Home AG Society Awards Lifetime of Adventure 2014

Lifetime of Adventure 2014

By AG STAFF • 27 October 2014

Hans Tholstrup standing in front of a plane.

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Congratulations to Hans Tholstrup who has been awarded the Lifetime of Adventure, the Australian Geographic Society’s highest honour.

The Australian Geographic Society’s highest honour recognises those special people who have not only lived an adventurous life, but have also put something back into Australia and inspired other Australians.

Danish-born Australian adventurer Hans Tholstrup’s legacy includes a series of odd-looking solar-powered vehicles that crawl every year from Darwin to Adelaide during the World Solar Challenge.

This solar-powered race had its roots in a 1982-3 adventure, during which Hans and engineer Larry Perkins drove a solar-powered car, The Quiet Achiever, from Perth to Sydney (4130km).

It was the first solar-powered crossing of the Australian continent and begat the first World Solar Challenge in 1987. This event was headed-up by Hans for 15 years, until he passed it on to the South Australian government.

Hans’ lifetime of adventuring includes more than a dozen other impressive walking, driving, flying and sailing ‘firsts’ – including being the first to sail around Australia in an open boat in 1970 and being the first to jump 14 motorcycles in a double-decker bus with AG founder Dick Smith in 1980.