Drive from Perth to Melbourne - Favorite Bits

[shane wescott]

Hi Guys

Just finished the drive from Perth to Melb :-) Bugger it was in another bloody Holden - seems everytime I get to do that trip a Holden is all that is on offer to drive.

Anyone else done the drive and have any fave bits - I loved Cocklebiddy, the Exchange Hotel in Kalgorlie, Whales at the head of the Bight, and F%^& All in Nullabor - the largest deposit of F^&* All in the world.

Catch ya

Shane

[bonkfrog]

Hi Shane

Those deposits of F*@! all seem to be everywhere! From memory that's the stuff used to make the steel alloy for Alfa bodies. Why aren't we mining it & exporting to China?

Cheers

Bonkfrog

[franck]

hey shane, do you have any pics, how long did it take you, its something ive always wanted to do but time has never permitted.

[Paul Gulliver]

Shane,

Used to do that drive a lot in the 1970's & 80's going to sailing regatta's in Perth. I always thought the best bit was THE END, that is finally getting there. My two favourite Perth drive stories are as follows

1.Some friends of mine were in a  Panel Van sharing the driving. I don't know if the service stations are the same but they used to be about 400 metres off the highway with an enterance & exit ramp. This bloke missed the enterance ramp because he was tired so drove up the exit ramp about 400 metrees further up the road. He filled the car with petrol told his mate it was his turn to drive, jumped in the back and when to sleep. His mate then proceeded to drive for three hours in the direction they have just come.

2. Another friend was driving his wife and  mother in law to Perth. When he finally got there he didn't know whether to put the axe though the car or his mother in law or both. Either way he thought he should of won the "Medal of Valour" for the  the trip

[Barry Edmunds]

Have done the Nullabor trip a few times and enjoyed every one of the trips. Lots of fun and interesting places to stop along the way. Hard part is to try and explain to others, particularly any OS visitors, about the need to keep an eye open for RFDS aircraft wanting to use the highway as a landing strip. There are signs of course but hey who really takes notice of things like that. Signs warning of the presence of camels, kangaroos and other assorted wildlife seems to fascinate visitors from OS too.
Old time truckies used to enjoy telling th stories of how they treated some of the locals who hitched a ride on the trucks when they had to slow down because of the very rough corrugations. This was of course before the highway was sealed. Apparently the locals woud hitch a ride for a few miles but eventually the truckies solved the problem by waiting until they had a few on board and then would speed up and shake the passengers off. Sure sounds like a fun way to fend off the boredom. Not sure that the locals would feel the same way.
Barry

[shane wescott]

I think it is a trip everyone should do - you dont get a real appreciation of how big our country is until you do it.

There's a difference in my opinion between our "Country" and our "Land". Country is about the culture and the people and everything that makes our country tick.

The Land is the dirt and the hills and the wildlife etc - my view is you never own The Land, The Land is just there.

You will always meet some great characters as well.

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