25 Jul The Outback Broker

If an unsuspecting drone picked up Brad indulging in karaoke with wild abandonment to Britney Spears 1000km NW of Brisbane, he would have to be excused, as it would be considered an acceptable pastime whilst hurtling down the A2 to Longreach.  After all, who is going to hear you (besides the drone uploading the material to every social media platform for a viral news feed)?

What you don’t want is to be screaming for help under a big blue sky whilst broken down on a gun barrel dirt track deep amongst the mulga scrub in western QLD or outback NSW.

To ensure our most valued business partner returns from each expedition visiting remote agribusiness clients, below is a cheat sheet of what he takes to complete a round trip.  What he has omitted though is the Selena Gomez, Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber CD’s that he has secretly stashed….

The above photo comprises the essential items when travelling in the outback. They are (L to R):

• Metal tea cup and billy in leather case – used regularly to break long trips
• Container of nuts and raisins – used regularly to take the edge off your hunger when doing the long haul drives (i.e. up to 9 hours).
• Custom packed first aid and survival kit, including mandatory hip flask of rum to elevate spirits in a bad situation, or to simply keep warm, or more often to celebrate a good day on the road
• ‘Treds’ (green) used to get out being bogged when alone, as in last week when trying to cross a dry sandy creek bed near Rat Point Camp at Tibooburra (where one of Burke and Wills men died of starvation in 1861)
• Snatch strap – to get you out of a bog when you have 2nd vehicle on hand (as in three weeks ago at Nyngan)
• Satellite emergency beacon (small black case)  – not used to date thankfully
• Satellite phone (small grey item) – used regularly to confirm directions to stations, when the alternative to having nothing is a wrong turn that could add hours to the trip
• 20 litre jerry can – I carry up to 3 of these depending on the itinerary. Also carry at least 10 litres of water
• 4WD survival guide book – referred to when I don’t know what to do!
• Air compressor and tyre puncture repair kit (last used between Longreach and Windorah in May).