Outback ingenuity & bush mechanics - Lessons needed!

Submitted: Friday, Jan 02, 2009 at 17:38
ThreadID: 64739 Views:7922 Replies:15 FollowUps:12
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I am constantly amazed at the ingenuity of some people when it comes to fixing things in the bush. Some people just have that ability to look at a problem and visualise a way to fix it with anything that comes to hand. I’m not one of them! Never having had to rebuild the motor of my vehicle using nothing more than a packet of matches, a rubber band and a paper clip I have found that the past experiences of people found on the web and this site have proved a great boon to me in my travels (Think things like 12V emergency welding and wiring).

When I see posts like Member – Wims describing how they repaired the suspension of a ute with a lump of timber and a few lengths of good old No.8, I figure that others may like to know how to come up with a solution like that should the need ever arise (heaven forbid).

I was thinking of collating any stories of bush mechanic-ing, outback remedies, emergency repairs and solutions that have kept people on the road or gotten them out of trouble and putting them into an article on the Exploroz website (management willing of course).

If anyone has any such stories, photos, articles and were keen to share the experience with fellow travellers, how about emailing them to me at mickolsen13@hotmail.com. I’ll try and get them shaped up and posted ASAP. A fair idea?


Here’s one I was always told in my formulative days of outback travelling when diesel was rare and outback fuel came in drums. I was told to always carry a bottle of metho in your kit. It wasn’t for drinking when the scotch ran out but rather to add half a cup full to any new fuel taken from drums which may have been contaminated by condensation (water). Apparently the metho broke up the water into smaller particles allowing it to mix and pass through with the fuel. Myth or fact I don’t know but I carried metho with me every time I went out.

Cheers Mick


''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
Richard Maurice - 1903

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