Colin and the boys got their Discovery stuck on the beach at Margaret River in Australia. There's just nothing for the tires to stick to in that deep sand.

Journal by Colin McAuliffe

Well, our time in Australia is quickly winding down. today is Friday; we get on a boat on Monday. Today was an immensely busy day, one that by all DATW standards, was a typically immensely busy day. That is, as far as days that would be considered immensely busy are concerned. The day started early in the western city of Perth. The team awoke in a tire yard, where we had been graciously hosted by the owner of the tire company that was doing some tire replacements for us today. Anyway, we got all that tire business started and then began powerwashing the cars. All those days on the gunbarrel had left our vehicles positively caked with bulldust, a hard, clay-like residue of the Outback. So, with the cleaning completed, we headed over to Barbagallo Land Rover, the Perth dealership. Anyway, we had a nice long list of things to be done to the cars and the staff at the dealership was more than glad to assist us. They did a bang-up job, and I was amazed at the speed with which they undertook their task. While we were there Neil came up with a great idea: he suggested that he, Adam and I take D2 down to Margaret river to catch what he would call "some epic surf." Margaret River, or Mags, as the locals call it, is about 3 hours south of Perth, and is a complete Surf town. So here we are, in Mags, and Neil and Adam are bedding down early so they can get up at the crack and ride some waves. Me, on the other hand, I plan to sleep. This being the first night in over 2 weeks that I've slept in a bed, I'm very excited about crawling in and going to sleep, and staying there for a long while.

Logbook for May 14th, Day 196
Start: Maida Vale, Australia
Time: 8:00 a.m.
S: 31* 53.363
E: 116* 02.032
Finish: Cottesloe, Australia
Time: 6:30 p.m.
S: 31* 59.406
E: 115* 45.222
Mileage: 96
Notes: After replacing a couple of tires in the morning, the team went to Barbagallo Land Rover for checkups and repairs. Film crew went south to surf. Interviews were conducted with 6PR Newsradio and several newspapers. Team rounded out the day by meeting a representative (Claire) from ARB and chatting with the Land Rover employees in the Barbagallo parking lot.

(N.O.)

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.