family of 5 drives to australia

[Amby 490]

A family are back in Britain after an amazing 30,000-mile driving trip to Australia.

Graham and Eirene Naismith spent ten months motoring across 19 countries with three children under eight.

The couple sold their £200,000 home, gave away their furniture and jumped into a Toyota Land Cruiser with kids Hannah, seven, Emily, five, and Abigail, two, for the dream trip, reports The Sun.

They turned up in Beijing for the Olympics, stayed at a former Russian space monitoring station and even lived in a nomad's yurt in the Kyrgyzstan mountains during the £70,000 journey.

Graham, 37, an IT consultant, said: "Commuting to London for my job was sucking the life out of me."

Then one day, on a whim, Eirene said: "Why don't we drive to Australia?" - and the couple began planning their big adventure.

"Emily wanted to know if there were going to be lions. But we weren't even off the M25 before she was asking if we were there!"

The family set off from their home in Croydon, Surrey, and drove through Europe for seven weeks, taking in France, Switzerland, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria and Poland.

Then they went to Ukraine and Russia, spent a month in Kazakhstan and two weeks in Kyrgyzstan.

They took three months to cross China, Laos, Thailand and Singapore before the final three-month drive across Australia, ending up in Cairns in the north-east of the country.

The family, who flew back to Britain this month, had their car shipped home,

Graham, who is now planning to go into business with a friend, said: "I've learned a lot. We've all become closer as a family and I've enjoyed being in my wife's company.

"The children may have missed school but they've learned so much on the trip and had an amazing experience which has really broadened their minds."

The family raised £3,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_3216710.html?menu=

[almaty 19]

chops...they are lucky so far..some of central asia areas..would cut your ####### off for an euro

[Jasman0717 9]

I'm going to sell everything and drive my Dodge to the moon.

[Amby 490]

I'm going to sell everything and drive my Dodge to the moon.

[Yoink 7]

i wonder how many "bribes" they had 2 pay along the way

[Saddle Bronc 124]

i wonder how many "bribe tolls" they had 2 pay along the way

Reminds me of a joke my then-fiancée told me in 2005.

A Delhi couple wished to travel to Chennai; the husband decided the best approach was to drive the distance. They started out in their Esteem, overloaded with luggage...when they got to Kadapah, the wife had one sari, the husband had only his undershorts and the Esteem was missing the rear seat and all four doors (and the now-empty boot didn't even have a lid). The wife finally berated her husband, "I told you we'd never be able to afford the tolls; any idea of how we get back to Delhi?".

Edited February 27, 2009 by CherryXS

[NickD 203]

Saw those Toyota Land Cruiser TV ads where they drove them up the side of a skyscraper, but never across an ocean, should give Toyota another idea for a TV ad.

At an average of 13 mpg, that's on a silk smooth interstate with limited grades, hate to see their gas bill.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Saw those Toyota Land Cruiser TV ads where they drove them up the side of a skyscraper, but never across an ocean, should give Toyota another idea for a TV ad.

At an average of 13 mpg, that's on a silk smooth interstate with limited grades, hate to see their gas bill.

Are you sure the UV was petrol-model though, and not TDI?

[Otto 83]

One thing he learned is... after all that..the kids will still ask.. "Are we there yet"....

[Saddle Bronc 124]

One thing he learned is... after all that..the kids will still ask.. "Are we there yet"....

[alienlovechild 75]

Emily wanted to know if there were going to be lions. But we weren't even off the M25 before she was asking if we were there!"

Graham, who is now planning to go into business with a friend, said: "I've learned a lot. We've all become closer as a family and I've enjoyed being in my wife's company.

When I was growing up, our family trips got pretty stressful. I imagine the father dumping his family off in Kyrgyzstan.

[Mononoke28 135]

Am I reading this wrong? They drove all the way to Australia? How is that possible? Did they ship their car from Singapore to drive across Australia?

Diana

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

Am I reading this wrong? They drove all the way to Australia? How is that possible? Did they ship their car from Singapore to drive across Australia?

Diana

they had the james bond suv

[Nagishkaw 510]

Good for them.

[natty bumppo 297]

Am I reading this wrong? They drove all the way to Australia? How is that possible? Did they ship their car from Singapore to drive across Australia?

Diana

didn't you ever watch Chitty Chity Bang Bang ?