Across the Outback in our faithful Ford

BACK in the early Seventies, a mate and I travelled the world. We had spent a couple of years in South Africa and saved up enough money to sail to Perth in Western Australia. Our aim was to get to New Zealand, but we had to do it in stages because of the money aspect. We were in Perth for a couple of years and had bought a 1952 Ford for $50, happily tootling around in it. We decided to fly to New Zealand from Sydney, as it was 3,000 miles nearer and much cheaper. So we chose to drive this old Ford across Australia, sleeping rough every night and keeping our speed to a maximum 40 mph in the hope

that would keep it going. We had jerry cans full of water and petrol, a sack of potatoes and loads of cans of beans. Half-way across the Nullarbor Plain, we came across a stationary car (even seeing another vehicle was a rarity). The Aussie driver said he’d run out of fuel and asked if we would sell him some. We poured some petrol into his car and then he asked us to give him a push-start because his battery was flat. With us pushing from behind and him running alongside, he jumped in and the car started. Off he went without offering to pay us a penny and we never saw him again. We made the journey to Sydney in ten days and, after a night in a cheap hotel, we left the car in the street and caught a taxi to the airport. I regret not taking a picture of that faithful old Ford with its rolled-up mattresses tied on the roof and covered in Outback dust. Phil Nokes, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancs.