A Lap of Australia Part 1

 A Lap of Aus Part 1.

Gold Coast to Darwin - 3rd - 12th July 2023

A Lap of Australia,  WHY ?

Trying out the tent trailer

After all the preparation of designing and making the trailer tent and testing it over the past year or two, it was finally time to give Clementine a chance to be “run in” properly by driving a Lap of Australia !   During the Australian winter time is the only feasible time to do this due to wet seasons and heat up north that close roads for days on end, let alone making it very uncomfortable to camp or explore due to the heat.  Coincidentally it is also our Grand daughter Poppie’s 12th birthday on Aug the 19th, and she lives in Perth so obviously we were going over for that, - Especially since son Damien will be in town from his offshore rig where he works. - so that is my first “target date” .  Janet has some Belgian cousins coming to Australia at the beginning of August so she will fly to Perth on the 6th August, and I plan to drive - via Darwin.  

Final preparations

Now, normally Gold Coast to Perth is only about a 5 or 6 day drive - About 3500 kms.  But going across the top, via Darwin, it’s more like 8000 kms.  And doing it in an older car that I have rebuilt, I am just not sure what dramas might occur along the way - I am not sure how many 75 year old people have tried to drive a 53 year old air cooled VW around Australia !! So I need to leave a few spare days just in case.  Damien flies in to Broome by Helicopter from his rig on the 25th July and it would be great to see him come in, so that was my second target date.   So I worked out that if I took 2 1/2 weeks to reach Darwin, I could leave on the first of July and that would leave me some spare time just in case.  It turned out that 1st July was a Saturday, and the end of the school holidays in Queensland, so the roads would be very crowded.  In addition, a very large and very unseasonable rain / storm event was heading east across northern Australia, and would be in N Queensland at the same time as me !  So I delayed my start until Monday 3rd July.

Tools & spares in the "frunk"

After getting all my spare parts I thought I might need sorted out and packed, and all my camping equipment ready, I was almost ready. Clementine only has about 54 horsepower on a good day, so everything needs to be lightweight, and due to lack of space, everything also needs to be compact, and, like in a Lotus, able to serve at least two functions if possible !  With all this in mind I use a Helinox chair and camp bed - items designed for cyclists and hikers to carry - So super lightweight - Unfortunately quite expensive - But good quality !! The trailer I have designed myself, and even with the quick set-up Oz-Tent bolted on to the deck, only weighs 190 kg, so Clementine can tow that OK.  

Rear seat removed

Inside the car, I have removed the original rear seat and made up some plywood sheets in their place - the lower ones have access holes to the 2 batteries fitted under the seats, as well as straps mounted so that I can strap down the small fridge, the 5 litre water canister, small gas cooker, and the all important Porta-Potty so in case of sudden deceleration they don’t fly around the cabin.  On

Socket for fridge etc

the rear panel is mounted a small inverter in case I need to charge anything with a 240V plug, and also a triple auxiliary socket to connect the

Batteries below board

fridge etc.  These electrical items are all permanently connected to the auxiliary deep cycle battery fitted below, which in turn charges off the car’s generator, and is isolated from the main battery so nothing will run that down inadvertently.  Sleeping bag, cold weather jacket, wet weather gear etc, are all

Broken side indicator

stored around this area during travel, so they are easily accessible. 

And while I was preparing everything,

Mending lens

one of the side parking/indicator covers literally fell off in my hands - In about 6 pieces !  I couldn't believe it.  And although replacement lenses are available, they are only in the US, so it would take several weeks to receive one.  So I spent several hours carefully repairing the broken one with araldite !!  

Cancer Council decals

During the last few weeks, I have decided that since I am doing this trip
anyway, I may as well try to raise some money for charity while I am doing it, so I can be helping some other people simultaneously.  My sister in America has recently had cancer treatment, while I also had throat cancer in 2007, and I think everyone knows someone who has travelled the Cancer Journey, so the Cancer Council and

Mac Disease decals

their Research is someone I have always supported financially.  My sister also has Macular Disease, as does my best buddy from school days in England, so I decided this time to also support the Macular Disease Foundation.  So my last task was to get some stickers made up for the car in order to advertise my chosen charities, and these were finally made up just 3 days before I

Recon decals

departed.   Initially I was going to have the writing on a roof rack, but the rack looked so ugly on the car I decided to leave it off and just apply the decals directly to the car.  This was done on the Saturday, and I was now ready to leave !   Along the way, a good friend from the Lotus Club offered to support my venture with his business if I carried his logo (Recon - Evolving Cyber Security) and details on the car, which I also did, and he has donated very generously to my charities, for which I am indebted to him. I shall spread the word along the way.

Fundraising flyer

Fundraising flyer

To help with this, I had a quantity of A5 flyers printed up the tell the story of
why I am doing the trip, and have QR codes to enable people to donate directly more easily.   None of the funds raise is used to pay for the trip - All funds raised go directly to one or other of the charities.  

Finally Monday 3rd July came around, and I set off at 9 am in order to try to avoid the morning rush hour.

Day 1.  Monday 3rd July 2023.   438 kms.  Gold Coast to Mundubbera

Rain !!

Setting off.....

43420 miles on the odometer (this is a 1970 car - all in miles per
hour !), and the road was full of caravans !  I had chosen to go north on the inland roads in order to avoid the notoriously busy and dangerous Bruce Highway that runs up the coast. In places like Esk there was no where to park on the main street - kerb to kerb caravans !  I travelled on to Blackbutt where I

Clementine !!

refuelled in an old style gas station, and eventually reach Mundubbera at 3.30 pm, by which time I was quite weary, so searched for a caravan park.  One looked a bit fancy (ie $$’s !), and another looked better - And it’s office was a big Clementine - Lot of citrus grown around here !   It was pretty basic, with no check in - You just call and they say they will come round later.  So I found a spot and set everything up - Then about 3 small buses arrived and disgorged about 60 mine workers !!  So I ket out the way, cooked my supper, and went to bed.

Day 2.  Tuesday 4th July.    550 kms.   Mundubbera to Emerald

1st night's camp

No one came round to collect the camp fee of $25 so I called them up as I left and they told me to just leave it under the mat outside the office - The giant clementine !  I only had $15 in change, and I wasn’t going to leave a $50, so as I hadn’t used their pretty rotten (and crowded) showers and toilets, I figured $15 was enough !!   Raining off and on, although I got half an hour dry to pack up the trailer, and after refuelling in Eidsvold I headed towards Biloela.  Just before getting there, I went into a rest area to have a sandwich, and was sitting in my car in the rain when there was a tap on the window - It was a guy called Darren who handed me $50

Mural in Biloela rest area

and said “Good on ya mate” before heading back to his own car.  How good is that ?  Took a photo beside some lovely outback murals on the side of the building and then headed out in the rain. Refuelled in Biloela, then on towards Rolleston, by which time I was looking for a place to stop.  The rain had made most of the lay-bys so sodden that I saw other campers getting bogged in them, so I kept going and was almost in Emerald when I saw a gravel lay-by with 3-4 campers in there - Perfect !!  Beer, supper, wine, bed.  I was pooped !

Day 3 Wednesday 5th July.    486 kms.  Emerald to Charters Towers

Overcast day on road

Woke up to a lovely sunny day - Hot even !  Herbert and Tricia from one of the nearby vans came over for a chat, as did another couple, so I gave them my info on my handouts.  I emptied one of my two 5 litres cans of petrol into the tank before I set off just in case, as I was getting pretty low, and didn’t yet trust my old fuel gauge !  Filled up in Emerald and again in Clermont, on a pretty boring

Belyando Crossing

section of road with few corners !  Arrived at Belyando Crossing which was very country and fun, and after filling up there, continued on more boring straight roads to just 15 kms short of Charters towers. Found a deserted gravel pit beside the road with no mud - Perfect - was the only one here.   Once again, beer, supper, wine, bed, in that order !   I seemed to have escaped the heavy rains that had been forecast, although I was to find out later that the effects were still to be felt for several more days !

So far done 1475 kms and averaging 29.5 mpg.  Clementine appears to be enjoying it - I sit on around 90 kmh as that is when everything just seems comfortable.   

Day 4.  Thursday 6th July.   523 kms.  Charters Towers to Julia Creek

Just as I am packing up in the morning, a couple of Utes with motorbikes in the back stop just outside my

Wide open central Old

rest area, and Paul the Photographer comes over to chat about Clementine.  They are on their way to Warwick / Morgan Park for some event.  We had a chat, he took some photos, and then took off. I set off, refuelled in Charters Towers and then headed west on A7 towards Hughenden, crossing the Campaspie River (think Man from Snowy River !), and travelling through alternating woods and open plains. Leaving Hughenden (not a lot there !) I passed a long distance runner (??),

Julia Creek campsite

and long distance cyclist, and a travelling motorcycle - All of whom waved in companionship as fellow travellers.  Got to Julia Creek at about 3.30 pm, and after wandering around town, found all the campsites closed - Too sodden and boggy from the rains !!  I filled up with fuel at the local gas station and the very helpful Argentinian girl on the counter said that it was fine to camp in the big hard stand truck area behind the fuel station.  On going over there, I wasn’t the first, and many more rolled in as the sun went down.  Good camping spot though, and they had EXCELLENT showers in the gas station, so big plus for Julia Creek. 

Day 5.  Friday 7th July.    512 kms.  Julia Creek to Avon Downs

Cold in Julia Creek

Really cold in the morning - had to put on my Alaskan fur hat and Norwegian puffer jacket to keep warm !!  Headed on my way towards Mt Isa - Countryside really changes from flat open plains to rocky outcrops and lots of hills. Then all you can see as you enter town are the tall chimneys of the mine, plus a tourist centre on the left with a mine that visitors can go down into on tours - Janet and I did that on our trip here a few years ago.  So a couple of quick photos, refuel, and on down the road.

My precooked bolognaise, pre cooked chicken, and bread rolls and hard

Julia Creek sunset

boiled eggs etc were lasting well - So far all I have purchased is one bottle of water !    I kept driving to Camooweal, but all the lay-by’s along the way that one can normally stop at over night were closed and roped off due to their being impassable due to the heavy rains the week before.  I had met a lady called Debbie in MT Isa who was travelling on her own in a small camper van, and bumped into her again in Camooweal, looking for a campsite.  So we checked the maps and headed off to an apparently dry rest area 65 kms further down the road, at Avon Downs. Eventually arrived, all nice and hard, toilets - And a great big Police Station on the other side of the road !  In the middle of nowhere.  Anyway, good place to stop, and a good nights sleep after a delightful outback sunset.

Day 6.  Saturday 8th July      376 kms    Avon Downs to 3 Ways Roadhouse

Mt Isa

Cold again in the morning, so breakfasted, packed up, and on the road by 8.30 am.  Got fuel at Barkly Homestead where we have stayed a couple of times before - A great spot to camp.  But it was only 11.30 when I arrived, so after refuelling, having words with a very grumpy and large old man who had an enormous caravan and

Dancing Lizards at Barkly

didn’t know how to say please or thank you, and taking some photos of the dancing lizards, I kept going.  So many big road trains on the road, and even more caravans - All big and being towed by new 4WD’s - Where is all this money coming from ? I thought Aussies were doing it tough at the moment ?  Yet these rigs are worth around $200 grand or more, and this traffic is like driving across Sydney Harbour Bridge.  Hmmmm

Camping with the army !

I stopped for fuel at 3 Ways Roadhouse, and was pretty weary despite it only being 2.30 pm, so decided to camp there.  Was just setting up when the army arrived - On their way to Broome !!  About 50 of them, along with supply vehicle, camp supplies and canteen - And they all had individual tents, so I was surrounded by half the Australian Defence Force.  Nice lads though, and had some chats with them before turning in. 

Day 7.   Sunday 9th July.    378 kms.   3 Ways Roadhouse to Daly Waters.

Road train at sunset

Windy and cold, and the army had packed up and disappeared silently before I got up - Very impressed !  Had a good hot shower and was windy packing up the tent.  On road by 9am - 452224 start. Heading north at last.  

Spot the VW !

Lots of big road trains on the road - pulled over for 3 of them that were trying to get past on a winding section after a set of traffic lights for roadworks had us all compressed after an 8 minute halt.  The trucks travel at 100 kmh or more. Got fuel at Renner Springs and met Hans and Lies from Utrecht and had a good chat.  They are in Aus for 6 months and bought a 4WD as it was cheaper than renting !   As I was sitting in car, I was hailed by a lady in a “Road Runner camper

Ricky Lee & Casey

van - Went over for a chat and it was Ricky Lee who had had cancer a while back, but it had now returned. Her best friend Casey in Newcastle said they should have a trip to “feed crocodiles in Darwin”, so that’s what they are doing.  Crazy ladies, but fun.  

Stopped for more fuel in Dunmarra and ended up at Daly Waters.  Crowded as always, but they have opened new camping areas on the other side of the road - So even more crowded in the pub at night as a result !  I arrived at 3 and by 4 they were turning people away.  Good evening, Barra was excellent as usual, and all good.  Nice to not have to cook for a change.

Day 8.  Monday 10th July.   365 kms.    Daly Waters to Pine Creek

Daly Waters garage

Spent a while looking at the old car museum the owner (Tony ?) has set up there.  Amazing collection of not just cars and motorcycles, but even barbed wire !  Never know what you will see in the Outback.  Took some photos around the garage and of the “half”

Daly Waters pub

VW’s he has there - Sure is different here !!   Then headed on north to Mataranka by noon where I got gas and had a meat pie for lunch, and then on to Pine Creek where I stopped at a great little camp ground called the Lazy Lizard.  Got there early enough to do some laundry, and it was dry before 5 pm ! Had a couple of beers in the bar (and bought a few cans to restock my supplies !) while doing Facebook entries before cooking my supper and turning in.

Day 9.  Tuesday 11th July.     213 kms.    Pine Creek to Darwin.

Jabirus in Mataranka

Started a bit late as I hard boiled some eggs to eat on the road, and was chatting to various people who came over either about the car or about the fundraising.  Great shower, then refuelled at their pumps, where I got chatting to a guy from Port Hedland who had a Go Kart on the back of his Ute - He had been up to Darwin for a meet, came 2nd, and reckoned the trip had cost him about $10,000 !!!   Before I left I bought a couple of very greasy and totally delicious freshly cooked potato cakes - Yum !  

Then drove straight up through Adelaide River to Darwin - 33 deg in the car by 11 am !  Along

Termite mounds getting bigger

the way, the termite mounds were getting taller, and where their had been recent fires there was amazing bright green regrowth already appearing. The traffic got steadily busier as I drove into Darwin - Even faced some traffic lights that I haven’t seen for a while !  I decided to go to Hidden Valley Big 4 camp ground as it is close to town and would be clean and have good showers etc.  Arrived at 2 pm and got a fairly secluded site with power so I could charge my auxiliary battery as I planned to be here for 2 days so I could do an oil change. Good job I arrived early as the camp was almost full !  

Mileage to Darwin from home - 2401 miles / 3842 kms.

Day 10. Wed 12th July    75 kms around Darwin

Camp in Darwin

Relax in the cool morning after the hot day yesterday.  Shower and breakfast, then do some chores like check tyres, put batteries on charge, as well as my razor and my computer etc. Went to the little cafe in the campsite and had an excellent egg & bacon roll and my first coffee since leaving home - Delicious.  I then went off to Supercheap to buy the oil I needed for my oil change.  As I was parking, an older Volvo pulled up beside me and we started chatting - Lovely guy called Ray Darcy.  After about 30 minutes he mentioned that he had a good friend with a workshop that could probably help with my oil change, so after I had got my oil I went off to find John Zilkie, his friend.  Quite a yard at Carbine Transport & Mechanical, and mostly

Lunch in Darwin

handling 4WD’s and especially Toyotas, so would be good another time for Troopie !   He said if I came back at 3 pm he could do it, so I took off into town and went down to Stokes Wharf which is now a big tourist and eatery area, and had some excellent fish & chips and a good cold beer.  This is the furthest north point of my trip, and the day was hot as I walked back to the car and headed over to John’s to do the oil change.

He had cleared a hoist for me, and assigned Ryan, a mechanic originally from France, to help me, and we set to.  Ryan had worked on VW Kombi’s before so knew his way around, and within 45 minutes we had the oil changed, filters cleaned, all new gaskets and washers fitted, and the 4 front axle grease points given a couple of shots.  While Ryan did all the hard work, I cleaned out the oil in the air filter and replaced it with new, and we checked everything out underneath - The diff seal we had fitted before leaving was good, no excess play or evidence of oil leaks - She has been running fine, so I left everything else well alone for now.

Martin's truck in Darwin

Back to camp where I met Martin from Adelaide who is driving a truck up to Gove to rescue another broken down truck and take it back to Adelaide.  Good chat, and hopefully we can meet up in Adelaide when I go through there in September.

I ate nacho’s in the camp restaurant for supper before heading out to a meeting of the Motor Vehicle Enthusiasts Club who meet at an old Qantas hanger where there is an amazing auto museum not just of cars and bikes, but also tools and equipment.  The club lease the use of the museum for their meetings, and all the facilities are used on a daily basis by club members.  It was my back up location for doing the oil change, but since I had found Ray and John, was not required.  Good to meet some of their members and to have a quick look around.  Certainly a place worth visiting for a better look another time.  

Then it was straight home and to bed, with Clementine all ready for the next stage of the adventure. 

You can view many more photos here :-  https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZP5uMDBzDLUibeTz5