Would you like to spend your weekend riding a dirt bike up and down steep rocky mountains and being slapped in the face with lantana, or swinging a six-metre bullock whip that looks like a large brown snake and threatens to take out your eye if you make one wrong move?
What about jumping on an 600kg horse and riding full tilt around three 44-gallon drums?
Nope?
Me neither, but I think these “slightly dangerous passions” that Julie Denyer (Moree), Lisa Whibley (Pallamallawa) and Anna Heitzmann (Tullamore) live for on their weekends are fascinating.
I have just spent a lot of 2024 creating a documentary film about their highs, occasional lows, and kooky aspects of their adventurous sports – that you would normally never find out about, unless you follow them around with a camera.
At the beginning of filming, I asked each of the girls what their goals were for the year.
Julie had a lifelong ambition to keep Enduro-racing and trail-riding her motorbike into the sunset (including an Upper Horton Pony Express Enduro race in September).
Anna wanted to barrel-race her fastest time ever at Queensland’s Mt Isa Rodeo, and Lisa wanted to Bullwhip-crack at the AWPA competition in Deniliquin – and get the whip to actually crack every time!
So, I was suddenly up for a lot more travel than anticipated, but – holy cow – what a beautiful country we live in.
Alongside capturing a lot of laughs, chuckles, excitement and occasional disasters these brave women go through, I also discovered “key banging” at Deni Ute Muster and was lucky to attend what may have been the last ever Mt Isa Rodeo.
People say we are becoming more isolated as a society . . . but there are definitely some groups flying in the face of that statistic.
And, thanks to these girls, now I can see why.
It’s the chance to have a weekend with like-minded people, get away from the weekly grind of work, and have fun.
Our premiere of WHIP, REV & BARREL will also be a great opportunity for an old-fashioned bit of socialising: watching a film together in-person, instead of being isolated at home on the internet – so make sure you get your tickets asap!
The world premiere of WHIP, REV & BARREL will be at Pallamallawa War Memorial Hall (47 Generoi Street, Pallamallawa NSW), Saturday, November 23, with sessions at 11.30am (official premiere), 2pm and 5pm.
Tickets are $22 per person and available here: https://www.twodogfilms.com/documentary
Please note, there are only 80 seats per session, so it’s best to book online as soon as you can, to avoid disappointment.
Lisa, Julie and Anna have really brought this documentary to life.
It’s a feel-good, approximately one-hour film, set in local places like Pallamallawa and Upper Horton, plus some more far-flung parts of rural Australia.
There are also some cameo appearances by Moree locals Andrew Pitman, Wendy Caban, David ‘Kelpie’ Shelton and Col Thomas, plus Pallamallawa’s Kerry Whibley.
The 11.30am session is the official premiere – and we are stoked all three girls will be attending.
Plus, there will be a display at that session of their sporting gear (as seen in the film), as well as some great WHIP, REV & BARREL and TWO DOG FILMS merchandise for sale like drink-coolers, stickers, mugs, iron-on logos, tote bags, aprons and more – so bring your piggy-bank!
And while you are at it, why not really make a day of it and either book a table at the Pally Pub or grab some take away from the Pally Café and have a picnic in the park, before or after the film!
Words and Images: Merri-May Gill
