Hitchhikers

Duh · Guru

Hitchhikers

tonyd · Guru

Funny thing to think about, but . . . driving from Albany to Perth last week, I suddenly realised that I have not seen a hitchhiker for years. They used to be quite common.

Are they still out there? Just idle curiosity. Must admit I would not pick anyone up these days.

Cheers, Tony

johnq · Guru

1. First off, mainly the effect of Hollywood scary movies and sensationalist news reports.

2. More people own cars. The children of Boomers owned cars. Previously we had to work to buy them and do the maintenance ourselves.

3. More freeways and priority roads with limited access for hitchhikers.

4. Higher speeds travelled by all vehicles including trucks. The vehicles couldn't stop in time and if they did they could wear a rear end collision for doing so.

6. More recent years, increased risk.

As a struggling student with several P/T jobs that were odd shifts and paid zilch, I hitched for years, even when I owned a car (went light on food for the 20c coins for fuel to pick up the girlfriend). Safe back then, different culture. As the Australian culture changed and there were more cars on the road, there were reports of disappearances of girls waiting for buses/lifts and young hitchhikers.

It would be far riskier now because of large changes in the population and culture, and the increased anonymity offered offenders from the number of vehicles on the road. -Nobody notices anything anymore and the offenders know that.

villatranquilla · Guru

were camped at DeGrey river (WA) 2 weeks ago when a young couple pulled in for the night. With them was a young German fellow they had picked up at a servo at Port Hedland - apparently he'd been waiting hrs for a lift to Broome and night was closing in with the threat of rain. They felt sorry for him and shared their meal. We shared our campfire and cultures and had an enjoyable evening.
The internet and backpacker hostels are a boon for backpackers who want transport or travelling companions. Here at Pardoo Station there are about 7 backpackers (French, German, English) working for their second year visa

-- Edited by villatranquilla on Sunday 2nd of June 2013 11:20:29 AM

biggles · Senior Member

.. and I've heard its illegal to hitch-hike in some parts of the Country too ..

In 4 years I've only seen a solo male .. and 1 couple with signs out .. but I too don't pick up hitch-hikers either .. my "wheels" is my home .. and gets the same treatment.

Jon

Weedy Pigeon · Senior Member

It's been illegal here for quite a while and rightly so. Too many cases of people going missing, never to be found again.
Recently I picked a woman up just south of Mossman and she wanted a lift to Port Douglas to shop. She was about my age, '60s, and she had no hesitation in getting into the car even though I was on my own.

The big danger in picking up hitchhikers is that the person on the side of the road may just be the bait to get you to stop. Best to drive past 100 yards or so and see if they want to hurry to catch up to you, if not there's something wrong and best to keep moving.
The Marlborough stretch [ between Rocky and Mackay for those who don't know ] used to be notorious for all sorts of bad happenings. That was years ago on the old road and it's probably different now that the new coast road is open.

Working in service stations you'd have to put up with them waiting to ask drivers for lifts and using the facilities to the point where they would be practically camped on the forecourt. Not uncommon to leave work at the end of the day and see the same ones still there in the morning.

GaryKelly · Guru

Yep, it's a different culture these days - plus lots of backpackers from who knows where. Back in the '60s in Sydney, hitch hikers thumbing a ride to the beach was a common sight. I had nine surfers in my '51 Morris Oxford going up a hill at Frenches Forest in first gear and we were passed by a bloke on a bicycle. I'd see the same hikers every weekend and quite a few of them became friends. I like the sound of Vic's experience - it would have been an interesting conversation.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

There was a bloke hitching on the highway near Nowra last week. We remarked how uncommon it has become to see anybody hitching, and didn't stop.

Golddetectornomad · Senior Member

Years ago 1971 was out of Ceduna S.A. about to cross the Nullabor and saw bloke on the side of road during daylight hours with small bag and holding a Morris Mini wheel out to show me....figured he must be going back to his vehicle with the repaired wheel..I had my wife and two small kids and a bassett hound...HD Holden...it turned out he had carried the wheel all the way from Cairns and he said it always guaranteed drivers would stop....as it turned out he was able to help me not long after by changing my wheel with my first puncture..in those days the S.A. side was unsealed and I got the puncture in an area of real thick dust/loose dirt and almost impossible to get stable spot to place jack...he was ingenious by nature obviously and he scouted into the side trees and came back with suitable wood to put down as base..while I was able to stay with my family..voila! wheel changed....he was with us for many miles....dropped him off somewhere on W.A. side.. to continue his round Oz trip with his Mini Minor wheel...Lol....decent chap..said he was going to start Uni in Qld to be a vet when he got back and was seeing Oz first....often wondered if he got back O.K......Australia was much more innocent in those days and we tended to still talk about murders that had occured 20 years before....now they are everyday occurance.....
Spot on was the suggestion that you are so vulnerable when you stop as there may be others waiting you can't see......Hoo Roo

Two Strays · Senior Member

Hello All

Passed one near Nevertire last week. Considered picking him up. Its against the law, says the navigator, subseuently passed him by.

Happy Caravanning

hako · Guru

Pretty sure it's not against the law to hitch hike as long as you do not stand on the road or the shoulder.
There is a "Wiki" for hitch hiking :

http://hitchwiki.org/en/Australia

Weedy Pigeon · Senior Member

"Picking up hitch-hikers could be potentially dangerous and is not recommended. It is illegal to hitch-hike from a road, road shoulder, median strip or traffic island in Queensland."
From the Qld police web site

justcruisin01 · Guru

Like many we hadn't seen any for years, yet in the last 18mths we have seen quite a few.

Maybe some of them are feeling the pinch as well.

JC

GaryKelly · Guru

Remember that r sole from the south coast? Ivan Milat? It wasn't the hitch hikers who were the problem, it was the bloke who gave them a lift. I think generally speaking it's the hikers who are taking the big risk. Too many crook drivers for one thing.

yeoeleven · Guru

My experience picking up a male German hitch hiker was well documented in the Solo's forum last April May when I picked up Steven just before Kalbarri and parted on the second time we were in Katherine after doing Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine Gorge and Litchfield.

I had the best time during my trip round Australia in the two months we were together especially the National Parks and doing the grade 5 tracks in Karajini. Later we lnked up in Queensland and did the Eungella National Park.

I suppose that it was a gamble picking Steven up but it was one that I have never regretted, we are still exchanging emails.

John

neilnruth · Guru

Saw two today - going the opposite way to us.
My husband once picked up a young boy. He had a circuit he worked it turned out - and when hubby stopped for fuel, the wallet disappeared. But with the help of the service station attendant they got it back and the money. I don't think (to my knowledge anyway) he has picked anyone up since. And yes, I also tell him it's illegal.

johnq · Guru

yeoeleven wrote:
My experience picking up a male German hitch hiker was well documented in the Solo's forum last April May when I picked up Steven just before Kalbarri and parted on the second time we were in Katherine after doing Darwin, Kakadu, Katherine Gorge and Litchfield.
I had the best time during my trip round Australia in the two months we were together especially the National Parks and doing the grade 5 tracks in Karajini. Later we lnked up in Queensland and did the Eungella National Park.
I suppose that it was a gamble picking Steven up but it was one that I have never regretted, we are still exchanging emails.
John

Hi John,

Not surprised there was a young German fellow hitchhiking. It is on the rise in Europe, along with 'couch for the night'. Obvious $ reasons.

Young people will work it out with technology and good on them.

Unfortunately there seems to be some negative stuff going on in Australia and has been for a while. I don't understand it at all. For example, it is not unusual for people walking on the pavement for exercise to be cat-called from cars and have rubbish thrown at them. The rowing crews from a local school had beer bottles pelted at them when going for a run in Parramatta (they were visiting for inter-State competition).

When I hitchhiked, everyone always had big smiles, although few people had much in the way of assets. Where they looked poor like us (students) we used to offer some money, what we could afford, towards fuel, but usually refused. A different time and vastly different Australian culture.

Oxley · Veteran Member

Most I have seen recently look like they have just got out of gaol, no chance.

But I did pick up one a few weeks ago, passed a ute with trailer stopped in a bad spot, then 100 meters down the road saw a bloke walking with a jerry can, clearly a person in need.

-- Edited by Oxley on Monday 3rd of June 2013 02:29:39 PM

Willow · Veteran Member

I can't believe what I'm reading. I have lived in Queensland for 30 years and I hitchhike regularly. I had no idea it is illegal. Another completely stupid law as far as I'm concerned. If my wife has to work late I simply start walking with the thumb out and always get a lift within minutes. I will continue to hitch despite the law.
As far as picking up hitchhikers goes, if they are walking I pick them up, if not I drive past.

hako · Guru

Willow wrote:
I can't believe what I'm reading. I have lived in Queensland for 30 years and I hitchhike regularly. I had no idea it is illegal.SNIP

This is copied from QLD Police and indicates it is legal to hitch a ride from other places like the footpath, service station, train station except as:

Picking up hitch-hikers could be potentially dangerous and is not recommended. It is illegal to hitch-hike from a road, road shoulder, median strip or traffic island in Queensland.

ken thomas · Guru

biggles wrote:
.. and I've heard its illegal to hitch-hike in some parts of the Country too ..
In 4 years I've only seen a solo male .. and 1 couple with signs out .. but I too don't pick up hitch-hikers either .. my "wheels" is my home .. and gets the same treatment.
Jon

I digress a bit Jon, but the avatar looks good

Ken