Kym & Donna

Describing themselves as “a couple of old knuckleheads in love”, recently-engaged Kym and Donna have only been together for just over a year and are still finding it hard to keep their hands off each other.

“She was the receptionist at my office and I thought she was cute,” says Kym, 46, of how they met.

However it hasn’t all been plain sailing for this quirky, loved-up couple from Brisbane, who almost lost everything in the Queensland floods.

“We both lost our jobs,” explains 42 year old Donna. “I couldn’t find anywhere to live. I had no job which has never happened to me before. We were in a mess.”

But this pair with a distinctive rockabilly style bounced back, and are looking forward to getting on the road.

“We like going on adventures and having fun,” says Kym. “We work our bums off in day-to-day life and we don’t get much time together even though we love each other to bits.”

On their rare days off, Kym and Donna like to get out into the great outdoors. “Kayaking would be number one,” says Kym. “Just getting out on the bay, cruising along the clear blue water and talking in silly accents.”

After training as a special ops officer in the army, Kym is a confirmed adrenalin junkie who loves rock climbing and four wheel driving. Together Kym and Donna have just started jive dancing.

“We’re both Peter Pans,” says Donna. “We don’t like to be mature or grown up.”

And the hardest thing about the race? “I’ll be as homesick as hell by the time we finish,” says Donna, originally from New Zealand. “I’m a homebody. I love living in Brisbane, but when it comes down to it I’m a country girl really.”

But this team aren’t concerned but the potential for some tough competition on the race.

Donna says “We’ve got enough friends, we’re old. We don’t need more friends but you always need more money.”