Our start line this morning for the Variety Brydens Lawyers B to B Bash was at the NEW Sydney Zoo in Bungarribee, Western Sydney. It was a chilly start to the day but the sun was shining and there was excitement in the air.

In 1882, Bungarribee was established for the purpose of breeding horses for the East India Company. Many of Australia’s most prominent racehorses trace their bloodlines to Bungarribee. There are many local streets named after their horses, like Steeltrap Drive named after one of the most successful horses of the 1820s and 30s.

Sydney Zoo occupies a 16.5-hectare (41-acre) site in Bungarribee and aims to create amazing experiences for the community by introducing them to a range of animal species from all over the world, while also educating on animal welfare and conservation. The zoo was opened in December of 2019 and we at Variety are delighted to say we have been their Charity Partner from that time.

We then set off for Crookwell, a picturesque town which is also one of the state’s major producers of seed potatoes, wool, lamb, beef cattle, oats, hay, dairy producer and cold-climate fruits – a good place to stop for lunch! We were welcomed by our wonderful hosts for our first Bash lunch, Crookwell Public School. We presented the students with some really cool STEM learning resources, including circuit scribe ultra-kit, VEX Robotics super kit, Sphero bolt. The school has been borrowing the tech from Cowra High School so were thrilled to finally have their own equipment close at hand.

With full bellies, we travelled to Cowra, known for its vineyards and furniture making on the Lachlan River. We’ve bunkered down for the night, ready for Day Two tomorrow.