Colleen and Craig Willis participated once again in the 2023 Great Escape Oz Fun Car Rally

This year was no different for the pair who again took part in the Great Escape Oz Fun Car Rally raising money for cystic fibrosis.

Starting in Dubbo and finishing at Karumba, the pair covered about 8000 kilometres as part of the rally and their journey home.

"It was fantastic, we had an absolute ball," Mr Willis said.

"We did have a little bit of trouble with the car, we had to replace a diff on day three, but no major problems.

"We managed to find all of the bits we needed to fix it in a paddock in Mitchell.

"The guy who helped us was amazing. We were up and running again within six hours to re-join the rally that afternoon."

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The vehicle, a 1985 XF Ford Falcon has been on about seven of these rallies.

Getting the older vehicles over the line is all part of the adventure of the rally and each comes decked out with its own stickers, decorations or theme.

Many of the stops along the way off the beaten track provided a highlight for participants, including stops at famous pubs and hospitality at outback stations.

"Grawin was a highlight ... that's the opal mining area in northern NSW, it was an amazing place, a lot of history," Mr Willis said.

"Karumba, the finishing place, where the outback meets the ocean, was another one. It was just spectacular."

Between the 25 cars on the rally this year, the group raised $151,000.

Numbers are still down on cars and participants in the post-COVID era, but it is hoped this will gradually start to build back up again.

For Mr and Mrs Willis, their participation spans about two decades in the rally, having raised countless amounts of money for the cause in the process.

Prior to heading off on the rally they held a successful poker run that started and finished in Leeton, raising about $6000.

Following its popularity the pair will now look to hold another sometime in October for everyone to enjoy again.

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