Traffic has been high in the Western Plains as 40 rally cars travel through in their final leg of the Kidney Kar Rally, a 5,040 kilometre journey from Cairns to Dubbo raising money for kidney disease. 

The rally overnighted at Walgett on Wednesday 17 August, meeting with the community at the Walgett RSL Club that afternoon and again the next morning before they headed further west.

As they were about to depart from Bourke on Friday 19 August and convoy towards Coonabarabran, Brett Courtenay spoke to the Western Plains App, having almost completed the journey for the 18th year. 

“Bourke has been excellent. It’s all a bit of a rush. We come into a place and get to spend a bit get an opportunity to see it before leaving…it’s all a bit of a whirlwind,” Mr Courtenay said. 

On their second last day of the journey, Mr Courntenay hasn't let the kilometres make him lose sight of the cause he’s driving for, with the fundraiser for the Kidney Health Australia’s Kids and Youth Program front of mind. 

“You see it in the kiddies, but not only is it a terrible thing for them, but it’s also an incredible burden on the family and their brothers and sisters…it’s a whole family illness,” Mr Courtenay said. 

Across Australia 701 children are affected by kidney failure, with one in three transplants failing within three years of leaving paediatric care. 

“I’m lucky to have nothing wrong with my kidneys, but for people with kidney disease, it has such a control of your life. It has the implications of blood pressure and diabetes…it’s very rewarding (to fundraise) and gives you the justification to travel the country,” Mr Courtenay said. 

The outfits get a little crazy sometimes in the Kidney Kar Rally. IMAGE: fundraise.kidneykar.org.au

With his teammate Don Harvey, the pair have travelled almost 5,000 kilometres in an old Commodore.

Driving through communities, Mr Courtenay said that people strike up conversations with them and are always eager to donate. 

“Yesterday for instance, while we were fixing a water pump a car pulls up and a lady starts talking to us…She said ‘I have kidney disease and I might need something done one day’, and she gave us $50,” he said. 

The rally is Kidney Health Australia's longest running event and started it's 33rd trip in Cairns on 10 August.

This year, the 40 cars were accompanied by the Big Red Kidney Bus for part of the rally to perform health checks with the goals of raising awareness of kidney disease, the link between Diabetes and Heart Disease with Kidney disease, and the importance of early detection. 



The rally was also joined by V8 Supercar ace and 2021 Bathurst 100 winner Lee Holdsworth and reigning Australian Rally Champion Harry Bates. 

Over three decades, the rally has raised more than $15 million for Kids and Youth Programs, and has well surpassed their 2022 goal of adding another $400,000 to the total. 

“It’s a great cause for kidney health and research, particularly when we help support kids to see some degree of normality in their life,” Mr Courtenay said. 

After travelling a total of 5040 kilometres, the Kidney Kar Rally will wind up their drive in Dubbo today Saturday 20 August, where free health checks will be available at the Ollie Robins Oval.