In 1908, two men made history as they crossed the Australian continent in an automobile. They drove from Adelaide to Darwin in a 25 hp Talbot. Harry Dutton and Murray Aunger anticipated that they would complete the crossing in a month. In fact, it took them almost twice as long – 51 days.
In 2008, the National Motor Museum celebrates the centenary of this historic event in Australian motoring, and sends the Talbot north again, visiting many of the original destinations.

Off the Beaten Track: A Journey Across the Nation is a travelling exhibition presented by the National Motor Museum.  The exhibition explores the centenary of this momentous event and its legacy. It will follow the original route as closely as possible, and will leave Adelaide on 30 June, 100 years to the day after the original journey departed.

The motor car was in many ways a revolutionary tool in opening up the Australian continent in a way that had never before been possible.
This crossing was important not just because it was an incredibly courageous thing to do, but more particularly because it proved that even Australia’s harsh terrain could be made accessible by the motor car – and thus it heralded great changes for the outback.

The National Motor Museum acknowledges the Indigenous people whose land is crossed by this exhibition. We would also like to thank our exhibition partners: