We flew into Broken Hill to meet the cars,
with plans to drive the 1200km to the second
annual Big Red Bash music festival, held in the
shadow of Big Red, 35km west of Birdsville.
Music festivals have come a long way in the
last decade, with VIP camping and backstage
access obtainable for a price. Not this one. The
organisers’ list of what’s not on site is kind of
eye-opening to this softy city slicker; there’s no
power, no showers, no internet access, no hotels
within 35km of the site (which in truth is just
down the road in the outback) ... in many ways
it’s a throwback to the days when getting out
amongst it was the best entertainment available.
It’s a journey not undertaken lightly, either.
The unsealed roads that intersect the borders
of NSW, Queensland and South Australia are
graded periodically, but recent wet weather will
make access a lottery. Thankfully, the roads were
looking good; even before we left Broken Hill,
the bush telegraph was in full effect in the local
coffee shop, with other festival goers helpfully
passing on road-condition info before we set off.
The Big Bash is billed as a family event, and
we joined a group of Amarok owners who have
been on the road for a week already just to get
to Broken Hill. They’d come from Sydney and
Melbourne and all points in between to live an
adventure many of us may only ever daydream
about, and they did it in something that – out
here, at least – is pretty far from the norm.
Twelve Amaroks of various ages congregated
in the small town of Tibooburra, most towing
camper trailers and outfitted with gear to get
right off the beaten track. After a quick briefingTHE GERMAN STALWART HAS
BIG PLANS FOR ITS LONE
DIRT-TROOPING AMAROK
http://www.4X4australia.com.au 939