Australian tourism authorities are seeking five foreign couples to take part in what is touted as the world’s longest, and most extraordinary, taxi ride.
Building on last year’s highly successful “Best Job in the World” campaign, officials are hoping to promote remote and rugged Western Australia by launching the “Extraordinary Taxi Ride.”
In a nine-week journey over some 11,000km of road, five couples — one from New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Germany and Britain — will travel the state in the back of a taxi.
The couples, along with six Australian pairs, will travel one section each of the 11-leg journey, which starts in Perth on April 9 and traverses outback and the beach-lined west coast before winding north to ex-pearling center Broome.
“It’s based on the story of a 1930s spinster and two colleagues who travelled from Melbourne to Darwin and back again by taxi, but with a modern twist,” said Tourism WA director Stephanie Buckland.
That record-breaking trip, an epic 9,000km along Australia’s east coast, cost the wealthy and adventurous Ada Beal £300 and took three months in a soft-top taxi in 1930.
The fare roughly translates to about A$20,000 (US$18,000, NT$583,000) today.
Buckland said the 2010 ride would be poles apart from driver Charlie Heard’s original journey, featuring four-wheel drive “stunt taxi” vehicles for the bumpier, more remote sections and involving support and film crews.
Participants will document their all-expenses-paid adventure online with video blogs and Twitter updates, and the official Web site will feature a live streaming “taxicam” and a guess-the-fare contest, she added.
More than 400 cabbies applied to drive the epic route, with Doug Slater of Bunbury being awarded the honor, for which he will be paid A$25,000. (AFP WITH STAFF WRITER)
澳洲旅遊當局正徵求五對外國夫妻或情侶，參與一場號稱全球最長、最特別的計程車之旅。
去年的「世界最棒工作」活動相當成功，官員們希望再藉著「驚奇計程車之旅」來推廣偏遠、崎嶇的澳洲西部觀光。
在這趟為期九週、路程約一萬一千公里的旅程中，來自紐西蘭、馬來西亞、新加坡、德國和英國的五對夫妻情侶檔將搭乘計程車暢遊西澳。
整個活動分為十一站，五對外國參賽隊伍及六對澳洲當地組合將以一組一站的方式完成接力。活動訂四月九日在伯斯起跑，橫越內陸及西部沿岸後，再蜿蜒抵達北部前珍珠生產中心布隆市。
西澳觀光局局長史蒂芬妮•巴克蘭表示：「我們的靈感來自一九三０年代一名單身女性與兩名同事從墨爾本一路搭計程車玩到達爾文再返回的故事，不過這次活動多了現代色彩。
一九三０年那場破紀錄的環遊澳洲東岸旅程中，愛冒險的富家女艾達•畢爾搭乘軟頂篷計程車顛簸了三個月、花費三百英鎊才完成九千公里的長征。
當初旅費折算現今幣值大約是兩萬澳幣（一萬八千美元、新台幣五十八萬三千元）。
巴克蘭表示，今年的活動和當初由查理•赫駕駛的計程車之旅有著天壤之別，除了提供適合挑戰更顛簸、更偏遠路段的四輪傳動「特技計程車」外，還安排專門支援和攝影的工作人員。
她還說，參賽者會透過影音部落格和推特更新的方式，把參加「公費」冒險的過程公佈在網路上，而西澳觀光局官網也會即時轉播「計程車攝影機」拍攝到的畫面，並舉辦旅費預測比賽。
有四百多輛伯斯當地的計程車報名參加這次壯遊，最後由來自邦柏里的道格•司拉特脫穎而出，擔任計程車駕駛的他將可獲得兩萬五千澳幣的薪酬。
（法新社╱翻譯：林倩如）
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