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Is That Thing Diesel?
The next eagerly awaited, high octane, seat-of-your-pants adventure from the author of the bestselling Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs (she thinks I'm a piano player in a whorehouse) sees (the surely a bit bonkers) Paul Carter circumnavigating Australia on a bio-diesel motorcycle.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published June 17, 2014
18 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
About the author
Paul Carter
158 books90 followersPaul Carter was born in England in 1969. His father's military career had the family moving all over the world, re-locating every few years. Paul has lived, worked, gotten into trouble and been given a serious talking to in England, Scotland, Germany, France, Holland, Norway, Portugal, Tunisia, Australia, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, Borneo, Columbia, Vietnam, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Sumatra, the Philippines, Korea, Japan, China, USA and Saudi Arabia. Today he lives in Perth with his wife, baby daughter and two motorbikes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 26, 2015
The formative idea of this book is that 40-something Paul Carter, having recently attained the status of fatherhood, is not ready to settle down into suburban life in Perth just yet. After spending an interesting two decades flitting around the world working on various oil rigs, he wants one last big adventure before he succumbs to domesticity. Being passionate about motorcycles, he wants to go on a Really Big Ride. Only problem is that he lacks the necessary cash to indulge his fantasy, so has to go looking for people willing to sponsor his personal mid-life crisis. By some incredible good fortune he discovers a way of doing it. Using an experimental model of a modified motorcycle, he will circumnavigate Australia riding a bike running on bio-fuel. The test vehicle, called Betty, belongs to the engineering department at the University of Adelaide, where the professor and students are eager to assist Carter’s vision. Finance and in-kind support roll in from former oil industry colleagues, mates and the customised motorcycle community. Carter has some status as a part-time author of two successful memoirs about his life on the rigs, and he intends to help finance the trip by writing the story of his journey - which resulted in the volume I have just finished reading.
Generally speaking, I enjoy reading travelogues, particularly those that offer insights into the people and ways of life in parts of Australia that I never get to see. Mark Dapin’s Strange Country, which I read recently, is a really good example of the genre. I wish I could say the same for Is That Thing Diesel? Unfortunately I found this piece of self-indulgent twaddle really disappointing on many counts. I won’t go into them all but will mention three:
1. Self-indulgence and Self-importance. This trip turns out to be Carter’s vanity project. It’s all about him and how many maaaates he has and how wonderfully they treat him on the ‘Big Lap’. He shows no interest at all in the local people he encounters along the route, except on those occasions when they get in his face. He and his mates indulge in the biggest piss-up you can imagine, drinking themselves into oblivion most nights in various local hotels and motels - that’s the extent of Carter’s interest in the communities he visits.
2. False pretences. In theory, Carter is riding Betty the Bio-fuel Bike around Australia to test its viability as an alternative form of transport. It soon becomes clear that Carter has zero knowledge of and interest in alternative energy issues and he certainly does absolutely nothing off his own bat during the circumnavigation or in the book to promote the concepts. Admittedly he does give the occasional interview to the local media, such as when he was hospitalised at Longreach for a few days following a crash. He frequently bemoans Betty’s lack of power, and he treats the bike quite brutally by speeding beyond its capacity, causing damage to the equipment which leads to several break-downs. He makes it very clear that what he really wants is to be zooming along on a really powerful, large bike, in a high-octane petrol jaunt with his fellow bikers. Somehow I feel the Adelaide Uni folk were comprehensively gypped by this imposter.
3. Blokiness and Sexism. I presume Carter wrote the book with his biker mates and blokes in general as the intended audience. Certainly the tone of the book is pitched at the very lowest common denominator in Australian society. It is full of macho tales and gratuitous bad language, along with some toilet humour of the big fart variety. The women he meets along the way are sexualised, with descriptions of their ‘hot’ breasts and bottoms, and very occasionally their faces. It was particularly galling to have Carter refer regularly to his wife, Clare and their daughter, Lola, as ‘my girls’. No, Paul, Clare is a mature woman who has given birth, she is NOT a ‘girl’. The only thing I seriously do not understand about this entire mis-adventure is why Clare stays with him. I also think his mind-set is so outdated and bogan. In our contemporary society, in which alcohol abuse and alcohol-fuelled violence are serious concerns, his homage to the blokey boozer biker lifestyle is not only pathetic and passé but also inappropriate.
It surprises me that Paul Carter has been a publishing success, because he really is a bit of a bovver boy, a piss-head and also rather a wanker. His prose style is easy and fluid, and it is not hard to read the book in quick fashion. Undoubtedly its low-brow language will be accessible to the least-educated in Australian society. I am happy to admit there are some genuinely funny moments in the story. However it is one of the least satisfying books I’ve read this year. My expectation that I would read something interesting and educative was an unfounded assumption on my part. This is simply a bloke's memoir, targeted at similarly-minded blokes. I understand his earlier volume Don’t Tell Mom I Work on the Rigs has been a best-seller. It certainly won’t be on my TBR list.
A grudging 1 ★
Generally speaking, I enjoy reading travelogues, particularly those that offer insights into the people and ways of life in parts of Australia that I never get to see. Mark Dapin’s Strange Country, which I read recently, is a really good example of the genre. I wish I could say the same for Is That Thing Diesel? Unfortunately I found this piece of self-indulgent twaddle really disappointing on many counts. I won’t go into them all but will mention three:
1. Self-indulgence and Self-importance. This trip turns out to be Carter’s vanity project. It’s all about him and how many maaaates he has and how wonderfully they treat him on the ‘Big Lap’. He shows no interest at all in the local people he encounters along the route, except on those occasions when they get in his face. He and his mates indulge in the biggest piss-up you can imagine, drinking themselves into oblivion most nights in various local hotels and motels - that’s the extent of Carter’s interest in the communities he visits.
2. False pretences. In theory, Carter is riding Betty the Bio-fuel Bike around Australia to test its viability as an alternative form of transport. It soon becomes clear that Carter has zero knowledge of and interest in alternative energy issues and he certainly does absolutely nothing off his own bat during the circumnavigation or in the book to promote the concepts. Admittedly he does give the occasional interview to the local media, such as when he was hospitalised at Longreach for a few days following a crash. He frequently bemoans Betty’s lack of power, and he treats the bike quite brutally by speeding beyond its capacity, causing damage to the equipment which leads to several break-downs. He makes it very clear that what he really wants is to be zooming along on a really powerful, large bike, in a high-octane petrol jaunt with his fellow bikers. Somehow I feel the Adelaide Uni folk were comprehensively gypped by this imposter.
3. Blokiness and Sexism. I presume Carter wrote the book with his biker mates and blokes in general as the intended audience. Certainly the tone of the book is pitched at the very lowest common denominator in Australian society. It is full of macho tales and gratuitous bad language, along with some toilet humour of the big fart variety. The women he meets along the way are sexualised, with descriptions of their ‘hot’ breasts and bottoms, and very occasionally their faces. It was particularly galling to have Carter refer regularly to his wife, Clare and their daughter, Lola, as ‘my girls’. No, Paul, Clare is a mature woman who has given birth, she is NOT a ‘girl’. The only thing I seriously do not understand about this entire mis-adventure is why Clare stays with him. I also think his mind-set is so outdated and bogan. In our contemporary society, in which alcohol abuse and alcohol-fuelled violence are serious concerns, his homage to the blokey boozer biker lifestyle is not only pathetic and passé but also inappropriate.
It surprises me that Paul Carter has been a publishing success, because he really is a bit of a bovver boy, a piss-head and also rather a wanker. His prose style is easy and fluid, and it is not hard to read the book in quick fashion. Undoubtedly its low-brow language will be accessible to the least-educated in Australian society. I am happy to admit there are some genuinely funny moments in the story. However it is one of the least satisfying books I’ve read this year. My expectation that I would read something interesting and educative was an unfounded assumption on my part. This is simply a bloke's memoir, targeted at similarly-minded blokes. I understand his earlier volume Don’t Tell Mom I Work on the Rigs has been a best-seller. It certainly won’t be on my TBR list.
A grudging 1 ★
September 19, 2024
3.5 stars. A generally entertaining, humorous read about the author travelling around Australia on a motor bike using cooking oil. Paul is recently married and has a baby daughter. He no longer works on oil rigs travelling to the world’s most remote, wild and dangerous places. This book covers half a year in Paul’s life when he is around the age of forty.
The book starts off well with his recounting a number of hiccups in trying to attend a writers conference on time, where he was to give a fifteen minute talk. The telling of the motor bike journey is okay but not as humorous.
His first book, ‘Don’t Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, She thinks I’m a piano player in a Whorehouse’ (2006) is very funny. A highly recommended entertaining read.
This book was first published in 2010.
The book starts off well with his recounting a number of hiccups in trying to attend a writers conference on time, where he was to give a fifteen minute talk. The telling of the motor bike journey is okay but not as humorous.
His first book, ‘Don’t Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, She thinks I’m a piano player in a Whorehouse’ (2006) is very funny. A highly recommended entertaining read.
This book was first published in 2010.
March 9, 2021
3 stars
Paul Carter has done a lot of weird and wonderful things whilst working on oil rigs around the world; now he’s back in Australia married with a daughter and intent on being an average suburban bloke. Yeah right!
Obsessed with motor bikes; Carter is hellbent on a road trip with a difference. With the support of his very understanding wife; he sets off on a trip around Australia on a bike built by students and Dr Collin Kestell from The University of Adelaide that runs not on petrol; but cooking oil. Yes cooking oil! What could possibly go wrong?!
I loved Carter’s first two books; he’s a hilarious writer that has the gift of the gab and the ability to write so that you feel like you’re right beside him as he tries to get out of whatever situation that he just happens to find himself in this time. After letting this, his third book; languish in my TBR pile for far too long; I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t up to his usual standard.
The travel memoir side of things was excellent; Carter certainly didn’t fail there. I felt like I was on a vicarious holiday; but it’s now the twenty first century and the ongoing references to beer and boobs was both awkward and unnecessary. Is That Thing Diesel? was first published in 2010 and the editor/s at Allen & Unwin should have known better. Fair enough if that’s what you’re like with your mates, each to their own; but if you’re writing a book to appeal to the masses then it shouldn’t sound like it’s written at times by a sexist yobbo stuck in the 1970s. This is especially given that this kind of writing takes away from what was otherwise a really interesting memoir; even though it was about motor bikes something I know nothing about but which Carter made really interesting.
Although it was a bit smutty and this was disappointing in that it was not up to Carter’s usual standard; he does set up the story well for his next adventure about breaking the motorcycle land speed record for a bike powered by bio-fuel, which is also a project of The University of Adelaide. A must for fans of motorcycles, alternative fuel sources and those who like a laugh; Is That Thing Diesel? is a solid read worthy of three stars.
To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo and @kt_elder on Instagram.
Paul Carter has done a lot of weird and wonderful things whilst working on oil rigs around the world; now he’s back in Australia married with a daughter and intent on being an average suburban bloke. Yeah right!
Obsessed with motor bikes; Carter is hellbent on a road trip with a difference. With the support of his very understanding wife; he sets off on a trip around Australia on a bike built by students and Dr Collin Kestell from The University of Adelaide that runs not on petrol; but cooking oil. Yes cooking oil! What could possibly go wrong?!
I loved Carter’s first two books; he’s a hilarious writer that has the gift of the gab and the ability to write so that you feel like you’re right beside him as he tries to get out of whatever situation that he just happens to find himself in this time. After letting this, his third book; languish in my TBR pile for far too long; I was a little disappointed that it wasn’t up to his usual standard.
The travel memoir side of things was excellent; Carter certainly didn’t fail there. I felt like I was on a vicarious holiday; but it’s now the twenty first century and the ongoing references to beer and boobs was both awkward and unnecessary. Is That Thing Diesel? was first published in 2010 and the editor/s at Allen & Unwin should have known better. Fair enough if that’s what you’re like with your mates, each to their own; but if you’re writing a book to appeal to the masses then it shouldn’t sound like it’s written at times by a sexist yobbo stuck in the 1970s. This is especially given that this kind of writing takes away from what was otherwise a really interesting memoir; even though it was about motor bikes something I know nothing about but which Carter made really interesting.
Although it was a bit smutty and this was disappointing in that it was not up to Carter’s usual standard; he does set up the story well for his next adventure about breaking the motorcycle land speed record for a bike powered by bio-fuel, which is also a project of The University of Adelaide. A must for fans of motorcycles, alternative fuel sources and those who like a laugh; Is That Thing Diesel? is a solid read worthy of three stars.
To play along with my book bingo and to see what else I’m reading, go to #ktbookbingo and @kt_elder on Instagram.
March 29, 2015
Right, first an admission. My wife and I went on a 1100 km drive in our fuel guzzling 4WD. On the way, I bought this talking book and whacked the CD into the driver. Paul Carter, the author, read his story of travelling around Australia on a bike driven by used Vegetable Oil!
The story has some mildly interesting anecdotes of getting the trip up and running followed by the trials and tribulations of actually getting the bike around the country. Look, I didn't really like Carter's style of storytelling, but I am so glad he did it. When finished, I couldn't help but wonder why on unrenewable fossil fuel earth aren't we driving around on much more eco-friendly fuels? Worth a read for anybody wanting to be inspired to better this earth.
The story has some mildly interesting anecdotes of getting the trip up and running followed by the trials and tribulations of actually getting the bike around the country. Look, I didn't really like Carter's style of storytelling, but I am so glad he did it. When finished, I couldn't help but wonder why on unrenewable fossil fuel earth aren't we driving around on much more eco-friendly fuels? Worth a read for anybody wanting to be inspired to better this earth.
January 15, 2017
Not as good as it could have been. Yes, the author has my sense of humour which made a great connection in the early stages. The whole premise of the book makes for a great story. Riding a crazily underpowered bike running on used chip oil around Australia is a great idea. The author is the type of person to turn the idea into reality.
The humour keeps the book fresh for the first half, but sadly it runs out of steam. The second half gets very repetitive and lacks detail and humour. I am sure this reflects the reality of such an amazing adventure, but really does not make for a brilliant book.
I am though keen to get hold of the first of the Authors books to see if this holds the humour and interest all the way through.
The humour keeps the book fresh for the first half, but sadly it runs out of steam. The second half gets very repetitive and lacks detail and humour. I am sure this reflects the reality of such an amazing adventure, but really does not make for a brilliant book.
I am though keen to get hold of the first of the Authors books to see if this holds the humour and interest all the way through.
February 26, 2012
I can see how this book might work for some folks, and it certainly had potential, it really didn't for me. I picked this one up in the Heathrow airport when Dianne and the girls and I were coming back from our trip to Europe last August. Mr. Carter's irreverant personality and writing style at first seemed quite clever but the charm seemed to wear off rather quickly. In the end, the story telling was too simple and I couldn't really figure out what the author was all about other than really loving motorcycles and motorcycle riding. In the end his jaunt around Australia appeared to be just that, and nothing more. At least that's the way I was left feeling.
April 1, 2013
I wanted to like this book. I've driven around Australia (not on a bike!), and I've worked in the mining industry so I could relate to the writer's tone and language. Unfortunately his un-examined sexism sounded all TOO true to me, and we didn't even get onto the trip until well over 1/2 way thru the book.
Read
August 19, 2012Not as good a read as Paul Carter's first two books. Still entertaining.
March 10, 2013
I found this an interesting read, although I was lost in places, its a very 'manly' book in my opinion. I didn't enjoy it as much as his previous books
September 17, 2019
I didnt really enjoy this much. Felt like he was trying just a bit too hard to be blokey and prove he wasnt an old fart. Came across a bit creepy now and then!
May 9, 2022
Loved it! Made me laugh out loud at certain points.
April 21, 2023
An unashamedly blokey account of touring anticlockwise around the huge continent of Australia on an experimental motorbike built to run on used cooking oil.
Minimal information was provided on the most interesting and defining aspect of the journey (like how much vegetable oil was used, how it was carried/stored/filtered/processed or where it was sourced, and if the quality varied, etc., etc.) No, Paul Carter was too busy drinking and being a jack- the-lad. God only knows how he managed to achieve his goal, given he met with a serious accident and was half-cut every night.
There are some genuinely funny moments (Oswald his cat) but other than that, it was a fairly boring read.... about as interesting as Day 3 crossing the Nullabor.
Someone said this was a bloke's book. I don't mind that. But if blokes get off on reading about other blokes' antics and foolhardy stupidity involving booze and bikes - then yeah, it's a blokes' book.
I read Paul Carter's other book "Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs" and enjoyed that a lot more. Probably because it was more interesting, funnier and had better tales.
And you know, a 40-year old author commenting about boobs is a sure sign that this isn't a contender for a New York Bestseller. Which is exactly what I was in dire need of - an antidote break from reading the feminist tome: "The Second Sex" by Simone de Beauvoir.
Two polar opposite books in every way imaginable. (And somewhat of an affirmation of Simone's observation of the human male).
Now, back to Simone....
Minimal information was provided on the most interesting and defining aspect of the journey (like how much vegetable oil was used, how it was carried/stored/filtered/processed or where it was sourced, and if the quality varied, etc., etc.) No, Paul Carter was too busy drinking and being a jack- the-lad. God only knows how he managed to achieve his goal, given he met with a serious accident and was half-cut every night.
There are some genuinely funny moments (Oswald his cat) but other than that, it was a fairly boring read.... about as interesting as Day 3 crossing the Nullabor.
Someone said this was a bloke's book. I don't mind that. But if blokes get off on reading about other blokes' antics and foolhardy stupidity involving booze and bikes - then yeah, it's a blokes' book.
I read Paul Carter's other book "Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs" and enjoyed that a lot more. Probably because it was more interesting, funnier and had better tales.
And you know, a 40-year old author commenting about boobs is a sure sign that this isn't a contender for a New York Bestseller. Which is exactly what I was in dire need of - an antidote break from reading the feminist tome: "The Second Sex" by Simone de Beauvoir.
Two polar opposite books in every way imaginable. (And somewhat of an affirmation of Simone's observation of the human male).
Now, back to Simone....
October 24, 2023
Not as good as his first, better than his second. It's more a book about Paul Carter's mates and various pubs than it is a book about motorbikes or travelling around Australia. You don't learn much about the various towns he travels through, even their names are vague and often omitted. Instead you get pages of detail about every bowel movement PC has ever taken and every nurse he's ever had lewd thoughts about.
It's strange that Carter writes such sexist dull books then also seems to have a real hatred for the fans of those books when they show up to his signings. It's not a surprise the average reader is going to be a blokey 300lb troglodyte, why not be civil with them when they show up to the meet and greets?
Was also a bit disappointing how many ks the bike did in the back of a truck, seems to defeat the purpose of the big lap somewhat, as did skipping the cape and FNQ.
If you like stories about drinking beer and ordering salads in rural pubs you'll enjoy it. If you're a mate or ever shouted Carter a beer, rest assured you got your mention in the book. If you're interested in motorbikes, biofuel, or travelling Australia there's not much here for you.
It's strange that Carter writes such sexist dull books then also seems to have a real hatred for the fans of those books when they show up to his signings. It's not a surprise the average reader is going to be a blokey 300lb troglodyte, why not be civil with them when they show up to the meet and greets?
Was also a bit disappointing how many ks the bike did in the back of a truck, seems to defeat the purpose of the big lap somewhat, as did skipping the cape and FNQ.
If you like stories about drinking beer and ordering salads in rural pubs you'll enjoy it. If you're a mate or ever shouted Carter a beer, rest assured you got your mention in the book. If you're interested in motorbikes, biofuel, or travelling Australia there's not much here for you.
March 5, 2026
If you want to read a book about a bloke who drinks & swears a lot desperately searching for a justification to bugger off around Australia this is the book for you. It is occasionally very funny, it is mostly very immature. I didn't learn a lot about Australia, I didn't learn a lot about the people on the trip (other than 'they're a great bunch' or sometimes 'wankers'). I didn't learn much about bio-fuels because tbh no one really cared, it was just a reason to make a trip that, by his own admission a lot of bikers regularly do, feel a little unique. .
June 2, 2020
Best Book yet! This is the 3rd book of Paul Carters I have read and by fair the best. I was in fits of laugher.
May have to see if i can find the film to watch now after reading this.
Hoping to find another read of what happens when he hits the salt of the next bio fuel bike.
May have to see if i can find the film to watch now after reading this.
Hoping to find another read of what happens when he hits the salt of the next bio fuel bike.
August 31, 2021
I bought this book for my husband, but after reading the first couple of pages really wanted to read it myself. I'm not a rider so some of the stuff went over my head. However, it is an entertaining read and I loved the sense of adventure.
September 16, 2023
I wanted to like this. I like the author’s writing style, but there’s just so little content in it. He rides a weird bike around Australia, and has a crash that means he has to do half of it in a car. Would’ve made an entertaining YouTube series maybe, but a book was beating it way too thin.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 7, 2024
An exhausting account of Paul Carter's ride on a bio-fuel motor bike around Australia. Very brave and totally nuts. Light reading and entertaining, it's up to his usual standard, but in a very different vein.
April 25, 2019
Full of colourful language, Paul Carter writes a rollicking yarn that was a very easy and humorous read. I read this in two days and. enjoyed it very much.
July 12, 2019
Not as good as his previous two books.
Still written well, good for a few laughs and informative along the way.
Still written well, good for a few laughs and informative along the way.
February 29, 2020
Fantastic read. One of those books that makes you laugh out loud in public...
August 6, 2023
Easy, fast, entertaining read, stirred some memories of my own drive around Oz. Fact and fiction, truth and dare; whatever, a fun read.
July 16, 2024
Very enjoyable and interesting as well.
March 7, 2025
Compulsive reading, every page is hilarious.
June 2, 2014
I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. It was ok, but hitting the difficult third book. After the often hilarious Don't Tell Mum, the "these are the bits I didn't put in the first book, but they're still funny" This is not a drill, what does he write about now?
And I think he wasn't sure himself - having taken a desk job, and with a new family, he decides to lap Australia on a bike created to run on bio fuel. And...well, that's really it. Again it's nearly half way through before he sets off, and while he's an excellent raconteur, he's no travel writer - each stop has as many thanks to the people who supported him as insight. It strays occasionally into a post-Christmas list of thank-yous...But at least some credit is due for not getting sucked into a bike junkie competition of widget analysis - and he keeps things moving.
But when he gets going with a good story, he's brilliant. His introductory anecdote about just getting to a book festival had me laughing on the train. Not his best, but interesting to see what he does next.
My travel writer question is usually "would you buy them a pint and listen to their experiences?" While Carter may not say as much on his overall experience, you'd have a great time asking what he did on his way to the bar.
And I think he wasn't sure himself - having taken a desk job, and with a new family, he decides to lap Australia on a bike created to run on bio fuel. And...well, that's really it. Again it's nearly half way through before he sets off, and while he's an excellent raconteur, he's no travel writer - each stop has as many thanks to the people who supported him as insight. It strays occasionally into a post-Christmas list of thank-yous...But at least some credit is due for not getting sucked into a bike junkie competition of widget analysis - and he keeps things moving.
But when he gets going with a good story, he's brilliant. His introductory anecdote about just getting to a book festival had me laughing on the train. Not his best, but interesting to see what he does next.
My travel writer question is usually "would you buy them a pint and listen to their experiences?" While Carter may not say as much on his overall experience, you'd have a great time asking what he did on his way to the bar.
January 13, 2014
I fear you have to be an Australian bloke to understand the twisted, ocker sense of humour that Paul Carter brings to the table. He is brash, brutally honest and down-to-earth. His stories are retold with the sure-footed comfort of a master story teller, any bloke that enjoys a beer and regaling his mates with stories of his adventures will be able to relate. In my mind we all know one Paul Carter, the bloke that tells his stories over and over again but somehow they are always fresh and entertaining. The other attractive aspect of Carters stories is that we all have some like them and can easily imagine ourselves doing similar things (some of us can remember it). We've all stacked motorcycles or accidentally set things on fire although it seems Carter has a gift for being in the wrong place at the right time that few of us could hope to, or want to live up to.
Five stars for Paul, I hope to run in to him some day now that he resides in my home town!
Five stars for Paul, I hope to run in to him some day now that he resides in my home town!
June 5, 2014
I picked this book up after reading Paul Carter's two previous books on his time working on oil rigs around the world. In this book Paul is retired from the oil rigs and is working a desk job with a new family. What happens next is summed up perfectly in the title. He does what it says on the cover.
This is a nice funny tale of a man and a bike. It is a nice easy read, perfectly enjoyable whether you are into motor bikes or not. If I am going to be super critical, then the final section of the journey feels a little rushed almost as if the publishers deadline had crept out of left field and surprised the author. He covers the final few thousand kilometres of his epic journey in a couple of pages. Don't let that put you off though, just go along for the ride and enjoy the journey. I completed the book in four evenings and so it can't be a bad read.
This is a nice funny tale of a man and a bike. It is a nice easy read, perfectly enjoyable whether you are into motor bikes or not. If I am going to be super critical, then the final section of the journey feels a little rushed almost as if the publishers deadline had crept out of left field and surprised the author. He covers the final few thousand kilometres of his epic journey in a couple of pages. Don't let that put you off though, just go along for the ride and enjoy the journey. I completed the book in four evenings and so it can't be a bad read.
December 26, 2021
If you are expecting an Australian version of Long Way Round then it won't quite meet it.
Paul Carter is an ex oil rig worker who after his partner becomes pregnant decides to settle down. After a few months shuffling paperwork wants to ride around Australia on motorbike, his wife suggests rinding something unusual. he manages to find and borrow a oil powered bike from Adelaide Uni and so begins the journey. He completes 14,500km, and thankful escapes serious injury after falling off at one point.
It is written in quite a abrupt style. There are some funny bits and some quite coarse parts, so might not appeal to everyone.
Ok but not great
Paul Carter is an ex oil rig worker who after his partner becomes pregnant decides to settle down. After a few months shuffling paperwork wants to ride around Australia on motorbike, his wife suggests rinding something unusual. he manages to find and borrow a oil powered bike from Adelaide Uni and so begins the journey. He completes 14,500km, and thankful escapes serious injury after falling off at one point.
It is written in quite a abrupt style. There are some funny bits and some quite coarse parts, so might not appeal to everyone.
Ok but not great
May 19, 2012
Decided to read something funny while resting up in bed today trying to get over a cold.
I haven't read any of Paul Carter's other books though I think I will look out for them and I did see a volume combining all of his books but if they are as funny as this one I look forward to it.
This was a fairly quick read which had me in fits of laughter, Paul Carter reminds me of some of my hardcase male relatives.
I haven't read any of Paul Carter's other books though I think I will look out for them and I did see a volume combining all of his books but if they are as funny as this one I look forward to it.
This was a fairly quick read which had me in fits of laughter, Paul Carter reminds me of some of my hardcase male relatives.
October 31, 2014
Really good book about a mans struggles to tame the caged adventure within. Like all good men Paul also has an understanding wife as he set out to ride round Australia. unfortunately the end goes faster than his diesel bike! It looks like he used too many pages and was told you can only have 266 in this book. So he sped off on the last leg of the trip with practically no depth. Still enjoyed the book with good laughs along the way.
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