Alan has started the Australian leg with no sleep (too much Singha beer in Singapore!) and far too late because the support team forgot to pick up Alan at the airport. Nevertheless Alan was determined to make up the kilos. The route starts in Perth riding along the Great Eastern Highway through the Nullarbor desert up until Brisbane on the East Coast. The journey is max 6000 km and the roads of Australia are challenging. Truck drivers high on amphetamines are speeding along causing mini tornados, the wild animals of Australia are frequent visitors on the freeway, arid vegetation, exhausting hills, a climate that fluctuates from hot to cold, Alan’s fear of Kangaroos jumping over him (or rather being faster than him, they probably only need 9 days to circumvent the world instead of 99).
But at the end of a long ride Australia’s people are rewarding us.
Our first overnight stop was in Merredin.
Merredin is a lovely little town about 250 km outside Perth Australia, surrounded by stunning nature. The real gem of Merredin however has to be its inhabitants which were some of the most genuine and kind hearted souls we have meet on our trip so far.
Arriving late in the evening we set upon finding the nearest supermarket, to get some Mars bars and Kit Kats for Alan at the local AIG express. The owners where a wonderful couple who not only gave as a discount on our goods and some free water but organized the local press rep to come out and do a trailer stop interview at the local gas station.
After our pit stop paparazzi photo shoot we then found the Merredin Tourist Park. Again we were welcomed with such warm hospitality that is unfounded in most of the western world.
Our hosts not only provided us with the best roadside bungalows a team could hope for, but gave as a very kind discount which we appreciate so much ( Alan can now have his mars bars ).
Merredin thank you so much for your kind and generous welcome, and special thanks to Sandy and Trevor from the Merredin Tourist Park!
spk
20 Apr, 2010
Thanks for warm hospitality from western world to Alan too.especially from Sandy and Trevor