A 1967 MGB driven thousands of kilometres across inland Australia provides an example of an old charity-motoring tradition that now also connects directly to Artarmon.
Middle Cove-based Geoff “Tangles” Cropley and Mark “Chine” Vincent were among about 240 participants in the 2025 Outback Car Trek, tackling the route from Bathurst to Cairns in the small British sports car. A year later, Cropley was fundraising through Variety NSW/ACT, whose Sydney office is in Hampden Road, Artarmon.
His latest campaign raised $4,654.31 against a $4,500 target through the 2026 Variety Backyard Bash. The two events support different charities, but both belong to an Australian fundraising culture that has spent decades putting cars, long distances and difficult roads together.
Why the old cars keep coming back
The Royal Flying Doctor Service’s Outback Car Trek has been running since 1990 and is built around older two-wheel-drive vehicles specially prepared for remote roads. Its 2025 edition covered 3,724.1 kilometres, travelling through communities including Bourke, Cunnamulla and Longreach before finishing in Cairns. Cropley and Vincent took part in a 1967 MGB, an unusually compact choice for days of dirt-road travel across inland Australia. RFDS said the event raised more than $1.58 million from the 2025 Trek, taking its cumulative fundraising beyond $37 million.
The vehicles provide much of the event’s character, but they also require serious preparation. Current Outback Car Trek entry requirements include a vehicle safety inspection, while organisers describe the cars as specially prepared for remote dirt-road conditions.
Breakdowns are part of the broader charity-Bash tradition as well. Variety’s established Bash format has used cars at least 30 years old, supported on the road by mobile workshop crews able to help with repairs.
Variety changes the rules for 2026
Variety NSW/ACT took a slightly different approach with its 2026 Backyard Bash, opening the event to modern vehicles to make participation more accessible. The six-day route ran from Bella Vista to Bathurst via Mudgee, Dubbo, Griffith, Albury and Cowra from 9 to 14 August.
Modern cars did not mean an ordinary road trip. Variety required participating vehicles to be roadworthy and mechanically checked, with equipment including UHF radio, fire extinguisher, recovery points, snatch strap, spare tyre and basic tools. Organisers also recommended carrying spare parts and additional fluids for sections involving unsealed roads and tracks.
Cropley’s fundraising placed him above his $4,500 personal goal. Jonathan Scales, listed with him on the same fundraising team, separately raised $4,557.88.
The ZOO name associated with Cropley’s motoring fundraising also appears on his 2026 Variety page, including a reference to “Bert, the ZOO Fund Raising Manager”.
Published 23-Sept-2026
