I'll post photos later as currently in an area with very poor internet.
I'm on my second trip to Perth to see the grand daughter this year, last trip in July by car, this time with Landcruiser ute towing caravan as accom prices were so damn high we bought a second hand van to stay in as we recon it will pay itself off in two years at 2 to 3 trips per year. (8000 km round trip, 24000 km per year)
Had some nice camps and the first one on the banks of the Murray River was the best. The Murray is our Mississippi, 2500 km long.
We had two blow outs on the van tyres. A valuable learning experience here that I'll share.
Tyres are only usable for 5 years max. After that the glue that holds them together gives out. The tyres looked good, loads of tread, but we rolled into Perth over the last 200 km with no spares and every bump felt like doom...
Brand new tyres and two spares now so all good. Never drive on old tyres no matter how good the tread looks. The van is 10 years old and the tryes probably as old. The jack that came with the van was a joke and was impossible to wind up and my Landcruiser hydrolic jack was too high necessitating digging a hole in very compacted gravel and then rolling the van over it to exactly place the hole where the jack went. I worked it out eventually, having to jack the shattered tyre and wheel up, place wooden blocks (which, thank God, I'd packed) under the wheel, lower the jack down, turn up the jack screw, pump up and repeat. All the while the myriad flies were driving me nuts. I did have fly repellant though. The outback is in reality a huge cattle farm with millions of tons of cow shit spread all over. Flies in summer are a nightmare... up your nose, down your throat, in your eyes etc. I do so hate them...
Photos when I can post.
Keep well out there in GG land.
Wiggins out.
I'm on my second trip to Perth to see the grand daughter this year, last trip in July by car, this time with Landcruiser ute towing caravan as accom prices were so damn high we bought a second hand van to stay in as we recon it will pay itself off in two years at 2 to 3 trips per year. (8000 km round trip, 24000 km per year)
Had some nice camps and the first one on the banks of the Murray River was the best. The Murray is our Mississippi, 2500 km long.
We had two blow outs on the van tyres. A valuable learning experience here that I'll share.
Tyres are only usable for 5 years max. After that the glue that holds them together gives out. The tyres looked good, loads of tread, but we rolled into Perth over the last 200 km with no spares and every bump felt like doom...
Brand new tyres and two spares now so all good. Never drive on old tyres no matter how good the tread looks. The van is 10 years old and the tryes probably as old. The jack that came with the van was a joke and was impossible to wind up and my Landcruiser hydrolic jack was too high necessitating digging a hole in very compacted gravel and then rolling the van over it to exactly place the hole where the jack went. I worked it out eventually, having to jack the shattered tyre and wheel up, place wooden blocks (which, thank God, I'd packed) under the wheel, lower the jack down, turn up the jack screw, pump up and repeat. All the while the myriad flies were driving me nuts. I did have fly repellant though. The outback is in reality a huge cattle farm with millions of tons of cow shit spread all over. Flies in summer are a nightmare... up your nose, down your throat, in your eyes etc. I do so hate them...
Photos when I can post.
Keep well out there in GG land.
Wiggins out.
