Mike Dixon

It was his first big trip in Australia. Up to now his only
experience of long-distance driving was when his father
took him on a tour during the school holidays. His mother
didn‟t like to travel and it had been just the two of them.
They left New York and drove down the coast to Jackson-
ville before heading across to New Orleans. David was fifteen
at the time and thought in miles. Now he measured
distances in kilometers. It made no difference. New Orleans
was a hell of a long way from New York – 1500 miles or
2500 kilometers – the same as Canberra to Townsville. It
would be their first stop. After that they had another 400
miles to go before reaching Cooktown.
Canberra is in high country and in temperate latitudes.
Even in summer the weather can be cold. David wore a
thick jacket when they left. By the time they reached the
coast near Coffs Harbour he‟d taken it off and turned on the
air conditioning. It was like entering a different world. He
saw banana plantations and there were fields of sugarcane
beside the road.
There wasn‟t time to take in the sights. They kept going,
stopping only for petrol and to change drivers. Night fell
just north of Brisbane. Tim had planned it like that. He said
the hardest part would be up through Queensland. In the
daytime the vehicle would overheat and give trouble if they
didn‟t stop and let it cool down.
Stopping was not on the agenda. They were determined
to put as much distance as possible between themselves
and Canberra in the shortest possible time.
One drove while the other slept. Rockhampton, on the
Tropic of Capricorn, was reached during the middle of the
night. Shortly after daybreak they arrived at the coastal
town of Mackay and stopped for petrol.
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