A Lap of Australia for Beginners

Synopsis

It is actually four books into one and crosses over different genres, the main one being a travel book for people contemplating driving around Australia. It is sometimes called doing the Big Lap. But it is so much more than that. It is also a memoir and a comedy of errors all wrapped into one. May B Wild, her husband Chris and their dog Watson set off on a journey and covered 33 280 kms over 326 days in a 20 year old bus converted into a motorhome they called the Golden Goose.

The book is divided into four parts: the practical journey, the magical journey, the educational journey and the emotional journey. Each chapter starts with a question that they either asked themselves or that people asked them. The questions are answered with humour, facts and anecdotes.

Here is a summary of what is covered

Part 1: The practical journey answers questions such as

Who thought of that? What kind of rig have you got? Why is it taking so long? How about the daily household chores? How did you go with the dog? Where did you stay at night? Did anything scary happen? How much did it cost?

Part 2: The magical journey answers questions such as

Where are we going? Did you see that? Did you meet anyone interesting? How weird was that? Is that another National Park? Is that art? How come we missed that?

Part 3: The educational journey answers questions such as

Does history repeat? Who invented that? Is that a gun in your pocket? War and what is it good for? What were they thinking? Is it black and white? What makes the economy run? Do you mine? Are diamonds a girl's best friend? Anyone for a glass of wine? Is it a Pub or a Hotel? Does it bite?

Part 4: The emotional journey answers questions such as

How did your couple survive? Is blood thicker than water? How does it feel to be back home?