HE thought he would end up doing only a couple of drives, but last Sunday morning Bob Dix left Bathurst to partake in his 30th Variety B to B Bash.
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Mr Dix, from the South Coast city of Nowra, departed Bathurst alongside his driving team of George Dix, his brother, and Michael Tracey, headed to the Batavia Coast, near Geraldton in Western Australia.
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"One or two, I thought that'd be it," Mr Dix remembered.
"I originally sponsored a car and gave them some money and they came back to me and said, 'Can you give us a bit more and we'll give you a seat in the car'.
"So a tossed a few more bob in and that's it."
He drives a 1966 HR Holden, with a few modifications including disc brakes and a four speed gearbox.
"It's also got bash plates and things underneath to protect the sump and gearbox," he said.
"There's the fridge to keep the beer cold and we have trip meters, to navigate when we're going along."
He's had two other cars over the years including a 1964 Fiat 2300 and another HR Holden.
His current vehicle has done the past 10 bashes.
Mr Dix's car will be one of more than 100 cars that will make the trip from coast to coast, raising funds for Australian children in need.
He reflects on a drive up near Lightning Ridge in the mid-1990s as one of his most challenging drives.
"Probably the worst drive was when it rained at Lightning Ridge and all the dirt turned to mud," he said.
"We did kilometre after kilometre, dragging each other out of the mud."
During the trip, participants get to visit local towns, stopping into schools and organisations to visit the kids they're helping.
The event was started in 1985 by businessman and philanthropist Dick Smith.
The first Variety Bash raised $250,000.
The annual tradition returned in 2019, travelling from Bondi to Batt Reef in Port Douglas.
Mr Dix said it's a worthwhile cause to support, because of the work it does in supporting disadvantaged children.
"Money goes to a good charity and the kids benefit from it," he said.
"When you go on the bash and you go around and visit the schools and meet all the kids that are disadvantaged, it's special that way."
The journey will take bashers around the country, exploring dirt roads, bush tracks and visiting parts of Australia most people never get to see.
This year's journey is over 5500 kilometres, traversing through broadacre farmlands, mountain ranges, arid deserts and mineral-rich mining regions.
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