Driver Dynamics Blog

 Exactly 75 years after his uncle drove around Australia in a Ford Model A capturing the trip on 179 glass lantern slides, Les Hewitt and his wife Lynette have succeeded in their quest to replicate the historical circumnavigation.

They completed more than 18,500km of trouble-free motoring in a Ford Territory, following where possible the same route taken by the 1932 adventurers and also taking pictures in the same location as the original travellers.

“We are very excited to have completed such a remarkable journey, it’s been the adventure of my lifetime,” said Mr Les Hewitt upon reaching the former Faram’s Brothers Hardware store in Port Melbourne, the start and end point of both the 1932 and 2007 expeditions.

“Completing the circumnavigation has great meaning personally and I believe it also has significance in Australian history. Both journeys captured unique aspects of the Australian way of life and thankfully both the slides and digital images will be preserved for future generations.”

The Hewitts were on the road for just over three months, the same amount of time the 1932 trip was away from home.

“The ease of operation offered by the Ford Territory and the more complete roading network compared with 75 years ago resulted in us completing the trip in far fewer days actual driving time than my uncle and his companions,” said Mr Hewitt.

“This allowed us a few days R&R during the journey, including stops at Margaret River, Broome, Darwin, Townsville and Brisbane. The frequent breaks provided an opportunity to thoroughly document our experience, so we have a complete journal to accompany the shots we’ve taken.

The Hewitts plan to catalogue the collection of images from both the 1932 and 2007 expeditions and have them available for display.