Keeping the Dream Alive
Last Minute Preparations
Hi folks, just eight days until the journey begins.
I wasn’t going to change the bearings on the van but I read that they should be repacked after every 10’000 kilometres. Our journey could take up to 25’000 kilometres. We would have covered close to 10'000 kilometers on prevous trips, so I thought I had better play it safe and replace the old bearings. The ones that were on the wheels were in good condition so I packed them in my toolbox as spares. I might not need them but if I come across someone in trouble I might be able to offer help.
I put the wheels back on the van but then I read on the Explore Oz site that it was critical that the wheel nuts be set to the correct torque. If they were too tight the bolts could snap and if they were too loose the wheels could come off. I didn’t want to lose a wheel before we left Victoria so I invested in a torque clicker wrench.
I did a Google fast food course in torque physics. I tightened the wheel nuts to 110 Newton metres (82 feet/pounds) I think the torque wrench was a good investment as the wheel nuts should be checked every few hundred kilometres. It only takes a few minutes with the torque wrench and you know you’ve done it right.
My next post should be Sunday 3rd of June. The rig should be hooked up and ready to roll.
The first photos of the journey, hopefully, will be my lady and me having a glass of red on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River near the town of Hay.
It's all about the trip
Each year more than 90,000 Australians pack up and circumnavigate the continent. On the 4th of June there will be two more, hoping to make it back to Victoria before Christmas. The Voyager will launch from Victoria early on a Monday morning. It’s the kind of journey that is significantly less popular in many European countries where a circumnavigation could consume the better half of an afternoon. In Australia, depending on your route and inclination, you’re looking at a journey between 15,000 and 25,000 kilometres. The essential issue can be boiled down to a tidy dichotomy: West or East. We’ve opted for the latter and on June 4th we’ll strike out towards the east coast. 
Little has been left to chance with much of the past few months or so occupied in a seemingly endless round of preparatory purchases and map poring’s. Our vehicle, a Toyota Hi Lux, has been primped and primed: new shocks, new hoses, new belts, new battery, new tyres, new frequency oscillator and new lineal converter unit. I made the last two up, to see if you were paying attention.
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Dublin is not the capital of Australia
It doesn't look much like O'Connell Street
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| It doesn't look much like O'Connell Street |
Now that you're here, you should have a look at the rest of the photos.
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| We'll start with the opal mining town of Coober Pedy. They say it’s the driest place in Australia. A lot of the buildings are underground in an effort to escape the heat. |
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| This area is about thirty kilometres north of Coober Pedy. The locals call it the Moon Scape. Some parts of the Mad Max movies were made here. |
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| Ayers Rock which has reverted to the Aboriginal name of Uluru |
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| I took this photo from near the top of the Rock. I don't think I'll climb it again. Too many people have falling off in their quest to reach the top. It can get very windy up there. |
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| This is a photo of Kings Canyon it’s a nice easy climb. |
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I thought it was water when I first saw it while driving down the highway. |
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The Salt Lakes in South Australia._________________________________________________________________________________ |
It doesn't get much bigger than this
We have some big things in Australia. Some of these help to
identify with the area in which they are located.
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Tamworth, in New South Wales, is the country music centre of Australia. We'll be staying there for a couple of days on this trip. The Big Guitar is just outside of town
The Big Banana in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales is at the entrance to a banana plantation.
We came across the Big Prawn in Ballina, New South Wales
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The Big Pineapple is at a pineapple plantation in Northern Queensland |
The Big Gallah at Kimba South Australia
The Big Lobster somewhere in South Australia
Judy haveing a rest on the big chair at Broken Hill.
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There are some things I‘ll write about, in this blog, that
may be boring to some people. I write them in the hope they may help a fellow
traveller on their journey along the highway. In our early days of traveling I
learned a lot from other travellers. But there were some things I learned from
blunders of my own, but we won’t go there.
I believe one of the most important exercises we have to
adopt, is to compile a packing up list and just like Santa it should be checked
twice. There’s nothing worse than driving down the highway and wondering if you
have connected the power or if you’ve secured the chains. I’ve seen a caravan
on the highway with the legs down and I thought " they should have made a list."
One person should read the list while the other calls out check, or otherwise.
1 Secure fridge.
2 Ensure external power connection is disconnected and
stored in van.
3 Drain water lines
4 Secure windows.
5 Secure cupboard doors.
6 Lower roof and secure clips on van roof.
7 Secure awning.
8 Lock door of van.
9 Ensure van legs are locked in upright position.
10 Lock down handle on ball connection.
11 Connect power cable to plug on truck.
12 Connect chains (crossed) and tighten U-bolts.
13 Remove and secure jockey wheel.
14 Release handbrakes on van.
15 Make sure brake lights & turning indicators are
working on van.
16 Ensure driving mirrors are attached & aligned.
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Planning and Preperation
The trip involves a lot of planning and preparation. The van is decked out with a microwave an air conditioner and a television. These appliances will come in handy in powered caravan parks but sometimes we'll have to set up in isolated places that won't have power available.
I've had the truck serviced, four new tyres, new brakes and new shockers on the rear. I've put new tyres on the van but I haven't changed the bearings. I may not worry about it as we're not going off road.
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| Keeping the Dream Alive |
Around Australia in 99 days: These are just test pages. The maps and the photo ...
