IF YOU like your sport loud and fast, don’t miss this year’s Don River Dash!
From September 5 to 7, Bowen will explode into action as hundreds of off-road bikes and buggies come together in the seventh annual Don River Dash, held in a dry riverbed just outside the town.
The ‘Don’, as it is called, isn’t just another race.
It’s a high-octane, adrenaline-drenched adventure ‘where man and machine battle heat, sand and fatigue, in one of the most visually stunning off-road arenas in Australia’.
“This is no Sunday cruise,” a spokesperson said.
“This is a full-send, hold-on-tight, gut-punch of a race through a bone-dry riverbed that transforms into a battleground of whoops, rocks, water crossings and dust storms.
“The Don River Dash is a beast in its own class.
“The course is brutal: Six x 50km laps through deep soft sand, rocks, and multiple terrain changes that throw competitors into a constant state of adaptation.
“And, unlike many enduro events, this one is incredibly spectator friendly.
“With viewing points just metres from the action, the energy from the sidelines spills straight into the track.”
Burdekin Offroaders president Michael Marsden, and one of the event’s original organisers, said the level of talent kept growing.
“Every year, we see the level of talent grow,” he said.
“From local legends to national champions – and the support from the Bowen community is unreal.”
The vision for the event was born from a chopper ride, in 2018.
When seasoned off-road racer Talbot Cox spotted the riverbed from above, he was struck by its resemblance to the famed Baja 1000 in Mexico—a race he and Michael Marson had just competed in, the year before.
That moment lit a fire.
Alongside support from the Burdekin’s Dave Muir and Courtney Muir and Bowen local Chris Land, the Don River Dash was born.
What started as a wild idea has morphed into a headline event on the off-road calendar.
The Don River Dash attracts a unique blend of competitors—from backyard warriors to national and world champions.
Previous line-ups have featured legends such as Toby Price, Dean Ferris, Ben Grabham, David and Liam Walsh and, of course, the originators themselves: Cox, Marson, the Muirs and Land, in the Auto Division.
For local rider Tom Jack, the race is as raw and real as it gets.
“Competing in the Don River Dash is a full-on rush,” he said.
Once you hit that river sand, it’s full send – battling other riders, the chopped up track, and your own mind, the whole way.
“What I love most, is seeing the toughness and grit of the riders. I’ve watched people cross the line with broken bikes or broken bodies, just to earn the glory of saying ‘I finished the Don’.
More information Australasian Dirt Bike Feature – September 2025 – Don River Dash.
