General News
29 May, 2025
Bitumen car rally raised over $90,000
The Beyond Bitumen car rally held its first Victorian event over the weekend, raising over $90,000 for mental health organisation Beyond Blue.
The rally, which featured 35 cars and 75 participants, began in Bendigo on Thursday, May 22, and made its way to Ballarat, stopping in Mildura, Horsham, Stawell, and Ararat along the route.
Most of the entrants came from across Victoria, including many from Melbourne.
Participants enjoyed a breakfast in Horsham on Sunday, May 25, hosted by the Rotary Club of Horsham East at the club rooms in Sawyer Park.
The group continued to Stawell for lunch before gathering at the Ararat RSL for dinner and a charity auction.
Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman was the guest speaker at the auction dinner, discussing the rally's significance.
Rally organisers Peter and Trish Fehon, who have been running it in New South Wales for the past ten years, were very amused by the Victorians' response to their debut event.
"We are really excited, as the response is very encouraging", Ms Fehon said.
"We were actually expecting somewhere around $50,000, but $90,000 is a very handsome amount, especially for the first year.
"All the raised money will go directly to Beyond Blue."
Ms Fehon said they will return to the state during next year's campaign.
"We are planning to return to Victoria with more cars," she said.
"People can be a part of the rally with pretty much any car.
"We love to have more people join us next year and make it big and beyond."
The rally concluded in Ballarat by lunchtime on Monday, May 26, with organisers celebrating a successful fundraising total to support mental health awareness and services.
