Travel your Dreams

The Dream that became Reality
Albert completed 4 trans-Australia crossings
and 15 overland adventures between India and Britain
1968 - 1976

ALBERT's first journey departed from the GPO in Martin Place, Sydney, on Tuesday 8th October 1968, arriving in London 132 days later on Monday 17th February 1969. It was an epic adventure.

The bus returned to Sydney in 1969, departing from Bay 1 at Victoria Coach Station as promised by the superintendant and taking the same route beneath the rail bridge at Dozan where the river-bed had been cleared in advance in a generous welcoming gesture by the local highway authority after the annual spring water flows.

In 1970 the third journey, Sydney to London, took the Khyber Pass route via Afghanistan to avoid the Bolan scenario yet again. The new route had only one height diversion (read the book!) and was much enjoyed by travellers as Afghanistan, a starkly beautiful country, was becoming a popular destination.

A year-round timetable was drawn up for a regular service between London and Calcutta, being trip Nos 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9, and then trip No 10 running right through to Sydney and Trip No 11 from Sydney back to London. Trip Nos 12, 13, 14 & 15 operated between London and Calcutta.

In 1976, with political tensions rising in Iran, trip No 16 was planned to return ALBERT back to Sydney for a well earned retirement. However, the pace of revoloutionary fervour beat our schedule with travel through Iran being considered impractical, so Albert had to be rested in England.

Over the years ALBERT made more than 150 border crossings without ever being held up for serious scrutiny, nor was a bribe ever proffered to smooth the passage; this at a time when other vehicles were all too often seen marooned at check-posts with neither body panels nor owners.

The bus earned universal respect as a friendly ambassador to all countries visited and was always welcomed and smiled upon by officials and the countless friends made along the way for whom the name A-L-B-E-R-T was one they could read, remember and say - in any language!