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Running Late - Sh*tbox Rally Autumn 2026

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Running Late - Sh*tbox Rally Autumn 2026

Chelsey & Tj - Couple from Melbourne with a passion for adventure, a soft spot for a good cause & a bad habit of collecting way too many Sh*tbox cars 🚗💨

18/07/2026

Day 7 - The Finish Line 🏁

Dargo to Melbourne
Total: 309km
Sealed: 275km
Unsealed: 34km

Well, the final rally day for Autumn 2026 came around far too quickly. We're so sad it's over, although we're definitely not sad about sleeping in a warm, comfy bed and finally having a long hot shower!

Our drive from Dargo to Melbourne was mostly sealed roads. We still got one last fun, twisty section through the mountains before settling onto the M1 for the run into Melbourne. (Driving in Melbourne traffic was still hard enough trying to stay together in peak traffic in the city yuck!)

One of the highlights of the day was seeing our supporters waiting for us. Chelsey's mum came out to wave us through from an overpass, and at the finish line we were greeted by TJ's mum and her friend, and a few of our close mates too 🥰. It honestly meant the world to have people there cheering us on after such an incredible week. Also receiving all the messages from family and friends following along from home and work!

Over the past seven days we've met some truly amazing people. Our buddy group quickly became like a little rally family, always helping each other out, sharing plenty of laughs, and making memories we'll never forget. The friendships we've made are just as special as the places we've travelled through!

Most importantly, we completed this adventure while raising money for the Cancer Council. Every donation, every share, every message of support, and everyone who came to our fundraisers helped make this journey possible. Cancer affects so many families, including our own, so being able to contribute to such an important cause makes every kilometre worth it. Thank you to every single person who supported Team Running Late, we couldn't have done it without you. ❤️

A massive thank you also goes to all the organisers, volunteers, production crew and support crews who work tirelessly behind the scenes. From planning the routes and organising each day to recovering broken cars, keeping everyone safe, and making sure the rally runs smoothly, you all put in an incredible amount of work. This event simply wouldn't happen without your dedication, and we can't thank you enough.

What an unforgettable adventure. From Port Douglas to Melbourne, over thousands of kilometres of sealed roads, dirt tracks, dust, mud, river crossings, wildlife, breakdowns, dress-up days, and countless laughs, it's been the trip of a lifetime.

Word on the street is "just one more" so you bet you will see us out there again (and I'm guessing more after that)

(This isn't goodbye just yet there will be a few more photos to share I'm sure)❤️

**tboxrally

17/07/2026

Day 6
Narrandera to dargo
Total 463km, sealed 399km, unsealed 63km

What started as a very frosty, foggy morning turned into another awesome day on the road!

With so many sealed kilometres ahead of us, we thought it would be a fairly cruisy day and we'd make camp nice and early again... until we hit the winding mountain roads! They were an absolute blast to drive, and the Victorian countryside was stunning.

Along the way we saw one of the more interesting bush mechanics repairs yet, a car that had busted all of its engine mounts and had the engine being held by a log! If it works, it works! 😂

We stopped at Lake Hume to take in the views before grabbing a well-earned drink at the Mitta Mitta Pub by the river

The final 60 km of dirt certainly made us work for it. The track was steep, slippery and a real challenge. Near the end we started overheating our brakes, so we pulled over for a quick cool-down before tackling the last section without any issues.

After making it into Dargo, we warmed up by the fire at the Dargo Pub and finished the night watching absolute carnage during the musical chairs competition... let's just say a lot of chairs didn't survive! 🤣🪑

We are currently driving the last stretch of the rally right now so expecting to be at the finish line between 3 and 4pm!

**tboxrally

16/07/2026

Day 5
Loth to Narrandera
Total 578km, sealed 394km, unsealed 185km

Our first stop off was in Cobar to fill up our tanks, grab a coffee and get a team photo in front of the Cobar sign

Then we headed off to Mount Hope hotel for a quick drink and stretch where we found Johnny a friend! Bacon has been welcomed into the family! A wild bore skull 💀🐗

From there we continued down to the next pub, Royal hotel Euabalong for another drink 🍻

Everything was pretty smooth sailing from there - we got into camp early, surprisingly the 1st team back!! Wooohooo, It was good to get set up and fed and get back on the p**s early 🤪

Reminder: We will finish on Friday 17th at Port Ormond Reserve Elwood VIC 3184 around 3pm come down and support us and check out some of the other amazing s**tboxes!!! (We might be one of the later teams to arrive that day as we will be the last group to leave)

14/07/2026

Day 4 Done and dusted... literally dusted!
Toompine to Louth
Approx. 550km, 150km sealed, 400km unsealed
Today's route changed a little thanks to some flooded roads, but that just meant more dirt and dust for us!

The day started off pretty tame. We got stuck behind a big convoy of buddy groups for a while, so we couldn't quite drive at the pace we wanted, but it was still a great day on the tracks.

Today's dress-up theme was Unicorn Day! 🦄 Our onesies definitely earned their keep, keeping us nice and warm during the freezing morning and chilly night!

We stopped in Hungerford for a pub break and a quick refuel. Day 3 was actually our last fuel stop for around 750km, so yesterday we were running off the jerry cans until we reach a servo today on day 5.

Late in the afternoon one of the Camrys in our buddy group started giving us a scare. Every time it accelerated it would die, leaving us parked on the side of the road for about an hour. The silver lining? It gave us time to sneak in a few more cans 😋🍻. After a bit of troubleshooting, we found the culprit... the rough roads had simply shaken a fuse loose! 😂

By the time we rolled into camp we were second last, arriving at around 8pm in the dark after a long day behind the wheel. It was a quick set-up before heading straight to the pub for dinner and warming up around the fire.

Another awesome day ticked off!

14/07/2026

Day 3
Aramac to Toompine
Total: 568km (281km sealed, 287km unsealed)

Day 3 was another awesome day on the rally! Johnny (the Skellington) got kicked out of the car and spent the day hanging on for dear life from the spare wheel. I'd like to say he made it in one piece, but unfortunately not. He lost his feet along the way! 😅

We tackled plenty of dirt roads and, of course, couldn't resist sending it through every muddy puddle we came across. 🤪
We stopped in at the Adavale Pub for a quick drink and a stretch before continuing on to Toompine – the pub with no town. It was an amazing night once again, a few too many drinks were had once again and maybe a couple of questionable decisions were made.

One of those decisions? We told the Irish team they could lead us for the next day. Who knows where we'll end up! Trying to understand them over the radio will be hard enough, but we're guaranteed to have a laugh. ☘️😂

We're definitely getting closer to home now. It's getting colder every day, and I already miss the warmth up north! 🥶🌴

12/07/2026

Day 2 - Oasis Roadhouse to Aramac

551km today – 258km sealed and 193km of unsealed roads!

Today was dress-up day, and the theme was Star Wars! Since the rally was originally meant to start around May the 4th, it was pretty fitting.

TJ took the comfy option and found himself some cosy Star Wars PJs, while Chelsey went in the complete opposite direction and pieced together a female Darth Maul costume with plenty of layers and face paint. Luckly the face paint didn't stain!😂

Today's drive was another great one. We tackled plenty of water crossings, some rocky roads, and took in some great scenery along the way. We also stopped at Porcupine Gorge, Prairie Hotel, and the Muttaburra Pub, making for a great day of exploring and drinking between the driving🤪

No breakdowns or major issues today either, so we're calling that a win! The only bit of drama was accidentally running over a dead roo... 💀 It got a bit smelly and the car made a few suspicious noises afterwards, but everything seems to be okay... for now! 😅

We made it through the 2 hour fuel que at the end of the day before camp got in about 8:30pm that's s**tboxrally life! 😂

Thanks again to everyone following along and supporting us. Every donation is helping make a difference for the Cancer Council, and we can't thank you enough! ❤️

**tboxrally

11/07/2026

The Sh*tbox Rally has officially begun! 🎉🚗💨
It feels like we've been counting down forever, but somehow it's come around so quickly at the same time!

Firstly, we just want to say a huge thank you to every single one of you who has donated, supported us, cheered us on, helped out at our fundraising events, or is simply following along on our adventure.
Without all of you, we wouldn't be here today raising money for such a special cause that has touched so many families, friends and loved ones.

Our fundraising page will remain open for another 2–3 weeks, so if you're able to spare a few dollars, there's still time to make a donation. Every bit helps! ❤️

Day 1: Port Douglas to Oasis Roadhouse 484 km total, 238 km sealed roads, 246 km unsealed roads

So far so good, no major breakdowns! We only had a couple of minor issues. We somehow lost our hazard light button, not a huge deal 😂, one of the cars in our buddy group lost their spare wheel off the roof... oops! 😅 Another team also had a flat tyre, and while changing it the car slipped off the jack another oppsie, Thankfully everyone was okay(mostly)

Overall, it was a fantastic first day. We rolled into camp around 7:30 pm, enjoyed a great feed, a great bar, and an even better atmosphere with live music and hundreds of fellow s**tboxers.
We're already looking forward to seeing what Day 2 has in store for us, Bring it on! 🤘

11/07/2026

Yesterday was another absolute cracker of a day!

Last night we had the drivers' briefing, met our buddy group, and checked out some absolutely incredible pieces of s**t... and works of art! 😂 Most cars has so much personality, and we loved it!

We started the morning bright and early with breakfast at the Wildlife Habitat, surrounded by birds and koalas. We saw heaps of amazing wildlife, including crocs, and Chelsey even got photos with a koala and another snake, plus came very close to feeding a cassowary! 🐍🐨🦤

After that, we headed off on a Daintree River cruise where we spotted a few crocodiles sunbaking along the banks and even saw some little babies (around 1–2 years old) swimming near the river's edge. 🐊

All in all, part one of our trip has been absolutely amazing. We've seen so much, made some incredible memories already, and we're so grateful to have this opportunity.

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Melbourne, VIC
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