If you tried to tell me we would have to drive 1/2 way round the Big Block to get a cask of Chardonay 4 weeks ago I would have thought you had been drinking to much of it yourself, but we are just in and this is how it happened.
The 4800 GU Patrol had been meticously prepared for our 12000km 4 week drive from Melbounre to
Perth,
Wiluna E.O. gathering, up the Canning,
round to Kununuarra, all the way up to
Katherine, down to Alice and
home via deserts to
Melbourne and it simply purred and didn't suffer even a flat tyre.
But our Chardonay supply had not been given much thought.
The car was under weight so I tossed in 2 4lt wine casks in
Melbourne, it was a 3 cask trip and I thought, no issue, we will chuck in another in
Perth.
Someone told me you can't buy it in
Perth but I was only half listening - no issue I'll get some in
Wiluna or at the E.O.
camp at Gunbarrel travellers rest.
Thats strange - they didn't have it there - who cares - will pick some up at
Well 33 or Billiuna at top of Canning.
Whoops no chance -
Well 33 community was more derilect than I had imagined, thanks to bad weather and a solar only installation you could not even get a warm water shower their.
Ok - better start rationing - only 1 glass of wine a day - pity the nights weren't warmer.
We had teamed up with Exploroz people , Howard ACT Russ NZ & Rob C for the Canning trip (good job by the way guys) and by now they had told us the facts of life about getting wine casks over this way but I was still only 1/2 listening.
Pull up at Bililuna, not expecting much, but to late - after driving 9 days and 1 hour up the Canning we arrived on saturday 1 hour after the shops closed for 2 days due to nearly 100km of some of the worst continous mud ruts and slush
I can remember.
O
well, Alice is only a 1100km down the Tanami after
Halls creek - but no the Tanami road was closed !
We would have to Detour via
Katherine to get to Alice, roughly 2000km.
Down to our last cask now, but Russ brought us and everyone a celebration bottle of wine at
Halls Creek and we survived the night.
We left a great group and said our goodbye's.
Next day would be a run from Halls to
Katherine via Kununarra.
Got to Kununarra mid-morning and got 2 cappincino's and cake at Kimberly caffe and still in shock from the $27 tourist trap price tag we forgot to
look for Wine Casks.
Its a few km from Kunna to
Katherine but we pulled in after dark at 7pm, a bit stuffed and most shops seemed closed and the car had to have a drink before us and so we didn't have time for a proper
check for casks.
Ok, things are getting serious now, so we had to break out our emergency Baccardi from the
first aid kit.
Katherine to Alice next - and with sightseeing about 1300km but at least you could sit on 130kmh all the way.
Its dusk as we pull into Alice , but there it was, a 2lt chadonay cask at $19.95
Ridiculous price, should be $15 bucks max - forget it, will hunt around and get some to-morrow morning instead.
Bad decision - as next morning the guy said, in this town we can't sell alcohol till 2pm.
Couldn't believe it as we sat in MacDonalds using the free internet waiting for 2pm. But then their "free" Internet times out after only 20min, before even the coffee goes cold.
By now we were getting seriously concerned about this town - espically as they tried to get 50c off us for using the loo's in the shopping centre.
Ok so we are waiting at the barred and
locked gate to the
IGA bottle
shop talking to the guys setting up the cash register as they prepared to open the
shop at 2pm.
Finally its 2pm and in we go josling with the crowd - hunt around and couldn't find any wine casks.
Whats going on I ask - OH! You want cask Wine - sorry thats behind those bars over there and we can't sell it to 6pm !
Completely floored by now we said thats enough, lets get out of this town -
Marla is just under 500km away and its only 2:30pm so off we go.
6:42pm , wander into
Marla. Have you any wine casks !
Well normally we do but the trucks broken down and we didn't get our delivery, but I can sell you a glass from our 1 remaining bar use cask.
Well, what a deal , instead of $6 for a 1/2 full glass (at
Halls creek) this guy sells us full glasses at the beer price of $3.10 then they supplied a beatifull massive salad plate for us Vegetarians at only $11.80 . I pull out $24 and he says , no $11.80 for 2 plates not one.
This
places service and value is from last century so don't bypass it on your way around
the block guys.
Ok - off we go again - surely
Coober Pedy will belong to the normal world and its only a coffee stop down the highway.
Coober pedy at 9:30AM , err sorry - we are still a little strange here but the
shop does open at 11am (actual words).
Descision - stay or go ! - got to get to
Copley and that "never goes out" campfire !
There is 450km km of just re-opened wet dirt ahead of us !
So we leave without the cask , knowing that we could pick up something at
William Creek if need be.
Pull up at
William creek, forgot they have locked
toilets so on principal we leave - driving past 8 or 9 planes and crew that seemed to be looking for customers for lake Eyre flights.
4pm at the
Copley Hotel - have you any cask Wine - or course , were do you think you are , try this lovely Yalumba at $14.95.
Just on 10,000 km after loading the chardonay in Melbounre , our supplies had been renewed and life could go on as we sat around the huge fire of railway sleepers with full glasses in hand !
Moral of the story - more than just the car needs preperation for long trips.
P.S. Info above is what we gained whilst on the track and hasn't been checked - please correct any errors so that this post can be more useful to all.