The final ten days of the route across Australia are memorable. Over 5,500 kms of superb constantly changing landscapes with more than 600 kms of some of the finest gravel special stages you'll ever run on.

Mike Summerfield, Dan White, our Australian Assistant Clerk of the Course, and I spent two long hard weeks sorting and polishing what I know is a route you'll enjoy.

There's a bit of everything that you imagined Australia to be - and more. There's the spectacle of Ayers Rock at sunset, the fascination of the scruffy opal mining town of Coober Pedy, the wonderful silent remoteness of the outback, kangaroos, camels, emu and dingoes constantly crossing your path, two nights under canvas as we follow the great stock routes around the fringes of the Simpson Desert.

William Creek is a long way from everywhere

The fascination of refuelling in tiny townships like William Creek (population 27) which consists of two fuel pumps, a pub and a general store and knowing that the nearest neighbours live 200 kms away.

The wide brown sunburnt land changes to endless sunlit plains which turn to lush farmland with enormous herds of cattle and sheep, then to rain forests. Punctuations are five star hotels in glitzy resorts at Noosa and Port Macquarie on the coast. Then by contrast up onto the New England plateau 2,000 m above sea level to Glen Innes, its main street a wonderful collection of preserved 19th century buildings.

You'll see roadside signs for Stations. But don't expect to see trains. Where we are going Aussies don't keep their cows on farms they keep them on cattle stations. None of them would know what an acre was if they were standing in the middle of one. Stations are measured in square miles.

Stations but no trains

And what of the great stock routes, the Oodndatta and Birdsville tracks. Until the 60s huge herds, sometimes 1500 head of cattle were moved thousands of kms from the north down to the rail head at Marree along these 100 ft wide gravel roads.

Now the Road Trains have taken over. You can't miss them. Three 40 ft trailers behind a powerful tractor unit in a dust cloud at 120 kph. The cattle drover on horseback is a romantic relic of the past; today cattle are moved by road train. Tip - they have priority. It pays to pull to the side and stop and let them past. The vortex they create can suck your hat off.

Splash !

Pardon me if I get a bit enthusiastic about what's out there. But it is fascinating. Take time out to look, listen and enjoy. You're going to see and get to know parts of this amazing country that Aussies don't know about. It will be one of your more memorable life's experiences.

Now, let's look at the route day by day.

Fri June 25th - Rest day in Alice Springs

Time to fettle your car, change tyres and look around the town called Alice. The bars and pubs in town are good value - Aussie versions of Hollywood gunslinger Wild West saloons. All sorts of beer available, all well chilled. Poms may be concerned that only the welcome is warm.

Sat June 26th - Alice Springs to Ayers Rock

Your first day in the Red Centre of Australia. Very quickly you'll get used to the bright red soil, the gum trees and huge rocks on the landscape.

Enjoy the road house / petrol stations where hot pie snacks and cool drinks are good value. And learn the local language - it's no longer "Good morning how are you today". It's "G'day mate" unless you want to be mistaken for a stuffy Pom.

We've set the schedule for the day so you get into your posh resort hotel at Ayers Rock by mid-afternoon so you can enjoy the spectacle of watching the sunset.

They say the rock changes colour seven times in a good sunset. If you want a special memory you can take a camel ride and see it all from the saddle or a helicopter or light plane flight around it.

Two gravel stages today, one on private land and another on a public road that has been closed for us. All stages across Oz are on gravel.

Our Clowes Cup competitors do only the first stage and then cut and run to get in early to spend more time around the Rock and the aboriginal run national park.

Sun June 27th - Ayers Rock to Coober Pedy

Today you earn your stripes as a Marathon Man. You've got over 800 kms to cover. But they are easy long legged kms.

Just an hour out from the Rock is the spectacular flat-topped Mount Connor (often mistaken for Ayers Rock) and courtesy of the Severin family who own it and the 1600 square miles around it we have three superb stages all within sight of it. There's a morning tea break at their road house between two of the stages.

The stages are medium speed, twisty and sandy in places and the only spectators out there are kangaroos.

The Clowes Cuppers are first on the road today and do two of the stages enabling them be first into Coober Pedy and have some fun around the town shopping for opals and looking at mining museums and maybe a drink at one of the underground hotels.

Mon June 28th - Coober Pedy to Mungerannie

Today is a real adventure day. Out of town through the mines and onto a fast sweeping undulating stock route heading for William Creek (population 27) for morning tea and a refuel. Here we join the Oodnadatta Track and head out into flat white salt pans, more red earth, blue grey shrubs set against a clear blue sky. Kodak country !

We crisscross the remains of the original Ghan railway to Lake Eyre where Donald Campbell made his world land speed record attempts at 12 metres below sea level. Then to our stages on undulating farm land dotted with salt bush and scrub.

Cute little ant hills - beware they are like solid concrete

Tonight we live in a specially built tent city - in any direction you are over 600 kms from the nearest hotel. John and Genevieve Hammond run the Mungerannie roadhouse and they are our hosts, chefs, bar keepers and bottlewashers for our overnight in the outback. But there are brick-built showers and loos and running hot water.

Look for the huge suspiciously shaped burn marks on the wood ''ll admit that in a weak moment he rode his Harley into the bar one evening to demonstrate a burn-out or two ! Well you are 600 kms from anywhere and TV reception is a bit iffy.

Tues June 29th - Mungerannie to Windorah

A big Aussie bbq breakfast - two bright eggs looking up at you through rashers of bacon and sausages - to start the day. On to the Oldfield's Cowarie Station for 60 kms of competitive amusement on a wonderful pair of stages. An amazing mix of clay pans, red murram, sand dunes, tiny gibber pebbles dodging 'roos and emus. Cor !

Take ten minutes to stop at the classic wide verandah Birdsville pub where they offer patrons a seven course lunch. That's a six pack and a pie. Birdsville has a population of 120 and the pub interior is a classic of yesteryear Australia.

And BYOC - that's "bring your own candle at night" !

Another big day on the road, but again easy Ks along talcum white gravel roads sweeping and swooping through the contrasting red brown soil. Into the small town of Windorah to another specially built tented camp.

We make use of the covered tennis court complex as our bbq and bar area and the football oval for our camp. Again we have brick-built toilet and shower facilities. The good folk of Windorah promise to turn out and run the bar to enable you to wash the days dust from your throat with a glass of chilly ale and make our evening one to remember.

Wed June 30th - Windorah to Roma

This really is the Big One. Over 800 kms on the road with more than a 100 kms of stages. One of the stages in the longest in the event at 56 kms; this is the true Marathon Mans' day. It's very much the style of the old Round Australia events of the 50s.

If you have time to look, the stages are set in stunning scenery on private properties with creek crossings, sand hills, ant hills, stony tracks where adhesion is scarce and some breath taking fast sweeping sections. Tall blonde gum trees, contrasting with bluey green wattles with their yellow flowers. Landscapes that inspired a legion of Australian bush artists. It's a day of what you really came to Oz to do and see.

Roma is a small country town and tonight we are in a selection of motels. But be assured of a good warm welcome. Mayor Bruce Garvie is something of a petrolhead. What else can you call someone who owns a 450 horsepower Ford GT40 replica.

Thur July 1st - Roma to Noosa

Now the landscape changes again. Hills and forests replace the plains as we wind towards the morning's stages. Morning tea is at the post office cum café in a small cluster of houses and a wooden church that wouldn't have changed in 75 years.

The stages wind and twist along the sandy floor of pines forests with the occasional crests and water splashes to wash the dust off your screen. Challenging stuff.

Camel train

Fri July 2nd - Noosa to Glen Innes

More new and different landscape. Rolling fields of corn and orchards, farmland and forests and well fed glossy coated cattle. And stand by for a feast of 3 forest stages and over 100 kms of competitive wheel twirling.

The forests change from pine to dense rainforests as we progress through them. Clowes Cuppers will enjoy the sight of the violent colours of crimson rosellas swooping along the forest tracks with their shining chests and bright blue wings. You'll have done a days work by the time you come out of the forests.

We climb to 2000m above sea level through yellow corn fields and there's some good motoring to be hand on winding deserted roads. Glen Innes is a small town and the event is spread between six motels this evening. Take time to wander down the main street and look at the heritage colonial architecture of the 19th century buildings. It looks like a Hollywood setting, but it's real life.

Sat July 3rd - Glen Innes to Port Macquarie

Glen Innes has a great Scottish heritage so it will come as no surprise to find yourself being flagged off from the splendid Victorian Town Hall by the Mayor in full highland dress aided by a pair of kilted bagpipers.

It's lush green cattle country and the 3 stages this morning sweep and swoop through farmland and into dense rainforests. The scenery is really old fashioned Australia - rolling countryside, remote farming communities, well used and well tended fences, everything quietly efficient with no frills. And you know little has changed out here for at least three generations.

Port Macquarie is a small seaside resort town. Our posh hotel has pelicans strutting on the lawn. Clowes Cuppers are scheduled to arrive first today to take advantage of a stroll around town to enjoy the harbourside views.

Sun July 4th - Port Macquarie to Sydney

This really is the very last day of your 30 day odyssey across seven countries. We've got two forest stages for you, the last is a little gem running clear across a mountain ridge. Stop at the end and walk 100m to the look out point for a 20 km view and see where you've been. Stunning.

Then a gentle cruise into Sydney and the ceremonial finish against the backdrop of the worlds most famous Opera House. Time to share a glass of champers on the finish line and celebrate with mates and family. Our hotel is in the buzzy busy centre of Darling Harbour.

The black tie Awards Dinner will be the culmination of your great adventure.

CLOWES CUP SCHEDULES

We've plotted a schedule that some days sees Clowes Cuppers starting ahead of the rally and some days it follows on behind. Additionally on some days we have devised short-cuts that a take a few kms off the route so that they get in ahead of the rally with more time to spend at leisure in the overnight halt.

A BLACK AND WHITE MOVIE

Yes, they could be back in fashion. Aussie Graham Gay who was a film cameraman on the original 1968 London-Sydney recently discovered a heap of junked Castrol film footage from '68 and has mended it, enhanced it and made a smashing 1 hour doco.

It really is a trip down memory lane and serves to explain to those who weren't old enough to remember the original event just what it is we are re-enacting.

Very black and white and slightly grainy it really is a trip back in time in terms of style and mood. Scripted by the gifted author Evan Green, himself a competitor on the event, and voiced by talk back radio king John Laws it's well worth owing a copy.

A modest A$50, maybe plus some postage for overseas sending is all it costs. Details from Graham Gay at hawk.eye@bigpond.com

CO-DRIVER WANTED

Need a co-driver with the patience of Job, reasonably deep pockets and a sense of humor. The Veteran 64/65 Rally Sprint Falcon - "The Yank Tank" - is completely rebuilt and ready to go. Modified by Rainsford & Co. (Australia) as well as the NASCAR builders, Holman & Moody, no expense has been spared. Even the front end is finally fixed (God I hope).

Ran 2nd to a Viper in Newfoundland, got a special plate in Tasmania, finished in Panama to Alaska and the 2000 London to Sydney. May run in La Carrera Panamericana if you want to go.

My ex-wife says I am still as rock steady crazy as I have been for years.

Fancy joining me on next year's London-Sydney?

C.J. "Chip" Johns. Call me at Cell US +1 915 203 6666 or +1 505 233 4628 or email jcjranches@netzero.net

• No 1 - July 2003