A 5,000-kilometre, cross country journey for a father and his son's beloved teddy bear is the recipe for a successful Mem Fox book, or potential disaster, as Gordon Wilson has found out.
Throughout the trip, Mr Wilson had been taking photos with the bear as a way of keeping himself and the family entertained.
But it all went wrong when the 61-year-old lost his son's treasured teddy "Pooh" part way through his journey from Bowen in far north Queensland to Perth in Western Australia.
"It was an 'Oh, s**t' moment," he said.
"I realised after arriving in Broken Hill and I was like 'Oh no'.
"It was getting dark, and it was a three-hour round trip there and back so I decided against it.
"The next morning I got up and I thought 'Nah, I can't go back', because I'd probably go back and he may not be there and it'll be a wasted journey."
This is when Lois Wilson, Mr Wilson's wife, sprang into action, reaching out to locals on a Broken Hill Facebook group to see if anyone had seen the bear that had been left more than 150 kilometres away.
"I said 'Look, I'll try Facebook'," Ms Wilson said.
'Gobsmacked by the reaction'
When the Wilsons woke up the next morning, they were stunned by the number of people who had reached out to offer support.
"We've just been blown away by the reaction from everybody."
Fortunately for the Wilsons and their son Ben, grazier Mitch Rodgers of Comarto Station, 50km west of Wilcannia, came to the rescue.
"I saw a post on Facebook about someone leaving him behind when they took him out for a photo," Mr Rodgers said.
"I recognised the sign post where it was, and it's only about 20km from my house.
"So I went out there and had a bit of a look and there he was, sitting there next to the post.
"They [the Wilsons] were pretty stoked about it."
Before he headed back into Broken Hill, Mr Rodgers decided to give Pooh a taste of station life.
"But it's been fun to chuck him out and get a photo here and there."
'A relief'
The Wilson family are grateful for Mitch Rodgers, but none more so than Mr Wilson who left his son's treasured toy he had since childhood.
"It was a big relief. When I heard that he was found it was really good," Mr Wilson said.
"A big thank you to Mitch especially, and the Broken Hill community for going out of their way to do something that a lot of people wouldn't have done."
Ms Wilson said the community response, in particular, was overwhelming and it was testament to the good nature of people.
Ms Wilson said the teddy bear had been a part of their family for more than 20 years, but it belonged to her 23-year-old son.
"It's a bit embarrassing, everyone thinks this is for a baby. It's not, but it has sentimental value to the whole family," she said.
Continuing the adventure
As an added bonus, Mr Wilson is visiting his son, mother, and sister, who all live in WA, for the first time in almost a year.
Rather than posting Pooh back via the mail, the family are looking for volunteers to transport him back across to Perth.
They are banking on goodwill and word of mouth.
Sadly for the grazier from Comarto Station, who rescued Pooh, it means the pair have had to part ways.
"He's with a woman from Broken Hill who will travel down to Mildura, then a couple will pick him up from there to take him into South Australia," Mr Rodgers said.
From there the journey continues.
