When Stephen Knight’s teenage daughters were ready to learn to drive, he did what many (cautious) parents do and bought a cheap secondhand car for them to drive. At the time, the 1978 Toyota Corolla Coupé was about 20 years old but had been well looked after and, according to Stephen, was a ‘good solid car’. 

The HIA South Australian Executive Director happily paid $900 for it, never imagining it would give him some incredible adventures in the future. 

‘I was left with it after my daughters bought their own,’ he explains. ‘I had heard about the Rotary Club’s Corolla Capers trip and thought getting involved was a good reason to keep the car.’

Over the past two decades, the Rotary Club of Recency Park in Adelaide has organised an annual Outback Odyssey to test the mettle of old Corollas while fundraising for charity. (Fun fact: Toyota has sold more than 50 million of them since 1966 and it remains today one of the world’s best-selling cars ever.)

The week-long odyssey is open to anyone with a Corolla over 40 years old that passes mechanical scrutiny. Participants set out for the event each July to prove their driving skills on rough terrain. They must also embrace camping and frosty morning starts as they traverse a course of 2000km, consisting mainly of fire trails, private properties and national parks.

But it’s clearly a challenge that has captured the competitive spirit of many – Stephen has now been going for 15 years and others right from the beginning. He says there aren’t many places across South Australia that he hasn’t been to now.

‘It’s a community-minded event with everyone helping each other to finish the journey,’ he says of the 40-odd people who form the trip each year. ‘We have 4WDs as support vehicles and a mechanic as part of the crew. And yes, he’s regularly called upon to fix things! There’s a lot of camaraderie…we all work together.’

When Stephen joined HIA in 2017, he approached the Association to sponsor his Corolla to help reach the fundraising targets. HIA jumped on board and has been supporting the event ever since. The HIA Corolla Car 23 is one of the more recognisable members of the group with its prominent HIA branding on the bonnet, boot and doors.

‘I think it looks pretty good,’ Stephen says. ‘I’ve been told the bonnet sticker is probably the biggest HIA logo ever printed. We get media coverage and post our adventures online, so it’s good exposure for HIA too.’

So, how does a 45-year-old car hold up across the Australian outback? Stephen reveals he drives his manual vehicle ‘hard’ to keep up momentum but has occasionally needed to get rescued from sandy tracks. Over the years he has also made significant modifications to help make the car more suitable for off-roading.

‘Mine’s had lots of ground clearance work done to it, bigger wheels put on, engine modifications and alterations to the suspension,’ he says. ‘The challenging part of the driving is what makes the trips worthwhile.’

Stephen’s most recent adventure took off on 22 July from Adelaide towards the Murray Mallee region, near the northwestern border of Victoria. The team travelled around 400km on the first day, before making their way up the country in stages towards Pooncarie. Their destination was Silverton, a village located close to Broken Hill in the far west of NSW, where they participated in a fundraising Mad Max-themed evening at the old hotel (Mad Max 2 was filmed in the town). The next morning saw the crew begin their long trek back home.

With his brother Chris as co-driver, Stephen says the HIA Corolla Car 23 did a fantastic job battling the elements but was the first to fall victim to a flat tyre. Once repaired, they were off again, under vast open skies, with no-one around except other team members and local wildlife. It’s this opportunity to switch off from the everyday, to drive out into the beauty of the wilderness, to seek adventure and new experiences that appeal to Stephen.

‘It’s something entirely different to what I do for most of the year. We don’t get much mobile reception so you’re forced to forget about work or whatever else might be coming up,’ he explains. ‘It’s relaxing because the trip is fully planned – all I have to do is drive.’ 

This year the $17,500 funds raised from Corolla Capers will go towards the Childhood Cancer Association, Books for Bush Kids, The Gepps Cross Food Centre and Youth Opportunities. 

Stephen says he plans to go again next year and will continue to go for as long as he – and his plucky little car – can make the big trip.

First published on 16 November 2023