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Driving solo around Australia for most of us would be an adventure in itself,
but for eighty-eight year old adventurer Mary Taylor it’s as routine as taking a
morning walk.
Residing in Mornington on the shores of Victoria’s Port Phillip Bay, Mary has
just returned from her thirteenth trip around Australia, an arduous road journey
of over 13,000 kilometres.
The latest trip, which took Mary from Mornington’s Pensinsula Honda to Perth
then on to Darwin where her car was serviced, then to Alice Springs and back to
Monrington, was completed in a new Honda Jazz, supplied by Honda Australia for
the journey.
The Thai built Jazz is virtually standard, apart from an after market cruise
control unit and a video camera which has been mounted on the passenger side of
the dashboard.
The footage Mary shoots will eventually be included in a short documentary
that explores Mary’s passion for driving. “This car,” says Mary, “is the best
I’ve driven, it’s quiet, very comfortable and very, very economical.”
“I usually aim to drive about six hundred kilometers each day so I rarely
stop and sight-see” says Mary. “I’m already looking forward to the next trip,
which will be my fourteenth.”
Mary’s taste for adventure came late in life following a fifty-year marriage
to one of Australia’s top soldiers, Major-General Tim Taylor.
After Tim passed away some years ago, Mary -- who despite having a licence
had rarely driven -- decided to see Australia, and do it by road.
“I was driving from my home in Mornington to my daughter’s house in Armadale
one morning and the thought occurred to me that instead of turning left to go to
her place, what if I kept on going?” says Mary.
“That started me thinking about how to go about planning such a trip. Having
been married to one of Australia’s most senior soldiers, I’d had some experience
at planning, I bought road maps and started to plan. Something like a minor
military exercise”
Not long after, Mary set off on what was to be the first of many adventures
driving around Australia.
A keen author and photographer, Mary has also published a book about her
outback adventures entitled "Baked Beans in the Outback and Curry in Kashmir".
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