A gold rush of a different kind for Safari 2010 competitors
Date: 16-Jul-2010
Competitors in the 2010 Australasian Safari will experience diverse, remote and dramatic terrain when they travel 3600km from Perth through historic goldfields to Esperance in September.
But they won’t be taking the usual tourist route. The majority of the Australasian Safari course is off-road, and much on private and crown land. But at the end of each day, the competitors meet up with their teams and families and camp at overnight stops in local towns.
This year, the Safari will visit four colourful outback towns for the first time and one old favourite.
Following the ceremonial start at Hillarys Boat Harbour on Friday 17 September, competitors will depart the next day on their Prologue leg, travelling 370km east to Southern Cross.
After overnighting in wildflower country, the first leg of the race will travel north east overland to Leonora. This will be the third successive year this historic town will welcome back the Safari.
On Monday 20 September the leg starts and finishes in Leonora, and the following day, competitors take off for the charming goldfields town of Coolgardie, once the third largest town in Western Australia at the height of the gold rush.
From Coolgardie, the event travels south to Norseman, the eastern gateway to Western Australia at the end of the Nullarbor’s Highway 1. Competitors enjoy two overnight stops in the town named after a horse that discovered gold in 1894!
For Leg 6, we pack up camp and head to Esperance on the southern coast, known for its huge stretches of white sand beaches. After a day of battling sand dunes, competitors finish in town on Saturday 25 September.
Last year, more than 500 people travelled with the Australasian Safari. 100 of these are competitors, and the remainder are support crew and officials managing the logistics of running this challenging event.
Unofficially known as the ‘Dakar Downunder’ for its extreme off-road challenges, the Australasian Safari attracts some of the world’s most talented and extreme moto, quad and auto competitors to a week of incredible adventure.
Considered one of the world’s great endurance events, the Australasian Safari is this year attracting international entries from countries including Brazil, Sweden, China, South Africa, Japan, and New Zealand.
The event is supported by the Western Australian Government with coverage of the event broadcast into key international tourism markets.
Australasian Safari details, footage and updates are available from www.australasiansafari.com.au. Follow the event on Twitter - @AustSafari or on Facebook.
Media enquiries:
Janine Pittaway, Bright Communications, Ph +61 418 911 796 or
jpittaway@brightcommunications.com.au
