Not all heroes wear capes: meet the Aussies making a difference

[Animation: #loveanaussieroadtrip with Adam Spencer]

[Adam Spencer]:

It started as a wild idea almost a century ago and now travels to the moon and back 34 times a year, saving Aussie lives. Strap yourselves in as we say - g'day Dubbo! 

I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains, of ragged mountain ranges... (noise of falling off motorbike) 

Urgh, yes, and ah, gruesome accidents in the outback. And that's where these Aussie heroes come in. 

The Royal Flying Doctor Service. Imagine you're living in remote Australia. The nearest doctor is hours away and you're in trouble. Big trouble. Who are you going to call? A bush ambulance? Well, thankfully, it's not this that's coming for you. It's this! An emergency unit in the air. 

The Royal Flying Doctor Service cares for 1000 people every day over the almost eight million square kilometres of Australia. And the visitors experience is an important stop right here in Dubbo. It's also the perfect place to give us all some perspective on a road trip like ours. 

As Australians, we pride ourselves on our ability to pull each other through the hard times. 

And these guys are risking their own lives to fly out to the furthest corners of the country to help everyday Aussies in their darkest hour. And it happens more frequently than you'd think. Every two minutes, somewhere in Australia, somebody rings the Flying Doctor. Every two minutes. 

So in the time it takes you to watch this video, there's every chance someone has reached out to the Flying Doctors for help. Like former patient and volunteer Noel, who owes his life to them. 

[Former patient and volunteer Noel:]

So I've had two flights in the Flying Doctor, one in a bit of a hurry. So I repay them by volunteering out here. It means everything. That's why I'm here today. The Flying Doctor is the Aussie spirit. That's what it's all about.

[Adam Spencer]:

Good on you Noel. The Royal Flying Doctor Service owes its existence to thousands of Australians who donate or volunteer like this bush survivor. 

And Chief Medical Officer Randall Greenburg reckons a lot of it comes down to mateship. 

[Randall Greenburg, Chief Medical Officer, Royal Flying Doctor Service:]

This is a charity. Yes, we've got some government funding, but all of the funding from this visitor centre and donations, that actually keeps it going and that, that is part of mateship. That is part of us looking after each other. So, it's not just me going out to pick them up. It's actually the people that donate so that we can do it. So it's the whole community doing it, to provide health care, all sorts of health care, to the people of the bush. 

[Adam Spencer]:

So on your next road trip through Dubbo, do your bit to support the Flying Doctors. Go and check out the visitor's experience. You never know, your visit might be the difference that helps somebody like Noel.

[Love an Aussie road trip logo]

[Adam Spencer]:

Next our road trip heads into space, as I feed my inner nerd with somehigh tech in the middle of nowhere. And we meet a local legend uniting people through art.

[Love an Aussie road trip logo with loveanaussieroadtrip.com.au]

[Adam Spencer]:

I love an Aussie road trip. 

If you're loving the Aussie spirit that we've encountered on this road trip, well it doesn't get much better than Australia's best talent uniting for the annual Australia Day Broadcast. Catch it on your ABC, 26 January, 7.30pm AEDT.