It's the overnight bus trip to drought-stricken towns where two minutes in the shower will cost you $25.
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The We Care Road Trip will make its way back to Coonabarabran on the weekend of September 14 and 15 and while it will spend up big in that town - and several others, it will also keep as much water in the pipes as possible.
Coonabarabran is one of the hardest-hit towns in the state. When organiser Anne-Marie Best took her first bus trip out there in September 2018 the town was on level 6 water restrictions and shopkeepers were feeling the pinch.
While residents are now on level 4 restrictions - thanks to access to bore water, the conditions are largely the same - or even worse.
Read more: We Care Road trip goes to Moree
"The situation is the same, and for some people it is worse, even though their water restrictions have improved because they have put in some bores," she said.
"They have had a little bit of rain but nothing to make a difference. They are still struggling so we are going to inject money into the town and give everyone a boost.
I am asking everyone who comes to refrain from showering for this one night/morning, but, if they really need to have a shower they can buy a shower voucher from me for $25 which will give them 2 minutes.
This important trip almost didn't happen. Ms Best has spent months searching for a coach company that was available in September and it was only last week that Easy Tours, a Gosford company, came to her rescue.
She announced the trip details on social media last week and has already sold half the seats. Each ticket is a $100 donation to Need For Feed Disaster Relief which will help the Lions Club fund its hay runs.
Money raised from the raffles on the bus will be given to Coonabarabran's Rural Trader, which will distribute it to the farmers who need it the most.
"The community there has kept asking when we are coming back, and we said we would come back. All of the shops opened for us on the Sunday and they are going to do that again. Last time we spent $16,000 there overnight," Ms Best said.
"It will be leading up to Christmas so people will be able to do some present shopping while they are there.
They've had no real winter rain and nothing is predicted on the horizon for months out there. That will take them into the middle of summer so it's going to get worse before it gets better.
The bus will leave Newcastle on Saturday, September 14 and stop at Merriwa where One Day Closer to Rain founder - and Need For Feed Disaster Relief logistics coordinator, Cassandra McLaren will meet them and chat about the drought.
The next stop is at Dunedoo which will he holding a town market. A lunch break will be scheduled in Gilgandra before they go on a farm tour near Coonabarabran.
The bus load will enjoy a town meet and greet dinner in Coonabarabran on the Saturday evening and spend the night in the town.
There will be three hours to shop in Coonabarabran on the Sunday morning before the coach departs at noon. There will be a stop at Coolah on the way back to Newcastle.
This is the third We Care Road Trip Ms Best has organised and so far it has injected almost $44,000 into several towns.
"The purpose of this road trip is three-fold. Raise awareness and money to help our drought-stricken farmers; spend up big in the towns we visit and bolster their struggling economies; and show that we really do care by spreading our love and support," she said.
Want to go?
Click here for more details.
Belinda-Jane Davis
Passionate about community news
Passionate about community news
