2025 Rider Count
Ride for Country Kids 2025
Each year, cyclists head out on a three-day ride across regional NSW as part of Royal Far West’s Ride for Country Kids (RFCK). The annual event raises vital funds and awareness for developmental, behavioural and mental health services,
to help transform the lives of Australia’s country children. Since its inception over a decade ago
the Ride has raised over $3.9 million.
This year’s Ride is set to be an incredible event, as it celebrates 100 years of Royal Far West (RFW). The event route will take riders on an outback heritage journey through far west NSW, visiting key locations significant to both
RFW’s history and future.
The Ride will start in Bourke, one of the homes to our first innovative Travelling and Aerial Baby Clinic. From there, it will journey to our founder Reverend Stanley Drummond’s hometown of Cobar, continue to Nyngan – a town in our heartlands that we have and continue to support – and will finish in Narromine, where we piloted our first Telehealth program.
We ride to raise funds, to show our support to country communities and for healthy country kids!
Where we're headed in 2025!
The route:
Setting off on Thursday 15 May, the ride will cover over 380km through NSW’s far west regions. Along the route we will have the privilege of meeting some of the wonderful communities RFW proudly serves, and visiting regions that hold incredible significance in its history.
The ride will begin in Bourke, journeying to Cobar and Nyngan before finishing in
Narromine on Saturday 17 May. We will also visit Dubbo as the meeting point before
and after the ride legs.
Day 1: Bourke to Cobar
Day 2: Cobar to Nyngan
Day 3: Nyngan to Narromine
Why we ride
Royal Far West’s (RFW) mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of country children.
Every Australian child deserves the right to access quality health, education and development services, but sadly country children and families face disadvantage of distance and a lack of available services. Currently, some children in regional and remote Australia are waiting up to six years to see a paediatrician or being told there are no services at all.
This coupled with compounding natural disasters such as bushfires and floods has seen the number of country kids in need of developmental and mental health services drastically increase.
RFW is a specialist child development service providing vital supports to improve the health and wellbeing of country children. In May 2025, we'll be riding to connect even more country kids with the critical developmental assessments, services and support they need to thrive.
We're aiming to raise $750,000 to directly support the health and wellbeing of Australia's country kids. We need your help to give these children the best start in life.
Who we ride for
Tilly's Story
In a small town in the wide expanses of central NSW, lives seven year old Tilly*. It’s the perfect area to live, surrounded by nature and within a tight knit community where everyone is looking out for you. Growing up in regional Australia is beyond a privilege, it is a gift. It’s an upbringing that unfortunately can be overshadowed by the harsh realities of country life.
Born prematurely, Tilly’s childhood was fraught with challenges as she presented with learning and social difficulties. While other children effortlessly strung words together and formed sentences, Tilly struggled to communicate. Her parents, Sarah and David, watched with growing concern as their daughter fell further behind in her development.
Her school offered Tilly learning support, however access to wider support services for Tilly’s development in Central NSW was virtually impossible. With paediatricians and occupational therapists based over 200km away and waiting times of over two years, Tilly’s parents were left in the dark with no potential for help or assistance for her development.
