Student beats desert
NZPA Brisbane A lone bush-walker, Paul Sharp, strolled into Birdsville yesterday afternoon to end an epic 600 km trek across the Simpson Desert in central Australia.
The 22-year-old Melbourne university student refused a lift in a police four-wheel-drive vehicle over the last 49km in his attempt to become the first person to walk across the rugged desert alone and unassisted.
Constable Bob Goad, of Birdsville, 1350 km west of Brisbane, set out in search of Mr Sharp on Monday
after he had missed a scheduled radio check. “He doesn’t want to walk any further,” Constable Goad said by radio-tele-phone after Mr Sharp had reached Birdsville.
Mr Sharp set out from Purni Bore, in the north of South Australia, on July 19. He survived on dried rations and carried some water during his journey, with extra water supplies left for him near the QueenslandNorthern Territory-South Australian border intersection.
Some natural water was also available, a result of recent rare rain.
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Press, 3 August 1983, Page 10
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162Student beats desert Press, 3 August 1983, Page 10
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