Our Story

Day 1, 31-Feb-2008

Up early. Had realised overnight extra things that had to be found and packed. We finally got underway about 8.20am. Drove through the shopping area of Naracourte, trying to find a place to park while I went to Woollies for a cinnamon bun. Did not get the bun, but that town has hardly changed. I remember a picnic in the park with the old loco. Must be 40 years ago, but it’s all still there. The motels on the way out too. Nothing changes there.

Stopped at Coonalpyn a bit after midday, and brought some fresh bread and tomatoes and made sandwiches on the back of the truck under the shade of the van. Gave the locals something different to look at.

Knowing there would not be many chances to stop through Adelaide, we had a break at a truckstop just outside Murray Bridge. Then it was the haul through the Hills. It was not too bad at all, and it did not take us very long to get to the Toll Gates, and the city traffic. On the last hill down to the city, the sighs say truck must use low gear. We did, but were passed by heaps of other trucks at full speed. No wonder they keep having accidents there.

The roads in Adelaide were full of peak hour traffic, and the outside lanes were overhung with quite low looking branches. This left us in the middle lane, but we survived! Once through the city itself, we just kept going, looking for somewhere to pullover and have a break and check the maps, but there was nowhere. Passed two large shopping centres, but being late night shopping, the carparks were full, so just kept on going.

We were starting to get to the far outer suburbs, and tired, when I spotted a sign for a cemetery. “Large car park” I thought, so I turned up the indicated road. Found the place, only it had gates that were shut. Managed to turn the rig around in their driveway, and then tried to get back onto the main road. Big mistake. No traffic lights, and two lanes of traffic to cross. Finally got through. Just needed patience.

Keep looking for a parking spot. Even the cat was hanging out for her roo. Had decided to cook some pasta for tea, so needed to have a spot to put out slides both sides. Finally turned off to a side road just after Gawler, and found a spot on the roadside there.

On checking the maps, while tea cooked, I saw we were heading the wrong way. Not too bad, so when we got back on the road, had to backtrack about 2 km, and then headed toward Two Wells, and then back onto the right road.

We pulled into the Dublin North rest area, (#314 Camps 4), which is about 14k before Port Wakefield. There was plenty of room there for our rig, and we found an area that was level enough to let us leave the van connected to the truck. When we opened the truck door, the gale like wind hit. Wind and dust blowing everywhere. Knowing the wind would die down by dark, I started setting up anyhow. Once inside, it was hot, and we couldn’t really open many vents for the blowing dust. So I had to christen the generator. Hooked it up and away the AC went. Now we had power, I was ‘asked’ for the lounge TV too. We ended up with all the creature comforts going. The generator had travelled really well. No movement. No rubbing. The whole hurried installation was working well so far.

About 9.00, got Lyn to turn off the TV and I shut down the generator, and packed it up. Then had a shower and realised I had not shaved. So back out to the back of the truck, and get the generator operating again, so I could shave standing in the dark, on the back of the truck. Gave the passersby something to talk about!

It was a brilliant orange sunset, so tomorrow will be hot too.

We had done 542k today. Considering the late start, this was pretty good. One thing that really stood out all day was the total dryness of the land. Even around Adelaide. The only green was the irrigated areas.

In general, the roads were in pretty good condition. There were a few rough patches between Naracoorte and Keith, but the rest was much better than we had seen in Vic and NSW.

Day 2, 1-2-2008

Up at 6.00am. Great golden sunrise. Had another shave on the truck back admiring the view. Got underway quickly before the heat started.

Went off the main highway to Port Pirie, looking to get a wireless modem to get back on the internet. Found a sign saying caravan parking, and followed it to the place. Plenty of parking, but all under low lying trees. Found a spot where we could fit without loosing the van top, and walked back to the shops. Was only two blocks, but Lyn’s knees were hurting, so left her on a seat outside Woollies while I walked to a Telstra dealer I had spotted while driving in. They had no idea of what I wanted, but directed me to another dealer ‘around the corner’. They knew what I wanted, but did not have any. Met up with Lyn and while I shopped for desert provisions, she bought some more plastic sandals. Finally got my cinnamon bun, and they were on special too.

Bought 145.24L of diesel on the road out. Filled both tanks full so now I can really check the fuel consumption. We had done 690km since Mt Gambier, but did not start with full tanks.

Stopped by the road to take some pix of the gulf as we went by. As usual for this sort of view, reality is much better than the picture. Starting to really heat up now.

Tried again at Port Augusta to get this modem. Managed to park in a club’s carpark, under a tree. Left Lyn to guard the truck – had the motor going to keep the cat cool – while I walked the main street. First shop had a locked door, and a note – closed for lunch 12.00 to 2.00. Some lunch! Tried two others, but no one had it. Bought a pie and veggie pastie from a bakery, and took them back to have with Lyn. They were very cheap, and yet very nice. Would call there again anyday. Was on the Southern side of the main street, about the middle, but the street is narrow and has obstacles. Would not take the van down it.

Pulled into Iron Knob, hoping to get an ice cream, and got quite a surprise – an unmarked spoon drain across the main street that really gave the suspension a workout. Apart from that, the place was nearly a ghost town. Old shops turned into houses, and no new ones. Did a U-turn and got back on the highway.

It’s been a hot day today so far. Kept the speed down to keep the tyres in good condition. Found that the van was quite “pushy” going down hills. The only thing that had changed was the temperature, and I suspect the airbag in the hitch was lifting the hitch height up a bit giving less load on the truck. Backing off the speed was the easy solution to stability. Had much less trouble with the wheel nuts working loose too.

Next town was Kimba, where we stopped in a stop-over park. Town was very well signposted and really trying to cater to the traveller. Bought some ice creams for afternoon snacks. There was a tourist trap site that had a big galah. Lyn got talking to some others that pulled in once we were there. One lot were from Ceduna, and the other lot were from Perth.

Stopped at a truck stop 40k outside Kimba to cook tea. It was still very hot, so first thing was to get the generator going for the cooler. Did mashed spuds with sour cream, and curried onion gravy with nutmeat, with the idea of having leftovers tomorrow. Got quite settled, but really was too early to stop, so packed up and kept going.

Was trying to find a rest stop listed in Camps 4 as #640 - Yaninee. At about the right distance, saw an unmarked pull-off, but was past it before I realised. Kept on for a bit, but found no other, so did a U turn and went into it. Not great, but we set up quickly. Checked the gps co ordinates of where we were and found it was not the right one. Going to be interesting getting out of here as the only way forward has some close bushes.

Lyn suggested she might like to watch some TV, and after saying there would be nothing around here, I hooked up one set, and on it came on the last used channel. Turn of the antenna, and crystal clear reception of some stuff. It had adds from Mt Isa amongst others. Not sure what it was, but it kept Lyn happy.

Ended up covering 504km today.

Day 3, 2-2-2008

Started early today. Lyn took a picture of me shaving on the back of the truck in the dawn twilight. I rechecked the GPS and set it to match the co ordinate system used in camps4, and it showed that the site we were at was indeed the #640 one. Seems like the council had decommissioned it.

Our first real stop was Ceduna. Town was smaller than I expected, but we found a very well stocked supermarket, and the prices were good too. Called into the Telstra dealer and they had the right modem in stock. Great service too. It was a bit early, but we got a fish, chip and salad pack. The people in town seemed quite friendly. Lyn went to post a letter, and could not find the box, but asked two ladies and they showed her. She saw them later down the street, and they said hello.

Filled up with diesel and fresh water here too. 95.26l and we had done 547k since last fill.

Stopped after Penong for a good break. We were tired! Tried the new modem, and it worked. Got through all the setup, and then it said to call Telstra because there was a problem. Call with what?

Went on to Nundroo roadhouse where we topped up the tanks and took 26.7l for 142k which gives a running total of about 5.64K/litre. There was a phone box there, so called Telstra, and after a while it was decided I should redo the internet registration, only there was no coverage here.

Went on to Yalata which is an Aboriginal settlement. NoGo signs everywhere. About 20k before the roadhouse we came across an indigenous person with a red jumper sitting on the edge of the highway, with his back just touching the bitumen. For a fraction of a microsecond we thought “what!!” but soon worked out what he was doing. Can you guess from these choices?

1. Taking the airs and communing with the ancestral dreaming spirits.
2. Surveying the road edge for future repair by his gang at trusty workers.
3. Drunk out of his mind.

The roadhouse at Yalata was boarded up, but there was internet coverage, and managed to set it up OK. While we parked there, Lyn made salads for tea, and got the last of the plums ready for stewing. It was way too early to stop, so we hit the road again heading toward Nullarbor station.

We made camp in a parking bay 20k past the station at the edge of the Nullarbour plain. After saying there was no way we would have TV reception, I eventually relented and hooked it up and voila! One snowy channel. It was enough to bring peace though.

Thought that it would be a good picture as the sun set over the plain, but as the sun was dipping a band of cloud blocked the light.

There was really very little traffic in the road. Most of it was long trucks. The few private cars were not too much in the spirit of the outback either. Very few waved. Covered 492k today.

Day 4. 3-2-2008

The time difference is really getting apparent. Was still pitch dark at 6.30am. We were up before the sun, even though we were trying to sleep-in to adjust to the new time zones. It was heavy overcast, with no sign of the sun as we got on the road about 8.00 and headed for one of the cliff viewing bays over the Great Australian Bight.

Pulled into one about 80k from Nullarbour, and took some nice pictures. There was a family in an old bus there too. Looked like they had camped there overnight.

The next one we stopped at was close to the border. Totally different landscape, with a gentle slope down to the sea. Went through the quarantine station at the WA border. The lady was very ‘official’ with a nasty commanding voice. Took a couple of things we had not finished, and my honey! She could have missed some others, but with an attitude like that, who would bother telling. Someone should have told her that you always catch more flies with honey. (And she should have had plenty of that having just stolen mine. Thieving government!)

We made the border crossing.

 

Stopped after Eucla for dinner and a break. Truck and van have been going great. Main problem is the dust that is covering everything. Wheel nuts staying tight too now. I think it could be partly because the roads in SA and WA have been so good compared to NSW and Vic. Bit further on, there was a dead tree covered in plastic bottles. Some of them had messages inside from passersby. Those I could read were from foreign backpackers saying how good their trip was.

Drove through a couple of Flying Doctor emergency landing strips that were made part of the road. They had loading and turning pads made alongside the main road/runway.

Stopped at Cocklebiddy to do tea. Decided on sultana scones, and while they were cooking, Lyn rang home from the public phone. Lyn got talking to the owners of the roadhouse and they told how they loved it there. Never lonely, and always interesting. The scones did not turn out too good as I tried using some gluten free flour. I know for next time though.

Continued on to a stop point 39k past Caiguna where we found another 5th wheel already parked there. We pulled up on the other side of the area to keep the generator noise from them. They saw us, but never approached. This parking bay is the first that has had the water tanks with the iron collection roofs. 30 odd years ago, we saw a lot of them.

Just before dark, I went outside to close the oven fan vent, and only went 2 steps before returning in pain. I had only my socks on, and while I thought it was gravel, it was also covered with prickly burrs.

It has been overcast nearly all day, so it has been quite pleasant travelling. We ended up covering 542k today.

Day 5. 4/2/2008

Got our clocks set on WA time now. As the sun started to come up this morning we heard what sounded like thunder, and it started lightly raining. Through the gloom, we saw that the old bus we had met on the cliffs yesterday, had pulled in here sometime last night too. Must have been late, because we did not hear them.

We got underway in the light rain, after waiting for a couple of kangaroos to get out of our way by the tank. On the road, it was roos everywhere. They were drinking from the rain water puddles on the road. We just drove carefully, because they always jumped the way you least expected. Over the next 80 kms there were heaps of them all doing the same. Saw quite a few eagles too, including one that nearly flew into the truck. Interesting to see that the dead roos on the side of the road were quite fresh. The eagles and crows soon cleaned them up, and just left a pile of bleached bones.

When the rain stopped, found a level parking bay, and unhitched the van to check the grease and wear in the hitch. Actually looked pretty good considering it had not been unhitched for over 2000 km. Did put a bit more grease on the king pin.

Was watching the fuel gauge, as had both tanks connected was expecting we should have well enough fuel to get to Norseman, but the gauge was looking iffy. Worked out the problem, and it is always the obvious things you overlook. The truck was following the camber of the road, and going on the van level, it was at least 2 inches lower on the left side to the right. The left tank was not running into the right enough. One solution would be to park on a slope with the left high, wait for it to run in, and then close the valve. Practically, with the van in tow, I decided to buy some more fuel at the next stop, and make doubly sure.

I should mention that the level gauge we have mounted on the hitch is a really great thing. I use it all the time. Can see it in the rearview mirror, and its intended use when setting up is great. You just position the van until the ball is in the middle, and all is well. Don’t even need to get out of the cab. When the dealer sold it to me, I really thought he was just ripping us off, but he was right – it is a great asset.

Pulled into Balladonia roadhouse, and got $50 of fuel (25.4l). Was going to get some chips and dim sims, but $1.60 per dim sim, and $6 chips made me change my mind. We drove on and stopped at a roadside stop and cooked some fish and chips ourselves. The joys of having a travelling fridge/freezer.

Have heard stories about 5th wheelers arriving in Norseman with broken springs. Could see why. The road from about 100k out of Norseman is not too good. It looks good, but it is full of small dips and bumps. It ended up being one of the slowest parts of the trip across. With the van water tank nearly empty, and the fuel tanks likewise, if you were just in a hurry to get there, and planted the foot, you would really pound the van into the ground. We didn’t.

Arrived at Norseman to find that the water taps listed in the books had had their handles removed. Went for a walk around town, and boy – has it changed for the worse. Not too much there at all. Went to get some groceries, but only found a few on the list. Filled up the fuel, and they also gave us water.

Had only expected to get a bit beyond here, but it was still quite early, so we kept going. Then the storms started. Strong wind and rain. Had seen that there were no free stops listed anywhere near Esperance as the council are a mob of money hungry pigs. With the weather though, we decided to pull into a parking bay on the road side, and hope for the best. The road was pretty quiet, and after a while the rain stopped. Have got to arrange the generator so I can run it in the rain. Ended up with the box balanced on top to keep the rain off. It actually worked OK.

When the rain stopped, it came out quite nice. A brilliant orange sunset. The road was very quiet, with hardly a truck all night. Our gas cylinder ran out, so had to switch it over. 8k of gas so far for all, including the hot water.

Did the calculations on the fuel consumption for this part of the trip....
Total km.....1726k Total fuel.... 315.87L.......gives .... 5.46km/L
Did 412k today.

Day 6. 5/2/2008

Woke early and got under way toward Esperance. Passed quite a few salt claypans in the scrub. The stark white salt, surrounded by a ring of yellow/brown dirt, and then the greenish scrub. Looked like giant sightless eyes of the Earth, looking forever heavenward.

Was very overcast when we got to Esperance, and the sea did not look very nice at all. There were four ships close in. Found Woollies, and picked up provisions, then went looking for a Telstra dealer to get a 3G phone. Found one, and for once, had a reasonable salesman who actually took notice of what we wanted, and we left with a new phone for Lyn. Got to find out how to work it yet, but it has much better coverage than the old one.

Headed toward Ravensthorpe, with the scenery pretty much the same, and not much happening, except one motorhome driver keen on prooving that some motorhomers are not very considerate. There was a tractor moving slowly along the side of the road ahead, then us, and he or she was way back, but driving in the right lane ready to pass. I’m sure he could see the tractor, but came along side us, so we could not pullout to pass the tractor. Some people just should not be on the road.

Tried to find a place to park at the grocery shop in Ravensthorpe, but there was nothing for large rigs, so just drove on out of town. Stopped at a highway stop just outside town to have snacks, when a ute pulled up and came to take pictures of our truck. We got talking, and he was working on a road crew up the highway. We actually passed him later and all waved. He pointed out a feature of this stop, it was on the time meridian for WA. It was exactly 8 hours from GMT. There was a plaque and a large stone marking this.

Passed lots of wheat silos, and what was outstanding was their size. You see lots throughout Vic and SA, but these had many times the capacity – they were huge.

Was quietly travelling along when a car with flashing lights approached from the other direction and flew past. It was a wide load escort. Sometime later, just as we were coming to the top of a crest, the wide load came up the other side at what seemed like the speed of light, with absolutely no intention of keeping to his side of the road. We had to quickly bite the dirt, and that pig did not care. Just goes to prove again how people are so selfish today.

Went past Jerramungup, where we topped up fuel. While there we got the call that our car had been sold. We were looking for a camping site behind a hall that was listed in the Camps 4 book. We found it, and drove in, but it was not too good, and when we went to get out, it was not easy. We should have walked in first, but we survived.

Kept on driving, and found a parking bay that looked better, so set up there. After a while, saw that there were big ants with red heads everywhere, so quickly sprayed the van legs and such. Then saw a small legless lizard (or snake more likely) around one tyre. Not a great place either.

Speaking of snakes, saw two dead ones on the road today, and one very fast live one that crossed in front of the truck. I think he ended up with a very sore tail.

The interior of the van is getting quite dusty, even though it is shutup when travelling. We have stopped in quite a few dusty places, and the wind just blows it in. The outside is also dirty, but not much you can do without water. Got a big job coming up to clean it all when we stop for a few days.

Covered 428k today.

Day 7. 6/2/2008

Was up before the sun rose. Beautiful clear sky with an orange band in the East heralding the sun. The site had actually been very quiet with hardly any traffic at all while dark. When we started packing up, Zebbie went and hopped into her travel nest by herself, and just sat there looking out. She really is getting used to this life. She stayed there until we put her in the truck. She is now travelling really well, although she does get hand feed by Lyn. Small tins of fish with tiny octopus tentacles are her favourite, along with crunchies fed one at a time.

The town names here are something else. We went through Ongerup, stopped for bread and cat tins at Gnowangerup, then Broomehill, Kojonup, Maradup, Boyup Brook and Bridgetown. Had wanted to have a break in Bridgetown, but once again, there was no suitable parking to be seen. As we left town, there was a spot, but too late, and too far to walk back to town. The towns seem more prosperous too. Better homes and well kept gardens. There is money in the wheat belt.

The scenery has been changing. Seeing lots of proteas and blackboys. Even cycads by the side of the road. Things are getting a little bit greener too.

From Bridgetown to Nannup the road was very hilly. 40kph most of the way using exhaust brakes, and low gear down the steep hills too. Really into the forests now. This was most likely not the best way to come with all the hills, but it looked the shortest on the map. Had planned to camp before Margaret River, and go there in the morning when we were fresh, but we were getting quite close, and camping spots were getting quite hard to find. In the end, we decided to just go there today and be done with it. The closer we got the better the roads got too. About 15k from the town there was a great camp site. Good for future reference.

We passed a lot of what appeared to be bluegum plantations. They looked so scrawny and thin. Often quite tall, but no substance to the trunk. Some trees had or 3 trunks, and they looked like they had never been pruned. I think they had really planted them to close together, but I hope the people growing them in SA and Vic have done their sums correctly. I would be pretty doubtful if they will make their millions judging on what i have seen so far.

When we got into Margaret River, they had quite narrow streets, and all marked parking sites. Eventually, after some tight city driving we found a site, and walked to the tourist office, just as it was getting ready to close. Got a town map, and recommendation where to go. Rang the one that sounded best, Taunton Farm Holiday Park. It was $25 per night and 16k out of town. We decided to go there, and it was quite OK.

They gave us a big site, and there are chooks and ducks and animals around. Also a few kids, as it is a farm holiday park. When we said what we were here for, they pointed out that there were two adds for pickers on their noticeboard, for local area work. We will try them tomorrow. We can stay here till Easter if we like. Not too keen on the price, but it is quiet so far. Mosquitoes are a problem here it seems. I found a couple of quite large ones.

Lyn went to do some washing before it got dark. It’s quite hot so it will dry out tonight. While she was away, the caravan park operators came by to have a look at the van. They are originally from Nihl, and travelled here in a 17’ poptop.

While we were setting up the van, I saw that one of the fog light lenses had been broken today. So far, that has been our only damage. We had heard a noise as a truck passed the other way. Not too bad I suppose. We will have to go into Busselton tomorrow for a long sullage hose, so I’ll see if they have an Isuzu dealer there to get one.

Unfortunately, I really had trouble with the automated gears though. For the first half of the day, it was perfect, even through hills. It had the right gear going up, and held that gear over the crest and kept it as an engine brake down the hill. Really perfect. Then as things got hotter it started erratic gear changing. It seems to skip a gear, and either jump too high or too low. If going up a hill, it might get down to second (when third would have been OK) and then try to go to fourth in one jump, loose momentum, then hunt up and down looking for a gear. Drove most of the rest of the way on manual, and it was fine that way. Many less gear changes than the auto was doing.

In Margaret River, I started in auto again, and it was Ok until I turned a corner and had to go up a hill. It went to change down, and just lost it. It could not decide what gear. I pulled it to manual and got out of the situation as it had started to roll backwards. Not too happy at all, but going to wait until tomorrow to check it when I am not so tired. I don’t think it is the gearbox at all, but rather I think it is the electronic drive to the gearbox, or the sensors to the electronics. If it was the gearbox itself, manual would be affected too.

Was 444km today.
Total for the trip is 3373km

If doing it again, without the time pressure, would plan to travel about 300k per day, and set up camp early, around 4.00pm like the older crowd do, and enjoy the surrounds more.

 

The next part is working the grape vines in Margaret River.