Grey nomads who find life in the van or motorhome a bits squishy sometimes should spare a thought for two couples about to travel the country … in a Mini.
Sunshine Coast pair John and Lynne Kornbrekke were inspired to embark on the journey when Canadians Rick and Elaine Higgs contacted them two years ago with the idea.
“If you drive around in a caravan, it’s just a trip,” John told the Central Telegraph. “But if you drive around in a Mini with a trailer, it’s an adventure.”
The foursome decided the trip should coincide with the Mini Owners Club of Queensland’s celebrations to mark the Mini’s 50th anniversary in Australia.
The Higgs’ flew out from Vancouver two weeks ago and have spent this week running in their newly-acquired 1973 Clubman panel van.
The adventurers are setting off today in their quest to drive 22,000 kilometres of Australia’s sealed roads in an anti-clockwise direction, in 70 days, without air conditioning.
The Kornbrekkes will use a trailer, custom made from the rear end of a Mini panel van, to store equipment.
The Higgs have driven tens of thousands of kilometres, including a west to east coast of Canada in one marathon journey, but the longest John and Lynne have spent in a Mini at one time is six days.
