From London to the Top End, Bean team starts final leg of epic trip

After clearing quarantine, the 100-year-old Bean roadster is back on Australian soil for the first time in months and they crossed paths with a beast even they can’t tame.

Matthew Benn and Warren Brown start the long road south to Melbourne from the Northern Territory. Picture: Nigel Wright

Snowflake the saltwater crocodile greeted another pair of weary old crocks when The Daily Telegraph’s team Bean arrived in Darwin for the final leg of their epic across the world adventure.

Co-drivers Warren Brown and Matthew Benns cleared customs and quarantine to drive their 100-year-old Bean roadster on Australian soil for the first time in six months and went straight to meet a Northern Territory local.

“You can’t get a more Top End welcome back to Australia than coming face-to-face with a salty,” said crocodile wrangler Tom Leyshon from Top End Critters.

Two-year-old snowflake measures in at 80cm and can still deliver a nasty nip that is nothing compared to what he will be capable of when he reaches his full six metre size.

“You can train saltwater crocodiles but you cannot tame them,” Mr Leyshon said. “He will always look at me as dinner.”

The Bean team got to hold a baby saltwater crocodile. Picture: Nigel Wright,

The open-topped Bean roadster arrived in Darwin after a marathon drive from London, across Europe, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and on to Singapore and is already powering through the red dust of the outback on the longest 5000 km leg of the entire trip

“We hope to be in Sydney for Australia Day and then finish at the Melbourne Post Office a few days later just as Francis Birtles did in his Bean 14 almost 100 years ago,” cartoonist Mr Brown said.

They are raising money and awareness for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and made a bee line for the RFDS Tourist Facility on Darwin waterfront.

RFDS NT tourism manager Bek Garrett has followed the team’s recreation of Birtles original journey and was delighted to see members of the public coming up to donate money when they saw the car.

Matthew Benn and Warren Brown are back on Australian soil. Picture: Nigel Wright

“Every dollar makes a significant difference in the work that we do in delivering fantastic care to the furthest corners of Australia,” she said.

“Just what you have raised today from people seeing the car and putting money in the collection tins will be enough for two medical kits to go out to our remote communities,” she said.

The Bean team has already raised more than $100,000 for the RFDS and will be fundraising right across Australia on the long drive to Melbourne. Those who wish to donate can personally drop some money in the collecting tins when they see the car or go to:

Royal Flying Doctor Service – Birtles and the Bean fundraising for the Flying Doctor (doyourthing.org.au)

Originally published as From London to the Top End, Bean team starts final leg of epic trip