What's the longest trip you've done?

peter,
srry nothin to do with this page, but u posted prev that u got 8km - 1lt ?
i was wondering if u had done anything to achive this.
I've come down to 6km - 1lt. Replaced air cleaner this helped but not very much. Can u help!! GONE WOOP-WOOP

Neil I have a snorkel , and keep my tyre pressures high for on road
40psi rear 36 front , Idrop them on the dirt , keep well tuned and never travel over 100kmh thats about it ,hope this helps Born to drive a 4x4 , not a keyboard
Peter York 4x4

thnks Peter,
i dont know about the snorkel just yet have spent all my saved money on a gsp. Peter after u fitted the snorkel did u get better fuel econ?
Ill try more tyre pressure see if that helps and is prob time for a tune up
anyway. GONE WOOP-WOOP

sounds like a good trip. that part of the world i think is worth a vist for all australians - the rock is just unique and beyond comparison.

I couldn't agree more, some of the characters you'll meet (like some on this forum) hint of lifestyles that you could only imagine; taking tourists to petrified rock in a 'bus' powered by a spitfire engine, or just a fisherman as you say - friendly and helpful telling of all the great spots. One great fishing story was when we were in Darwin out with a friend on their boat (an avid fisherman who didn't like fish funny enough) and the motor clagged - after a call for help, out came the police in a tinny that couldn't pull the skin off a sausage!

I'm sure your experience in the EJ and VW was truly memorable - I'm curious how many were that keen to travel in those conditions and vehicles in those days! I wish you all the best for your upcoming trip Glenn. I know how it is to have the bug and not stop wanting to tour.

Hi Thor,

It is amazing looking at the old photos and seeing how the country looked before tourism, politics and greenies took control. Hopefully one day I will be able to convert dad's photos into digitalised photos so that I can pass on the experience to my children, and also preserve the way Australia looked nearly 30 years ago.

Thankfully I can take long service leave next year and plan to follow a similar trail as 1975, with a few added extras. My son is always asking "when are we going to Western Australia?" as I always tell him how beautiful it is.

Thanks for the kinds wishes for our next journey. I am still developing my website that hopefully will be complete after the trip for others to enjoy.

Enjoy your own travels also.

CheersJust Do It!

4 years, no small trip by any means! Our trip was with a 24ft caravan and i think that was enough for the trusty maverick to handle.
It's nice to know on a trip like that, that you don't have to worry about being at the office at 8:30 the coming monday :^)

4 years, no small trip by any means! Our trip was with a 24ft caravan and i think that was enough for the trusty maverick to handle.
It's nice to know on a trip like that, that you don't have to worry about being at the office at 8:30 the coming monday :^)

Willie,
Those old Renault's were a blast weren't they. Had a 16TS back in 74 and apart from the 4b's it was one of the best cars that I had ever driven and the most comfortable of the lot including the 4b'sAl Symers

4by,
We were working on the road for those years but at our own pace. First we completed the NT section of the Discover Australia Books which were edited by Ron and Viv Moon and then for the rest of the time we manufactured craft items and wholesaled them to businesses in the 5 states. It was a magical time and we got to see a lot of country. We spent only 5% of that time in caravan parks and bush camped anywhere we could drag the 27footer in.

Al Symers,
Yes,our Renault was actually my first 4x4 or it went many places a 4by would go. It was good to drive but unfortunately I destroyed it by being too rough with it. Have calmed down a bit now:-)

Cheers,

Willie

Never a dull moment

Also slightly off topic - but back in April this year I drove Brisbane to Lima East (near Mansfield in Victoria) in the Prado via the inland route - 1550Kms exactly - in 20 hours - by myself. Filled the Prado at Gundagai (but it probably would have made Albury OK).

Route I took included Beadesert, Tenterfield, Glen Innes, Armidale Tamworth, Werris Creek, Premer, Dunedoo, Wellington, Molong, Canowindra, Cowra, Young, Cootamundra, Coolac, Gundagai, Albury, Benalla and Lima East.

Sounds stupid I know but I had to get there in the day and just wanted to see some country in NSW (around Werris Creek, Premer, Dunedoo, Wellington, Canowindra etc.) that I hadn't seen before. Left at 4.30am and arrived 12.30am next morning. Great trip! But I wouldn't recommend anyone try the same kinda stunt.

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do I guess... Anyone done similar marathons by themselves in a single day?

Cheers,
Prado Boy

Hi Bob Y,

Where is the Lower Blue Mountains. According to my calculations it is roughly 1350km to the Blue Mountains from Blackall. Must have been a very fast Holden Ute....................:-)
Cheers,
Willie
Never a dull moment

Willie,

Went to Glenbrook, on lower B/Mountains. Ute was only standard, but had put a 2nd hand diff centre in it and speedo was out. Set tacho at 3500rpm, and went from there, except in towns. Remember, these were the pre-booze bus, radar days, and the road through Cunnamulla, Bourke,and Nyngan, was pretty quiet, until you hit Dubbo. I was younger, thinner and fitter then, so it wasn't too tiring. Am flat doing a 1000km @ day now.
Used to travel to Glenbrook, from Keep River area, in 4-5 days, in late 60's early 70's, but not at the pace of the above trip. Stayed off beer through the day, and just camped along the road. Some good memories from those days...

Hooroo...

Hi Bob,

My eyesight is fading as well....I read your post as 5.pm to 10.30pm............:-)

Yes I remember those days. Used to travel faster in cars that drove like trucks. Did a trip from Darwin to Katherine in 2 hours and five minutes along the old road. I shudder when I think of the risks I took plus there were heaps of buffaloes and scrub cattle around then. Now when I take my old Valiant out for a spin and we get past 60mph I tend to back off as it seems too fast.

I took my Commodore out the other day to blow some cobwebs out of it and the power ran out at 220. It is a frightening speed and I only maintained it for about 1 km. But we used to travel like that between Darwin and Alice in the 60's and 70's in our old bangers !!!

Cheers,

Willie

Never a dull moment

If we are talking long solo stints at the wheel:
Mundrabilla (WA) to Canberra in 25 hours, Mt Isa to Canberra in 25 hours, Canberra to Perth in 41 hours (included two sleeps). (Pajero)
Or fast: Brisbane to Melbourne 14.5 hours via Newell Hwy(TR3A), Sydney to Melbourne 8 hours.
All that when I was younger, and radar detectors were legal.
Now I reckon an 11 hour drive to the Clare Valley is a good day's haul.Bob