Wharfie Wagon / September 2026

FREO.
ALL THE WAY.

Ronan. Seb. Oli. A purple car.
A story across the Nullarbor.

Watch the journey
Ronan, Seb and Oli with the Wharfie Wagon outside Kalgoorlie’s Palace Hotel , on BackChat’s Instagram
Ronan, Seb and Oli with the Wharfie Wagon outside Kalgoorlie’s Palace Hotel

01 / The case study

A purple-wrapped Santa Fe became the recurring character in a road trip to the Grand Final. Ronan Fitzgerald, Sebastian Clarke and Oli Pike drove it from Fremantle to the MCG, and told the same trip through BackChat and their own accounts.

02 / The Road Log

Freo to
the ’G.

Their posts, stop by stop, from Fremantle on 21 September to the MCG on 24 September.

The purple Wharfie Wagon on a gravel stop with the sun low on the horizon , on BackChat’s Instagram
The Wharfie Wagon, from BackChat’s Ceduna post.
  1. Fremantle
  2. Merredin
  3. Kalgoorlie
  4. Norseman
  5. 90 Mile Straight
  6. Cocklebiddy
  7. Border Town Roadhouse
  8. Ceduna
  9. Adelaide Oval
  10. Geelong
  11. MCG

  1. 21 Sept Western Australia

    Fremantle departure and WA town stops.

    In the media 21 Sept 6PR Breakfast Sunrise Today Channel 9 Perth Channel 7 Perth 6PR with Jamie Burnett Business News

    1. Fremantle

      Watch videoInstagram

      DESTINATION MCG

      BackChat on Instagram: Fremantle

      The purple car leaves Fremantle and the journey begins.

    2. Merredin

      The purple Wharfie Wagon outside Merredin French Hot Bread, with a supporter standing beside it , on BackChat’s Instagram
      The Wharfie Wagon’s Merredin stop

      THANK YOU MERREDIN 💜 Onto Kalgoorlie…

      BackChat on Instagram: Merredin

      Supporters meet the wagon.

    3. Kalgoorlie

      A supporter writing a message on the purple bonnet while others look on , on BackChat’s Instagram
      Fans signing the Wharfie Wagon in Kalgoorlie

      Kalgoorlie you were GOLD 🤩

      BackChat on Instagram: Kalgoorlie

      Kalgoorlie Miner Front page, 23 Sept

      WHARFIE MOBILE SETS OUT ON LONG HAUL TO MCG

      See the front page on BackChat’s Instagram

    4. Norseman

      Onto Norseman where we’ve convinced the pub there to let us host a quiz night…

      BackChat on Instagram: Norseman

  2. 22 Sept The Nullarbor

    Nullarbor updates and arrival in Ceduna.

    In the media 22 Sept 6PR Breakfast

    1. 90 Mile Straight

      The purple Wharfie Wagon parked beneath the 90 Mile Straight road sign , on BackChat’s Instagram
      The purple Wharfie Wagon at the 90 Mile Straight sign

      Showing off our skills somewhere in WA, not really sure where anymore 📍

      BackChat on Instagram: 90 Mile Straight

    2. Cocklebiddy

      Watch videoTikTok

      Not snot blocks in cocklebiddy btw

      Seb on TikTok: Cocklebiddy

    3. Border Town Roadhouse

      Watch videoTikTok

      How remiss would it be of me to not review some deliciousness as I traverse along Australia’s longest road.

      Oli (Nuff Said) on TikTok: Border Town Roadhouse

    4. Ceduna

      CEDUNA! Overnight in SA.. aiming to hit Geelong tonight 💜

      BackChat on Instagram, next morning: Ceduna

  3. 23 Sept South Australia to Victoria

    Adelaide, then on to Geelong.

    In the media 23 Sept 6PR Breakfast Nova 100 triple j Hack FIVEAA ABC Victoria ABC Adelaide Channel 9 Adelaide

    1. Adelaide Oval

      9News Adelaide

      Watch videoInstagram

      WHARFIE WAGON MAKES PIT STOP AT ADELAIDE OVAL

      9News Adelaide on Instagram: Adelaide Oval

    2. The promise

      i will run the last 32km into Melbourne for every year we have waited for a flag

      Ronan on TikTok: The promise

    3. Geelong

      The big geelong. Gonna be running in approx 6 hours

      Ronan on TikTok: Geelong

  4. 24 Sept Victoria

    Geelong, then Melbourne and the MCG.

    In the media 24 Sept Sunrise 6iX Breakfast SportFM Channel 7 Perth

    1. The last 32km

      Let’s trot to the G 💜

      Ronan on TikTok: The last 32km

      The next morning, Ronan ran the last 32km to the MCG.

    2. The MCG

      View postInstagram

      MELBOURNE WE ARE HERE
      Prepare for a wharfing ⚓️⚓️

      BackChat on Instagram: The MCG

At the MCG

Ronan, Seb and Oli standing together in the stands at the MCG , on Ronan’s TikTok
Ronan, Seb and Oli at the MCG

Beyond gutted. That’s football…

… The absolute adventure of a lifetime with mates n strangers alike.

… Kids who lit up at being able to write “go Freo” on a purple car.

… Sometimes it does mean more than football.

Ronan Fitzgerald, excerpts from his TikTok post, 28 September 2026 

03 / The aftermath

The wrap came off. The story continued.

Watch videoInstagram

Watch on Instagram: The wagon returns to silver

  1. 28 Sept

    BackChat Episode 301 trip recap 

    BackChat on BC Network

  2. 29 Sept

    The wagon returns to silver 

    “Hopefully we get the deposit back.” BackChat

  3. 30 Sept

    Ronan joins The Masters of Ceremonies retrospective 

    The Masters of Ceremonies on BC Network

Looking forward to running 33km to the G next year.

Ronan on TikTok, 28 September 2026

04 / In the feed

What the drive added up to.

2.97m TikTok views in Grand Final week

BackChat, Ronan, Seb and Oli.
21–27 September 2026.

1.73m BackChat Instagram content views

31 BackChat car and journey posts.
As at 30 September 2026.

9,070 Shares on those Instagram posts

Across those 31 BackChat posts.
As at 30 September 2026.

05 / In the media

The trip
became news.

Radio interviews. A front page. News clips from the road. 9News Adelaide sits on the road above, at Adelaide Oval.

Coverage, day by day.

From the crew’s own log, 18 to 26 September 2026. Linked entries open the original.

    • Radio 6PRMornings with Simon Beaumont, video and cross

    • TV Channel 7 PerthNews
    • TV Channel 9 PerthNews
    • TV Channel 10 Perth5pm news

    • Radio 6PRBreakfast

    • Radio 6PRBreakfast, outside broadcast
    • Radio ABC Radio Gippsland
    • Radio 6PRSports Today with Will Schofield
    • Newspaper The Advertiser

News clips

06 / Future partnerships

A place in the journey.

The wagon offers a clear example of how a physical idea can sustain a content series.

Trip support

A useful role in getting the crew on the road.

On this trip: Fremantle on 21 September to the MCG on 24 September. See the Road Log 

Content through the week

An agreed presence across updates and recaps.

On this trip: the boys’ own channels on the road, then the BackChat and The Masters of Ceremonies recaps. See the aftermath 

Talk to us about a partnership See partnerships
Two Freo supporters standing beside the signed Wharfie Wagon in Melbourne , on BackChat’s Instagram
Meeting fans beside the Wharfie Wagon in Melbourne