Paul Forbes is in trouble. Foolishly, he has chosen to drive across the Gibson Desert on an ill-advised summer trip between Darwin and Alice Springs. His Land Rover doesn't like it. After it overheats near Barrow Creek, he is forced to stop in the blazing sun in the hopes that his engine will somehow cool down. In the distance, what he assumes is a mirage forms before his eyes. Why, though, is it in the form of a British police box? A man pops out of the box and asks him to move three steps to the left. A baffled Forbes complies —just in time to avoid being struck by a chunk of falling Skylab.