[Suzanne rose]

Hitch Hiking​

Something that was very popular in the 60s and 70s and Something I did often.
Looking back on days gone by and things we did I definitely wouldn't want my kids doing it today.
​

 

[Gsr]

Personally I have never hitch hiked, nor have I ever picked up a hitch hiker. I never thought it was a safe thing to do either, even back in the seventies when I first got my licence. Now our daughter hitch hikes quite a lot when she goes hiking in USA or NZ mostly. Sometimes in Australia. It is quite the done thing when hiking the PCT from Mexico to Canada, which she did last year. The hikers hitch rides to get into town for their trail breaks. Same deal in NZ to get to and from hiking trails, which she did from November last year to March this year. Most of the time she was with several other hikers, thank goodness, but a few times she was on her own. We worry about her all the time when she is off hiking, but she seems to think she will always be safe. We hope she is right. Sadly there are a lot of not so nice people about now and hitch hikers disappear all the time, a lot more often than we hear about.

 

[PeakA]

I hitch hiked quite a few times in the 1960s and early 1970s, between melbourne and Sydney mostly. But probably my most memorable experience was after I had spent a couple of years in the UK in the early 70s.



I had decided to do the overland trip on my return to Australia and bought a ticket on a cheap (but memorable) bus trip from London to Kathmandu (some people actually hitch hiked the whole way - I wasn't that brave). After a short while in Nepal I flew to Bangkok, then took a train to Penang, then Kuala Lumpur and then flew to Perth.



But by that time I had no money for plane, train or bus fare back to Melbourne, so I hitch hiked which was quite an experience. Slept one night in an unlocked school bus near Coolgardie. Caught a lift with a guy in a rather beaten up Holden which was burning oil at a great rate (which I paid for with my meagre funds), then his exhaust fell off in one of the more arid sections of the Nullabor and we finally had to abandon it (it's probably still there).

I finally got a ride with a pair of Hari Krishnas all the way to Melbourne (with Hari Krishna tapes blaring all the way).

 

[Jarred Santos]

Personally I have never hitch hiked, nor have I ever picked up a hitch hiker. I never thought it was a safe thing to do either, even back in the seventies when I first got my licence. Now our daughter hitch hikes quite a lot when she goes hiking in USA or NZ mostly. Sometimes in Australia. It is quite the done thing when hiking the PCT from Mexico to Canada, which she did last year. The hikers hitch rides to get into town for their trail breaks. Same deal in NZ to get to and from hiking trails, which she did from November last year to March this year. Most of the time she was with several other hikers, thank goodness, but a few times she was on her own. We worry about her all the time when she is off hiking, but she seems to think she will always be safe. We hope she is right. Sadly there are a lot of not so nice people about now and hitch hikers disappear all the time, a lot more often than we hear about.

The chills I had when I read she did it at Mexico! It's just that it isn't really known for being the safest spot... May no harm come to her in her travels!

 

[Jarred Santos]

I hitch hiked quite a few times in the 1960s and early 1970s, between melbourne and Sydney mostly. But probably my most memorable experience was after I had spent a couple of years in the UK in the early 70s.

View attachment 23935

I had decided to do the overland trip on my return to Australia and bought a ticket on a cheap (but memorable) bus trip from London to Kathmandu (some people actually hitch hiked the whole way - I wasn't that brave). After a short while in Nepal I flew to Bangkok, then took a train to Penang, then Kuala Lumpur and then flew to Perth.

View attachment 23936

But by that time I had no money for plane, train or bus fare back to Melbourne, so I hitch hiked which was quite an experience. Slept one night in an unlocked school bus near Coolgardie. Caught a lift with a guy in a rather beaten up Holden which was burning oil at a great rate (which I paid for with my meagre funds), then his exhaust fell off in one of the more arid sections of the Nullabor and we finally had to abandon it (it's probably still there).

I finally got a ride with a pair of Hari Krishnas all the way to Melbourne (with Hari Krishna tapes blaring all the way).

Wow, with pictures to boot! You must have been so relieved to have been on that last leg

 

[Suzanne rose]

I hitch hiked quite a few times in the 1960s and early 1970s, between melbourne and Sydney mostly. But probably my most memorable experience was after I had spent a couple of years in the UK in the early 70s.

View attachment 23935

I had decided to do the overland trip on my return to Australia and bought a ticket on a cheap (but memorable) bus trip from London to Kathmandu (some people actually hitch hiked the whole way - I wasn't that brave). After a short while in Nepal I flew to Bangkok, then took a train to Penang, then Kuala Lumpur and then flew to Perth.

View attachment 23936

But by that time I had no money for plane, train or bus fare back to Melbourne, so I hitch hiked which was quite an experience. Slept one night in an unlocked school bus near Coolgardie. Caught a lift with a guy in a rather beaten up Holden which was burning oil at a great rate (which I paid for with my meagre funds), then his exhaust fell off in one of the more arid sections of the Nullabor and we finally had to abandon it (it's probably still there).

I finally got a ride with a pair of Hari Krishnas all the way to Melbourne (with Hari Krishna tapes blaring all the way).

Great story , what an adventure , I'm amazed The Hari Krishna didn't try to convert you or maybe that's a follow up story .
Thank you for sharing, how amazing is it to be able to share stories and adventures like this

 

[RTS]

I've crossed the Nullarbor eight times, three of them by car. On a stretch of unsealed road in the middle of nowhere, we had to stop for a wombat crossing. I'd never seen one before.

 

[Lesle]

Personally I have never hitch hiked, nor have I ever picked up a hitch hiker. I never thought it was a safe thing to do either, even back in the seventies when I first got my licence. Now our daughter hitch hikes quite a lot when she goes hiking in USA or NZ mostly. Sometimes in Australia. It is quite the done thing when hiking the PCT from Mexico to Canada, which she did last year. The hikers hitch rides to get into town for their trail breaks. Same deal in NZ to get to and from hiking trails, which she did from November last year to March this year. Most of the time she was with several other hikers, thank goodness, but a few times she was on her own. We worry about her all the time when she is off hiking, but she seems to think she will always be safe. We hope she is right. Sadly there are a lot of not so nice people about now and hitch hikers disappear all the time, a lot more often than we hear about.

A lot of hitchhikers disappeared back in the 60s and 70s that we are just hearing about now, a lot of people are saying, they disappear from hitchhiking ,but I’m with you I never hitchhiked when I was a kid, my elder sisters did, I have five kids and none of them have ever hitchhiked. I’ve always said to them. If you breakdown, ever need a lift, call me I’m always here don’t ever hitchhike you never know who is behind the wheel of that car.

 

[Mina vriesekolk]

I hitchhiked a lot in Europe in the good old 60’s .
Always with the same girlfriend , we were both adventurous and did many things most of us would not do .
We met when we were 12 yrs old , an uncle and aunt of me moved across from their farm and we were introduced , got on so well and never looked back.
I remember one time we came back from family and got a ride with a truck driver, At some stage I left , as I was going home , but she lived further north and kept going with the truck driver . Later that night , I rang her mum , but she had not arrived yet , so I was getting worried , so was her Mum.
She rang me the next morning and said she came home very late , they stopped and had dinner in a restaurant and the truck driver paid for her meal as well.
When we had a potential lift and the guy looked a bit dodgy, we did not accept the lift .
Very good memories , but you have to be careful .

 

[MJPB on Magnetic]

Hitch Hiking

Something that was very popular in the 60s and 70s and Something I did often.
Looking back on days gone by and things we did I definitely wouldn't want my kids doing it today.
View attachment 23212​

Often.