Who would drive around the entire coast of Australia?.. - Politics Forum.org | PoFo

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#15047110
My son and his new bride decided to honeymoon in Oz, but it wasn't the average honeymoon, I'm not talking two weeks in a beach location then back to work. Oh no. They drove anti clockwise around the entire coast of Australia. They landed in Sydney and almost exactly two years later they were back in Sydney. The journey was epic and not without it's worrying moments. If you asked them if they would do it again, they would both shout yes. With one huge proviso. They would never do it again without a satphone. It's a long and emotional story, but it was an experience they will never forget, and that's what life is all about.
#15048100
Red Rackham wrote:My son and his new bride decided to honeymoon in Oz, but it wasn't the average honeymoon, I'm not talking two weeks in a beach location then back to work. Oh no. They drove anti clockwise around the entire coast of Australia. They landed in Sydney and almost exactly two years later they were back in Sydney. The journey was epic and not without it's worrying moments. If you asked them if they would do it again, they would both shout yes. With one huge proviso. They would never do it again without a satphone. It's a long and emotional story, but it was an experience they will never forget, and that's what life is all about.


That's awesome.

I once drove from Portland, Oregon to Poyntelle, Pennsylvania. It's a trip of, roughly, 2,850 miles. The non-stop driving time, averaging 60 miles per hour, is right about 48 hours.

It took me 25 days to do the trip, and I drove over 4,100 miles. I drove through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and into Pennsylvania.

It was an epic photo excursion of a trip. Not two years worth of epic, but definitely epic. I'd love to drive the perimeter of the United States one day...
#15048149
The journey was epic and not without it's worrying moments. If you asked them if they would do it again, they would both shout yes. With one huge proviso. They would never do it again without a satphone.


The east coast of Australia is heavily populated with modern humans but things are quite different in the western half of Australia. If a car breaks down in Western Australia, it is difficult to seek help, if you are far away from Perth. I have heard a story about a driver on his way to the countryside in Western Australia who got stuck in the same situation and he barely survived the incident. His cell phone didn't connect to call for help because 98% of Western Australia is not covered with a cellular network, except for some urban areas.

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#15048207
I drove from Oregon to Texas and on to Florida, and back to Oregon. It was a good experience. But I was on a tight schedule, I was going to work on the aftermath of the 2017 hurricanes. I made the trip back in
days, driving about 24 hours straight on the last stretch, from Colorado to Oregon. On my way to Texas I was on a tight budget and slept on the roadside and cooked all my meals with a camping stove.
#15048489
BigSteve wrote:That's awesome.

I once drove from Portland, Oregon to Poyntelle, Pennsylvania. It's a trip of, roughly, 2,850 miles. The non-stop driving time, averaging 60 miles per hour, is right about 48 hours.

It took me 25 days to do the trip, and I drove over 4,100 miles. I drove through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, and into Pennsylvania.

It was an epic photo excursion of a trip. Not two years worth of epic, but definitely epic. I'd love to drive the perimeter of the United States one day...


That's an awesome road trip. Years ago I was posted to Alberta Canada, CFB Suffield down near Medicine Hat to be exact. From there me & a few mates would sometimes drive to the Rockies for the weekend, I remember Banff & Jasper very well, the Rockies were awesome. On other occasions we would go south into Montana, I remember Havre & Great Falls, also weekend BBQ's at Elkwater which is SE of Medicine Hat where we used to do waterskiing. They were great times.
#15048490
ThirdTerm wrote:The east coast of Australia is heavily populated with modern humans but things are quite different in the western half of Australia. If a car breaks down in Western Australia, it is difficult to seek help, if you are far away from Perth. I have heard a story about a driver on his way to the countryside in Western Australia who got stuck in the same situation and he barely survived the incident. His cell phone didn't connect to call for help because 98% of Western Australia is not covered with a cellular network, except for some urban areas.


Yes indeed, my son & his wife got into difficulties, I believe they were somwhere between Perth & Esperance. The car broke down miles from anywhere and no phone coverage. They had quite a good car too, an Isuzu Trooper fitted out for the bush, but sadly on this one occasion it let them down. It could have been serious, fortunately they were eventually rescued (By a couple of tourists as it happens) and towed to safety. Which is why he said if they ever did anything like it again a Satphone would be a must.
#15048518
Red Rackham wrote:That's an awesome road trip. Years ago I was posted to Alberta Canada, CFB Suffield down near Medicine Hat to be exact. From there me & a few mates would sometimes drive to the Rockies for the weekend, I remember Banff & Jasper very well, the Rockies were awesome. On other occasions we would go south into Montana, I remember Havre & Great Falls, also weekend BBQ's at Elkwater which is SE of Medicine Hat where we used to do waterskiing. They were great times.


I've only been the Jasper National Park once; great wildlife photo ops there. I've been to Banff numerous times. The company I used to work for used to sponsor the Canmore Folk Festival.

I've actually been to Medicine Hat, too...
#15071177
ThirdTerm wrote:If a car breaks down in Western Australia, it is difficult to seek help, if you are far away from Perth. I have heard a story about a driver on his way to the countryside in Western Australia who got stuck in the same situation and he barely survived the incident. His cell phone didn't connect to call for help because 98% of Western Australia is not covered with a cellular network, except for some urban areas.

Don't they have call boxes along the road? Say, every 5 kilometers?

In the old days, before cellphones, they had payphones and emergency call boxes.
Do people these days think we don't need callboxes and payphones because everyone has cell phones?
#15071203
In the old days, before cellphones, they had payphones and emergency call boxes.
Do people these days think we don't need callboxes and payphones because everyone has cell phones?


They started getting rid of them from public places in the mid-2000s in Australia and I could not find any pay phones on campus in 2008. Consequently, I had to go to the airline office directly to book my flight from Perth. Moreover, there is no toll road from Perth to surrounding areas, making it impossible to find emergency call boxes along the way.

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