Six months ago if someone told I would be travelling all the Truck stops on the coast line from Sydney to Rockhampton, to promote a Truck magazine I would have laughed at them.

Here I am now sitting back in the office pin pointing all the truck stops on a motoring atlas of Australia that I have recently visited. Honeywill’s theory was that I needed to taste the dust and smell the diesel across the country to develop my senses of the Trucking Life.

Farewelling the luxuries of home life and freshly cooked home meals I boarded my Mercedes Van with 4 palettes of magazines and DVD’s and jetted off across the coast to target all the truck stops. I wanted to experience the roads the Truckies drove, the food they ate and the friendships they developed in random Truckie’s lounges. What could you possibly talk about to a stranger you’ve just parked your truck next to?

Is it possible to have a good healthy eating plan while being on the road? This is definitely a challenge for Truck Drivers across Australia and now I can relate to it. It’s easy to make excuses to justify unhealthy choices. While a nice crock pot filled with vegetables, potatoes and chucks of meat would be an ideal healthy meal, unfortunately Truckies do not have this comfort we take for granted when we are at home.

While we have the luxury of plug in appliances at home, Truckies patiently await whatever food happens to be at the next truck stop. I experienced this dilemma whilst doing this promotional run from Sydney to Rockhampton. Fast food is at every truck stop and more and more fast food restaurants are starting to provide truck parking and facilities just to make it a little more convenient for us to indulge in the cholesterol and fat laden, life shortening, tasty, appetite busting menu.

The smell of hot chips awakens our taste buds as we walk through the doors at a truck stop. While tuna, sardines, beans, vegetables, fruits and nuts sound good in theory why did we order the extra large fries and coke with a triple grease burger filled with extra chesse? Is it to stay alert and control while driving?
As food choices are limited we must be very smart about food preparations on the road in order to stay healthy. That deep fried pork was my reward for a long drive but when am I going to burn it? It’s still a long drive ahead of me.

My experiences during the trip forced me into a supermarket to pack portable snacks and to eliminate fried foods and sugars. I found eating small frequent meals throughout the day kept my metabolism up and helped my body to digest more efficiently. If you wait as long as possible and then eat a large fatty meal you are definitely digging your own bed.

Tired? Drained? Exhausted? Food is generally our body’s fuel. How do we fill up our personal tanks and how well do they make our engine run? If you dig into you pocket and pull out your smart phone, I’ve pretty sure someone’s developed an application to tell you what foods to eat and avoid to maintain a good diet. I hear salted almonds are an excellent source of fibre and grapefruit provides vitamins A and C. Combine both to lubricate your engine for the road. I kept mine near me for times when I craved something other than celery and carrots.

After endless hours of driving what do we look forward to? A place filled with friendly people, good quality food and someone who wants to have a yarn with you? Kasey Chambers and Slim Dusty may keep you company for the drive but I found the locals at Bororen Hotel to tell you a story or two that you will remember for life.

Situated off the Bruce Highway in Bororen this charming timber wooden cottage that was built in 1895 draws you in with its French doors and welcoming wooden veranda, packed with truck drivers from all across Australia.

As you stretch your legs onto the wooden floors at Bororen Hotel after a long drive you are guaranteed a warm welcome either by the owners Wayne and Kelly or one of the Truckie’s scattering around the veranda looking for new faces to swap a story or two. For a minute it feels like a family gathering during Christmas. I’m almost certain the turkey will be served soon. Finally I found a truck stop where I can put my feet up and catch up with colleagues I haven’t seen in a long time.

If you’re looking for home style meals you have definitely come to the right place. The reality that we are about to taste something similar to home food sets in as we meet random happy fella’s who welcome us with open arms as we have our Truckin Life shirts and caps on. Challenges are placed for us to hand over our shirts and caps as our meals are served. As much as I would of loved to hand over my shirt, I think by now after 10 hours of driving my shirt has collected enough sweat, dust and droplets of diesel at random petrol stations.

The owners pull off daily miracles of bangers and mash, lamb racks, salads and veggies. The menu is both good quality food and value for money but more importantly the happy champs who share their stories with you with a smile before heading out the back to crash for a few hours is priceless. Rumours have it there’s a “resident ghost” wandering around the hotel at night ringing bells. Unfortunately our stay wasn’t long enough to meet the special guest but hopefully next time we pull our truck in, will have another story to tell.

Leaving behind the family from Bororen we head up the coast to our next venture. For a minute I thought we had crossed into the Middle East as I see a camel crossing sign. I’ve never seen a camel crossing sign so this is quite new to me. What are the odds of a camel crossing on a highway in Queensland? More importantly what if you were driving at 100 KMS per hour to spot a group of camels on a field trip crossing the highway? What does one do?
No road trip is adventurous without the dramas you come across. We experienced everything from an overheating van to a speeding fine to meet a deadline only to be delayed further due to Queensland road works.

To all the fantastic people I met on this trip, I would like to personally say a huge thank you to for making me feel welcomed, appreciated and apart of your family. See you next time.

Denver