Truckin' in the Tropics: Bernie Thomas
A 1971 White driven by Bernie Thomas was one of the oldest trucks among the 160 plus in the Townsville Convoy For Kids.
Big Rigs spoke to 35-year-old Bernie who works for Nortrans when the truck's parked up.
"I have been in the job for 12 months and get to many places,” he said.
His favourite stop when on the road is the Noonamah Hotel near Darwin in the NT, a favoured waterhole for truckies taking a spell before heading out on the long run south.
Among other things, Noonamah has a flash of notoriety each when the holds the cane toad race every Melbourne Cup day (or was it the Darwin Cup?).
"It is a great place for truckies to stop off and they have good value priced meals,” he said.
Like many truckies, Bernie enjoys fishing as a recreation and there are many creeks and rivers around his home of Townsville to go to.
"I mainly fish the Bohle River just north of Townsville,” he said.
I asked Bernie what is one of the most unusual things he had heard in recent times while on the road.
"One of the other drivers saw a bloke riding a Penny Farthing along the Bruce Hwy,” he said.
