The kindness of strangers: we broke down in the outback and a retired mechanic came to our rescue

We were apprehensive about approaching a stranger in the middle of nowhere – but we didn’t have many options

• Read more in the kindness of strangers series

It was 2003 and the Peter Falconio case was fresh in our minds. As 22-year-olds itching for adventure, my wife and I, together with one of our closest friends, nonetheless decided to fly from the UK to Australia and spend six months road-tripping through the outback.

We were driving 250km from Julia Creek to Mount Isa in Queensland, in a Ford Econovan that had seen better days.