trip report part 1.
I left work at 3.00pm to be home at 4.00pm as discussed with she who must be obeyed as part of the leave pass conditions. The aim for this was to feed young Brock and throw some food into myself as well. Well, I get home and the cheese and kisses who also has just got in from work says she wants Subway for tea. So I trundle off to get tea whilst she picks up Brock from day-care. On the way back with my 12incher (gotta beat the few who brag about their 7 inches), I get a call from my beloved, can you call in at day-care and pick up Brock’s bottle that she had left there........OK, this is eating into my departure time and not wanting to do the trip report, the mighty 4.2 was wound up.
I get home, feed the young fella, stuff my face with subway’s finest with the aim to leave home at 5.30 to arrive before the 6.00 meeting time and well before the departure time of 6.30.
Its 5.25 when the young one finishes up and I scoff the last of the sub. Bugga, need to get the recovery gear outta the garage (the truck has been emptied in anticipation of it going into surgery for the roo damage from the Gas-Dash trip). Throw that into the back and I’m on my way.
On the road to the meet point at 5.35pm, not too bad I think, it’ll only take 10-15 min to get to HJ’s in Joondalup. Pull into HJ’s behind Hedge Hopper at around 5.45pm. Excellent I thinks to myself, no report for this little black duck........................guess what, these southerners have been at HJ’s since 4.45........what the........I’m last! OK next trip I’m on, the swag is getting packed and I’m camping out the night before.........
Attendee’s at HJ’s are
Beachbums (aka Wayne)
Brisey (aka Brian)
Budds (aka Mark)
Big Baz (aka Barry)
Expatkiwi (aka Jeremy)
Seaview 1 (aka Mark)
Seaview 2 (aka Megan)
Oli (aka Oliver)
Hedge Hopper (aka Phil)
Almost Dun (aka Dylan)
D'Train (aka Derrick)
Doc Evil (aka Adrian)
Giving us a convoy of 11 Nissan Patrols, 1 Nissan Wrangler.
We hang around until our noted departure time of 6.30pm, as there were no more arrivals for the trip we saddle up and we’re away.
Expat’s mate Duane was to meet us at the powerstation in a landcrab and be the butt of all jokes taking some of this pressure from Bri and the Nissan Wrangler.
We trundle east toward the Pinjar powerstation where we turn off the road into a little play area and the Seaview GU (driven by Megan) only makes it in about 10 feet. I need to get some air outta the tyres is the call over the radio, so we air down here. This is where things go pear shaped for me and the mighty 4.2 GU as I realise I had grabbed the recovery kit but NOT the compressor, deflator or pressure gauge........
Bugga, Bugga, Bugga, after borrowing Oli’s monster gauge and pencil (things are still high tech in South Africa eh Oli......) and dropping down to 25psi, I trundle into the play area, jeez, this sand is soft. Some of the others are already playing on the 3 tracks. I then borrow beachies stauns and drop down to 18psi.
We all have a go at the tracks which is our direction of travel. As the light gradually fading, it is decided we’ll head off toward our intended destination in Wilbinga.
Up over the play hill and away we go thru the pines in a northerly direction. Before too long our intrepid leader Bri in the Nissan Wranger makes a call over the radio, “hang on, I can’t find the track. It should be here”. OK, here we go directionally challenged within the first hour...............”OK found it” is the call and we carry on, with the “lost” track directly opposite where we intersect the main road!
After a mind numbing hour of lots and lots of pine trees and dust we are on Wanaroo Rd and travel north the 300m to the new entry into Wilbinga Rd.
Here we head west toward the ocean. As we get closer, the limestone starts to become sand and we go over a few permanent type dunes. Then we get another call from the 2 door short wheelbase Nissan out at point, “stop, I’ve diffed out in some wombat holes”. 1st recovery for the night and it’s the Nissan Wrangler........
I don’t know who did the recovery as I was near the rear of the procession but IT was a Patrol and hopefully a GU!
With a quick snatch, the littlest “Nissan” was out of trouble and mobile again. This is where there was some confusion, Dylan had scouted around as there was a track around the hill Bri was stuck on and no one had propped at the track intersection to allow the convoy to follow.
It can’t be stressed enough, if you are not sure as to convoy procedure, ASK. I know it’s hard to do, stop and wait for the person behind to see where you have gone, but IF EVERYONE does it, no one will get lost or left behind.
I have been in convoys of 5-7 vehicles in remote central Aust. where we have been spread over 20 or more Km as dust was insane and the leader couldn’t talk to the tail end over the UHF, yet no one got lost nor were left behind as we waited at all turn offs from the main track. It also has a useful point with the dust issue because you have to wait for the vehicle behind, it allows the dust to disperse from the vehicle in front!
So again, learn and adhere to convoy procedures please. It can be a life saver........
