Six Navy personnel from HMAS Coonawarra have completed a gruelling 660km relay bike ride, raising community awareness and funds for the Kyle Andrews Foundation.
Dubbed the Coonawarra Crocs, the team rode along the iconic Gibb River Road from the outback town of Derby, through the savannah of the central Kimberley to Kununurra in five days.
The Gibb River Road is essentially an unsealed road, but one that the team had prepared for.
Command Safety Adviser Morgan Sanderson was part of the team who took on the challenge.
"We trained twice a week for the Gibb challenge going all around Darwin. We did a lot of hills and tried to get as prepared as possible, but I don't think anything truly prepared us for the Gibb," she said.
"We had an incredible time, lots of games nights, chats and good music, and when it got tough we gathered around each other and used that teamwork to help each other through it."
An extra member also joined the crew - a stuffed bear from The Navy's Anchorage dubbed 'Seaman Piper' - who has been on many adventures at sea and now on the red dirt track.
'No one gave up because we did it as a team.'
Support driver Chief Petty Officer Brendon La Fontaine drove alongside the cycling team on the dirt roads.
"With the corrugations, the fastest I was driving was probably about five kilometres an hour, but it was not at all as hard as the riders' journey," Chief Petty Officer La Fontaine said.
"At the end of the day for us Navy people, it's not about always being on the water, it's all part of being part of the community."
Leading Seaman Sandra Jefferson said riding along the iconic Kimberley track was an awesome experience that she hoped to do again.
"Even when it started raining on us on the Gibb and we were deep in the mud pedalling through it, we came out stained by the pindan but smiling. No one gave up because we did it as a team," she said.
Representing a range of ranks and backgrounds, the 2026 Coonawarra Crocs team included Lieutenant Niamh Paton, Chief Petty Officer Brendon La Fontaine, Leading Seaman Sandra Jefferson, Able Seaman Mason Walker, Seaman Lily Frieswyk, Seaman Jess Fleiner and Morgan Sanderson.
The Gibb Challenge raises funds in support of the Kyle Andrews Foundation, an organisation devoted to providing support for children with serious or life-threatening illnesses and their families.
The team collectively raised more than $1800 for charity and the overall challenge raised more than $50,000.
