Audi 2006 Annual Report Download - page 53

TECHNOLOGY: ENDURANCE TEST FOR THE AUDI Q7
51AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
Sept 3: Sydney,
New South Wales
A red light changes to green on a busy
Sydney street, and our convoy of
fifteen gleaming Audi Q7 models snakes
into the mid-morning traffic. On the
bonnet of each car is a black gecko
motif, the offroad adventure symbol of
Audi Australia and a clue that these
Audi Q7s, the first to be seen on
Australian roads, have more in store
for them than a trip to the local
shops. In fact our destination is
Cable Beach in Broome, over 7,000 km
away in Western Australia. For those
lucky enough to be taking part, the
next three weeks will be the journey
of a lifetime. For the world’s first
premium seven-seat SUV, it will be
the ultimate test.
Below: Cameron’s Corner,
where New South Wales,
Queensland and South
Australia converge.
Audi Q7 Club. Journalists
and members of the Audi team
outside the Packsaddle
Roadhouse on the Silver City
Highway, New South Wales.
Sept 4: Lake Mungo
National Park,
New South Wales
Today we hit dirt roads for the first
time, and as we bid farewell to the
bitumen there’s a feeling that we’re
leaving civilisation behind. In
fact Lake Mungo was the site of the
earliest civilisation in Australia;
Aboriginal artifacts dating back over
40,000 years have been found here.
The landscape looks the part too.
Wind and rain have carved the sand and
clay into surreal forms, including
the famous Walls of China, a series
of sculpted dunes 30 metres high and
over 33 km long. We’re barely one
day out of Sydney, but it feels like
we’ve arrived on Mars.
Sept 6: Broken Hill,
New South Wales
Despite the chill wind blowing in from
the desert, the atmosphere in Broken
Hill is heated. Established in 1883
when silver deposits where discovered
in the area, ‘Silver City’ now serves
as New South Wales’ gateway to the
outback. It’s an apt place to intro-
duce the Audi Q7 to Australia’s motor-
ing press, and the Royal Exchange
Hotel is bustling with activity as
last minute checks are carried out
and journalists are briefed on the
upcoming trip. Tomorrow we depart
for our first campsite in the bush,
and everyone – media included –
is excited.