Unimog travel in Oz

Can I come with you? :)

I don't think you will have issues with any of those planned destinations in that wicked BEAST!!!! What a great looking rig... Very envious.

Now, at the risk of pointing out what I'm sure is VERY obvious to you by now, PLEASE note that we drive on the left side of the road!!! ;-)

The reason I mention this is because I know of one major head on collision on an isolated highway, which was caused by a German tourist "forgetting" (due to a general lack of traffic no doubt) that he was supposed to be on the left of the road. I can imagine how easy this would be to do if you've always been used to driving on the right.

I agree that you would be best off travelling in a convoy, if only for the sake of companionship and the "nice feeling" that if the whole day tunes into the brown, smelly stuff that you actually have someone there to help you out.

Best of luck and safe travels.

Roachie

Man what a nice setup, makes me very envious. You should have no problem anywhere in Oz with that setup, perhaps except really soft sand dunes. how does it handle sand?

If you make it to Western Australia, drop us a line and we can hopefully show you some good local tracks and places.

Cheers

Captain

Sounds and looks great but 130 gallons of fuel ???. I'd like to have a lot more in a vehicle that can carry it and use it.

Alan

How heavy is the Mog fully loaded?

What are you using for emergency comms? Recommend either Iridium satphone or HF radio.

You should also carry the equipment to repair your own tyres.
Tyres will need to be deflated when driving over soft surfaces (eg. sand) and then re-inflated.

Fuel could be a problem, when driving on soft surfaces, fuel will be consumed at an unbelievable rate.

my .02

Hi Mog

Is it much wider than the standard Landcruisers etc? Even with the F250 we are limited on some of the tracks.

We met people who toured north and south America over a seven year period with a huge custom built Unimog camper. They put it on the market before coming to Australia as it would have been too big, so they purchased a Landcruiser camper to tour Australia. The big Mog is still for sale where it is housed in Canada.

Motherhen

Welcome Ron, like others have said you have a beaut set up.

Re HF radio, give some thought to joining VKS 737 radio network, for help, guidance, outback support etc.

Re tyres, it's my perception when you can't track in the wheel paths along a track that you might be more susceptible to punctures than others. Thought also your tyres may not be that common out bush. 2 tyres usually not bad but just wondered whether an additional carcase might be worthwhile. Just a thought.

Enjoy yourselves

Hi Ron.
I reckon your biggest problem could be tyres. Those rotten little Tojos leave lots of tyre staking bits on the outer edges of tracks. Try and stay right in the middle and be prepared to fix a few extra flats.
There are some general slide shows here OKA196 Motorhome
and this has some pics of the Anne Beadell...

The Anne Beadell is an easy treck, but can be quite scratchy in places.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

Ron.
You will not find mud because our tracks are closed to vehicles when wet, there are heavy fines for driving on closed roads. You will find this frustrating because you could get through but are not permitted. The side walls of your tyres are they re enforced ? The only problem I can see is clearance from trees. I also drive a Merc 4x4 not as high as yours but I have to stop often to cut a branch of a tree when on tracks not used by motor homes. If you come to Melbourne I would love to meet you. Eric

Ron that's one impressive camper!
The issues you may have are equipment failure due to corrugations & rough roads (you have alot of equipment to go wrong ;-) We have a saying in Oz. K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple stupid) The less gear you have the less you have to go wrong & the less weight you need to carry.
If you get seriously bogged there is not going to be much around that will be able to pull you out. Are you carrying bog mats?
I have seen an old army truck drive the CSR before so I suggest the Unimog will be able to traverse any & all obsticals. Trees will however scratch the paintwork quite a bit.
560 litres is twice the water you will need on any remote trip in Oz & alot of unnecesary weight to carry. Part fill up as required.
Look forward to hearing more of your travels.
Cheers Craig.............

Fantastic vehicle Ron. Looking forward to seeing you on the track.

Reading parts of your website , the truckwash where the Mog is being cleaned is only about 1 klm from where you get the Micat for Moreton Island , looking at some of your photos you would really want to "name and shame"the blokes who did the wireing ,worse than a dogs breakfast , is the Mog set up for 240v or 110v ?

Just wondering if you got through AQIS OK, safety inspection and got some 3rd party insurance.

Aussie inspectors are not as easy going as the ones in the USA.

Good luck

Bruce

San Diego/Childers