Seven Days In A Shitbox

Mackay’s Dean McClintock has completed his first rally, making the trek from Wollongong to Mackay in the Autumn leg of the Shitbox Rally wrapping up a couple of weeks ago.

Dean and co-driver Ben Jones, from Gympie, made up Team TOCK and traversed the route in a 1996 XH Falcon that had 545,000km on it when they bought it for less than $1,000 (i.e. a shitbox).

The pair came across the rally on Facebook in 2019 and have applied every year since, with this year being the first time they’ve been accepted.

The Shitbox Rally raises funds for the Cancer Council, which is a cause close to Dean’s heart, saying he has a history of cancer in his family.

“I haven’t lost anyone but had people with it and still do so it still affects our lives,” he said.

Dean says he was surprised at the positive response they received, raising nearly $34,000 throughout the Autumn campaign.

“It was unreal, the support and help that we got just from reaching out to people,” he said.

“Especially for our first one, we were blown away.”

Starting in Wollongong, 250 teams of two people met at the lookout for a debrief before hitting the road the next day.

“There’s pretty much 500 people that you don’t know but you’re best mates with,” Dean said, reflecting on the camaraderie of the group.

“It’s funny, even though you’re all in one big group, there were still people and cars I’d never seen.”

The 250 teams are then split up into smaller teams of about seven, allowing for pairs to move in groups.

Dean says their group had a few hiccups including someone losing a suspension mount, another blowing a head gasket, and the Falcon’s exhaust being ripped off in a puddle between Glengarry Hilton and Tibooburra.

“We went and bought some earmuffs in the next town, she was pretty loud for the rest of the trip,” Dean laughed.

Further issues came when the wet weather resulted in road closures, diversions, and alternate routes having to be taken.

The group was unable to go through Cameron’s Corner or Windorah as originally planned, going through Charleville, Aramac, and Emerald instead.

“It was a bit of a logistics nightmare for everyone but turned out alright,” said Dean.

After seven days and 3500kms, the group made its way into Mackay.

“As soon as you come over that finish line, you’re kind of relieved,” said Dean.

“It’s a pretty big trip.

“It does take it out of you and the sense of achievement when you’re finished is a good feeling.”

Dean and Ben are already looking forward to the Spring leg of the rally between Mackay and Darwin in October but say a new shitbox could be on the cards beforehand.

“We’ll be finishing at Darwin so it’s a bit of a drive home,” he laughed.

Ben and Dean, AKA Team TOCK, travelled from Wollongong to Mackay in a week in the Shitbox Rally

Team TOCK ran into strife when their exhaust was ripped off in a puddle between Glengarry Hilton and Tibooburra

Ben and Dean will be taking on the next leg of the rally between Mackay and Darwin in August with some familiar faces. Photos Supplied: Dean McClintock

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