A 12-year-old boy has been stopped by Australian police after having already driven a dangerous 1,300km across the country, according to The Independent.

Having stolen his family's car, the boy was apparently attempting to drive the entire distance of Australia. He was pulled over on Saturday in the mining city of Broken Hill, appearing to have driven across the whole state of New South Wales. 

A police spokesperson told Associated Press: “Checks revealed the driver to be a 12-year-old boy travelling from Kendall NSW on his way to Perth.” The journey takes 40 hours by car and involves travelling across some of Australia's most severe deserts. 

Australia's official tourism site advises those attempting this trip to allow at least six days to travel across the Nullarbor Plain and to ensure that drivers “carry extra petrol and plenty of water and food”. 

The journey takes 40 hours by car and involves travelling across some of Australia's most severe deserts.

Local police stopped the boy after noticing the car's bumper dragging along the ground, suggesting an accident had occurred earlier on in the boy's trip. The young boy was then arrested and taken to Broken Hill police station. He has since been released to his parents.

Inquiries into the incident are ongoing.