POLICE STOP BOY, 12, DRIVING ACROSS AUSTRALIA

Police have arrested a 12-year-old boy who was almost a third of his way toward driving solo across Australia.

The boy had driven more than 1,300 km from his home in Kendall on the east coast when he was stopped by traffic police on Saturday on the Barrier Highway near the mining town of Broken Hill.

He was pulled over because a bumper bar was dragging, police said. Officials said he was driving to the west coast city of Perth, more than 4,100 km from Kendall. They have not said why.

The boy may have avoided suspicion because he appears older than his age. Police Det. Insp. Kim Fehon said the boy is about 6 feet tall. On Saturday, he stopped to get fuel at a gas station in Cobar and left without paying.