London to Sydney

Paul's Diary !

 

European leg.

From our London Start it's two stages before we take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St Malo.

The run through central France will take in some fine championship stages off the beaten tracks in typical rural countryside heading towards alpine country. Gap and the mountains beyond were once the stamping ground of the famous Monte Carlo rallies of old.

In Italy we take in some of the old San Remo stages, it's a region rich in stages which is why we've planned a double loop there to take full advantage of some of the best ones.

An overnight ferry takes us to Greece to sample some of the famed Acropolis and Halkidiki stages of the present and past and then a well-earned rest day in the charming Mediterranean sea port town of Alexandroupoli before we head off into Turkey and our first airlift - out of Ankara to India. The whole leg is brand new - exciting new routes and new stages.

Indian leg.

The romance of southern India, the hill country, the tea plantations and an enthusiastic welcome from a strong rally culture which flourishes here.

Short days so we can enjoy the sights and sounds and fragrant scents that are synonymous with this colourful country.

In the relative cool of the hill country the majority of our stages are on the tarmac service roads through the tea plantations. 

Australian leg.

Alice Springs is in the heart of the Northern Territory and it's here the sting in the tail of the event starts.

This is the famed Red Centre of Australia where the dusty roads are bright red and stretch as far you can see. It's tough unforgiving country.

Ayers Rock is one the great sacred Aboriginal sights; from there we go to Coober Pedy, the opal mining centre of the world, and after that we really are 'in the bush' for two days. We're having our own overnight camps built because where we're going there aren't any hotels. You'll get a noontime stop at the famous Birdsville Pub which is on the edge of the Simpson Desert and 300 kms from the next pub.

We point ourselves towards the coast and the fashionable resort of Noosa for your first glimpse of the Pacific. From there it is a wonderful mix of forest and country gravel road stages before what is sure to be an emotional finish in Sydney against the backdrop of the worlds most famous opera house .

Have a look at the TWE Rally Web Site for more information.