16 June, 2014
Rod Wade has gone on many adventures in his life.
He climbed Kilimanjaro, he set a new world record for driving from New York to California in just over 50 hours, and last year he took part in a classic car trip from Beijing to Paris.
Now the 71-year-old has completed another epic challenge.
Along with co-driver Austen Ritchie, 38, the motor junkie drove a total of 9,000 kilometres across Australia in a 1930 Ford Model A.
The pair travelled from Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast through Queensland, New South Wales, Southern Australia and the Nullarbor Plains before arriving at Bathers Beach in Fremantle.
From there, they got straight back onto the road and arrived back at Surfers Paradise 101 hours, 52 minutes and 32 seconds after setting off - a new world record for driving across the continent in a pre-war car!
The trip was not without its difficulties however.
Rod and Austen suffered two breakdowns in the Nullarbor Plains in the middle of the night and had to carry out emergency repairs by the roadside.
Classic car insurance might have also come in handy on the way back, when both the Ford Model A and a support vehicle were involved in a collision with a kangaroo.
Rod said: "This has been the most amazing challenge with the best crew pulling together to get us across the finish line.
"The support out on the road from service station staff, border patrols, local police and motorists has been fantastic. It may be too early to say 'next time' but plans are already afoot."
But making it into the record books was not the only motivation behind the Ocean to Ocean challenge.
It also helped to raise money for an Australian kidney charity which plans to fit a fleet of campervans with dialysis machines.
Kidney Health Australia hopes that the 'Kidney Kampers' will allow people suffering from kidney disease to take trips away from the hospital for revitalising mini-breaks or weekends.
Both Rod's wife and daughter suffer from kidney disease, and the Wade family have already raised thousands of dollars for the charity. They have also provided the money to help build the very first 'Kidney Kamper'.
It's thought that around 1.7 million Australians - more than 7% of the population - have indicators of kidney disease, and 56 people die from it every day.
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