Trip 2008 days 1-8

Trip Report 2008

5264.80 km
Avg 7.23 Km/L cheapest fuel $1.789 At Coolgardie Dearest $2.30 at Ilkurlka avg. $1.952
Damage to the Troopy: broken bolt on bracket on engine (wired up), blown RH head light (still to be replaced) other wise no problems.
Two flat Tyres, one at Cook and one at Bruce Rock (both tube failures, cook small spilt, BK small piece of metal left in tyre did the 5040 km and rubbed through.
Problem with gas cooker seems like a liquid was coming out of the gas bottle and the o-rings had swollen making it a problem connecting it. (It’s something you don’t check before you leave. It’s now on the LIST).

The Anne Beadell Hwy and more

Mon. 12/05/08 we leave Bruce Rock at 7.30 am and headed up to Merredin for breakfast, then on up the Gt Eastern Hwy to Coolgardie for fuel I decided to call into Karalee Rock camp spot for smoko and use the dunny; this was the worst corrugated road we travelled on (LOL) tyres where still at road going pressures. On up the road to Kalgoorlie to try and buy a GPS mouse with a USB lead the NavNet had not picked up the satellites for the night before (but as you can see in the plot file for what ever reason it started working at Bodallin. Five shops I tried and in all got the same look from all the people, anyway got to drive around one of my old stamping grounds.
We headed north calling in at Broad Arrow, Menzies on the way to Leonora for the night in the caravan park, very nice little place.
Had a cold tea as the cooker didn’t work and I had 2 thirds of my little bottle of red and was not in the mood to repair it (I hate things going wrong on the first day), anyways got a good night sleep.




Tue. 13/05/08 we leave Leonora at 8.00 am after getting the gas bottle refilled and on to Laverton fuel up and got to buy another gas hose for the cooker, left at 10.30am. Just out of town we hit the dirt dropped 10 psi out of all the tyres and off we go, got a list of photos off Damian the web site needed for the trek notes so we looked and stopped at them (you will know which ones are mine because the Troopy is always in one LOL). We stayed at Old Yeo Homestead that night; the only problem was that it was 24 deg. And the mozzies millions of them, we normally sleep in the Troopy and have taken the Oz Tent just in case well this was in case; we set it up and kept using it on the whole trip.




Wed. 14/05/08 we leave Yeo at 7.45 am and headed off stopping to have a look around and take photos. Dropped the tyre pressure down to 26 psi front and 38 psi rears on the black stuff I run 40 fronts and 55 rears.
Stopped at a nice camp site for smoko then headed to Neale Junction when we heard noise on the two way, we went up a track that is not marked on the maps to some breakaways just below the Rock Formations.
We then travelled to the air strip and met the people on the UHF the vehicles heading west stopped and had a talk, one had a brand new Kimberly Camper that was falling apart, did the shocks in on the first 150km (I have still yet to find the road that was that bad). We had a look at the then moved on finding camp by 4.30pm at the drum camp well used and nice set up camp, have some tea and drinks then off to bed it was still 20 deg. At 5.30 pm.




Thr. 15/05/08 left the drum camp at 8.45am had a look at the old van and then out to the plane crash site, we had just come over the last dune when a 4WD Coaster bus was coming out, he reversed back down to the sit and we all had a cupper and a talk, they where from Harvey in WA, husband and wife team doing a extended trip. It has good to chat with them and after some photos and a look around the plane we left (they had camped there the night and where just leaving at 9.30 am).
We got to the road house at 1.25 pm and fuelled up and had a long chat with the people running it, they where there helping out as the manager was away for 4 weeks. (They teed it up last year when travelling the AB, can’t what till I retire?) The Harvey mob turned up and we all decided to stop at the camp grounds for the night $10.00 per vehicles, hot showers, drop dunny, what more can you ask for.
We had a nice tea and a long talk around a small fire till about 9.15 pm then off to bed…




Fri. 16/05/08 leave at 7.15 am more photos out to the salt lake and smoko at camp No. 3, we then met Tommy V2341 heading west solo, he was with a party that whet up the Mt Davies road, we had a chat then moved on (we later talked during a sked on VKS-737 with me at Coober Pedy and him at Norseman).
We had lunch at 1.00 pm and got to camp No. 4 at 2.00 pm from there we travelled out a track to a salt lake and some rock holes the last dune just before the lake is tight first time in low range, if towing you can park at the bottom and just walk over to the lake about 250 meters but if you go over you can turn around before hitting the lake. We returned and set up camp at No. 4 it was a bit earlier than we liked but didn’t want to camp in the unnamed CP. This was a nice camp water tanks and drop dunny, except for the messy campers, nappies, tea bays and tins every where.. anyway good night even watched a DVD on the new portable in the tent. Found the broken bolt on the manifold during the day and wired it up, just had a major service carried out before the trip and valve clearage was done the bolt held a bracket that has vacuum switches on, so I will drop it around to them to repair it under warranty.




Sat. 17/05/08 left camp at 7.10 am and made our way to the border, more photos, then into the Unnamed CP just got across Serpentine lakes when the UHF arced up again gave them a quick call they told us the where 7 vehicles in the party, so we pulled off and boiled the Billy, anyways when they arrived they where famous people making a video of the AB and we had see some of them in a video on the Canning Stock Route (Desert Adventure) we all had a long talk and all the things you do when the car stops (poor tree to the north wont know what hit it.. LOL.) They had a Hilux Ute with them that had done in its front shockies, I said that they must not have been Toyota one and he they weren’t, pretty hard to break a Hilux.
So if you buy the new video you might just get to see me on it… LOL
So off we all went east and west, not much to see or do in the UN CP got to Vokes Hill Corner at 4.00 pm could not make it through the park without stopping. Very nice camp spot and pretty clean except for all the fire pits (we are none fire type people) oh well. Food, drink and sleep, all the time logging on to the nightly skeds got to chat with Member Signman R3364 and many others (I’ve got to watch I say to people of this forum LOL)




Sun. 18/05/08 gone at 8.00 am at 9.00 am we met 2 vehicles for NSW and had a chat then at 10.00 am we met up with a couple in a Troopy from Tassie, well you know what’s that’s like an hour later we got going nice chat. Took more photos for the site and we stoped at Anne’s corner for lunch, at 3.00 pm we passed 3 vehicles Vic, Nsw and SA pulled off the side to let them through and had a chat with the first and just waved to the rest. Got to Emu around 4.00 pm had a look around doing the sight seeing thing then set up camp west of the creek at a lean to and table.
Had a nice night listening to ABC NT eating, drinking and watching another DVD, life’s good.




Mon. 19/05/08 away at 8.05 am lots to see and do today Totems 1 & 2 Markers Tallaringa Well and more and we where told by nearly everyone we passed that the track from Emu to Mabel Creek was the worst corrugated they’d been on, thinking we may have to add a day to the trip so off we went only to find out it was not that bad and because it was pretty straight I got it to third most of the time. We made it to the dog fence at 4.30 pm and set up camp, took some photos and went for a walk only to find better camp spots, and oyster shells all over the ground those damn dogs, no wonder they had to build a fence.




Tue. 20/05/08 we left 8.10 am nice drive to Mabel Creek but you would not like to be in this country when it’s wet what a bog hole cannel country. Got to the end took photos and read the boards telling us things that where not true and wrong and we should not be doing, I’ve always said it better to come on to these signs at the end of a trip than the start.
We got to the black top pulled into a parking bay and reinflated the tyres to 40 and 55 psi these new ARB compressors are just great, work a treat.
We got in to Coober Pedy at 11.00 am fuelled up restocked with supplies had a look around town and booked into the Stuart Range Caravan Park, where we did some washing of ourselves and some clothes the only problem was it was early and still hot, anyway it cooled down and we ordered a Pizza from the restaurant at the CP, WELL! it was the best Pizza we have had for years had it for tea as well as lunch the next day. So with full bellies we where off to bed for a great nights sleep, well that’s the Anne Beadell Hwy side of the trip part two the road you cant travel is next.





Regards

Richard Kovac

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