The best laid plans of mice and men do go awry!

First off thank you to all the members who gave me advice regarding the Trans Line & Connie Sue for my planned recent trip via that route to Warburton and the GCR.Well we never got there!

As John Steinbeck said the best laid plans do go awry.
1st off the planned start for Saturday 18th Aug became Sunday 19th. Reason being my new 2nd spare tyre didn't arrive at the tyre outlet until Friday and that totally stuffed up my packing etc.

So off we go get to Coolgardie and my mobile starts pinging - 2 missed calls from a sat phone. Message from my Track Care mate Ben out at Warakurna saying that the water trailer's springs are busted and can we pick up a new set in Kalgoorlie. @#it there goes the plan of doing the Trans line etc.

Pick up the said springs first thing Monday morning and off we go. Camped Monday night in a great little spot about 60Km short of Tjukayirla RH. So far the corrugations aren't too bad. The odd bad bit but bearable.

Called into Tj for some breakfast but no fuel. Have been told that Tjukayirla's fuel is the dearest on the GCR.

From Tj to Warburton the road conditions where terrible. We used every bit of the road to try and find as smooth a path through the corrugations and at times deep sand. Then we hit the road works -YAY good on ya fellas.

The Warburton Creek is flowing and there is water over the floodway. Good seeing as it hasn't rained since February; I'm told. Refuelled at Warburton - $2.38/L Diesel & Opal.

Road conditions were a mixed bag from here to Warakurna with the odd totally crap bits and some like silk. Fuel at Warakurna -$2.30/L

I was expecting the leaf springs on the Troopy to be harsh but the car handled the dreadful corrugations well.

If anybody has read the recent edition of Western 4WDriver and read Nick's comments about the Micky T Baja ATZ tyres he's right on the money as I experienced exactly the same as he described. These wide tyres had me all over the shot as soon as they found a wheel rut they wanted to stick in them and I didn't steer as such but controlled the car.

Anyway I digress. 2nd day at the Desert Discovery camp I here this almighty rattle under the car from the exhaust. On careful inspection we find that the main support bracket on my brand new exhaust system has completely sheered through. Bloody corrugations, oh well fencing wire to the rescue.

Had a great time over the next week or so but last Wednesday week ago looked under the car and fuel is dripping out of my brand new 157L long range tank. You can imagine what I was thinking. Surprisingly I didn't swear. When I scraped of the paint over the dripping spot it basically made matters worse. The tank has a small split in the middle of the tank and what we think is that an internal baffle has been flexing and just like when you bend a can the metal has fractured. We tried using metal putty but it was NBG so I weighed up the options and considered that the best course of action was to get back to Perth ASAP and get it repaired or replaced under warranty as I need the car fully serviceable by the end of September for Aus Safari.



What did I say about best laid plans - intention for the day was a drive around the Schwerin Mural Crescent Range and Vladimar Pass with EO member David T & his wife.

Also had planned to do the Connie Sue and Trans Continental Line track in reverse. But who would want to do it when I'm dribbling fuel from one end and guzzling it at the other.

So off we go back to Perth with our tails between our legs so to speak. catch up with Phil Bianch & John Bass at Warakurna while filling up and also a couple of other Track Care members who are also going to Desert Discovery.

Corrugations have miraculously improved I drive the first 100km and then my mate takes over. 32 Km from Warburton he wakes me from my slumber with the words "we have trouble". Get out of the car and the rear driver's side tyre is shredded, my mate must have found a sharp rock or three. We considered plugging but we would have been short by about 10,000 plugs. LOL

To add insult to injury I had left the hi-lift jack at home opting for my 10T multi stage bottle jack. Mate crawls under and has to dig under the diff to get the jack in place. Road surface was damned hard and it was nearing midday so hot as well.Well the jack didn't have enough lift in the first stage so I jammed large flat stones under the shredded tyre and wheel. Lowered the jack and wound up the spline. We then had enough lift to change the wheel.




Finally arrived home at 11.30am last Saturday. Sunday morning I wake up with a doozy of a head cold - which I still have. Great!

Monday phoned ORE about the tank and also the exhaust place. Exhaust repaired that afternoon at no cost to me. ORE reported that the company over east that had made the tank are building me a new tank and will arrive here next Thursday. No charge as it's all under warranty.

New tyre was the only outlay $345.

All up a fantastic trip and experience albeit somewhat modified by circumstance.

Had the opportunity to witness some fantastic scientific research, visit places normally forbidden, meet the TO's and have a great day trip with some of these local TO's along a portion of the Carnegie Range. So all was not lost.