My long service leave has officially kicked in I meant to hit the road today but still had an incomplete to-do list and rather than rush like mad I thought bugger it it Im on holidays what's the rush!
I thought a reverse light might be a handy addition and I've also installed a UHF radio and a roo bar for a little more protection. Tools down at about 6pm tonight, the old girl is packed and ready to roll at O'dark hundred tomorrow morning.
First stop is probably going to be Mataranka. Day time temps are in the mid to high 30's up here so my plan is to leave at dawn and drive about 5-600km's a day and pull up around lunch time to avoid the heat of the day.
Day 1
Left Darwin just after sunrise, it was a nice cloudy morning which kept the temperature down for the first couple of hours - its the 'Build Up' in Darwin, the worst time of year with high heat & humidity. Cloud formations build up and its starts looking like rain and then most times it just dissipates and the cooling rains don't come which gives everyone the shits! Commonly known as troppo season
Pine Creek was the first stop for Juice, the old girl has the stock tank and she coughed a few times as I turned off the highway and found a servo. With the 2054 and big nut RGB's with a taller 3.88 diff, the old girl sits happily on around 100 kmh at about 3200rpm. A bit thirsty though! On to Katherine where it was noticeably hotter, grabbed a coffee and some spare spark plugs I'd forgotten to get in Darwin, topped up again and then hit the road pointing south.
Mataranka was far enough for the day, I pulled in to book a spot for the night and then trundled down to the thermal pools at Bitter Springs and then on to Elsey Homestead where they filed some of the film We of the Never Never.
Pulled out of Mataranka around 6.15 am to a fabulous sunrise and a nice cool morning. Bugger all traffic on the road other than the roos which caused a couple of anxious moments...also a couple of cattle patrolling on the wrong side of the fence line on the side of the road but at least they are a bit more predictable than the roos!
Topped up at Daly Waters Roadhouse and then through to Elliot for another break and a quick 5 minute nap on the front seat under the trees of the Roadhouse. Lots of long uphill grades and the old girl was pinging a little in the heat. Lots of lovely wafty aromas from the roadkill of varying stages of decay coming through the open windows! You really get to experience everything in these old cars!
By 1.30 I'd had enough time behind the wheel and the Threeways Roadhouse beckoned after about 540km's. Backed off the timing a little to stop the pinging.
Got away at sunrise again, turned east driving straight towards the rising sun. Should have cleaned the bugs off the bloody windscreen! At least there was no skippys lurking at the side of the road.
Lots of long boring straight road with not much to look at which gets a little monotonous at 90-100kmh! Engine pinging had stopped thankfully - even though there was no premium fuel available at Barkly Homestead for the first stop of the day. Bloody headwinds most of the way, once the sun came up which didn't exactly improve my fuel economy. I passed a car that had rolled over going the opposite was but there was already a truck stopped to help out and everyone was OK - pretty close to Avon Downs station where there is also a police station.
Pulled over at the border for a quick pic, pretty damn hot day so again called it quits before things got too hot and found a play to stay in Camooweal, where as it turned out the 3 girls from Venezuela that were in the roll over were dropped off by the cops. Turns out the car they bought in Cairns needed some suspension work and it looks like they were ripped off by a mechanic who said he did the work but didn't.......
Again left at sunrise, going to be a hot one again.....nice start to the day with another cracking vista of the sun poking its head up.
Somehow the country smells a little different here. The recent rains have really freshened up the country and there looks to be plenty of feed for the cattle.
An easy 360 odd kays with a brief stop for juice at Mount Isa - the place reminds me a lot of Broken Hill and then on through some hilly county into Cloncurry. Pulled into the bakery for a cuppa and a bit of cake and then took off around the town to get the lay of the land. bloody brakes making a horrible noise but found a long wide street and gave the brakes a couple of good hard shoves which seemed to help - I suspect the one of the handbrake cases had bound up a little but it seemed to come good after that.
Explored the John Flynn / Royal Flying Doctor exhibition, town museum and then ducked out the the airport to see one of the first Qantas hangers.
About 39C here today so have just cracked a bevvie! Loving the Waeco fridge, even in these temps its holding at 3-4 degrees.
Might get some rain tonight judging by the clouds forming
Looks like your setting a cracking pace Cam.
Are you planning on staying anywhere on the way down ?
Pic of the bus parked outside the pub looks good.
Very envious - happy travels
I meant to hit the road today but still had an incomplete to-do list and rather than rush like mad I thought bugger it it Im on holidays what's the rush!
