CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Mr WILLCOX (Dawson) (10:10): I rise today to celebrate one of Dawson's great annual traditions, an event that brings the town of Bowen alive, fills the air with the unmistakeable smell of racing fuel and dust and gives local washing machines their annual workout. The Don River Dash was back in the Whitsundays last weekend, and once again it proved that you don't need a Formula 1 circuit to put on a world-class motorsport event.

Sometimes all you need is a dry riverbed, a few hundred brave competitors and a community crazy enough to make it happen. The race is now eight years old, but I remember when Talbot Cox and Michael Marson first came to me with their plans. I was the mayor of the Whitsundays at the time.

It was clear that they had something special in mind. They looked down from a helicopter and spotted the potential of a riverbed to host something like the famous Finke rally. They were on to something.

What began with a view from the air has become one of Australia's biggest off-road races, attracting competitors and spectators from across the country to Bowen every year. They certainly don't do things by halves. This year's event attracted more than 80 cars and more than 200 bikes.

Competitors tackled six 50-kilometre laps—300 kilometres in total—through water and over sand, rocks, jumps and whatever the Don River decided to throw at them. And, because this is Bowen, apparently we decided that wasn't challenging enough, so we ran the race in reverse-grid format. That means you don't simply race against the clock.

You spend the weekend trying to overtake someone who may have started in a completely different position. This year, the 'king of the river' crown went to Levi Stephens on the bike, and Brett Comiskey and navigator Corey Cooper took out outright honours in the car. Congratulations to them and every competitor who took on the mighty Don.

But the real winners are harder to put on the podium. They are the volunteers who gave up their weekend. They are the organisers who worked for months behind the scenes, the local businesses, accommodation providers, sponsors and food vendors who helped make it possible and the families and spectators who turned out to cheer on the competitors and show visitors exactly what Bowen is all about.

You don't have to be a capital city to put on a world-class show. You just need a river, a bit of imagination and a community willing to put the pedal to the metal. I encourage everybody out there to come visit, explore and have some fun at the Bowen Don River Dash.

You won't be disappointed. I guarantee you will have a ball.