On the Road meets Down Under in this really rough guide to the adventures of an enthusiastic hitchhiker and his reluctant girlfriend on their quest for the real Australia. Hitching lifts with the desert's dodgiest drivers and taking breaks in the roughest roadhouses, this is Tom Parry's witty, warts-and-all tale of hitchhiking 8,000 miles across - and around - the Australian outback with his thumb, his backpack and his French girlfriend, Katia. As the couple hitch their way around the near empty highways, they encounter as wide a cross-section of Aussie society as you could ever hope to meet. In cattle stations, Aboriginal communities, remote waterholes, caravan parks, hippy communes and roadhouses, they see a country that remains as extraordinary today as it was for the first nineteenth century settlers. Loosely following the routes carved out by the legendary explorers who first traversed the great continent, the couple get to grips with the country's fascinating history. Set against a backdrop of the real Australia - not 'as seen on TV'- "Thumbs Up Australia" is full of wonderful anecdotes and endearing tales of some of the country's most idiosyncratic characters, from the grizzled Aboriginal elder with his tales of dreamtime, to an amphetamine-swallowing road train driver. And at the end of their journey, it is ironically Katia who suggests thumbing a lift to the airport!
Thumbs Up Australia: Hitchhiking the Outback
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A very readable and enjoyable tour of Oz that will only inspire the adventurous traveller to get off the well-trodden path If you're planning on a spot of hitchhiking, then the advice given here is not to be missed. -- Ian Waller, editor Real Travel magazine, August 2006
Parry is a great recorder of on-the-road conversations and does a pretty good job of capturing the Aussie vernacular. -- Katrina Lobley, Sydney Morning Herald, August 12, 2006
Thumbs Up Australia is Tom Parry's gripping, funny and enlightening account of an 8,000-mile hitchhike around Oz -a fascinating insight into the harsh Outback. -- Daily Mirror newspaper, July 21, 2006
Tom Parry took on one of the marathons of hitchhiking. He has written a colourful and amusing account of the journey. -- John McCarthy, Excess Baggage, Radio 4, April 1, 2006
Traversing 8,000 miles of Australian outback with a reluctant
French girlfriend makes an entertaining read.
-- Traveller magazine
Parry is a great recorder of on-the-road conversations and does a pretty good job of capturing the Aussie vernacular. -- Katrina Lobley, Sydney Morning Herald, August 12, 2006
Thumbs Up Australia is Tom Parry's gripping, funny and enlightening account of an 8,000-mile hitchhike around Oz -a fascinating insight into the harsh Outback. -- Daily Mirror newspaper, July 21, 2006
Tom Parry took on one of the marathons of hitchhiking. He has written a colourful and amusing account of the journey. -- John McCarthy, Excess Baggage, Radio 4, April 1, 2006
Traversing 8,000 miles of Australian outback with a reluctant
French girlfriend makes an entertaining read.
-- Traveller magazine
About the Author
Tom Parry is a journalist on the Daily Mirror. He has written travel essays for Traveller, France and Global Adventure. He first hitchhiked around Australia at the age of 18.
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Port Wakefield: 98 kilometres north of Adelaide, not far from what I once heard one Aussie call "the great bugger all". Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
Port Wakefield: 98 kilometres north of Adelaide, not far from what I once heard one Aussie call "the great bugger all". Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By H. Gaskell
Format:Paperback
A fantastic book I could not put down from start to finish. It tells of a spiritual, historical and physical journey in equal measures across the 'other side' of Australia.
Whilst the author seems to be following his own personal spiritual quest the book is written with a down-to-earth and humorous narrative that is thoroughly enjoyable to read.
Its one man's search (and that of his very patient girlfriend!) for the side of Australia that no one else wants to know. Through this book we tag along with the author and meet the characters and see the places he describes so honestly.
It doesn't seem to matter whether an experience is good, bad or indifferent, we are left with the distinct impression that it was truly the experience itself that mattered. I think this will be a very satisfying feeling for all would-be travellers.
I have read a number of 'travel books' and this one is a great travel book if you want to be inspired to go and do something different. However it's also a fascinating story that stands up just as well if you simply want a good read!
Whilst the author seems to be following his own personal spiritual quest the book is written with a down-to-earth and humorous narrative that is thoroughly enjoyable to read.
Its one man's search (and that of his very patient girlfriend!) for the side of Australia that no one else wants to know. Through this book we tag along with the author and meet the characters and see the places he describes so honestly.
It doesn't seem to matter whether an experience is good, bad or indifferent, we are left with the distinct impression that it was truly the experience itself that mattered. I think this will be a very satisfying feeling for all would-be travellers.
I have read a number of 'travel books' and this one is a great travel book if you want to be inspired to go and do something different. However it's also a fascinating story that stands up just as well if you simply want a good read!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Clarissa
Format:Paperback
Thumbs up to the author as this book is brilliant. It goes so much further than the usual "tourist traps" of Australia and gives a real insight as to what the country is truly like. I must say, the Austrailians do sound a little mad. The book could have benefitted by having some photos of the places visited, but still, it was very enjoyable to read
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By jgriv
Format:Paperback
This book is the perfect way to discover what Australia is really about. It truly opens the lid on the outback and on the people who live there. What makes it really unique is the author's standpoint as a hitchhiker. He meets just about every quirky character a traveler could ever wish to come across. There is no shortage of anecdotes in this travelogue.
Added to that, the book has a real flow. I wanted to know what would happen next. You really get the sense that it isn't just about describing the country, but also finding out what effect the daily routine of jumping into strangers' vehicles can have on the narrator and his girlfriend. That is what sets it apart from so many books of its kind.
There is a historical thread running through the book which I found fascinating. The story of Stuart, the first white man to cross Australia, is mixed in with the journey. Thankfully, there is not too much background, just enough to fill you in on why certain towns have risen up from the desert. The author is also not scared to address current day issues that put a lot of people off hitchhiking. After reading this, most people will probably will want to go out and thumb lifts for themself.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is well-researched and, in some passages, very insightful; in no way a copy of Bill Bryson as one of the other reviewers suggests. If anything, it owes too much to Jack Kerouac. The author pulls away the veneer of Australia and reveals some unsightly but very amusing characters on his travels. Two small flaws however: firstly the long sections on Australian pioneering history, which don't have much relevance to the journey itself; secondly the characterisation of the writer's female travelling companion doesn't always ring true. Otherwise, an excellent book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
An original insight into the underbelly of Australia we rarely hear about. This book is quite distinct from those of Bill Bryson and other popular travel writers because of the personal narrative that runs right through the book. Although Parry can overplay the romantic lure of the outback, the reader engages with the backdrop to his adventures more because of his obvious enthusiasm for the location. I loved the later passage with the crazed roadtrain driver and the concentration on the Aussie down-and-outs who more often than not were the people who stopped to pick up Parry and his girlfriend on their journey. There is enough well-researched history in this book to make the reader want to learn more about Australia's exploring pioneers. My one minor criticism, however, is that sometimes the attempt to link these legendary explorers into the narrative can seem forced. Overall, I would give this book a sincere thumbs up.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Parry and his girlfriend set off with the intention of hitchhiking the whole way around Australia, and bar one coach journey they manage to do it.
They manage to meet the whole spectrum of people in Australia, from the single mum to the road train driver. Most of the time they are humbled by the generosity and welcome attitude of the people, but there are one of two dodgy individuals that they meet!
Really enjoyed it, but I didn't think that the historical references to John McDouall Stuart, one of the first guy to transverse Australia, were completely necessary all the way through
They manage to meet the whole spectrum of people in Australia, from the single mum to the road train driver. Most of the time they are humbled by the generosity and welcome attitude of the people, but there are one of two dodgy individuals that they meet!
Really enjoyed it, but I didn't think that the historical references to John McDouall Stuart, one of the first guy to transverse Australia, were completely necessary all the way through
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
An epic journey nay adventure across a land I have no intention of visiting - it's too far away! Nevertheless I learned more about Australia from this one book than everything else I have seen put together. A down-to-earth writing style but with enough sophistication and different strands of interest make this a really high quality travel-themed read. I wish the writer and his girlfriend well - I doubt they will ever forget the thrills, the fun and sometimes the danger of this little jaunt...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
not just his thumbs stuck up
laboured through half this book, which essentially seems to consist of a stuck up ex student hitchiker with 'wow' a french girlfriend, sneering at tourists doing normal square... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Andy b
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
Excellent a good read and a great adventure. Highly recommended, made me want to go there so much but maybe I'll chicken out and hire a camper
Published 4 months ago by MR H J LAMBETH
2.0 out of 5 stars
map
No map, therefore the journey cannot be traced without constant reference elsewhere - makes it a somewhat pointless read. 18 words!
Published 4 months ago by hj
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up Australia
I enjoyed this book. A refreshing account of a back packers experiences around Australia, but specifically in the outback, which I found fascinating, never having been to the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by E D HINDLE
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hitch hikers story
I really ienjoyed this book. It was a mixture of thumbing rides, descriptions of places visited with an insight into Australian history. Great!
Published 4 months ago by Liz
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just my Kind of book.
It is an excellent book with both entertaining adventure and interesting facts. I have not quite finished the book but as a senior citizen it is a very good substitute for me as I... Read more
Published 4 months ago by brian pearson
4.0 out of 5 stars
enjoyable read
Really enjoyed my trip around the australian outback. Having finished the book I wish I had had a map of Australia to follow their journey. Read more
Published 4 months ago by catherine rainford
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very enjoyable easy read
Simply a very enjoyable easy and amusing book on hitching around Oz. The author has a lovely writing style, plenty of descriptions of where he is, who he meets etc without getting... Read more
Published on 13 April 2011 by Therese Stafford
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cracking travel writing
This is a beaut, perfect for anyone who likes their travel writing to properly get under the skin of a place. Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2010 by Jordon's big knockers
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