The Border Mail’s own Jodie O’Sullivan has said goodbye to the air-conditioned office and hello to the great open road to join 180 drivers – including her gracious guide Howie Muller – on their journey to drought-stricken Quilpie.
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Jodie will be sharing every bump in the road and every heartbreaking moment along the trip. Follow her updates here and on the Border Mail’s Facebook page.
Friday:
9am:
After a balmy night at Cunnamulla, the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners are back on the road!
Read Jodie’s poignant thoughts about day one on the road here and stay up to date with their trip on the Border Mail Facebook Page.
Thursday:
7pm:
And they’re home for the night…
Jodie, Howie and 180 other drivers have arrived in Cunnamulla, 800ks from Darlington Point where they started the day!
12.40pm:
Jodie and Howie have reached Cobar, home of the ‘magic donuts’.
Already the duo have covered 400 kilometres in the four hours since leaving Darlington Point.
Jodie took to Facebook to assure concerned people following her journey that Howie’s truck does in fact have air conditioning – though not all the vehicles making the 1100km trek are so lucky.
12pm:
About 180 trucks filled with hay, toys and even dog food departed Darlington Point this morning, starting the 12-hour, 1,100 kilometre trip to outback Quilpie, QLD.
It’s the 13th Burrumbuttock Hay Run Alma Park’s Howie Muller has participated in.
He said as he and cab-mate Jodie O’Sullivan head north, it will just get drier and drier.
“It’s just going to get worse and worse as we get further up, the country is going to be totally bare when we get there,” he said.
“It’s bare enough everywhere but up north it’s completely out of control
“To anyone who doesn’t really know, you’d just think the outback looks like that all the time but it’s not true. They just haven’t had the rain.”
It’s the 14th year the Burrumbuttock Hay Runners have crossed the country to provide much needed hay and support to farmers doing it tough.
“It’s been a great thing we just love doing what we’re doing,” said Howie.
As for Jodie OSullivan, the trip is not only opening her eyes to harsh reality of drought – but also shown her just how bumpy it is in the cab of a truck.
Follow Jodie and Howie’s journey live on Facebook.
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