Road trains rule in the Aussie outback
I liked the way the road train parked behind the NO TRUCKS sign
Wish I’d kept track of how many road trains we saw on our recent travels in outback Australia.
Road trains are big truck rigs made up of a conventional tractor unit that pulls multiple semi-trailers. They operate in the USA, Canada, Argentina and Mexico, but the longest and heaviest ones are in Australia.
These biggies are allowed to operate only in western New South Wales, western Queensland, Western Australia, South Australian and the Northern Territory. Because Australian road trains transport all sorts of freight—livestock, fuel, mineral ores—they have remote areas of the country to develop economically.
We were able to have a close look at a parked rig, that came from the Olympic Dam Mine at Roxby Downs, South Australia. It was hauling 50,000 tons of copper sheets stacked across two flatbeds. It had 42 wheels and it took me just over a minute to walk slowly down its length. It takes quite a while to pass them on the road too.
We also saw a lot of wide loads, but none as impressive as the pipes/tubes we saw being hauled last year in Western Australia.
Where to next? 
Hi,
I’m doing some research about traditional villages in Peru and was quite impressed by the pics you posted. Actually, the whole adventure seems amazing and definitely inspiring!
I just wanted to get in touch with you in order to have some more information about the places and contacts you had near Lares, Peru. I hope this doesn’t mind you and look forward to hear from you soon.
Best,
J
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Hi Juan, so glad you stopped by. I have a few more blog items to add about the Lares Trek, so I hope they will help you. By the way, we did the Lares trek with a guide from a company called Pachamama. They were absolutely fantastic.
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Hello Peggy, thanks a lot for your reply and for the contact in Peru. Do you happen to have more photos? As I said, I’m researching about traditional villages in the area, and I have to say that I’m quite impressed to see that even though the Lares trek has become a very popular one (not as crowded as the Inca trail, though) and that everyday there are groups hiking, you can still find a few places where peasant families live still in a traditional way. Do you think that tourism will affect their lives soon? Do you have any particular memories?
I’m in contact with a few guides and I definitely have yours. Each one seems to have their own paths, but share a few camping sites (Patacancha).
Keep on rolling! (now that I suscribe to the blog, I look forward to new stories!!).
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Juan, I have so many wonderful memories of the Lares Trek. We were so lucky to have a local fellow (Udon) guide us on this trek and I will write a blog item soon on all the great bits of information he gave us.
As for whether tourism will affect the area—of course it will. But I hope that it will happen slowly. Most tourists are still obsessed with doing the Inca Trail, so that should keep the Lares Trek smaller and friendlier.
Stay tuned for more news. 🙂
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THANKS FOR SHARING, PEG. REGARDS TO POOR JOHN!
DR.RICK
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Hi Rick, glad you stopped by. Poor John is doing fine—lazying round today.
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