esCarpade 2026 - Day 1 - Mooloolaba to Nanango to Toowoomba

esCarpade 2026 Day 1 had arrived... after a night of torrential rain!

Jordan was ready for his first big day on the tracks!

One benefit - the rain cleaned Bluey!

Breakfast at Banana Benders Pub... a bunch of Camp Quality families would be visiting later to see the esCarpadians off on their trip!

New major sponsor - O'Brien Glass.

Jordan's girlfriend Akshatha came up to see him off!

So did Damian's wife Tricia!

Ben's first driver briefing of the year... turns out the tracks were unpassable after not too far into the course, but there was the ability to do a small section of track before heading directly down the bitumen to Nanango for lunch!

Damian, Bluey and Jordan!  There was much confusion seeing both Damian and Jordan AND BLUEY all at the same time!

Bluey was a big hit with the Camp Quality families!

And the O'Brien staff!

Damo and Jordan ready to hit the tracks!

The boys followed the Mad Cows for quite a while...

Eventually stopping at Kenilworth for a stretch of the legs... then on to Nanango via the bitumen!

Safely in Nanango...

To the Commercial Hotel for hamburgers and chips!

OV3 looking like a pair of gnomes...

After lunch, Jordan would drive for the first time on esCarpade, with Damian navigating!

Again, a partial set of route notes would be followed before bitumening it to Toowoomba!

It wasn't long before they were on the dirt!

This instruction was "BIG NEW CAUSEWAY".  It didn't lie!

And then the skies opened up... again!

Then it was time to follow the bitumen to Toowoomba!

You could see the fog coming...

And then it closed in!

The boys made it safely to Toowoomba with Bluey and their relationship in one piece!  Funny story about checking in... Damian had booked a room with a King and a sofa bed... opened the door to find only one bed!  Luckily they had given his room to a married couple on esCarpade (next door), so he just swapped rooms and everyone was happy!

Day 1 done and dusted... dinner shenanigans to come!

Day 1 videos...

Torrential rain overnight...

 

Bluey tries the esCarpade dance!

 

Pathetic splash - morning section...

 

Jordan negotiates a rocky water crossing - afternoon section

 

The heavens open up - afternoon section...