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This is from Teenagers Weekly, a supplement to Australian Women's Weekly. 14th August 1963 Boys Go Scooting across the world
Both on one scooter, the boys travelled through Europe, the Middle East, India and Ceylon, and made the final hop to Sydney by sea. The overland safari took four and a half months - "We weren't trying to break a record" - and cost them £55stg each, plus the cost of the scooter. "We arrived in Sydney with 32/6," said Peter. "And a packet of soup," added Graham. School friends since the age of 11, both boys always had a yearn to travel. And last year, when Graham was half way through his studies for an architectural degree, and Peter thoroughly entrenched in commercial training in the textile business, they realized it was time for them to fulfill their ambition. Otherwise they would become too involved in their careers to break away. "Even though the English winter was approaching, and we had hardly any money, we decided we couldn't risk waiting for the summer and moe money, in case we changed our minds," said Peter. It took them three months to prepare for the trip. There were visas to get, road routes to study and learn almost by heart, and the latest camping equipment to investigate and obtain. "Actually, the camping suppliers were very good to us," said Graham, "and gave us a cut price on most of our gear. Probably because they felt sorry for us to be going all that way on a motor-scooter." By the beginning of October, when winter was just setting in, the boys were ready, set, and off hitch-hiking through Europe to Milan, in Italy, to buy the motor-scooter. Learning to ride The scooter, complete with accessories (Spare Tyre, etc) cost them £110 - exactly half the money they had set out from England with. They christened it "Sheila," after a girl in England for whom both boys had great deal of affection. Before they could set off on their scooter they had to learn to ride it well. This was no mean feat, as loaded with the two boys and all their equipment, the scooter was extremely heavy to steer and the balance was difficult, because they had to ride so slowly owing to the weight. "To begin with, we fell off quite a lot and were wobbling all over the road," said Peter. "But we weren't too conspicuous in Italy, as everyone there is used to scooter-riders." Among their 200lb. of luggage the boys took a light French tent, two sleeping bags' petrol stove and billies to cook with, a first aid kit, tough wearing jeans, pajamas, thick jumpers, and a "smart" set of clothes. In addition, they took as many spare parts for the scooter as they could load on, battery-run electric razors, and dozens of packets of dehydrated English soup and coffee. Terrible roads Their first taste of adventure came in Yugoslavia.
"We were ordered to stop by some police," Peter said. "They brandished guns, but we didn't dare stop because our visas had expired the day before. "So we just drove on, and luckily they did not follow us." Turkey provided more danger and thrills in the form of:
"There were times when we thought we were mad to attempt the trip," said Graham. "But usually by next day something good or interesting would turn up. "One of the worst parts was going through the great salt desert between Tehran, in Iran, and Pakistan. We seemed to skirt it for days on end. Also we had to drink salty water there." Good things they remember are the hot bath they had in Tehran and the wonderful hospitality of the people in Pakistan and India. "We were befriended by an Indian Igh Court judge," said Peter. "A very interesting chap, he had been responsible for the hanging of 350 criminals. "He handed us on to his legal colleagues everywhere we went through India." In India they had bad luck with the motor-scooter. "Her engine cracks din half," Graham said, "but luckily we managed to hitch a ride - with the scooter and all on top of an Indian lorry - for 750 miles. "it was murder." Graham and Peter had planned to get jobs in India to help their dwindling finances, but discovered on arrival there that the prospect has hopeless, owing to unemployment and the low wages. "We're rather ashamed to admit that our parents came to the rescue when we were in Colombo and sent us the money for our fares to Australia," said Peter. However, once they had arrived in Sydney they were back on their financial feet again. Two hours after they landed, Peter had got a job as a waiter in a city hotel and had rented a cheap flat in Coogee. "Now that it's all over," said Graham, "we can honestly say that the trip was worth it. We had uncomfortable times, but we didn't ever have a monotonous day." "And we're fitter now than we were when we left England," added Peter. "Any two chaps could do the same trip, but we wouldn't advise girls to do it." Around Australia on a Lambretta Today 19 April 1971 - Sydney to Narooma - 218 miles Up at 5 am packed and set off at 6.25 am. Stopped at Nowra to fill up and stretch our legs. Had a cup of coffee out of town and headed to Batemans Bay 12.45 pm. We had lunch there and then on to Narooma. After pitching the tent we had a long walk then cooked dinner before dark as we have no lights apart from torches. It was a well earned shower and early to bed. 20 April 1971 - Narooma to Cann River - 156 miles We had to wait until about 9.00 am before the tent was dry enough to pack up and hit the road. The trip today was the great dairy country and we stopped at the Bega Cheese Factory. Lunch around the border and then went on to Cann River where we pitched camp for the night then went to a walk before dinner. Very cold now with strong winds and rain. 21 April 1971 - Traralgon - 199 miles Very cold morning. After breakfast and a cold shower we waited till the ten dried out and on the road about 9.00 am through bushland and onto Orbost. It was blowing a gale from here and we battled against the wind to Nowa Nowa where we stopped for a coffee and a warm up. Our next stop was at Lakes Entrance and then on to Bairnsdale where we had a look at the Catholic Church which is very ornately painted inside. Lunch was near the fruit gate. At Stratford it started to rain and blow so much so that Agnes got blown off the road so we stopped and waited till the wind dropped off a bit then battled on. We stopped at Rosedale to fill up however we were so cold we couldn't lift out seat up to get to the tanks and had to get someone to help us. We were glad to arrive at Traralgon around 4.45pm still in the pouring rain and were glad we were staying with friends for a few days. A hot shower and a hot cuppa were most welcomed. We stayed in Traralgon until 5 May being taken around the district and into Melbourne. We were ready to leave on 1 May but the weather was so bad we had a few false starts before hitting the road on 5 May.1971 - Geelong - 147 miles. We hadn't got too far away (Morwell) when we had to stop again and put our wet gear on. The rain never stopped until we were through Melbourne and decided to keep going to Geelong where we had a hot plate of soup and a hot chocolate to warm ourselves up. We chose to stay in the Youth Hostel there to keep dry and warm. 6 May 1971 - Port Campbell - 133 miles We left Geelong about 8.45 am and took the Torquay Road until it joined the Great Ocean Road. We had great weather until Apollo Bay and down came the rain again. We stopped at the Memorial Arch and a couple of the other scenic lookouts having a break at Lorne and lunch at Apollo Bay then headed to Lavers Bay. The road was wet and muddy and it took a lot of concentration to keep upright. We then found that Lavers Hill was a little town and no camping area so we pressed on to what we thought was Port Campbell. We were lucky enough to see the 12 apostles without rain but decided not to go into any of the others as we were both tired and that we would return tomorrow. After pitching the tent and a chat with the Ranger we went to the shop to get something for dinner. There is a camper's common room here so cooked dinner then went for a walk before settling in for the night. 7 May 1971 - Warnambool - 46 miles We were up and dressed when the rain started so decided to cook breakfast in the Common Room then sat about hoping to see the rain go off. We brought the scooters in the shed and dried off things then packed up eventually leaving after 11.00. On the way stopped at The Arch, London Bridge, The Grotto and Peterborough. From here we headed to Warnambool. We had our wet gear on all day but never got rain. Once leaving the coast we went through beautiful green pastureland. At Warnambool we pitched camp and walked up to the town. After dinner we walked through the town and up to Fletcher Jones' Gardens which are really lovely. We eventually got back to the camp around 9.00. 8 May 1971 - Mt Gambier - 136 miles - watch back 1/2 hour We were on the road by 9.30 today after chatting to a few people in the camping ground. First stop was Tower Hill and the Crater Lake on the side of the road. Out next stop was Port Fairy where we saw the oldest pub in Victoria first licensed in 1844. At Portland we filled up then had lunch on the side of the road about 5 miles out of town. We rode on to South Australia, eleven miles from Mt Gambier. We are camped near the Blue Lake. After pitching camp we had a coffee and walked down town. We walked the main street and had dinner in a Chinese Restaurant then walked back to camp. 9 May 1971 - Kingston - 99 miles This morning we were up early then after breakfast it started to rain again so we went for a walked to let the tent dry off. We walked to see the Lakes of Mt Gambier. We were almost back to camp when it rained again hence the tent was soaked again. We were both pretty fed up, but me the most, with still not a day without rain. We eventually packed the tent up wet and finally left about 11.30. Firstly we went through pine forests then open grazing (sheep) country. We stopped at Robe turn off and had a coffee then continued on to Kingston. We had no sooner pitched the tent and the rain came down. After a clean-up we walked into town and back. We decided to have dinner in a Service Station out of the bad weather. We walked into the Station and back getting soaked on the way. After getting back we sat in the Laundry and wrote a while. 10 May 1971 - Murray Bridge - 137 miles As soon as we were up we packed the tent up and just managed it before the rain came. We put all our things in the Laundry then showered before packing everything and having breakfast. We finally to away in dry weather however not for long and we had to put our wet gear on again. The road followed a long stretch of coastline which was very bumpy and very windy so we had a battle the elements once more. We stopped at Meningie for some shopping then went out of town and had lunch. Next stop Murray Bridge. We pitched camp and walked up town to do some shopping. We had a Bar-b-que tea then went for another walk before turning in. 11 May 1971 - Elizabeth - 69 miles We packed up before breakfast again today and on the road before 9 heading towards Adelaide. The countryside was hilly and we were unfortunate to get stuck behind 3 semi trailers so ended up pulling in at Aldgate for a cuppa and a warm up and then headed down the long hill to Adelaide stopping at the Old Toll House for a look. We rode through Adelaide and found my Cousin Ann's house OK in Elizabeth. We were just in time to baby sit. When Ann came back we had coffee and then went into the shopping centre for a look around. We helped Ann preparing food as Ann was having people in that night as the family were moving back to Sydney to live on the Friday. 12 May 1972 - Elizabeth Spent the day in and around Adelaide and helped my Cousin to get ready for visitors again. 13 May 1971 We set to work cleaning the scooters before heading out to catch up with more friends. 14 May 1971 Today was moving day for my Cousin's family so we were busy helping them get organised and heading off back to Sydney. We ended up cleaning the house and staying one more night before leaving Adelaide ourselves. 15 May 1971 - Nuriootpa - 37 miles We had breakfast and packed up ready to hit the road heading towards Gawler. Our journey took us through the Barossa Valley stopping at a few wineries on the way. This was a first fine day travelling which was really terrific. We camped at Centennial Park in Nurioopta. We had a walk through the town as we did most times if we were staying a town. 16 May 1971 - Gladstone - 124 miles Lazy start today heading out of town about 11.00. Unfortunately we took the wrong road and after 20 miles we realised it and had to turn back to Nurioopta and this time headed out to Greenock and across through grazing (sheep) country to Kapunda to Tarlee to Auburn and Clare. From here we were in wheat country. The fields were all newly tilled and the scenery was simply beautiful with the rolling hills as a back drop. At Gladstone we found the camping area around 4.30. We had dinner by an open fire then sat till it burnt out. We walked down the town and back and the sat in the Laundry to do some writing. Today was another beautiful day. 17th May 1971 - Port Augusta - 74 miles Up at 7.30 and half packed before breakfast. We were on the road about 9.30. We rode through mainly wheat and sheep country all day. We went through Murray Town to Wilmington where we stopped for a coffee before heading into Port Augusta through Horrocks Pass which reminded me a lot like Scotland hills. We stopped coming through the pass and took a couple of photos. We finally arrived in Port Augusta about 12.30, pitched out ten and caught up on some domestic duties like washing. We walked into town which was absolutely dead not a shop open. 18th May 1971 - 20 Miles of Kyancutta - 132 miles After breaking camp we went into town and did some shopping before finally leaving Port Augusta about 11.00. At Iron Knob we got water and stopped to take photos. About 10 miles after Iron Knob we went through Kimba then stopped off the road about 10 miles from Kyancutta. We made a fire and cooked dinner then sat by the fire for a couple of hours. We decided not to pitch the ten but to put the tarp across us for the night. 19th May 1971 - Ceduna - 159 miles (1 month on the road) We were up at 7.00 to fine the tarp and sleeping bags wet from a heavy dew so hung all out to dry whilst we had breakfast. We were all ready to go when my scooter wouldn't start so had to change the spark plug and eventually got on the road about 9.15. At Kyancutta we stopped for petrol and Agnes had her battery checked and spark plugs cleaned. I found the bakery and got some buns for lunch. We had lunch just out of Wirrulla then road into Ceduna. We arrived about 3.00 and the lady who runs the camping area wanted to chard us $1.00 each as we had 2 motor vehicles. We went to the Council and complained and got permission for the 2 vehicles to go in with only one charge. The woman who ran the park wouldn't believe us so we camped near the perimeter fence with one scooter outside the fence and the other inside next to it and out tent. We were driving around the camping area and found a couple we knew who were on the road heading back to Queensland. They had heard the put put of the scooters and thought it would be us. So we had a good catch up that night and went to the local pub. 20th May 1971 - east of Nundroo - 75 miles We were up at .10 and got organised before breakfast. Today we were heading across the Nullarbor so we had to go into town and get some food before leaving. Today was a nut and bolt tightening as we were heading on the rough road. About 1 mile out of Ceduna we hit the dirt road. The first miles to Penong were pot holes and bull dust then the road was hard surface and managed to drive in top gear at about 25-30 mph. We eventually stopped for camp about 4.20 - left Ceduna at 12.15). We had 2 unscheduled stops, once in Penong to fix a leading container Agnes was carrying then not far out of there we had a comfort stop. When we decided and pull off the road had coffee then pitched camp. After work was done we sat in the sun and wrote a while. We had a few spots of rain but nothing much. We built a fire and cooked dinner then sat by the fire a couple of hours before bed. 21st May 1971 - 10 miles east of Ivy Tanks - 82 miles Today up at 7.30 tightened up all the nuts and bolts before breakfast and on the road about 9.40. We had good road into Nundroo where we stopped for petrol then the road deteriorated with corrugation and gravel. We were just inside Yalata Mission when we stopped for lunch. About 5 miles each side of the Mission gates were aboriginals trying to sell boomerangs etc. Our destination was to Ivy Tanks however we never made it. Just outside the Mission Grid about 16 miles from Ivy Tanks I came off in the bulldust. Fortunately I didn't do too much damage.(I always rode in front) then I got bogged in bull dust and Agnes had to push me out. We eventually gave in as we were too tired to ride any longer so we stopped for the night at 4.00pm, hence we never made it to Ivy Tanks. We pulled off the road and pitched the tent out of the sight of headlights. During the night the wind got up and Agnes got up and tightened the ropes of the tent as some of the pegs had blown out of the ground. 22nd May 1971 - 38 miles from WA - 115 miles We had a bit of a sleep in today and didn't leave camp until 10.am. We went to Ivy Tanks along a terrible road and filled up with petrol and had a drink. We couldn't get water here so sent out again. The road was just like bitumen and we managed to get to the water well about 1.30 and stopped to fill up with water and have lunch. The surround was mainly saltbush today though we did see some scrawny sheep. We passed Koonalda and decided to drive till 4.30. We eventually found a spot to camp about 4.40 and pulled in off the road again out of the sight of headlights. 23 May 1971 - Eucla - 52 miles We were up and organised ready for the road by 9.15 and then realised that we hadn't changed out watches and it really was 8.15. The road was pretty gravelly and we eventually made it to the border where we stopped and took photos. From here it was bitumen to Eucla which was 7 miles. Agnes had to change her spark plug 2 miles out of Eucla. We had hot chocolate and toast at the road house then went down to the old telegraph ruins on the beach covered in sand dunes. We went right to the Great Australian Bight and felt the water. There were 2 beach houses there. We then came back up to the road and filled up with petrol and went back to the camping area to pitch the tent in strong winds. After we pitched the tent we had a bite to eat then tightened the nuts and bolts on the scooters and went for a most welcomed shower even if it was salt water. Fortunately Agnes washed her hair and it ended up like straw so I didn't wash mine. We sat in the shower block where the lights were and wrote a while. We went up to the motel and had a drink before having dinner in the Dining Room. Both of us had local fish which later we found out to be shark. This was followed up by Apple Strudel and ice-cream. It was nice to have a slap up dinner after campfire food for a few days. We then went to the Pub and had a couple of drinks before going back to camp. The wind was really howling and the sand was everywhere. 24th May 1971 - Rest Area from Eucla - 47 miles It was still blowing when we got up so we had a shower and found out that they had no fresh water. Agnes has poured the last of our fresh water out the day before thinking we could get some fresh water here. We decided to pack up and to and have a cup of tea at the Motel before hitting the road. We eventually got going about 9.30. The old man at the motel gave us 1 gallon of water and 2 flasks of water to help us out. The wind was very strong and after about 30 miles we stopped to put our wet gear on and give the scooters a rest. We eventually made it to the rest area and pulled in, pitched the tent and had something to eat. We sat about hoping that both the wind and rain would pass over but no such luck. 25 May 1971 - Caiguna - 163 miles This morning we up and ready to leave just after 9.00. The wind was still blowing a gale however the rain had gone. We could only get 30 mph out of the poor scooters and rested every 30 miles during the day to cool the motors off and give ourselves a rest. The first stop for the day was to fill up with water then on to Madura where we had a pie and tea and filled up with petrol. We stopped at the top of Madura Pass where you could see for miles and took a photo. From here we were on a very flat plateau with hardly any vegetation. Our next stop was in a rest area and then Cocklebiddy where we had a short stop for a chocolate break. We could see the rain building up ahead of us and decided to look for a place to camp. There were neither bushes nor suitable humps. The rain came down about 5 miles from here so we headed to the garage, had hot soup and coffee then decided to stay the night in the motel as the weather was pretty crook. We unpacked out things and had the rest of our dinner in our room. 26 May 1971 - 49 miles from Norseman - 181 miles This morning we were up and breakfast an o the road 8.45. We rode for 90 miles without a bend in the road. We had still been stopping every 30 mile for a 10 minute break and seem to make better time as the wind had dropped considerably. At Balladonia we tried to get a hot pie or soup but couldn't so settle for dried fruits and chips and a chips and a cup of coffee under the trees in the sun. Over the last couple of days we had been seeing 3 boys in 2 cars and they pulled in at Balladonia and we had a chat with them and had a drink before heading out. We gained another 3/4 hour and we are now on WA time. We decided not to go all the way into Norseman so pulled into a rest area for the night. After pitching the tent we built a fire to cook dinner and sat by it. 27 May 1971 - Norseman - 49 miles We packed up and were ready to leave when Agnes had to change her spark plug eventually getting on the road about 9.15. After 30 miles we stopped for our break. The wind had dropped considerably as we drove through ranges to Norseman arriving about 11.15. After checking into the camp site and pitching the tent we had a most welcomed shower. We want to do some washing however the clotheslines were full so we went to the local pub then came back and spent 1 1/2 hours scrubbing our cloths trying to get them clean. We went for a walk after washing and when we came back to camp there was a bus load of people in. After dinner the bus driver came over and chatted for a while. He told us that the people on the bus wanted to know how we fitted into our tent. He introduced us to a Scots chap Ken and we decided to all go to have a drink later. Ken, Agnes and I went over to the pub about 8.30 and Ken bought us a couple of drinks. The bus driver joined us later and we sat and chatted until closing time around 11.00. We went back to camp and had a cuppa eventually getting to bed after midnight. This was our latest night since leaving Sydney. 28 May 1971 - Norseman - no travelling to day We were up at 7.20 and after breakfast said goodbye to the bus load. The lady in the next caravan came over to us and chatted to us for ages. We eventually settled down to write letters. For lunch we went up to the shops and had a pasties and milkshake then walked up past the Gold Mine to the top of Beacon Hill where you could get a good view of Norseman. We eventually got back to camp about 3.30. All our washing was dry. After a chat to a chap in the camp and sticking on or stickers it was time for dinner. After dinner we showered and went to the local drive- in to see "Carry on Camping". Another late night. 29 May 1971 - Coolgardie - 141 miles Up at 7 showered and packed before breakfast. It seemed to take ages as people came up chatting to us and we didn't get away till around 10. First stop was for petrol then out of town over a causeway over the lake and headed towards Kalgoorlie. We stopped every 30 miles for about 10 minutes. We took the Kambalda Road and came into Kalgoorlie along the "Golden Mile". Once there we parked the scooters and walked the main street seeing Paddy Hannan's statue and the tree where gold was first discovered. We left there about 3.30 and arrived at Coolgardie 4.20. We had and ice-cream and went to the Youth Hostel. The sign on the door said the key was at the local garage which turned out to be wrong. Agnes eventually found a door open so we went in and had a look around. It was a big house with hardly a thing in it. We lit a fire and cooked tea then went for a walk. When we got back we sat in the lounge writing by the fire. A chap came in who wasn't the Warden. Apparently the Warden was out and wouldn't be back that night. 30 May 1971 - Coolgardie We were up t 7.30 showered and dressed then had breakfast. We sat in the sun till 9.15 then walked out to the Cemetery where a series of plaques start of the Old Gold Town. It took us a couple of hours to read only half of them. When we got back to town we had a drink and lunch then finished off the other plaques on the Main Street except for 5 which we never made. We then went back to the Hostel and had a cuppa. The Warden came in half stoned. He gave us a key and bought the electric jug back for us to use. After an hour's rest we set off again down to the Museum in the Main Street. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to go through it. We wandered around some of the back streets then heard music coming from the pub so we went and investigated. It was about 3.45 then. We had a drink then the Warden sighted us and called us over to join them (The chap who was playing the organ and his wife and mother, the Warden and a young girl and a mate of his). It seemed that in Coolgardie the objective of Sunday afternoon was to drink as much as you can before closing at 6.30. It turned out to be a really great afternoon. Agnes and I went into the cafe to have a meal and whilst we were there 2 chaps came over to chat us up. Ages won a Pom who wants to take her out in Perth. After dinner we wandered back to the hostel and found the Warden, the Girl and his mate all full as googs, plus another mate sober (nurse maid). We were asked to join them so sat by the fire listening to the Old Yarns of Coolgardie. The girl was out of it. The mate apparently was suffering from losing his brother on Friday and so the evening went on and on. Agnes and I went to bed about 10.30 however the noise got louder and was still going about 3.30am. 31 May 1971 - Merredin - 133 miles After a broken night's sleep we got up at 7.30, cleaned up the mess in the lounge, showered and had breakfast eventually leaving about 9.15. First stop was the petrol station to fill up. It was raining steadily and did so till late in the afternoon. We stopped after 30 miles then continued without stopping till Southern Cross. Here we got some badly needed money from the bank then had our first fresh meat meal in a week. It was simply lovely. We did some shopping then headed on the Merredin. I just made it to the service station along the road. When we arrived at Merredin the rain had stopped and we pitched the tent then went for a walk down town. We cooked dinner in the Laundry out of the rain and did some writing before going for walk up town and back to camp. 1 June 1971 - Perth - 159 miles This morning a woman came over to us and asked me if she had met me up North Queensland 2 years ago and sure enough she had. She gave me her address and had a chat. After breakfast we packed up and filled up with petrol and were on the road by 9.25. We rode all day through farming country stopping every 30 miles. We had lunch in Northam then headed into Perth. We found our way the Maylands then asked where Kelvin Street was. We found it OK and Ollie (my friend) greeted us with open arms around 4 pm. We had a cuppa, shower then diner and sat about in a home watching TV and talking. June 1971 - Perth We spent time in and around Perth with our friends then both were lucky enough to get jobs and also found a flat. During this time we found the Lambretta shop in Perth and actually went to one of their Lambretta Club meetings. So it was back to a normal working life and exploring Perth and its surrounds. We eventually left Perth 14th May 1972. We were offered a lift to Alice Springs with some friends in their car so we took it. We were unable to ride our scooters up the West Coast to Darwin as there was not enough places we could get petrol and a lot of the roads were Bull Dust so we put our scooters on the train to Alice Springs. We eventually arrived in Alice Springs 11th June 1972 and had to wait until the 14th June for our scooters to arrive. Whilst in Alice we were fortunate enough to meet up with a friend of a friend who was a coach driver and he asked us to go with him and his people out to the gorges for the day. When we took delivery of the scooters I had trouble with my scooter and ended up having to go to a motor cycle shop to have it fixed. It turned out that the gear lever had almost snapped inside the rubber casing and was able to get it fixed in 2 hours. We changed the oil in the scooters and bought another petrol container. We also bought a few more tools. 17 June 1972 - North of Alice Springs - 106 miles This morning was bit of organising as we were out of practice packing up and getting ready for the road. We finally ready to leave around mid day after calling into to town for more straps and filling up with petrol. Our friends that we had travelled with up the West Coast followed up for about 10 miles the stopped for lunch and said our goodbyes. It was then back into the routine of stopping every 30 miles or so to stretch. We ended up camping off the side of the road and had an early night. 18th June 1972 - 10 miles east of Frewena - 163 miles This morning we were more organised and were able to get on the road by 9.15 after a rather large breakfast of savoury mince jaffles. We stopped at 30 miles and had coffer and our next stop was Tennant Creek where we did shopping and had an ice-cream. We filled our petrol containers at Three Ways and also filled the scooters. Lunch stop was about a mile down the road. When we arrived at Frewena we had a cool drink and unfortunately we had to pub 1/2 gallon of super in the tank. We camped about 10 miles from Frewena by the side of the road. Today has been fairly hot and we even road without our windbreaks on. There are hundreds of flies about so it will be a late dinner tonight. 20th June 1972 - 3 miles east of Camooweal This morning we were up at 6.45 and on the road by 8.30. We rode 30 miles then stopped and at the second stop we had a coffee. At Barry Caves we got water and talked to 2 chaps on motor bikes. We had lunch about 9 miles out of Barry Caves when my spark plug fouled up. After lunch we changed it and filled the scooters with 1 gallon of petrol. We stopped twice this afternoon and again at the border. The countryside was very barren, hardly a tree in sight and very little traffic. We had an ice-cream in Camooweal then headed out of town to make camp. 21st June 1971 - Mt Isa - 117 miles This morning we set out hoping to get to Mt Isa by 1.30 however things never worked out. Firstly I thought my spark plug had gone so I change it but it still wouldn't fire up so we cleaned the carburettor and Agnes, to the top off her finger. Liz (the scooter) refused to go. We eventually struck on the idea that the muffler may have blocked up and tried to find some wire but were unsuccessful. We ended up poking up one of our tripod legs (cooking tripod) and a large piece of carbon came out. Two chaps pulled up and gave us some wire. Liz decided after a little tickle of the wire all was well. We ended up getting to Mt Isa around 3.30. We had trouble finding a camping area but ended up in the Council Caravan Park. We went into town after a clean-up and had tea. Agnes persuaded me to ring home to find out about my Brother's Wedding. All went well. We did the washing in a Laundromat and then started to head home when Agnes found out she never had her keys to her padlock. We walked back to camp hung the washing out and then walked back to town and rode home. A Scottish chap (Jamie) came up to us and talked for a while. We are to have lunch with him tomorrow. 22nd June 1972 - Mt Isa Today we slept in a while. I did some washing and Agnes did some things on the scooters. We went into town on my scooter and after filling up we were just in time to meet Jamie in his working position outside the Post Office doing pavement drawing. We had lunch with him and his mate then went on a tour of the mine for the afternoon. We finally did our shopping and met up with Ian and Anne again. We had just loaded the scooter when a girl I used to work with in Sydney appeared on the scene. She is working in Mt Isa. Back to camp we cooked our dinner and had it with Jamie and Roger then Ian and Anne came along for a chat thus ended up in a late night. 23 June 1972 - 42 miles south of Cloncurry - 119 miles This morning it took us till 10 before we were finally packed and ready for the road. Our ride took us through hilly country to Mary Kathleen (a ghost town ready to open any time). We had morning tea and headed on to Cloncurry where we had lunch and filled the scooters. A couple of people came up to us and it ended up that they had seen my friend Peg and me on one of our trips to Queensland in 1968. We left Cloncurry at 2pm and after 8 miles of bitumen we were on the dirt again. The first river was bulldust and terrible. The bulldust is hard to see and I ended up coming off in a patch about 8 miles away from here. We pulled off the road at 4.45 and and wrote a while before getting dinner an organised. 24 June 1972 - Dick Creek Road near Winton - 119 miles. This morning we were up about 6.45 and on the road about 9. We rode no stop to McKinlay where we had morning tea. The road improved greatly to Kynuna where we had lunch on the put step and then rode on to 4 pm before stopping. We took the Dick Creek road as it was 27 dirt and 40 bitumen. We should be on the bitumen tomorrow for a while. First thing was to boil the billy and then sit and write before dinner. We had an early night. 25June 1972 - Longreach - 173 miles Today was about 25 miles of dirt then morning tea before we started on the bitumen. Our first stop was Winton about 40 miles where we filled up with both petrol and water and had lunch before heading out. The road was very good and we found we were nearing Longreach so decided to make it our target and a hot shower. Arrived at Longreach about 5pm, had a hot shower then walked into town for dinner which ended up being fish and chips followed by a walk down the town and a coffee before heading back to camp and bed. 26th June 1972 - Blackall - 134 miles This morning we check the scooters before filling up and a milkshake. It was 11 am when we left so we did 30 miles and had lunch. All seemed to be going well. We had a couple of other stops before finally arriving in Blackall. At Barcaldine we had an ice-cream and a walk around own. On arrival at Blackall Agnes shock absorber broke. We took it to a garage and he welded it but Agnes rang Sydney to make sure all would be ok. We were told that there was a gas barbeque in a park which turned out broken so we ended up back at camp and still had a barbeque with some people on a lapidary expedition. Agnes and I walked around town for a while, had a cup of drinks and ended up bedded down in the laundry as it was cold. 27 June 1972 - Augathella - 138 miles This morning we were woken up by a camping party pulling out. We were up and about 7 am and had breakfast and packed by 8.30. We drove 30 miles and rested then our next stop was Tambo and morning tea. We did another 35 miles before a break again then headed along the road. We had a late lunch at Augathella when we arrived and then did some washing. I went down the road to do some shopping and we just spent the afternoon sitting about. Sat and read in the shelter shed till about 9 pm and finally bedded down again in the laundry. 28 June 1972 - South of Wyandra - 124 miles This morning we were on the road by 8.30. We were supposed to stop at 30 miles however my spark plug needed changing about 20 miles out of town so we just went on the Charleville. We had walk around town and took a photo of "Weary Willy". We did some shopping before having morning tea and leaving. About a mile out of town we were on dirt road again. It was the worse that we had been on. We could just manage 15 mph in parts. It took us 1 1/2 hours to ride the first 20 miles before lunch. We both had had it by then and were willing to hitch if possible. Agnes managed to get stuck on one of the grids. We saw some bitumen so hopped the roadway and rode along it till we were stopped by the road workers and then found we had only a couple of miles before we had to go back on the horror stretch. The road did improve slightly and we became weary at Wyandra so had a drink in the pub about 4.15pm. We went a couple of miles out of town and camped, cooked our steak and sat by the fire till time to go to bed. 29 June 1972 - 30 miles North of NSW - 109 miles It was 8.30 after breakfast and packing up we were on the road again. It was still terrible. We had only gone about 10 miles when we came across a chap who had smashed his bike the day before on the road. He was waiting for a truck and whilst we were talking to him the truck came along and with the help of another 2 chaps we finally lifted the bike on the back of the truck. We had morning tea before heading on again thinking we would reach the bitumen but we didn't. The road was absolutely hell. We had lunch and headed on. There was only about 9 miles of bitumen before Cunnamulla. We stopped there and filled up then headed off again towards NSW. It was very cold and ended up here where we are camping. The first thing we did was have some soup then light the fire. After dinner we listened to the radio before going to bed about 9 pm. 30 June 1972 - Girilambone - 212 miles
This morning we were on the road at 8.25 am. We stopped every 30 miles till we reached Bourke where we arrived at 1.30. We had fish and chips for lunch as it was very cold. When we went to the petrol station we found that Bourke was like Cunnamulla and shuts down between 1-2pm. We managed to get a garage open and headed out of town to where we camped the night. We stopped at 4.45 had coffee then after dinner read and wrote and coffee for supper. 1 July 1972 - Orange 226 miles We were woken by rain about 2.30 am. Pulled up the covers and tried to sleep. We got up just after 6am had breakfast and packed up. We thought we would surely get wet during the day. It was very cold and after a 28 mile ride we filled up at Nyngan. At lunch time in Dubbo we were frozen. We walked through the town and had lunch in a cafe. We put all our wet gear on for the afternoon ride to Orange. We stopped at Molong for a hot chocolate. At Orange it was very cold and going on for 5pm. We found our way to the Youth Hostel and Wardens. They gave us a drink of tea before going over to the hostel. When we went out to go to the hostel we found that it had started to snow. It really was cold. Agnes and I were the only 2 at the hostel so we got the fire going and thawed out before cooking dinner. We sat by the fire reading till about 9pm then washed and set up the day and night to sleep on by the fire. I got up a couple of times to stoke the fire during the night. 2 July 1972 - Sydney - 165 miles This morning we were up at 7 am stoked the fire and had breakfast before packing up preparing to go. It was 38 degrees (f) and there was a frost on the ground. We left about 9 am. First stop was supposed to be Bathurst however I had to change a spark plug just before Bathurst. We had a coffee at Bathurst and just outside I had trouble with my scooter but found out It wasn't much. W e went into Lithgow for lunch but couldn't find anything and ended up at Mt Victoria before we got something to eat. It was home then in the thick of Sunday traffic. We got home to my parents house about 4pm. Judy (my sister), Jim and the kids were there when we arrived. ![]() In 1969, 3 Australian young men decided to go home, but they didn't have the money... so they persuaded Lambretta Concessionaires to sponsor them (see News letters section). They rode 3 75cc Vegas from London to Sydney. It was supposed to be Ted Anderson, Ken Burrows, and Ray Whitehouse. Ray dropped out and was replaced by Gary Butler. The Itinerary, kept by Ken Burrows, was as follows: 14th Ausust 1969 - Left London for Dover 15th Au; - Took ferry to Oostende Belgium . Got a bit full, Ted fell off bike, later Ken fell off and grazed face and ribs. A Belgium person saved his life. 17th Aug - Ken went to Doctor, arrived Amsterdam, 18tn Aug - Purchased parts for clutch of bikes, went on canal trip, picked up clutch cable. 19th Aug - Toured Heinekin Brewery, went on canal trip. Went to red light area. 20th Aug - Travelled through Utrecht,Rhenen,Oss,Grave & St Anthonis 21st Aug - Travelled through Venlo,Dussuldorf, and on to Koln. 22nd Aug- Sightseeing in Koln, clutch is still stiff. 23rd Aug- Travelled beside the Rhine to a place called Andemach then on to Koblenz. 24th Aug- Set off down the Rhine through Bacharach, St Goar, Rhens,and on to Heidelberg youth Hostel 25th Aug - Travelled to Rastatt, stayed at local camping ground 26th Aug- Travelled to Keil and on to the border, continued to Severne. Stayed at a youth hostel 27th Aug- Headed for Ligny-en-Barrois through Toul 28th Aug - No seats on the toilets, travelled to Reims, stayed at youth hostel. 29th Aug- Got to Paris, stayed at hotel (cheap one) 30th Aug - Sightseeing - Ken went to Doctor about his ribs, sightseeing 31st Aug - Paris sightseeing lst.Sept - Gary's bike was playing up, travelled to Chartres. 2nd Sept - Gary put his bike on the train for Milan, travelled to Portiers Youth Hostel. 3rd Sept - Travelled to Bordeaux raining again, Youth Hostel again. 4th Sept - Travelled to Bayonne then the Spanish border, crossed the border and the Pyrenees to Pampalona, stayed at a hotel 5th Sept- Set out for Zaragozana where we camped out. 6th Sept - Set out where we climbed from 68 feet to 3000 feet to Tereul, camped in the bush. 7th Sept - Travelled to Valencia and did some sightseeing 8th Sept - Sightseeing and the beach 9th.Sept - Sightseeing and the beach 10th Sept - In the bush near Yinarcz Just started tea when 2 border guards came and told us not to stay there after we had tea. They came back later that night but did not tell us to go. 11th Sept - Travelled to about 60mls south of Barcelona and did some sightseeing. 12th Sept - Did some sightseeing 13th Sept - Made a dash for Barcelona and Ken got lost. Stayed at the hostel 14th Sept - Ken found Ted and Gary turned up at the Post Office. He had a wonderful time hitch hiking to Madrid and out to the island of lbiza. We all went to a bull fight. 15th Sept - Travelled through Blanes to Tossade. Slept on concrete. Could not sleep on the beach because of the border guards. 16th Sept - Terrible storm last night, rain coming through the roof, got soaked. Travelled through Figueras (not far from the French border) then to Perpignan. Stayed at youth hostel, first shower in 10 days. 17th Sept - Travelled through Baziers,sete,Montpellier then to Arles. 18th Sept - Lunch at Martuques then Marseille. Kens clutch cable snapped, put another in then on to Brignoles. Sampled the local vegie patch. 19th Sept - Set off for Nice through Frejus. Kens accelerator snapped, walked about 7km to service station. Fixed cable then on to Cannes then Nice. Slept in concrete lookout overlooking Nice. 20th Sept - Travelled through Monaco, Monte Carlo, Menton, crossed border into Italy then on to Genova. Youth hostel again. 21st.Sept - Set off for Milan through mountains to Voghera,Pavia then Milan. 22nd Sept - Met Sales Manager of Lambretta, had photos taken and write up in Italian papers. 23rd Sept - Milan sightseeing. 24th Sept * Travelled through the Swiss border to Lugano. Camped out 25th Sept - Set out for Glochenen, great scenery. 26th Sept - Headed for Zurich through Lucerne andZug. 27th Sept - Travelled through Feldkirch (Austria). Bikes got hot, rested them 3 separate times, mountainous area, then on to Landeck. Met an Australian family, son had brain tumour. Frank, Jan & Kristen 28th Sept - travelled to Munich - went to the Hofbrauhause, had a few. 29th Sept - Again at the Hofbrauhause, that was it for the day 30th Sept - Went to the Dachau concentration camp then the Hofbrauhause again. 1st Oct - Guess what Hofbrauhause house again then headed for Wasserburg, camped out. 2nd Oct- Set out through Berchtesgaden to Salzburg, did a bit of sightseeing, had been travelling with the Aust family off and on. Crossed border into Austria again,hostel again. 3rd Oct - Headed for Bad Ischt then to Linz. Did a bit of sightseeing. 4th Oct - Followed the Danube River stopped at Griems then Vienna. Frank & family arrived a camping area. 5th Oct - Went to see The Vienna Boys Choir and then had a look around. 6h Oct - Went to Sconnburg Palace among other things 7th Oct - Left Vienna travelled through Wiener,Neustadt,Bruck & Knittelfeld and camped near Judenberg in the bush 8th Oct - Set off for Klagenfurt. Travelled through the Italian border, camped out near Carnia. Found Ted in the end. 9th Oct - Arrived in Venice, set up camp on the mainland, did some sightseeing. 10th Oct - Rear hub on Teds bike is loose, had it fixed. Did heaps of sightseeing. 11th Oct - Travelled to Bologna - youth hostel again. 12th Oct - On the way to Florence, Ken passed Ted who had run out of petrol, had to push it for a while. Did a bit of sightseeing in Florence. 13th Oct - Sightseeing in Florence, Frank & Jan joined us. 14th Oct - Travelled to Galerie and visited a few museums then set off for Pisa.Camped in the bush just out of Florence. 15th Oct - Met up with Jan & Frank and set off for Pisa, visited the Cathedral and leaning tower. Left Jan & Frank as they were going to Spain. Camped out in bush past Pisa 16th Oct - Met up with Gary. He went back to Switzland, then Vienna and has now caught up with us. (Nearly married). We all travelled to Rome. 17th Oct - Rome - did heaps of sightseeing 18th Oct - Rome - more sightseeing - travelled to the Catacomb of San Sebastian 19th Oct - Had a look at the markets, Ken got lost, camped about 20k out of Rome 20th Oct - Booked our ferry passage to Patras (15375 LR) went to Lambretta to get spare parts then headed for Naples. Travelled to Pompeii, got lost on the way and could not find anywhere to camp. Camped on the road to Mt Vesuvius 21st Oct - Tenific views - Travelled to the top of Vesuvius on the bikes, the last 2-3 kms were ash which made it hard going, and then walked to the crater, steam from many cracks. There are 2 craters, the original and another higher one. Vesuvius is 5 years overdue in erupting. Travelled to the ruins at Pompeii then through Salerno and camped out near Battipaglia 22nd Oct- Awoke to the sound of a running stream, set out for Brindisi, lunch atPotenza, on to Matera, Bari then Brindisi. Locked out of the hostel, got in through the window after we climbed the fence. 23rd Oct* Gary's bike is playing up. Did a bit of sightseeing then to the ferry which sailed at 10.30pm. 24th Oct- Ferry arrived at Corfu then on to Igoumenitsa, made Patras (Greece) about 5.30pm, we then went to the nearest beach to camp out. 25th Oct - Set out for Athens when Ken hit 2 buses. The bus that Ken was following stopped suddenly to let another pass, Ken hit the back of it, glanced off it and the bus coming the other way hit Ken. No real damage to Ken. Ken drove to the nearest town, lucky it had a railway station, took the train to Athens. Travelled in the baggage compartment with the bike, pigs, chickens etc. Stayed at the Youth Hostel. 26th Oct- Sightseeing, Acropolis, Parthenon, Agora Museum, etc 27th Oct- Ken had his bike fixed, beat all the dents out and straightened the forks etc cost 100DR. Camped out beside the road near Athens. 28th Oct - Set out for Delphi through Lebadeia. Slept in the bush near Delphi. Gary and Rob 29th Oct- Camped on a hill overlooking valley and sea near Delphi. Judy & Lindell who had been travelling from England with us off and on in a mini van had troubles with their van, we purchased the parts and patched it up and set out for Delphi. Judy & Lindell are photographed with us at the Lambretta works in Italy. 30th Oct - Gary arrived (Rob)? Lindell & Judy had car troubles again. Camped in the bush near Lamia. 31st Oct - Travelled through Domokos,Nea,Zapperon & Larisa. Country was barron and mountainous. On to Katerine and camped in the bush at Gefyra. Ist Nov - Arrived in Thessalonika about lOam. Garry still not with us so we set out for Kabala. Camped on a farm at Podochorl . Slept on straw that we had heaped up. 2nd Nov - Travelled through Xanthe,Komotene,Sapai and Ferrai. Hit the Turkish border about 3.30pm. On the border there were guards with machine guns and binoculars. Left a message for Gary .Travelled to Kesan where we bought what we thought was wine, turned out to be vinegar. Found a camp site in a paddock. 3rd Nov - Cold night - Travelled to Istanbul. Ken stayed at the youth hostel. Will meet the others tomorrow. 4'h Nov - Ken fixed his bike, waited for Ted to arrive, apparently Ted had hit a stone and came off his bike near Gallipoli and hurt his ankle, damaged his bike. Had a letter from Gary and went there. Stayed in the Istanbul youth hostel. 5th Nov - Sightseeing in Istanbul, many Mosques and toured the old part of Istanbul. 6th Nov - Still problems with the petrol pump on the girls car. Had Turkish tea with the garage proprietor. Went to the underground water storage featured in James Bond film ( To Russia with Love ). 7th Nov - Went to the markets and leather factories and did some more sightseeing. 8th Nov - Did some sightseeing. There were a few sad faces; this is where we leave Lindell and Judy after travelling with them since August. On the ferry across the Bosporus. In Asia now. In third class as the train pulled into the station people were climbing in the windows. We were in a compartment wth 3 turkish people. One we named Harry because he was interested in our things, one we named monkey because he looked like one and the other puzzle because we gave him one and that's the last we saw of it. In transit on the train. 9th Nov - Awoke to Harry singing. During the morning Harry had most of his friends around, we were rather a novelty. The only thing we had to eat was coca cola, raisins and peanuts. Countryside was barren, dry with rolling hills. Still the train - awoke to stomach pains, Harry sang most of the day, the countryside was becoming mountainous, still bar:ren and dry. Started to see snow. Arrived at Erzurum in a lot of snow. Found a cheap hotel. 10th Nov - 11th Nov - Very cold - Talked to 3 english guys who were hitchhiking to Australia to work at Mt Isa. As we were packing the bikes for the bus great crowds gathered around us. The afghans carried the bikes onto the top of the bus and we were off, travelling all night. 12th Nov - Woke early and found we were in Tabriz. Bus did not leave until 6.30pm - spent the day going to a film (Rawhide) dubbed and walking around. Bus set off for Tehran at 6.30pm 13th Nov - Awoke to arriving in Tehran. Did some siehtseeine. 14th Nov - A big crowd gathered to see us pack our, bikes, the crowds had to be moved on by the police. Got on the train for Mashhad, countryside was flat and on the edse of a salt flat. 15th Nov - The train reached Mashhad, countryside was flat with snow covered mountains in the distance. Did a bit of sightseeing. Hotel tonight. 16th Nov - Loaded the bikes on a bus, got to the border (Afghanistan) Through the border we put the bikes on another bus to Herat . Slept with 8 others, heater was a 44 gallon drum with sand in it with a flame underneath. The toilet was a hole in the floor that dropped to the ground floor. 17th Nov - Herat is fascinating, many horse and carts about. Managed to bargain our way on the Government bus tomorrow and overnight in Kandahar. Sightseeing for the rest of the day. 18th Nov - Had to pay the fellas to put the bikes on the bus, they carried them up on their backs. Very bare country, no towns and followed a mountain range. This part of the road was built by the Russians and the road from Kandahar to Kabul by the Americans. The only stop was a little village, took photos of camels. Arrived in Kandahar. 19th Nov - On the bus at 6.30am, still barren and following a mountain range, many camel trains and nomads roaming from place to place. Stopped for lunch at Ghazni.Arrived in Kabul, had to pay the kids who helped get the bikes off the bus.Alot of deformed people begging. 20ft Nov - Had to obtain a road permit for Pakistan. Did some sightseeing. 21st Nov - Started riding again, did some maintenance on the bikes. Said goodbye to Geoff, Larry & Chaff who had been travelling with us since Istanbul. Travelled to Jalalabad - staved at a hotel. 22nd Nov - Ken was violently ill (spicld kebab), set out for the Pakistan border through the Khyber Pass and on to Peshawar. 23rd Nov - Ken is still ill, where ever we stopped great crowds gathered. Got to Rawalpindi 24th Nov - Crowds gathered again. Set off for Lahore. Terrible drivers, buses knew only one speed - flat out. They forced you off the road, saw many trucks and buses ploughed into trees along the way. 25th Nov -Ken still feeling poorly. Set off for the Indian border at Ferozepofe. Took photos of lady official at the border and headed for Ludhiana. Stayed in a hotel. 26th Nov - Set off for Ambala. Road is narrow and bumpy. Travelled to a mission hospital, Joyce (American) took Ken to a doctor who prescribed tablets re his stomach. Stayed the night, other nurses Anne (English),Alice (new Zealand) 27th Nov - Ken gave a pint of blood as he was the right blood group and it was required urgently. After lunch we went on a partridge shoot with an American property Officer, a doctor, Joyce and a Indian nurse. 28th Nov - Left the Mission Uospital for Delhi. Passed thousands of bicycles and bullock carts. The countryside was treed and the land cultivated. Had problems finding accommodation but stayed at a mission school with an American teacher. 29th Nov - Had breakfast with Miss Perry.We went into town, on the way back we stopped at some celebrations, turned out to be the Seiks celebrating 500 years of their religion. 30th Nov -Miss Perry gave us an address of a Mission School in Agra. Arrived in Agra about 3.00pm. We went to the Taj Mahal then back to the mission. 1st Dec - Gary had his bike fixed, Met an Indian doctor on a motor bike and chatted for Vg some time. Roads are narrow and the trucks & buses force you off the road. On a very good day we travel about 120 - 150mls aday. This has been the trend throughout the trip. Made Shivpuri, had a meal in a rat infested shop 2nd Dec- A young boy woke us early and after breakfast took us to a temple and a tomb. Set off for Guna. Just as Ken was entering Biaora there was Gary pushing Ted along. Ted had hit a person on a bicycle and hurt that persons arm. The countryside was more tropical. We seem to be eating a lot of bananas. Reached Sarangpur. 3rd Dec - Breakfast was made by the chockador and we set out for Indore. We were shown over an industrial school run by the Government. We set off again but were stopped by some army captains who asked us if we wanted a beer. Followed them to Mhow where they were based and on to their club where we met a army major from Iraq. Rolled out of there to a rest house. 4th Dec - another good breakfast by the chockador and set out for Dhulia. Ken had trouble with his bike, could not travel over 30mph. The rest house we stopped in was rat infested. Went out for tea, a great crowd gathered watching us eat. 5th Dec - Travelled through Dhulia, Nasik then on to Bombay, the roads were terrible. 6th Dec - Went into town by the train and did some sightseeing. 7th Dec - Again we travelled into town, people begging and going to the loo everywhere. Also they were sleeping in every nook and cranny that you could find. 8th Dec - Enquired in town with shipping agents for the passage toPerth and did some sightseeing 9th Dec - Ken fixed the mudguard on his bike, went into town, having some problems re passage to Perth. 10th Dec - Spent the day lazingabout, Ted went to a swimming pool up the coast. 11th Dec - Travelled to Poona, green countryside with rolling hills. A long ride. Ted & Ken ended up at one place and Gary another. 12th Dec - Set off for Hyderabad, road was rough and very hilly, there were monkeys on the road. Ken ran out of petrol, Gary towed him and Ted pushed. Later Ted ran out of petrol also. Found a rest house at Nalburg. 13th Dec - Travelled through Hyderabad and it started to pour with rain. We went to the nearest rest house. A young Indian from the Survey of India camp beside us befriended us. 14th Dec - Terrible road, big potholes, a lot of water lying around. Stopped at Guntur at a rest house, the roof leaked, Indians sleeping on the front porch, bikes in the room with us,bells ringing all night. 15ft Dec - Still rain and road was terrible. saw overturned trucks. The water had turned into rivers running over the road, Gary got bogged in one. The accelerator broke on Gary and Ted's bikes used a rope to repair. 16th Dec - Still raining hard as it did for most of the day. Stayed at a rest house in Tada. 17th Dec - More rain, Set off and Kens exhaust pipe fell off, tied it on with a cord from the raincoat. Reached Madras and straight to the Post Office, received a letter from Lambretta with 300 pound, room at the YMCA and checked flights to Perth. 18th Dec - Most of the day was spent organising the flight to Perth. Flying to Calcutta, Bangkok, Singapore (one day stop over in each) and then Perth. 19th Dec - Cleaned the bikes for the flight with 2 Indian kids helping. Took the carby's and spare wheels off the bikes and put them in our packs. 20th Dec - Had troubles getting the bikes organised for the flight, spent most of the day arranging things. 21st Dec - Did some sightseeing Ted & Gary went to the beach. Our packs maybe overweight. 22nd Dec - Again troubles with the bikes being packed for the flight. We had a 2 hour flight to Calcutta (Cathay Pacific). Kens first flight. Sent our excess baggage sea mail. 23rd Dec- Flight to Bangkok 4hours (first class) Cathay Pacific. Overnight in Bankok. 24th Dec- Did a 3hr boat trip to the floating markets and the canals, In the afternoon went to the airport (hour & half flight to Singapore. (Cathay Pacific). Had Christmas lunch on the plane. 25th Dec - Spent the day sleeping and sightseeing. 26th Dec- Spent most of the day with Mr & Mrs Schofields. They took us to their club for dinner and drinks. After that we went back to the YMCA. 27th &28th Dec - We had the services of a chauffeur driven car curtesy of the Schofields. Visited the Tiger Balm Gardens, stores etc. Took off from Singapore at 9.30pm. Arrived in Perth and were picked up by Winterbottom Motors. Ended up pitching a tent in Mr & Mrs Manning's back yard. The next night we stayed in the YMCA. 29th Dec - Had an interview with radio 6 IX and people from channels 7 ,9 &2 are interested. Had an interview with radio 6 KY. 30th Dec - We picked up the bikes from the airport. Did an interview with channel 9, channel 7, The Daily News 31st Dec - Sat for our licence - Ken failed. We had an interview with the Sunday Times, Slept on Bobs floor after a 21st party. 1st Jan 1970 - Spent the day in Perth. 2nd Jan- Ken passed the license test then went to Winterbottoms. Went to Fremantle for tea. 3rd Jan - Ted & Gary went to Rottenest Island. 4th Jan- Ted & Gary arrived back from Rottenest Island. 5th Jan - We had to register the bikes in Australia. Winterbottoms had to put the new plates and mirrors on the bikes. 6th Jan - Went to Winterbottoms and Channel2 were there. They filmed us leaving Perth. We stopped at a place called Southern Cross and received free accommodation. 7th Jan- Countryside was very dry and sunburnt and so were we. We ended up in Norsman WA. 8th Jan - Had people madly waving at us all the way, sunburn not too good at present. Slept on the back of a deserted truck at the back of a Service Station. 4.00am it started to rain. 9th Jan - Country was flat, small bushes and a few trees. Took photos at the WA border .Ecula was the last stop before the gravel started. Could only do about 15MPH, Slept somewhere on the Nullarbor. 10th Jan - Set out early again, still on the gravel and dust. Ken had his third fall, hit a hole full of bull dust, Ted was following and ran into Ken who then skidded along the road grazing his hand, elbow and thigh. We reached Nullarbor Homestead then on to Nandaroo South Australia. 11th Jan - Still on the gravel and dust (quite bad) quite a feat to stay on the bikes. Travelled to Ceduna on the coast. Found a camp in a golf links along the way. 12th Jan - Set out for Adelaide. When we arrived in Port Augusta it was blowing a gale, went on to Port Pierre {gale force winds). Should reach Adelaide tomorrow. 13th Jan - Awoke to pouring rain, made Adelaide and arranged some TV interviews. 14th Jan - completed the TV interviews and had lunch with Mr Baggio of Baggio Motors. This is where Ken's diary finished. Ken thinks it took about 3 days to get to Melbourne where they stopped at Ken's parents place in Brighton. They did TV interviews here but it's probably best to follow with Ted and Garry for the trip to Sydney. The text says:
Duppo un viaggio intercontinentale durato quattro mesi, i conuigi australiani Diana e Robert Sutton ed il loro amico Selwyn Gray hanno voluto visitare i grandiosi stabilimenti della Innocenti a Milano or After an intercontinental journey lasted four months, the Australian spouses Diana and Robert Sutton and their friend Selwyn Gray wanted to visit the great factories of the Innocenti in Milan. ![]() Incorrectly stated as being March 1949 on Fairfax media, http://professional.fairfaxsyndication.com/archive/The-Scooter-Club-farewells-Keith-2F3XC5L8MMXX.html, this must be June 29th 1952, as you can find the original Sydney Morning Herald article here: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18271073 The World's News (Sydney), 1st November 1952original article: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article139914785 Scooting round Australia By BARRY QUIGLEY He collided with an emu, a kangaroo and a bullock in his outback odyssey. A YOUNG Sydney man, Keith Batten, 27, started out three months ago with £60 in his pocket to travel round Australia on a motor-scooter. He returned to his Edgecliff (Syd- ney) home a few weeks ago with £2 left after travelling 9000 miles. Homeward-bound workers in Edgecliff stopped and stared at him as almost hidden beneath an over sized flying suit, flying boots, gloves and helmet, he pushed his battered and dusty motor scooter on to the footpath. Batten made the trip in an attempt to chalk up an impressive mileage so he could qualify for an international road competition run by an Italian motor-scooter company. The first prize in the competition (for the greatest number of miles done on a scooter between May 1 and October 31) was 1-million lire (£A750). Batten filled a haversack with concentrated and tinned foods, packeda sleeping bag .and groundsheet on top and left for all points west via Melbourne and Adelaide. He reached Port Augusta which was notable, particularly to Batten, because it was the last time he saw a good road until he reached Perth -1400 miles further west. On the Nullarbor Plain, Batten suffered the first pangs of loneliness for the wife and five-month-old child he had left behind. He was to feel lonely on countless other occasions before he came back but on the plain he built huge fires both for warmth and for company. Even the fires did not prevent the minute nocturnal visitors such as ants and other insects from giving Batten three sleepless nights. He reached Perth, which he describes as "The nicest city I've ever been to." Batten, in fact, came back to Sydney with a "cause." He says he wants to publicise the west because too many people on the eastern side of the continent are apt to forget about it, its people and its potentialities. Batten was impressed by the many invitations he received to homes during his stay in Perth. When he arrived in the city he planned to stay a day and night but it was 10 days before he left for Carnarvon. On the north-west coast, four emus began to pace alongside his scooter. They stayed with him for five miles when suddenly one of them inexplicably changed its course and ploughed into the scooter. Batten went sprawling and had to doctor leg and arm injuries. The emu was uninjured as was the kangaroo he hit in the Northern Territory and the bullock he hit coming over a hill near Mt. Isa in Queensland. Batten is an enthusiastic, energetic young man with ideas. The day he returned to Sydney, he:
In the Northern Territory he saw thousands of dead and dying cattle - victims of the North's worst drought. In the same country, however, he had the amusing experience of being told his fortune by an aboriginal witch doctor dressed up in the unorthodox garb of a Texas cowboy- short cuffed trousers, wide buckled belt, highly-colorer shirt and a 10-gallon hat. The witch doctor, devoid of the traditional white paintings about his body, told Batten he would travel far. make much money, then lose it. When the fun-loving Batten asked him if he would marry, the witch doctor paused and replied, "Boss, you already marry. You have children." When I spoke with him, Batten was still suffering from the effects of dysentery and dermatitis contracted during his trip, as well as the injuries from road smashes with emu, kangaroo and bullock. Batten contracted the dysentery after drinking bore water in Queens land. Origin of the dermatitis is a mystery to him. When Batten kissed his wife at the door of his modern suburban flat, on his return, she asked, in the way of all wives, how much money had he brought back. Batten replied briefly, "£2." He had taken £60 from their bank account three months before to do the trip. Like best-selling author, Peter Pinney, Batten has dust on his shoes but it is the dust of his home land and he considers the £58 outlay was small for the wealth of experience he gained. Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton), 5th September 1952nla.gov.au/nla.news-article57267288 Keith Batten, of Edgeclifie, Sydney, recently left on a 22,000-mile projected trip on a Lambretta motor scooter. He ls competing for a prize of £750 given In the international tourist competition for Lambretta owners. The distance has to be covered in six months and the towns en route are Melbourne, Adelaide, Alice Springs, Darwin, Broome, Perth, Adelaide, Tennant's Creek, Brisbane and Sydney. This is an ambitious course for a scooter and it will be interesting to see how he fares. Brisbane Telegraph, 12th Sept 1952![]() To get through some of the long sandy stretches in West Aus tralia during his round- Australia ride on a scooter Sydney rider Keith Batten let his tyre pressures down to 5lb. Batten arrived here this week after about 9,000 miles in pursuit of a big prize for the greatest mileage covered on a Lambretta in six months. The contest is world wide. He aims at a re- cord mileage of 12,000. The little 125 c.c. two- stroke scooter pulled Batten and about 90lb. of gear, plus an extra four-gallon fuel tank, at an average consumption of 100 m.p.g. Maximum power output is about 4.5 b.h.p. Of the three tyres with which he started two are good and the third is smooth. Spares carried were two plugs, two sets of rings, two condensers, tyre and tube, and con trol cables. Batten's next major stop will be at Sydney. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article216555478 Northern Standard, 26th September 1952 |
BATTEN HOME Scooter man Keith Batten, a young Sydney fridge operator, who was recently in Darwin in the course of a trip round Australia on a Lambretta motor scooter, has arrived back in Sydney. He had covered 9000 miles and had £2 in his pocket left from the £60 he set out with. After he left Darwin Batten returned via Katherine, Mt Isa, Brisbane and Sydney. Batten made the trip to qualify for a prize of £750 offered by the manufacturers of the Lambretta. During his stay in Darwin Batten helped pay his way by working for a few days on a local Banana plantation. He said he liked Darwin as much as any place he had struck on his trip and hoped to return with his wife and child later and settle here. However on his return to Sydney he is reported to have declared that he plans to go to Alaska and motor scooter down to Buenos Airez, capital of Argentina. |
9,000 miles toughest Although the 9,000 miles ridden by Keith Batten of Sydney on a Lambretta motor scooter in a bid to win a world-wide scooter mileage competition won him only third prize, his mileage must have been by far the most arduous covered by the contestants. The period taken into account was six months, during which Batten rode around Australia. On desert stretches in Western Australia, Batten had to let his tyre pressures down to 1lb. and walk alongside his little 125cc two-stroke machine. |
Scooting to Paris People living along the Europe-Australia route are by now used to cars and motor-cycles shuttling between the two continents, but now they're going to see something new. This will be a French family, Mr. and Mrs. P. Montin and their two children, all travelling by special Lambretta from Sydney to Paris. It is a Lambretta light truck, a three-wheeler based on the scooter, with the body specially adapted for passenger carrying. The route will be through India, Pakistan,- Afghanistan and Middle East. countries, Greece, and Italy to France. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71793668 |