Author of the book Thumbs Up Australia, Tom Parry, was kind enough to send me a copy to review on foXnoMad. The book about his hitchhiking adventure across Australia with his girlfriend is an inspirational read for any traveler. I’d like you to enjoy the book as well – I’ll send it to the first person to leave a comment on this post.
“Hitching teaches you to make the best of wherever you are.” – Tom Parry
Tom Parry and his French girlfriend Katia Garnaud took off on an 8,000 mile tour of the Australian outback, from Adelaide up to Darwin, Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne and back again, hitchhiking the entire way. The book, Thumbs Up Australia, is both a narrative and Parry’s travel journal.
It’s really Parry’s personal accounts, thoughts, and interactions with Katia that bring the book to life while at the same time the outback seduces your imagination detailing his journey. The book starts slow – it’s Parry’s second hitchhiking endeavor in Australia – and Katia is reluctant. It’s really her voice that echoes the hesitation that most of us would have of asking for rides from complete strangers, for an entire trip.
“It is essential that the hitchhiker adopt an appearance of eagerness.”
The hitchhiking process begins smoothly and seems to flow, until the sheer number of ride changes and characters Parry and Garnaud encounter force you to appreciate what an undertaking such a trip is. And getting a ride is just the part of it. Dealing with silences, or being harassed by mosquitoes while waiting in 40 degree (Celsius/104 Fahrenheit), for a ride that may not come are all part of the journey.
For every ride that stops, there are countless other drivers who whizz on by. The pair keep walking the highways until someone comes along and each ride becomes a journey within a journey. There are recounts of hitchhiker horror stories, murders and those who were never found. Rides from truckers and their thoughts on Australia’s indigenous problem and single mothers trying to shag every bloke along the way.
As their journey winds to an end and Parry and Garnaud make their way full circle there is the taste of both sadness and optimism. One more frontier conquered in a world mostly discovered.
I have been to Australia and it’s been a lovely place to explore and stay as well. Been to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Canberra, Blue mountains and many other places. But hitchhiking ? Only 2-3 times but going by this book, I think it’s gonna be fun !!
@ Cuckoo:
I’ve never really hitchhiked but this book as inspired me, although I don’t think I’d be as brave as Tom on his first trip (by himself).
Would you like me to send you my copy of the book?
It’s absolutely free 🙂
Riding your thumb was big in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. I had a van and would fill it with up to 12 HH’s, picking up a new one along the way. It was a cultural thing because the young people of the whole free world were on the move.
When I HHed through the center of Australia (I used Ansett-Pioneer for most of the trip) the thing I remembered most is the long stretches of complete, natural silence and the night sky blazing with unusual constellations (I am from Canada). I especially liked the rock formations like the Olgas and Ayer’s Rock (Uluru). One time I hitched a ride with a guy in an old Toyota up a dry river bed to Palm Valley, an oasis in the Aussie desert. Amazing!
@ Kim:
I never knew that you had hitchhiked in Australia. Seeing how perceptions have changed, do you think it’s something you’d do today?
Hi Anil,
I don’t think I’m fast enough anymore to dive out of the way of those 3-trailer Mercedes “trains” anymore. Man those were big rigs! Got a ride on a couple of them. HHing out of Mount Isa took a while.
I’m not sure. These days maybe would HHers get arrested?
My grammar is going to the dogs!
@ Kim:
According to the book, it’s not illegal in Australia but discouraged by the police. I guess they’ve had some high profile murders that have put some people off and really highlighted hitchhikers in the past few years.
Seems like your travels parallel much of the route taken in the book, you should consider writing or posting one too!
Sorry I was away, so late in replying.
Oh, so I have won the book ! Surely I am having great time these days.
Oh yes, I would surely like to have the book since I as much enjoy reading as I enjoy traveling and what a good treat to have a book like this on travel. But it appears that you have this copy for yourself, so send me only if you can spare it. Let me know, I’ll send across my address.
Even I don’t think I am made for hitchhiking but with a company I would sure do that… to get that extra fun ! This book and Kim’s comments are inspiring me to do that. 🙂
I hitchhiked through the majority of Mexico, not a very safe country nowadays. but from your review it was a similar expereince and am looking forward to reading the book. thanks!
The Travel Expert(a) and an Expat with a Twist
@ Cuckoo:
No worries, I’d be happy to send you my copy. I’d rather someone else enjoy it than it collect dust on my shelf! Email me your address and I’ll ship it out to you.
@ Marina:
When did you hitchhike in Mexico and were you alone?
The book is a great way to see the inside of a long hitchhiking journey (and hitching in general) that I think many younger travelers don’t have experience with.
Hitching Australia always struck me as tricky though I am aware that quite a few do it each year. There are some remote parts out there where not many vehicles pass each day (or is that week).
@ Mark:
I’ll be posting an interview with the author sometime soon and one of my questions deals with just that – the long periods of waiting. Especially in a climate as unforgiving in the outback I can imagine that in some places not finding a ride could be life threatening from the heat alone.
Hello,
I have hitched by my own all over Australia, around 20 000 km, the australian are the most lovely people I have ever met, the aboriginal also, about the truckies, I will they, most of them, they are good guys !
I give my tips in french on my blog and on hitchiwiki for hitching throught the Outback, I am now in Mongolia, next stop, going back to France on the road.
@ Eva:
You’re building quite a travel map:
http://www.getjealous.com/getjealous.php?action=map&go=evadawa
I look forward to reading some of your posts – send me your best links from your hitchhiking adventures. I’ll post them later in the week as part of something I wrote about last Friday:
http://www.foxnomad.com/2009/04/24/what-are-your-best-posts/
Here’s the post I wrote about hitching in Australia (in french!):
http://hitchwiki.org/fr/Australie
I have also contribuate to the french translation of this one :
http://girls.hitchbase.com/doku.php
http://girls.hitchbase.com/doku.php?id=traduction_francaise
Wish to everobody happy travels by hitching !
@ Eva:
Apologies for my late reply, but thank you so much for sending those links. I’d like to highlight them over the next week as I post some of the best links from related travel blogs.
I’ll shoot you an email when they’re up.
Thanks again!
I would just be very careful who you accepted a ride from. Australia has had a few “issues” with backpackers hitch hiking in the past. Maybe wait until you see a family sedan and keep your thumb down when the guy driving the 4wd with a dead animal tied to the front drives past….
Yes, Tom writes about some notable incidents that were on his mind from time to time during the trip. Luckily he didn’t flag down and trucks with roadkill hanging off of them 😉