to 4 wheelers and braved the Binns Track over the years, and they encounter a wide variety of types of terrain, going throughtownships, National Parks, hills, and desert, encountering obstacles such as water crossings, rocks, bitumen, and deep bull dust.

Due to the fact that the Binns Track has a vast array of terrain for travellers to navigate, it is important for those who take to the track to be prepared. If you decide to go on the Binns Track, you are going to encounter bush camps and something new around every corner. You will experience the contrast offered between the desert country, the mountain ranges, and the open plains—all of the highlights that the Outback has to offer in just one track. Those who decide to venture onto the Binns Track are advised to have 4WD experience and skills beforehand.

With all its variety of terrain and adventure opportunities, the track spans a distance of 2,191 kilometres and has been named for Bill Binns. Bill had been a ranger with NT Parks and Wildlife for 32 years, and he had a dream to one day create a track that would give tourists the opportunity to explore the Outback and themagnificent rock formations, native wildlife, and bountiful colours that it features. His dream was accomplished and named after him in the Binns Track, and it certainly achieved its goal, as tourists can now take in all of the most remarkable aspects of the Outback during their trek from Mt. Dare to Timber Creek.

On such a large and adventure filled track, there are bound to be a lot of sights that are incredible for tourists to have the opportunity to take in, as well as a lot of things that they ought to experience during their venture along the winding roads that the track has to offer. Some of the most important highlights of the track that anyone venturing along it must make sure to experience are as follows:

• Alice Springs Desert: While you are on the Binns Track, the Alice Springs Desert is a great opportunity to do some sightseeing. It gives tourists their chance to experience the flora and fauna that Central Australia has to offer, completely up close and personal.
• Arltunga: Home to some abandoned gold mines, a visit Arltunga gives tourists an opportunity to explore these mines and even pan for their own gold if they wish.
• Gemtree: The creek beds of Gemtree are home to some semi-precious stones if you look hard enough. Stop by and rummage around to see if you are lucky enough to find one to bring home with you as a souvenir!

 

Many people travelling through Australia want to get the most out of their time spent in the wonderful, beautiful, and adventure-filled country. For this reason, it isn’t uncommon for people to travel from Adelaide to Darwin when they are done with the former area and want to proceed to the latter to continue on their vacation or travels. For those who are on a journey from Adelaide to Darwin, you have a long trip ahead of you. It’s important that you don’t simply barrel down the road to get from one destination to the next; there are some very interesting and significant sights to be seen along the way that might really enhance the quality of your trip. Some of the things you might want to do and places you might want to see between Adelaide and Darwin are as follows:

• Woomera: Woomera is a town you will encounter relatively early in your journey between Adelaide and Darwin. Nearby, you can find the Roxby Downs, which were built in 1988 to support Olympic Dam—which is the largest underground copper and silver mine in Australia. If this interests you or anyone in your group, it might be worth a visit, or you could spend time exploring everything else Woomera has to offer.
  
• The Dingo Fence: On the way to Darwin, you will have the opportunity to stop and see the Dingo Fence. The world’s longest man-made structure, it finished getting built in 1885 to protect sheep from Dingoes. This can be quite an interesting sight to take in that is easy to get an opportunity to see during your road trip to Darwin.
  
• Kings Canyon: On your path, you will have the ideal opportunity to stop and explore everything that Kings Canyon has to offer to travellers. This place is home to beautiful sightseeing opportunities, and a number of excellent walking trails with differing levels of difficulty and length, so it has something to offer for people of all ages and abilities. This is a great place to stop and explore, as well as take a moment to stretch your legs from all of the driving and being cramped in the car by taking a hike on one of the many trails that Kings Canyon has to offer while simultaneously enjoying the beauty that nature in Australia has for travellers to take in.
• Alice Springs: This is a town offering a lot to people looking for the opportunity to explore. A popular gateway for those looking to visit the Red Centre, this town is home to many points of interest that make it worth a stop on your way to Darwin from Adelaide.
  
• Bitter Springs: Home to beautiful sights and many famous thermal pools, in the midst of all of your driving, what could be better than stopping to take a soak in a beautiful place like Bitter Springs? This is an ideal and convenient place to stop during your road trip from Adelaide to Darwin, and an absolute must-see.