Caravanning couple's generous act for tourists stranded on road: 'True blue champion'

The Japanese women were leaving the Nature’s Window tourist attraction in WA when they encountered a common problem.

Brianne Tolj
·Associate News Editor
·4-min read
Left, the Aussie caravanning man standing with the two Japanese tourists on the side of the red dirt road with a jerrycan in his hands. Right, the man using the jerrycan to fill up the women's rental car with fuel.
Golfer Reimi Iizuka (in purple) has been travelling around Australia with her friend. Earlier this month a kind Aussie tourist stopped to help her after she ran out of fuel. Source: Supplied

Two tourists are searching for a caravanning couple who displayed “good old outback kindness” after they ran into trouble while travelling around Australia. Reimi Iizuka, from Japan, has been enjoying an epic golf trip since landing in the country two months ago, making her way from Brisbane to Perth with a friend.

On days without golf plans, the pair have been renting a Honda SUV to explore further, she told Yahoo News Australia on Tuesday. However, their adventures almost took a scary turn earlier this month when they visited Kalbarri National Park on WA’s rural coastline — 600km north of the state’s capital.

The women were leaving the Nature’s Window tourist attraction when they encountered a common and worrying problem. “We drove about 80-90km towards Perth when the fuel warning light came on,” Iizuka told Yahoo.

Luckily, at a nearby T-junction the pair “noticed a motorhome parked by the roadside”. “I decided to stop and ask for help. I asked the man where the nearest gas station was, and he told me it was dozens of kilometres away,” she explained.

The Aussie man's caravan driving away after helping the tourists.
Iizuka told Yahoo that she spotted the kind caravanning couple just as her low fuel light came on, but wants to thank them properly. Source: Supplied

Picking up on her obvious concern, the man jumped out of his ute and asked what type of petrol she needed. “Smiling, he kindly offered to give us some fuel and walked to the back of his motorhome,” Iizuka explained, saying she then rushed to her car to hunt for any cash to offer him.

“He came back with a red fuel can and started filling our tank, chatting with us as he did,” she said. “I was so moved that all I could say was ‘Thank you’ — barely understanding what he was saying.”

After offering him $60, the man refused to take her money but ultimately accepted a $10 bill upon her insistence.

Iizuka working as a volunteer for blind people who play golf.
Iizuka (in white) is a volunteer for blind people who play golf. Source: Supplied

Unfortunately, due to the language barrier and being overwhelmed by the stranger’s kindness, the women forgot to ask for the man’s phone number or any contact details. With the hope of “properly” thanking the couple for their hospitality, the tourists asked a friend to post images online to try and track them down.

The photos show the older Aussie man pouring the petrol into the women’s car parked on the side of a dirt road and his caravan later driving away.

“If I can find them, I want to meet them in person. I regret not thanking his wife and would like to pay the full amount for the fuel,” Iizuka told Yahoo. “I don’t want them to be out of pocket for their kindness.”

The “amazing” act has been praised by hundreds of people on Facebook, many of which said they believed the kind stranger would want the tourists to “return the favour and pass it on the Australian way”.

“That's a true blue right there!” one man commented. “A true champion. Aussie spirit,” another said.

“Did this the other day. Young couple broke down in front of my place out of fuel, I had fuel, gave it to them and got them on their way,” a third shared. “Just happy to help, hopefully the world will help me if I am ever in a pickle.”

Some Aussies said the encounter was also a prime example of why it’s so important to travel rural roads with extra water and petrol due to the “vast distances” between servos.

The compassionate caravanning moment appears to go against claims made earlier this month by an experienced farm contractor. Victoria, who runs a bar and “does a bit of camp hosting” at an outback sheep station and campground 800km west of Brisbane, told Yahoo she’s fed up with the behaviour of “rude and entitled grey nomads”.

The Aussie, who predominately works with people aged 50 and over, said it’s the one generation that consistently proves difficult to deal with.

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