Thumbs Up Australia

November 1, 2006
When people in the United States think of hitchhiking, they might think of the 1960s, when this means of transportation was practiced, often safely. Today it is rare and considered too dangerous to attempt. This is not the case in Australia, as described in "Daily Mirror" journalist Parry's travel narrative of his six-month search for the real Australia with his skeptical French girlfriend in tow. Parry is on a mission to feed his obsession with the desert and to follow the routes first used by early explorers across and around the Australian outback. He writes of the journeys of these explorers, who nearly all came to bad ends either through starvation or by simply getting lost in the unknown landscape. Standing on near-empty highways, Parry and his girlfriend often meet eccentrics from the outback, Aboriginal elders, road-train drivers, hippies, and fellow travelers who had ventured off the usual tourist routes. His account of their 8000-mile journey is humorous and insightful. Photographs would have been a welcome addition, but not to worry: they can be seen online at www.thumbsupaustralia.co.uk. Recommended for public libraries and all libraries with travel writing collections.Lisa N. Johnston, Sweet Briar Coll. Lib., VA

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.