British household make four-month journey to Australia WITHOUT flying

An Eco-conscious British household travelled greater than 10,000 miles over 4 months to attend a household marriage ceremony ceremony with out flying, and now they are going to must make the identical journey again.

Shannon Coggins, Theo Simon, and their daughter Rosa, 19, arrived in New South Wales after an epic journey that started in August.

The household tried to not use plane in any respect with a view to do their bit to cut back emissions amidst an ever-warning local weather.

They acquired so far as East Timor over land and sea earlier than a scarcity of boats pressured them to finish the ultimate 300 miles into Australia with a brief flight to permit them to finish the journey.

They are additionally planning the identical journey in reverse – to finally cowl a distance of greater than 20,000 miles.

The eco-conscious trio left their dwelling in southwest England on August 16 this 12 months to start the journey from Castle Cary railway station to Sydney, with a view to make it for Shannon’s sister’s marriage ceremony on time on December 28.

They travelled by way of Europe, Kazakhstan, China, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia, and reached so far as Dili, East Timor with out flying.

They had been pressured to take a ultimate 300 mile flight to finish the journey as there was no boat possibility connecting East Timor and the Northern Territories.

Shannon, whose sister Ellie was getting married in Sydney, mentioned: ‘Me and Theo determined to cease flying in 2002 due to its impact on the worlds local weather.

‘And then my sister moved to Australia in 2007 and she or he was getting married on twenty eighth December.

‘Although we reside far aside, we’re very shut as a result of our mum died once we had been younger however I’ve by no means been to her dwelling, or taken her son to high school, and even met the person she was marrying.

‘I needed us all to be there on her marriage ceremony day however I’m additionally making an attempt to do my bit to cut back my carbon footprint by making an attempt to not fly.’

Because of Rosa’s mother and father choice in 2002, she had by no means flown both, earlier than the household had been pressured to take a brief flight throughout the water final week.

Shannon admitted: ‘We had hoped to hitch or rent a experience to Darwin with a cargo ship or yacht, however we might arrived simply too late within the season for that.

‘So, sadly for us, we needed to take a Quantas flight from Dili to Darwin as an alternative.

‘But from there we had been in a position to take Greyhound buses by way of Alice to Adelaide and Melbourne, and a relocation rental automobile to Sydney, NSW.

‘It’s a disgrace we needed to fly at this level, however I’m actually happy with what we have achieved.

‘It hasn’t been straightforward, and after a couple of months in Australia we’ll be making an attempt the identical journey in reverse again to England.

‘It’s been a implausible journey and a extremely good approach to expertise so many numerous locations and folks, earlier than I begin my Animation diploma course in Falmouth subsequent 12 months.’

Shannon, Theo and Rosa determined to tackle the journey with out flying in an try and restrict their carbon footprint.

Flying from the UK to Australia produces roughly 3.5tonnes of CO2 per economic system passenger, which means a return flight accounts for 60 per cent of a mean Brit’s yearly carbon footprint.

To keep away from already doubtlessly catastrophic international temperature rises of 2C by 2050, that ought to be reduce to 2 tonnes for everybody on Earth, by one estimate.

The household calculate that their journey has emitted 0.9tonnes of CO2 per particular person thus far.

The trio additionally loved a BBQ on the seashore on Christmas Day – additionally Theo’s birthday.

They had been joined by Ellie’s husband Mike, his children and their canines, who the household have by no means met earlier than.

Three days after Christmas they watched the completely happy couple tie the knot.

The household have saved up for a number of years to have the ability to fund the journey – which has value them rather more than air tickets would have executed.

In August, Shannon left her job as a college administrator and Theo completed working at a sports activities product manufacturing unit.

Theo mentioned: ‘All three of us have campaigned in several methods for motion on Climate Change, so we determined our journey to Australia must be as low-carbon as sensible, which meant travelling by public transport fairly than air journey which is clearly sooner, however has 5-10 instances greater greenhouse fuel emissions than practice, bus and ferry.’

‘But we’re life like. We know that folks cannot essentially discover the time to do that, and sadly the world is not presently set as much as make low-carbon journey simpler than flying.

‘We’ve at all times accepted that we’d must fly sooner or later.

‘But it has been a wonderful problem, and the brief flight we have ended up taking has solely been a tiny fraction of the carbon footprint we might have had in any other case.’

The household mentioned the journey has solely made them extra conscious of the devasting impact the local weather disaster has on livelihoods and nature across the globe.

Shannon added: ‘The results of local weather change aren’t going away, as we have all been starkly reminded since our arrival right here, so the demand for low carbon journey will solely improve.

‘It can be actually useful in future if some sensible entrepreneur seized the chance to arrange an everyday passenger route throughout the Timor Sea – ideally earlier than we make our return journey in April.’

Including the households return journey, they are going to have travelled over 21,000 miles.

The household have saved a weblog of their travels for household and buddies, with occasional ideas for different overland travellers: www.buckleupdorothy.co.uk.