When Jason was a little baby, whenever the family wanted to go anywhere they would go out in their shiny yellow car called Billyo. Grandpa called the car that because he thought it went fast, like billyo. At first the family didn’t go very far in Billyo, but as Ben grew bigger and bigger, they would go to all sorts of interesting places together. Billyo liked to go to the city and she climbed the hill back up to their house very well. Sometimes they would go across the hills, exploring. Sometimes Billyo would take them to the shops, and finally as Ben got bigger, Billyo took him all the way to school.

Ben grew taller and taller and could do more and more things and his parents began to think of all the adventures further afield they wanted to share with him. They wanted to take him camping away in the North where the earth was dry and red, and there were creek beds full of white-trunked gums and rounded stones. They wanted to take him exploring way out east to other big cities with exciting things to see and do. They thought of many things they would like to show Ben as he grew bigger and bigger. But they were always worried about their shiny yellow car Billyo, because she was not a great adventurer. She liked to run around near home and the hills but she wasn’t so sure of going on really big adventures. So James and Jillie thought and thought. What could be done?

At last just before Ben’s sixth birthday, they knew what to do. They would find a car that liked to go on big adventures, one that was newer and stronger and had room to pack all sorts of things that they would need in the back. Then they would find a good home for Billyo, who was getting older and needed shelter from the rain in the winter and didn’t want to be worked so hard.

So James went looking for the car that liked adventures, and while he was doing that, he also found a family who really needed a car like Billyo, that liked to go up and down the hill, and shopping and to take children to school. He found just the family Billyo needed. This family had four children who were much bigger than Ben, in fact nearly all grown up, so there were lots of people to care for Billyo. The big children also babysat other little children, even some Ben knew, so Billyo would still have the company of little children too. This family also had a little black dog, who liked to go for rides with her family in the car. And best of all Billyo found that this family had an old grandmother car who was very glad to have a friendly Billyo to do the longer drives for her when she was feeling a little tired. When they were not out and about, they could talk together, parked beside each other in the car port, and be sheltered from the rain.

So Billyo was happy with all her new friends, the family, the dog, and her new house. We should not forget to tell you that there was also a rooster, a hen and three little chickens to come to talk to Billyo sometimes, but they were definitely not allowed to go for rides in her. Oh no. The chickens stayed home. Sometimes too, a stray koala would come lumbering by, and some grey kangaroos would come to the garden to find fresh green grass. So there was much to amuse Billyo in her new situation.

And how was Ben? He was sad at first and missed his shiny yellow car, but soon he was enjoying the shiny new blue car that now took him off to school, and to the city…and yes… on many adventures in the holidays. That was the start of many long journeys together for Ben, James, Jilly and the new blue car.