After two years of incredibly successful fundraisers totalling nearly $90,000 raised for Shake It Up (Monkey Mia to Byron Bay and Monkey Mia boys go bush again), a number of the same fellows have again planned to head off this winter for a new outback adventure: Monkey Mia boys do Covid 19 desert trip.  Their aim: to raise awareness of Parkinson’s Disease and funds for Parkinson’s research.

Their original plan was to traverse 3 of the most isolated, least used tracks in the Simpson Desert, travelling from Albury – Bourke – Windorah – Birdsville – Poeppel Corner  (100 or so kilometres into the Simpson Desert) where the journey really  would have started!

But Covid-19 put a halt to that plan.

They have instead decided to follow their noses and explore the roughest tracks in western New South Wales and hopefully Queensland that they can find. Leaving on July 6th, their crew this year will be Harry Chisholm and Jim Salter on bikes and Phil Davies, Dave Cato and Andrew Urquhart in the back up vehicles.

The crew are fantastic supporters of Shake It Up and real champions for the cause. Andrew said of why they support Shake It Up, “It is a mighty foundation supporting some exciting research projects. All of Shake It Up’s  administration is covered by their founding directors so all money raised goes to research.”

Their aim this year is to raise $20,000 towards groundbreaking Parkinson’s research. You can follow their progress, check out their updates and donate on their fundraising page. 

They also have an instagram account (@monkeymiatobyron) and a Facebook page.

As restrictions are beginning to lift in some states, we are looking for you, our supporters, to kick start our fundraising again. You could host a social event like a wine night, BBQ or high tea or you could set yourself an outback challenge like the Monkey Mia boys and support local tourism. Find out more to get started.   Together we can make a difference towards better treatments for Parkinson’s.