Each year for the last three years the motorcyclists have teamed up with the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) to raise not only funds, but also awareness about prostate cancer.

In its first year the Rumble Riders were able to raise $43,000. Last year they raised $48,000 and although they haven’t set a target for this year the co-ordinators of the event are hopeful that their fundraising efforts will produce bigger and better results than ever.

However, one of the co-ordinators of the event, Sandie Janssen said the purpose of the ride was as much about raising awareness as it was about raising money.

“Prostate cancer is a real problem, especially in the outback,” said Ms Janssen.

Queensland State Manager for PCFA Graeme Higgs agreed.

“Unfortunately men who live in rural and regional areas across Australia have a 21 per cent higher prostate cancer mortality rate and sometimes the only way to make sure we are reaching these men and their families is to talk to them face to face.

“Local initiatives like Rumble Down Under put us in contact with men in these remote areas. Some blokes rarely see their doctor and it is worth reminding them of the risk of prostate cancer and what they can do to reduce that,” Mr Higgs concluded.

The motorcyclists, who came 407km to Lightning Ridge from Roma on Friday August 27, will also visit Cobar, Broken Hill, Renmark, Port Augusta, Coober Pedy, Alice Spring, Mt Isa, Winton and Barcaldine before finishing their ride in Rockhampton on September 10.

Although Ms Janssen said the people participating in Rumble Down Under were from all walks of life, one, or rather two, that stood out from the crowd were Bundy and Tex O’Grady.

Although Bundy, a four-year-old Australian Stumpy-Tailed Cattle dog, and Mr O’Grady are the official champions of fundraising for the PCFA, they aren’t afraid to share their love around. They average about 80,000km on a motorcycle, raising more than $250,000 for various charities, including Variety, CanTeen and the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, every year.

Ms Janssen said when it came down to it Rumble Down Under was all about riding bikes, having fun, meeting new people and doing something good at the same time.