CareFlight 4WD Venture – Friday 7 to Sunday 9 November, 2008
What an adventure! The November Venture will go down in CareFlight history as a landmark event, and the 75 people who participated can be proud of being a part of such an event. Despite this being the first Venture to be run entirely by the CareFlight Events team, feedback has been full of tales of fun and excitement, and from it has emerged a real passion to assist CareFlight and a commitment to participate in future Ventures.
On Friday morning, following a cooked breakfast provided by the Lions Club of Castle Hill, 28 vehicles lined up at the Westmead base for a briefing. There were 24 entrants, three support vehicles and the NRMA Service vehicle.
After a quick photo, all vehicles departed on an exciting 600km journey through the back of the Blue Mountains. The first 100km was travelled on the Great Western Highway through to Little Hartley, where the Farmhouse Cafe staff where waiting with cappuccinos at the ready. The Cafe kindly donated over $200 back to CareFlight after the morning tea stop.
The rest of the day was spent driving on dirt roads. From Little Hartley we took the Six Foot Track to the beautiful Cox’s River where we had lunch, and then we drove out to Oberon through the pine forests. The Big Trout Motel in Oberon was our host venue for the evening. After a massive Chinese Banquet came the essential task of giving out the awards and fines for the day's driving. It proved to be a very entertaining evening.
Despite the miserable weather on Saturday, all Venture participants set out with smiles. We were rewarded at Kanangra Walls, our first stop, where the clouds parted (apparently just for us!) and we were afforded a spectacular view.
The River crossing through the bush on the way to Taralgo was probably one of the most memorable parts of the trip. The only car to experience problems was one of the Subaru support vehicles, and what went wrong remains a mystery. After the crossing all vehicles were pulled over by police using a radar trap, and most of us were booked for going too slowly up the hill!
We stopped for lunch at the Mt Werong picnic grounds, following which was a short trip to the Kenjoy Museum, about 10km from the town of Taralga. Ken and Joyce Edwards treated the Venture group to some fascinating history, accompanied by delicious scones and jam. The group then split up, half of us going to Wombeyan Caves accommodation and the rest to a little hotel in Taralga.
The community of Taralga was fantastic, with most of the locals turning up to support the Venture dinner which was held in the Taralga Sports Club. Dr Blair Munford presented a doctor's view of CareFlight and the local auctioneer kept the money flowing while simultaneously entertaining the group. Awards and fines were once again a highlight of the night as we reflected on a great day's driving.
Sunday’s weather was glorious, and the Wombeyan Caves tours held during the morning became a major talking point for the group. The drive out of Wombeyan after lunch was spectacular with all 28 vehicles in close convoy winding through the mountainous track toward the Southern Highlands.
Our final destination was a winery at Suttons Forest. A quick thank you and wrap-up of the event over wine and cheese platters was a fitting end to the journey. All participants were extremely happy with the trip and many have already signed up for our next Venture in February.
