At this time of year, we would normally see APT’s fleet of 4WD adventure vehicles being polished and packed ready for the start of the 2020 touring season in the Kimberley.
As it’s not quite business as usual right now, unusual times call for unusual measures, which saw six of the 4WD vehicles redeployed from Broome to the mining industry in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Taking more than 10 hours to cover 900km of remote roads, the custom-built Mercedes Benz 4WD vehicles travelled in convoy tackling the daily changes to border crossing restrictions along the way. This all came about because mine operations required additional vehicles to transport workers to and from the mine’s airstrip during shift changes to ensure they meet social distancing requirements during transit. APT was chosen due to its excellent reputation for having safe and reliable vehicles of the highest standard, as well as the ability to provide the required number of identical vehicles for ease of handover and operation.
Commenting on the relocation, APT’s UK & Europe Managing Director, Paul Melinis said, “With travel on pause it means we are unable to welcome our guests to the Kimberley, Western Australia. So rather than our 4WD vehicles sitting idle, we decided to help the Pilbara’s mines located in the region, who were needing transport. Logistically it was a huge challenge to relocate the vehicles, but nothing our team is not used to and they made it happen.
APT has been revealing the secrets of Outback Australia to its guests for more than 50 years, bringing luxury travel to remote regions. From 4WD small group journeys to small ship expedition cruising around the Kimberley we will travel again, these places are too special not to share and look forward to doing it soon.”
