Children arrested following 600 mile road trip across Australia after taking family 4x4
A group of children have been arrested after going on a 600 mile joyride across Australia which ended in a car chase.
The group, ranging in age from 10 to just 14, took a vehicle, belonging to a family member of one of the joyriders, and embarked on the mammoth journey armed with fishing rods and cash.
The two siblings and two friends began their trip in Gracemere, Queensland on Saturday evening.
They were then spotted in the early hours of Sunday morning at a fuel station, where they allegedly made off without paying.
They allegedly stole more fuel from another petrol station later on Sunday, near Warialda, New South Wales.
Their joyride came to an end following an abandoned police chase, with the four being stopped at Jackadgery in New South Wales.
When police attempted to detain the children, they reportedly locked the doors of the car leaving officers to smash the windows of the stolen Nissan Patrol.
Explaining why the chase was abandoned, Acting Inspector Darren Williams told 7News Australia: "Kids will take unnecessary risks; there is no thought process and they could put other members of the public in danger."
"There will be charges laid in the future and it's just a matter of police having the opportunity to interview those children at a later date."
The children will only be charged for offences along the journey, because there has been no official complaint about the stolen car, police said.
Posting on Facebook, a member of the family said: "I wish I knew what went through their heads."