Pre event get-together at Cobar Sports Club from 6.00pm

This is a great chance to meet your fellow Drover’s before we head off while enjoying a delicious dinner and get an outline of what's in store for the next sixteen days.

Over the next two weeks you will travel through some amazing parts of Outback NSW, South Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory. You'll see iconic places such as the Dig Tree and Innamincka, Birdsville and Big Red, the Hay River Track, far west Queensland and Longreach, and the Maranoa and Northern NSW. You will find that the Drover’s Run is a huge team effort and the more we act as a team, the more successful it will be. It may mean that you pitch in by helping others when they need it, help out on the fundraising nights by selling raffle tickets or assisting with the auctions, or telling people along the way what the Drover's Run means to you as an entrant.

At the end of the 2024 Drover's Run you will have made some life-long friends. So please enjoy the 2024 Drover’s Run 4WD Outback Adventure and the Northern NSW Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service sincerely thanks you in advance for taking part and ensuring we are ready to respond 24-7 because of your fundraising efforts.

Meals: Dinner tonight provided to entrants at Cobar Sports Club as part of your Crew Fee

Accommodation: Unpowered camp sites have been booked at Cobar Caravan Park as part of your Crew Fee, you can also book cabins which are available at your additional cost. Details in the Accommodation document under the Resources Tab.

After a comprehensive briefing and last minute checks of radios and your vehicle, we will travel north from Cobar, pass through the Paroo-Darling National Park and stop in at Louth, home of the famous Louth Races. From there we continue north to the first of our overnight stops at Hungerford just over the Queensland border after passing through the dog fence gate on the southern side of town. Most of today will be on dirt roads and will be a great preview of what is in store for the next sixteen days.

Accommodation: Camping tonight at Hungerford Caravan Park, toilet and shower facilities available. Additional accommodation options at Hungerford Pub.

Meals: Breakfast is provided as part of your crew fee this morning, morning tea and lunch will be self-catered. Tonight’s dinner is catered for at Hungerford Pub and is included in your Crew Fee. We will also have our first auction night tonight so be prepared for some great bargains.

Fuel: Fuel up at Louth or Hungerford, next fuel is at Thargomindah tomorrow.

We start off with 160kms of gravel road as we head north to Thargomindah and a stop for smoko, and then west towards Innamincka for the next night of this year's Drover's. We pass through the Jackson Oil fields and then call in once again to the Dig Tree which played such a significant part of the history of Burke and Wills. From there it's in to Innamincka, those who want to can stop off at Burkes Grave on the banks of Cooper Creek and make your own way in to town. This afternoon we set up on the Town Common, again on the banks of Cooper Creek. A real history lesson today, followed up by a beautiful sunset opportunity, and a spot of fishing for any keen anglers.

Meals: Morning tea self-catered or grab something in Thargomindah, lunch definitely self-catered and dinner tonight will be included in our Crew Fee at the Innamincka Pub so no cooking required.

Accommodation:  Unpowered camping at the Town Common as part of your Crew Fee, with shower and toilet facilities available at the amenities block near the Pub. Cabin optons available at your additional cost at either the Trading Post or Pub.

Fuel: Fill today at Thargomindah or Innamincka.

An awesome day of travel today as we snake our way through North-East South Australia, stopping at the historic Cordillo Downs Shearing Shed and Cadelga Outstaion ruins, crossing the border in to Queensland and meeting the Birdsville Developmental Road which takes us all the way in to Birdsville. We pass the famous Birdsville Race Track on the way in to town and make our way to Birdsville Caravan Park on the banks of the billabong with an amazing abundance of bird life usually taking up residence when the season is right. A great Park with fantastic facilities including showers, toilets and laundry. Plenty to see over the next two days so enjoy the free day tomorrow and your dinner tonight.

Accommodation: Camping tonight is at Birdsville Caravan Park. Additional accommodation options are available at the Caravan Park or Birdsville Pub, details attached.

Meals: Self catering breakfast or available at Innamincka Pub, lunch self-catered and dinner tonight at Birdsville Hotel as part of your Crew Fee.

Fuel: Fill in Innamincka in the morning.

A day to enjoy with as much or little as you like. Take it easy and wander around town, grab a pie and coffee at the Birdsville Bakery, check out the Racecourse and the hot spring, the Museum or for the adventurous fill up and head out to Big Red and take on the four tracks and see if you can get to the top. Loads to do today, or just chill out.

Accommodation: As per previous night.

Meals: All meals today either self-cater or take up one of the options available in town. A reasonable supply of groceries is available at the Roadhouse out the front of the Caravan Park.

Fuel: Fill in Birdsville.

This will be what most people have signed up for on the 2024 Dover's Run as we leave Birdsville and head west in to the Desert, passing Little and Big Red and Eyre Creek, before finding a camp short of Poeppel Corner, where Qld, SA and the NT meet. One of the most important parts of the next five days is taking the advice given to you at the morning brief and getting your tyre pressure correct. You will be told what pressure range to use and expected to comply so that the days in the desert are enjoyable for you and your vehicle, and trailer if you take one. We don't plan to ruin the track for our group, or more importantly those who follow. You will be split in to teams for this part of the Adventure, and be briefed on UHF usage and etiquette which makes it safer for our group and those approaching and perhaps coming from behind.

We turn north before we get to Poeppel Corner and pick up the Hay River Track, checking out a number the camp sites of explorer Cecil Madigan, a detour to Lake Caroline, and then on to Batton Hill and the Plenty Highway. On then to Sunday's stop at Tobermorey Station, where we also stayed in 2022, and enjoy a night with the great crew there including a mouth-watering dinner.

Meals: Self cater for all meals each day until we get to Tobermorey Station.

Fuel: Fuel in Birdsville, a minimum of 150lts to be carried for vehicle only, 180lts if towing a trailer.

A pretty big day today but also a lot of bitumen to speed things up. From Tobermorey we head north and pretty much follow the QLD/NT border to the almost abandoned town of Urandangie. A bit of history here with the Dangi pub on the corner being washed off its foundations and now condemned which pretty much spelt the end of the town with only the publican staying on when we mapped in May 2023. But the next place we visit, Mt Isa is a hive of activity with mining and associated industry in full swing. We stop here for lunch and unfortunatly that's all we have time for before making our way through Cloncurry and then turning on to the Landsborough Highway and a short drive to McKinlay which is tonights stop. The name mightn't ring a bell but McKinlay is the home of the Walkabout Creek Hotel made famous in the orginal Crocodile Dundee movie. This is where we are staying and dining tonight, plenty of Mick Dundee memorabilia to take in while we are here.

Accommodation: Camping at the block at the back of town with toilets and showers (shared) available.

Meals: Self-cater breakfast and lunch or grab something in Mt Isa. Dinner tonight at the Pub as part of your Crew Fee.

Fuel: Fill at Tobermorey, Mt Isa, or Cloncurry.

All bitumen today, we leave McKinlay and head south, pass the Blue Heeler Pub at Kyuna and the Waltzing Matilda Memorial just south of there and then on to Winton for a break. Here we will give you the opportunity to take some time and have a better look around Winton and make your own way to Longreach to our stop that night, or follow the lead vehicle after about a one hour break and on to Longreach Caravan Park.

Accommodation: Camping at Longreach Tourist Park for the next two nights, with other forms of accommodation listed.

Meals: Self catering along the way or grab something in Winton. There is also a restaurant in the grounds of the Caravan Park.

Fuel: Fill in Winton or Longreach.

Enjoy a day where it's yours to be the tourist. A huge amount to see in Longreach, pick which one/s you're most interested in because you won't have time to see them all.

The QANTAS Founders Museum is still one of the favourites, The Stockman's Hall of Fame, Cobb and Co Stagecoach Experience, and much more. But leave yourself time to spruce up for tonights stunning Thompson River Sunset Cruise and Smithy's Outback Dinner and Show. This will be one of the highlights of this year's Drover's, heaps of fun but absolutely stunning sunset if the weather is kind.

Meals: Self catering today, but the Thompson River Cruise and Smithys is part of your Crew Fee which also includes coach transport to and from the venue.

Accommodation: Camping as per previous night.                                         

Fuel: Fuel at Longreach.

So much to see on the way today, a stop to check out the Machinery Mile at Ilfracombe, then through Barcaldine to Blackall for a break. From here we go cross country as we make our way towards Charleville. A stop after lunch at a surprise destination which I'm sure every one will enjoy, and then to tonight's stop at the unique Evening Star Caravan Park with a chance for a limited number to take the Astronomy session, and for others to sit around the huge campfire and enjoy the impressive on-site bar.

Accommodation - Unpowered camping as part of your Crew Fee or motel accommodation in town.

Meals - Self-catering all day unless you want to drive in to Charleville for dinner

On the homeward leg now, we head through Charleville and fuel up before heading south on the dirt meeting up with the Balonne Highway and in to the village of Bollon where we'll stop at the free campsite on Wallan Creek for a break.  From there we turn south again to tonight's stop in the Darling Downs town of Dirranbandi.

Accommodation - Unpowered sites provided as part of your Crew Fee at Dirranbandi Caravan Park, cabins and powered sites available.

Meals - Self-cater breakfast, morning tea and lunch, dinner provided  tonight (PIZZAS) at the Caravan Park Camp Kitchen.

Fuel - in Charleville on the way through.

A very comfortable, short day today as we head to tonight's last night at Pally Pub, with plenty of time to get ready for our obligatory 'Red and Yellow" night to celebrate the last stages of the Drover's Run. From Dirran we head south-east to Mungindi for a short stop for morning tea, and then pass through some of the prime farming country to the wets of Moree with a landscape of on-farm storage dams used extensively in cotton season. For anyone wanting to stop in Moree you're welcome to and then make the 25 minute drive east to Pally under your own steam. For the rest we'll make our way to Pally in time for lunch and a rest up in the afternoon.

Fuel - available in Dirranbandi, Mungindi, or Moree. No fuel stops tomorrow until Tamworth.

Meals - self-cater or morning tea available in Mungindi, lunch in Moree, or at Pally Pub. Dinner tonight at Pally Pub is included in your Crew Fee.

Accommodation - Unpowered camp site included in your Crew Fee, cabins and a limited number of motel rooms also available.

The run home today, we leave Pally after a later start and head through undualting country, mostly gravel, to Barrabra, and then bitumen all the way to Tamworth where we'll do our custonmary Peelie to signal we are back and the Drover's Run is about to finish. From there it's out to the airport and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service Tamworth base, a light lunch provided, and then say our goodbyes. Another wonderful Drover's Run will finish, once more we will have raised a significant amount to keep those amazing helicopters and their equally amazing crews, flying 24/7. And we will know that members of our communities will have the very best in aeromedical critical care because of what we have done over the past sixteen days.

Thank you on behalf of all who we assist!