“UNREAL” was the word used by local truckies to describe their participation in the world’s biggest ever hay run at the weekend.
On Friday, five truck drivers from Swan Hill, Moulamein and Balranald formed part of a convoy carting thousands of bales of hay up to drought-stricken Queensland to donate to farmers doing it tough.
More than 400 truck drivers took part in the 11th Burrumbuttock Hay Run.
Moulamein truckie Andrew Sutton told The Guardian he still had a lump in his throat from the experience.
“The reaction from the public was overwhelming,” he said.
“Right from Moulamein all the way up, the streets were just lined with people. They had banners out and (they were) yelling out.
“We were very much in the middle (of the convoy) most of the time and as far as you could see in either direction was trucks.”
Most of the convoy ended their journey at Ilfracombe, including Balranald’s Alan Linnett, but Mr Sutton and the other local truckies — Swan Hill’s Rob Conlan and Moulamein’s Matt Russ and Dale Skipsey — continued north for another 200 kilometres to unload at Winton.
Mr Conlan said as he drove north from the Mallee it quickly became clear how hard drought had hit Queensland.
“Some areas are absolutely terrible, there’s a little bit of greenery but overall Queensland is dry as dry,” he said.
Mr Conlan echoed Mr Sutton’s summation of the Burrumbuttock experience.
“It was unreal .. an unbelievable experience,” he said.
