Hitchhiking on trips--anyone do it/done it/pick them up/seen

[Solohike74]

I'm curious about what people's experience of the subject hitchhiking is. In my case I've only seen one hitchhiker, despite doing 10,000 to 20,000k a year and having been away as far as Apollo Bay, Omeo, Adelaide, Rockhampton, Port Macquarie and Melbourne. I live in Sydney. I previously car pooled occasionally but found it less flexible, plus you're expected to share costs which when you're a poor walker on benefits, one wants to travel as rapidly and cheaply as you can.....because delays in travel mean other extra costs such as accom/meals/refreshments etc.

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[Kinsayder]

I've picked up a lot of hitchhikers through the years. Some wonderful (pretty young things keen for adventure), some a little odd (smelly people or people only going a few hundred metres), occasionally slightly scary (just got out of gaol...).

I've only hitched a little though. The last time (about ten years ago) the people in the van that picked me up started making jokes about killing hitchhikers. Really unfunny stuff, completely out of line. So I thought I'd join in and talk about killing the people who pick me up. I think I might have been more convincing. They didn't say another word for the trip.

It's all a part of the experience, I guess. Just be really careful out there though.

[Strider]

I used to drive to Strahan and back from Hobart every week. Picked up three bushwalkers in 6 years, one swiss, one dutch and one Tassie. All were lovely people and I had a great time chatting with them over the course of the next 2 hours of the drive.

Oddly I didn't see many others, although a couple of those dodgy ones that get their female friend to stand by the roadside while the rest of them hide in the bushes until you pull over.

[mikethepike]

I did a lot of hitchhiking in my younger days here and NZ and Britain and with that background, I still pick hitchhikers up when I see them. On one occasion fairly outback, my kind driver even bought me lunch. Hitchhikers were reasonably common sighting in the '60s and early '70s. The funniest (oddest?) experiences and the dodgiest cars (mechanically) were in Tassie - no question! Hitching Davenport to Waldheim and return in winter in 1971 reminded me of the saying that the journey is as much as the destination. In NZ in summer, the hitchhikers (Jan. 1970) were in crowd proportions. I remember hitching out of Queenstown - the unspoken rule was to walk to the front of the queue. I walked past individual and pairs for over a km (at least 30 people after rides) and kept walking only to get picked up by a fellow who said he gave me a ride because he liked to see people doing something for themselves! Against that of course its usually wiser to wait next to outskirts of towns - people only have to pull up from 60kph not 130! I get the impression, though it may not reflect reality, that these days many drivers see hitchhikers and think 'if you want to go by car, go get your own.'

A few years ago, I picked a guy up on my way to work one afternoon and he was so grateful he insisted I come to the pub so he could buy me a beer! I hitched along the same open country road a few weeks later from the train station and walked 7 km to the turnoff to a minor road. No-one picked me up on the single lane main road but someine did as soon as I got onto the minor road going into their 'country'. Interesting psychology at work there!

[hikingoz]

On a recent trip I hitchhiked from one end of the Overland to the other. This included walking in the snow between car rides. It took a whole day and five different cars to get there.

I've been picked up on Picton Rd three times heading to and from walks. Twice I had my bike with me. Tassie seems to be a better place to do it than other states.

[doogs]

I used to hitch hike at lot when I lived on the West Coast of Scotland, folk would even stop to offer me a lift when I was waiting at a bus stop I have never tried hitchhiking in Australia as I was told that the lifts often don't end well
I sometimes pick up hitch hikers in Tasmania, maybe 2-3 per year. I know what's it's like waiting and hoping for a lift to lead you onto the next adventure and I want to repay others for the kindness shown to me in the past

[Moondog55]

I've hitch-hiked all my life, when I was younger because I worked in hospitality and could never afford a car and later in life because i worked in hospitality and could not afford both a car and my alimony.
I always pick up hitch-hikers and in 40 years only one bad pick up, and he was a real loony and scared both the missus and me.
My lovely wife thinks hitching is dangerous and won't allow me to thumb my way up to Falls Creek but I think she is scared I may be "Picked Up" on my trips.
With the new freeways and major roads getting onto the place where people can stop legally is now the hardest part of trying to hitch anywhere.
I see far fewer people on the road now but those i pick up remind me of me at a much younger age.

[dplanet]

I was given more lifts than lifts offered by me. Just use my common sense.

[taswegian]

I've never hiked to walks, but have picked up my share of walkers.
Some on bikes, even talked a couple into putting the bikes in the ute knowing the Forth gorge lay ahead. They were quite pleased when I dropped them at Cradle Mountain.
We get a fair number of hikers with packs passing through Sheffield.
I'm wary, but couples with packs generally feel ok about.

Wouldn't like my girls relying on hitching rides though.

PS: is hitchhiking legal in Tasmania?

[DaveNoble]

I done a fair bit of hitching over the years (mainly back in the 70's) - enough to be able to boast getting two separate rides in Rolls Royces!! (One in Tasmania, and one up the hill from Jenolan Caves - and both with 2 of us hitching at the time). Tasmania was always great for hitchhiking - and a good way to get out of places like the Huon River exit of the Yo Yo track. I remember two of us hitching out of Derwent Bridge one very cold winter day. It was snowing - and cars were so infrequent - that we thought the highway may have been closed. One camping van came past - and drove on, then stopped and backed up to us. We got a lift! The wife of the driver said - "You looked so cold, that we came back for you". I very welcome lift!

In NSW, we would often hitch up the Bell or Putty Rd for trips on a Friday night. Some classic lifts..... Lots of interesting drivers..... religious nuts..... drunks..... people couriering drugs..... Also hitching out to Kanangra Walls from Mt Victoria back in the days that Ivan Millat "worked" in that area.

Never a lift in a Merc though, and only one lift in a Jag (and that was in Tassie - dropped us off right outside the Dr Syntax Hotel).

I think it is always easier being a bushwalker with a pack - people know you are a serious traveller and that you appreciate a lift.

Dave

[north-north-west]

I'll occasionally accept a ride when road walking back to the car at the end of an overnighter. And I used to hitch a bit a looooong time ago . NZ was great for hitching rides, the people were so friendly and helpful. And I'll often stop for someone in need, kind of a what goes around comes around sort of thing. You just use commonsense as to which people you pick up and which rides you accept. (and keep your fingers crossed that this one isn't a psychopath)

[creeping_moses]

I've never hitched a long distance, but have seriously considered doing so and I imagine I will do in the future.

My short distance experiences have all been in Tassie, and have been positive. I catch a bus from near Taroona into Hobart most days and often put the thumb out at cars I think look promising. I've had quite a few lifts into town this year, twice I've had the same people stop in consecutive days! I've come to the conclusion its easier to get a lift if I'm wearing chinos and a shirt rather than trackies/old jeans and a tee, which this makes sense.

In terms of when on bushwalking trips, I've had a lift from Lake St. Clair around to the road off the Lyell Highway that leads into the access to Lake Dixon and onto Mt. Gell (also leads to the Gingerbread track). This was a lift from a great group in a guided bus trip to the West coast. The tourists all yelled for the driver to stop and pick us up as we walked out of the visitor centre, which was nice of them. They loved hearing about the trip we had just completed and saved a crap 12km walk along the highway at night fall! As we got off the bus one family aboard said our appearance had been the highlight of their trip so far!

A time we were (what we thought was strangely) denied a lift by a few passing cars was when a mate and I had just completed an impromptu Anne Circuit after originally just planning to go Anne itself and we were running back to the car along the road having dumped our packs at the trail head (only about 10km). 4 or 5 times cars and vans drove past us as we ran along the road with out thumbs out and waving. No one seemed interested... I guess its all luck!

[TerraMer]

I'm curious about what people's experience of the subject hitchhiking is... one wants to travel as rapidly and cheaply as you can.....because delays in travel mean other extra costs such as accom/meals/refreshments etc.

Hitching doesn't often mean rapid travel. It can sometimes mean many hours walking along a road or standing near a rest area, driveway or intersection waiting for the right person to stop. The longest I have waited is 13hrs and then the lift only took me part way dropping me off in a strange town in the middle of the night. I have had some bad experiences, one driver spent over an hour trying to convince me that I wanted to pay him for the lift with unsavoury favours. That trip I ended up hiding in the bush somewhere near Burke around 3am until sunrise.

I have hitched just about as far i have travelled legitimately, mostly all over Australia, across every state, before it became illegal. Usually I hitched where there was no public transport or limited and expensive. As I bushwalk solo it is normal for me to hitch to and from trail ends and when it is obvious I am hiking people are more inclined to help out, even offer a ride without needing to hitch.

I always make sure i have a clean set of clothes to wear and try to have a bit of a clean the last day on the track so i don't put them off picking up hitching hikers in the future. I also offer money to cover some fuel when I'm carrying cash, sometimes, if i know they will refuse money I "accidentally" drop a fiver (or whatever is good for the distance) where they'll find it sometime later. If I am hitching long distances, eg, from the east coast across to the west for the Bibbulmun and back it goes down well when I shout my driver at least 1 meal a day when refueling.

These days I rarely hitch, besides it being illegal to hitch or pick up hitchers, I don't mind walking if it's a good day and the there is still plenty of sun. It is surprising how quickly someone will offer you a lift when you need it without needing to stick your thumb out. I'm currently walking around Tassie, and Australia over the next 7 years, and I have needed a lift a few times because of injury, tooth probs and fatigue and have had people pull over and offer to help when they see me stuggling along. When I do hitch to return to the accommodation I have walked from that day I have not waited long for someone to pull over.

When i have a vehicle I usually pick up hitchers unless they look aggressive or smelly. I call it hitcher's karma. I really enjoy their stories and company if I'm travelling far.

[tastrax]

I used to regularly hitch around NZ, even with sets of skis! It was quite common in the 80's and 90's but seems to have lost some favor these days. I have had some great lifts from regular Mums and Dads, Nuns, in very expensive cars as well as a few absolute shockers but it has added to the general excitement of the travels. I also regularly pick up hitch hikers and have occasionally offered my car to travelers I have picked up.

When hitching I always made sure I was well dressed with a shirt that had a collar, always faced the traffic and waved to everyone even if they didn't pick me up.

I always remember one lift I got in NZ. I had been travelling all day and got a few lifts and I spotted the same Jaguar car at several intervals during the day. Towards the end of the day is started raining and I got soaked as the rain continued pouring down and the car that finally pulled up was the Jag with a lovely retired couple. They had also spotted me a few times during the day. They offered me a lift and I had been in the car about 1 minute (with my soaking wet pack on my knees in the leather clad back seat) and the whole car fogged up as they had the heat going full blast and I was so wet that the humidity sky rocketed. We had a great laugh and they offered me a room in their "batch" at a the town I was heading to that evening. I think it was the first, and maybe the last, time they had ever picked up a hitch hiker!

I enjoyed the hitch hiking but it could be really slow in some of New Zealand's back country roads.

[mikethepike]

I remember two of us hitching out of Derwent Bridge one very cold winter day. It was snowing - and cars were so infrequent - that we thought the highway may have been closed. One camping van came past - and drove on, then stopped and backed up to us. We got a lift! The wife of the driver said - "You looked so cold, that we came back for you". I very welcome lift!

I hitched from Sheffield to Waldheim in week 3 of February 1970 and can you believe that I walked the last 20 miles (33km and all dirt road) and during that time saw only one car going in the same direction and it didn't stop. How times have changed!! The ranger's wife (who invited me in for a sandwich and cup of tea) told me that the female driver told her she had passed me and she (the ranger's wife) had told the driver that 'people carrying rucksacks are safe to pick up.'

[Lizzy]

Have never purposefully hitched but have been given lifts a few times. The most memorable was after abseiling down a series of waterfalls that ended right near a bend in the road going up the pass, a truckdriver picked me and my boyfriend up clad in wetsuits. Glad he had vinyl seats!
Nice- saved a long trudge up the road

[MartyGwynne]

I rarely see any these days and yes I will always pick up a pack bearing hiker, even if they are going to the local jail to visit their dad! (he was innocent of course).
I will sometimes go past them if I am turning off a short distance up the road (unless they indicate they are going in that direction).
I had some interesting rides when I was young and it was common to hitch and there were no nasty people around (well we did not know of any).
I have had some people refuse to accept a ride - OK single white middle aged male driving single cab white ute (my friends call it the serial killers ute), I take no offence. I even gave two young lads a ride home from a long night out I was on my way to work, they nearly ate my lunch and I had to wake them up once I dropped them at their destination.
Why did they make it illegal?

[TerraMer]

Why did they make it illegal?

Safety
Ever heard of Ivan Milat? He is just one of many associated with hitchhiking murders and assaults. One stretch of road in NT/QLD (3 Ways to Mt Isa) had 28 reported hitchhiker related murders in a 4 year period just before I hitched it. It is not unusual for both men and women to be sexually assaulted by drivers (lesser viceversa) wanting sexual favours to pay for the ride. A small percentage of drivers and hitchers have been robbed, often with a knife or syringe, at one stage in the 80s the number was higher than armed holdups of stores and roadhouses
Most transport/business travel/hire car and work vehicle contracts include a point about not picking up hitchhikers. Parkies aren't even supposed to pick up hitchers even if they know them and know they have only been hiking in their park Some parks even have penalties for officers and crew caught helping hitchers. Very frustrating when you're standing on the side of the road at the end of a work day waving to all these people you know as they drive past waving back but not pulling over.

[Eremophila]

Have only done it once when I had horrible blisters and could barely walk. The bulk of passing traffic was shiny new 4WD's towing caravans and boats.... the yummy mummies in the passenger seats gave me their most horrified looks

Have you thought of using accommodation services such as GlobalFreeloaders, Couchsurfing etc to save costs?

[ryantmalone]

Back in 2001 or 2002, I found myself stuck in Wangaratta on my way to Mountain Creek to spend a week on and around Mt Bogong. V-Line sold me a ticket to Mt Beauty, but turns out that the bus wasn't running from Wang to Bright that day, so I was stuck.

Decided spur of the moment that I would try and hitch.

Walked up the Great Alpine Road, caught up with another hitcher who was on his way back from handing in his dole form in Wang. Turns out Wednesdays on the Great Alpine Road at the time were busy with hitchers on their way to and back from Wangaratta to hand in their forms. Managed to get a lift with this guy to Myrtleford, then another ride to Bright from there. Both people were extremely nice and respectful, and had some interesting conversations with this one guy.

When in Bright, I was dropped off at Germantown before the driver had to head off to Harrietville. Walked half way to Tawonga Gap before I was picked up by a Mt Beauty local in a VW Van. Turned out he was a regular on Mt Bogong as well. Super nice dude too, dropped me off at Mountain Creek, and even promised to return a week later for the return trip to Bright (which he did, and his friend from out of town helped out).

Was a great experience, but I have to say that as fun as it was, there are a lot of crazies out there. This is the kind of thing that you do at your own risk. Its easy to get stuck in an out of control situation when you're in a strangers car.

[fenlok]

Done it a few times over the last 15-20 years when either short of cash or no other option available that i was aware of at the time (between the end of rail lines in the south of France). Picked a few up as well, and the worst experience would probably be a bloke heading home on Sunday morning after a BIG night out down the Huon - he reeked of something and kept dozing off, but keeping the windows down, it was a pretty short trip... he was only going about 5kms down the road!

I recall one of the lifts in Tas. soon after i first arrived in '95 the driver seemed surprised i would want to come here from the mainland! "You came here from Brisbane... why?" Seemed odd at the time, and i'd like to think perceptions have changed somewhat (unless you're the WA Premier).

Managed a few lifts in France - one with a couple who spoke half a dozen languages but not English, and they remained rather quiet after we realized we couldn't converse, but another with a man who insisted on taking me to Mirepoix rather than Foix where i intended on heading. Though i speak no French and he no English, he managed to convey to me Mirepoix had an amazing old cathedral and medieval square not to be missed - he was right on that! Further, along the way, through gestures he managed also to convey a town we passed through was once known for its textile industry only for the town to be slowly dying after the work went offshore to cheaper locations.

Wouldn't hitch again now with the wife, but still pick up who we can nowadays.

[tas-man]

I did some hitchhiking when bushwalking in Tassie in 1971 and NZ in 1972 and never had any concerns doing so then. I still occasionally pick up hitchhikers when travelling around Tassie if it is convenient to do so, and so far have not had any problems.

[Tortoise]

My first and last experience of hitching was around Tassie after the OLT in 1979 - my first bushwalk and first trip here. Amazing experience, mostly brilliant. At that stage hitching in Tassie was talked about as safe, while I wouldn't have considered it on the mainland. I'm afraid i'm not good at concise , perhaps i'm stretching the thread a bit - but i was getting from one walk to another!

Cynthia Bay to Derwent Bridge - The 2 of us had kept bumping into 5 Melb uni lads through the OLT, and we reached the carpark at the same time. One got a ride there. The other 6 of us decided to walk in twos. Plenty of tourist cars, but none stopped. Late arvo, a ute stopped. Farmer dad had picked up daughter & friend from the OLT. Picked up the first 2. "Thanks! BTW there are a couple more up the road..."
Just up the road: ""Thanks! BTW there are a couple more up the road..." Pre compulsory seat belts - piled 6 people and 8 packs into the back.

Bad experience: coming through the Tarraleah bends in the rain, with a loaded log truck about 2 metres behind us

Good experience: Farmer took us in for the night at Ouse, farmer's wife fed us up big, dinner & brekky, farmer's son drove us all to Hobart the next day.

Many, many other lovely experiences.

Went to church in Cygnet, pastor & wife took us out for lunch, gave us the scenic tour of the area, loaded us up with food (did we look skinny after our walk?!)

Later got a lift the other end of the state, were raving to the driver about how amazing people had been - driver turned out to be the daughter of the said pastor and his wife. I began to understand that Tassie is a bit different from the mainland

Bad experience: stuck in Weldborough most of the day, trying to get to St Helens. My friend had gone home by then. Music festival at the pub that night. Beer flowing very freely from mid-morning. Pretty drunk people by early evening. A couple of guys came enthusiastically to tell me my problem was solved - their friends had forgotten something and had to go to St H. Hmmm Rock and Hard Place - get in with a drunk driver going via Weldborough Pass, or put my tent up in the paddock which was the music festival, surrounded by drunk guys whose friends' lift I had turned down.
Went with the drunk driver, who kept drinking on our way down the mountain, tossing cans out the window as he finished them. WRONG DECISION!! Had a few close calls, glad there was very little traffic coming the other way, so the whole road was often available as needed. Thankfully i survived intact to tell the tale.

That brought my hitch-hiking experiences to an end. Good experience: Met a family camping at St Helen's who offered to take me with them on the rest of their holiday. "THANKS!! I'm going where you're going." And so i did.

Last edited by Tortoise on Fri 07 Dec, 2012 8:38 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[Tortoise]

PS Maybe those 5 Melb uni lads are members of this forum!

[seagullhike]

It's unnerving when you jump in for a ride and look at the back seat and there is a half empty carton of Jim Beam and colas. Then you look at your friendly driver and his got a can between his knees and the smell of alcohol is ripe on his breathe when he says "where ya goin mate". But when one of those cans reaches your own hand and you find there surprisingly cold for a 40+ day in northern WA your mind is at ease and all is well.

[icemancometh]

Audi S7 with skis

I used to regularly hitch around NZ, even with sets of skis! It was quite common in the 80's and 90's but seems to have lost some favor these days. I have had some great lifts from regular Mums and Dads, Nuns, in very expensive cars as well as a few absolute shockers but it has added to the general excitement of the travels. I also regularly pick up hitch hikers and have occasionally offered my car to travelers I have picked up.

When hitching I always made sure I was well dressed with a shirt that had a collar, always faced the traffic and waved to everyone even if they didn't pick me up.

I always remember one lift I got in NZ. I had been travelling all day and got a few lifts and I spotted the same Jaguar car at several intervals during the day. Towards the end of the day is started raining and I got soaked as the rain continued pouring down and the car that finally pulled up was the Jag with a lovely retired couple. They had also spotted me a few times during the day. They offered me a lift and I had been in the car about 1 minute (with my soaking wet pack on my knees in the leather clad back seat) and the whole car fogged up as they had the heat going full blast and I was so wet that the humidity sky rocketed. We had a great laugh and they offered me a room in their "batch" at a the town I was heading to that evening. I think it was the first, and maybe the last, time they had ever picked up a hitch hiker!

I enjoyed the hitch hiking but it could be really slow in some of New Zealand's back country roads.