Dont drive outback
Submitted: Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 21:41
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Blaze
This post may link to ThreadID: 50365 from Crackles who had some chatter from a convoy above the Flinders.
We were up at Warraweena 29th and 30th of Sept. We then headed north up the Oodna Track. I cracked my back window just before Wiliam
Creek so we detored across to
Coober Pedy. This is a fairly smooth track.
We were travelling along at between 75 & 80k's as I had my Jayco on tow. I was on scan so heard some chatter coming over the radio from someone travelling our way.
We rounded a corner and had a Tag-along convoy of what turned out to be 11 vehicles coming at us spread out over about 3k's. The lead vehicles passenger gets on the radio and tells all in the convoy to watch out for an oncoming (us) going like the bat out of hell. 3rd vehicle signals me to slow down.
I politly informed them that if they should signal anyone to slow down it should be their leader who was travelling faster than us as I was only doing about 75k's, Leader again gets on telling everyone, yes they were travelling a bit fast, but did add they were under the speed limit.
Safe limit I'm not so sure, especially with what I would class by what I seen as inexperiences drivers in the Tag-along.
I know most of these trips are on schedules but I always thought being in the outback was so you could actually look at it.
Reply By: Stu050 - Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 21:48
Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 21:48
I always thought that the speed of any convoy was the speed of the slowest vehicle?
It would have been funny to see the look on the Leader's face as you put him in his place.
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Follow Up By: Blaze - Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 22:03
Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 22:03
The leader left his female partner to do all the talkin...
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Reply By: Footloose - Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 21:54
Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 21:54
I'd like a dollar for every convoy I've come across...and wished that I hadn't.
I remember a lecture by an old timer who said that until you had your first accident, you had no idea of what an unsafe speed was....food for thought.
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Follow Up By: Blaze - Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 22:02
Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 22:02
Totally agree with that old timer footy.
I can't believe that anyone would have a convoy of 11 vehicles, but then I guess it costs the same to lead a 4 convoy group as it does an 11.... The almighty dollar...
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Follow Up By: Footloose - Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 22:10
Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 22:10
Years ago I had the opportunity to own a tag along business. I'm so glad I didn't.
Timetables and connections to make etc would have ruined any appreciation of the bush I might have . And some customers ...i could cheerfully go to jail for I rekkon.
Now I know that there are some operators who do it
well and love the bush etc...but I wouldn't have been one of them. For me work is work.
I have a mate in NZ who owns and runs two of them, and he's never at home. Worse still, everything is worth money...and he's very good at it. Not my cup of tea...or coffee...or scotch and coke....
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Reply By: Member - Borgy.. (SA) - Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 22:23
Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 22:23
Gday Blaze , your incident reminds me of an experience of my own earlier this year whilst on the
Roper Bar to
Borroloola rd , was travelling along at about 40 - 50klms when this convoy of vehicles came towards us at what i estimated to be about 80 kph 3 of them towing boats , there were 6 vehicles in total, as they passed i gave a wave , then all of a sudden i hears this yobbo on his UHF telling his mates behind him to watch the idiots coming towards them doing a good 100kph he says im sure these dick heads from the city get up here on these roads and think they're still driving in the city...so i gets back on my UHF and says who's the dick head ?? im driving along here doing about 40kph looking for a side road that i was told would take us down to a nice little
billabong and you come tearing towards us doing at least 80 by my calculations , and your towing a boat as
well !! so who's the f***in dick head???....Must have caught him totally off guard cause he had no comeback , but one of his mates got on the UHF and apologised for his mates remarks.........Cheers.....Dave
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Reply By: Member - extfilm (NSW) - Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 22:43
Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 22:43
Hey Blaze,
I think I met those guys on day 1 of there trip about 6 hours out of
birdsville. I stopped to watch them pass and the leader was at least 5 mins in front of the rest. They were in a landcruiser ute. I stopped for a 2 can stop to let them all pass. The leader informed me they were already 2 hours behind scedule and it was there first day. I could tell why when vehicle number 7 was (I think) a little honda crv. apparently he needed towing over most of the dunes. The tyres were looking very pumped up and I asked if they were a little high the reply was no the crv was too low to the ground and was needing to be towed over the crests.
I am sure the it would have been a nightmare tour.
The last vehicle was a nissan patrol ute
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Follow Up By: marq - Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 23:05
Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007 at 23:05
Just no helping some people - CRV????
I would have told them to go home...
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Follow Up By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 09:01
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 09:01
We had a Kia Sortage in our group last year across the French Line. There were 3 dunes where he needed a short tow. His only problem was clearance. His tyres were at 15psi and when he got stuck, he was unable to reverse back down because they belly out.
I don't have a problem with softroaders as long as they are
well supported and
well prepared.
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Reply By: Member - Kiwi Kia - Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 07:09
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 07:09
Hi Blaze,
I agree with most of your comments but remember that not ALL people on tag-along trips are inexperienced. Some people on tag-alongs like to have the security of numbers when traveling in remote areas rather then travel alone. By all means bag the leadership though :-))
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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 09:12
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 09:12
Hi Blaze,
Have to be honest here, and say that you won't find me doing 75kph when vehicles come from the opposite direction on a gravel road. The only way I can minimise windscreen damage is for me to slow down, so I do.
I guess no matter whether they are a paid Tagalong or a club tagalong, most groups set a limit of 10 for that type of trip. As long as they are courteous to other users, I don't have a problem. That usually means they need a good tailend charlie who lets the leader know whats going on.
Longest tagalong I've seen on the Simpson was a group of 21 vehicles doing the QAA line then the
Hay River with a very prominent Tour Company. They were just breaking
camp, so we had no problem getting by.
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Follow Up By: Blaze - Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 10:19
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 10:19
Phil I totally agree and I did slow down as soon as I spotted them, just didn't do it when I first heard their chatter as I wasn't sure if they were coming or going and they were chattering that much I couldn't get in to ask. When I was passing all the rest other than the first 2 who were within 80mtrs of each other I had backed down to about 35k's. Problem is with some of these big groups is if there isn't any breeze they can be strung out over a 15K area.
We came across a group of 10 a few years back who had I believe done the smart thing and broken the party into 2 groups with the leader of the 2nd group just keeping radio contact with T/C of first group.
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Reply By: Willem - Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 09:39
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 09:39
No wonder you lot bust things out bush......lol....travelling at those speeds
I slow down to 20 or 30kmh when vehicles are approaching on dirt roads and even pull over and stop to minimise windscreen damage. Last year I was down to 10kmh but that still didn't save the screen when a station vehicle doing an estimated 100kmh plus on the Newman/
Nullagine Road, threw up a boulder(
well it seemed like one) which smashed the windscreen just in front of the passengers face. SWMBO got a big fright!
These days I tell people to slow down if they are driving too fast...even if they don't have a radio :-)
Cheers
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Follow Up By: Blaze - Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 10:23
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 10:23
Hi Willem, you will see my reply to Phil above that I did slow down as I always do, whether its car damage or not I just don't like driving blind through oncoming dust, I have seen (only just) to many other vehicles stuck up the butt of the vehicle you just pass to want me to be doing anything above 35 when passing.
Say hi to your lovely girl and Judith also... LOL
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Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (Nullagine) - Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 12:50
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 12:50
our operations manager imposed a speed limit of 90k for us on that road. it can seem fine but those
creek crossings get awfull big alfull fast and by the time our heding down into them brakes dont help much
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Reply By: HGMonaro - Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 11:41
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007 at 11:41
We were going into
Gunlom Falls and we passed a car coming towards us, the 1st we'd encountered. He was creating a lot of dust so I flicked on my lights as I hadn't put them on that morning (athough I usually do have the parkers on at least) and this Toyota trayback appears travelling about 50m behind the 1st guy. Had the UHF on scan and get some comment about how " bleep s should put their lights on before they get on dirt roads" which amused me since he didn't seem to have any lights on himself... couldn't really tell cause he was so close to the car in front. I replied that "some bleep s travel to close to other vehicles" reply?... Silence!
On our trip, if we saw a tray-back approaching I knew we were in for a rock shower as none of them slow down. Everyone else seems to knock off a bit of speed when passing. However, I must say the only rock damage I recieved was from a road train on a sealed road... decent chip in windscreen pretty much in drivers line of sight. Took out the windscreen option for insurance so will get that replaced.
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