Bubsie and the Boys

The First Journey Around Australia By Car

By: David Riley

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Paperback | 28 October 2025

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22.9 x 15.2

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Setting off on a “big lap” of Australia is an adventure today, but 100 years ago it was truly pioneering—especially when it wasn’t what you’d originally set out to do.

In 1925, there were no serviced roads in the great outback. No petrol stations. Nobody had ever driven the northern route from Perth to Darwin. So when 21-year-old Nevill Westwood approached his employer with a plan to explore the possibilities of outback Western Australia and the Northern Territory, there was some trepidation. But no-one else was volunteering to go.

The journey that began with two young missionaries setting out on an errand for their church soon became an epic adventure through rugged landscapes and vast cattle stations. Travelling in a tiny second-hand Citroën nicknamed “Bubsie”—a car with less power than a modern ride-on lawnmower—the boys glimpsed the triumphs and tragedies of life in early 20th-century Australia, met memorable characters and ultimately found themselves in a race to be the first to lap the continent.

This is the true story of Bubsie and the boys.

David Riley now lives and works in Newcastle, but his youth was spent in inner-western Sydney, where he developed a love for the South Sydney Rugby League Club, of which he is still an avid fan..

About the Author

David Riley is a history and vintage car enthusiast with a love of travel and adventure. David is a father, husband and pastor living and working in Newcastle, but with roots in inner-west Sydney and a love for the South Sydney rugby league club.

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