Maybe we ought to go hunting in the Oz outback, looks like plenty of elbow room and no dreaded fences.
.c The Associated Press
PERTH, Australia (AP) - A man who disappeared into the Australian desert
more than six months ago returned Thursday, puzzled that authorities and
his family had been worried about him.
Edward Furtak, 43, loaded an ex-military fire truck with food and water and drove off into the Outback in Western Australia state sometime around August last year.
He was seen once in the tiny township of Forrest in November 1999, where he reloaded water before taking off again.
He reappeared on Wednesday when he again drove into Forrest - 685 miles east of the state capital of Perth - to telephone his mother and wish her happy birthday.
Furtak was bemused Thursday that police had launched a short-lived search for him upon his family's request. Authorities abandoned the search realizing the area was too large.
He denied he was on a quest for enlightenment, as his family had earlier said.
"I obviously felt God's presence a lot closer, but I was there to see the sun rise and set,'' said Furtak, a born-again Christian.
"Like some people travel overseas for a year, this was my once in a lifetime holiday, I had been planning it for 10 years.''
He said he was "thinner and a little weaker,'' than when he left, but that he was never in danger because he hadn't strayed more than 50 miles from Forrest and was equipped with plenty of food, water and maps.
Furtak said he had endured two floods and nearly stepped on a snake. He was sorry his family had been worried but had no regrets about going.
AP-NY-05-11-00 1133EDT
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