25 March, 2013

Almost Rollin'

This trip has been a long time in the dreaming. The first draft is over 30 years old and starred me, my schoolmate Tim and a second-hand Mini Moke. The plot was pretty thin. A lap around Australia, via any roads that took our fancy. This dream kept us going through our final year, but after the exams reality intervened, Tim decided he had to get on with his life, and the project fell through.

The second draft followed about 5 years later. It was a quick re-write, with a new co-star, my dog Ned, a red brumby ute, and a similarly vague itinerary. This time it was a girl that intervened and once again the project fell through.

So now, after many years, its time for the third draft. This time it's different. No more low budget productions, this one is mega. Completely rewritten and featuring a family of four, a bloody big 4WD, an off-road trailer, and tonnes of the latest gear. But the biggest difference is that this time we are actually going to make it into production. We roll in just 3 weeks time.

So here's the executive summary:
  • Four people, Ninety days, One country;
  • Clockwise from the East Coast;
  • Over the Ranges, across the Murray-Darling Basin, through South Australia, across the Nullabor, up to the Pilbara on to the Kimberly, down through the Tanami Desert to the MacDonnell ranges and Uluru, across the Simpson Desert and Channel Country, then through the Darling Downs and back across the Ranges to home. 
the plan

We'll see ya when the dust settles.