Sun Pictures in Broome

Tonight I was able to do something I had wanted to do for over 25 years.

I worked some time when I was a lad as a projectionist in Toowoomba and points east and west.

During this time I loved to hear stories from the old fellers who had worked in the game since Noah was suckled.

They told yarns of working the travelling picture shows (and I had no doubt that one of them did) to the more obscure places worked.

One of the yarns told was of the old Sun in Broome. He spoke of the difficulties and in particular, he told of the high tide nights when the sea water used to come up to the level of ankles of the patrons. And we complain if it rains.

It was surreal to actually be there. It has been a dream to be there.

I sat looking at the screen, and as primitive as it seemed, the ambiance of the open air, albeit a cool night, it was nice to look up to my left and see the Southern Cross, and up high in the sky was the quarter moon.

Many times during the movie I looked around and sighed... I am sure the movie we watched will soon be forgotten, but the experience will remain as one of my "good place to go" thoughts when work gets a bit tedious.

A real kick was seeing old Peerless carbon arc (vintage 1960's) housing. I used one of these as the advert projector (with glass slides) shown as a museum piece.

I am still buzzing a bit from the experience. Now off to bed.

Short and sweet......

We are here in Broome.... More later!!!

The B-Double Bike... And it's "pilot" Peter.

Now, in the Kimberley, you get used to the "odd" sights.

We have seem quite a few cyclists out in the middle of no-where, and most will have a trailer to carry goods and chattels.

This one was a doozy. It is the B-Double of bikes.

Peter tells me he has been on the road for 5 years, and in the"wet" he gets work to sustain him through the remaining part of the year.

The second trailer has been fashioned out of an old pram, and seems to work well. On his longer, hotter travels, he can carry 50 litres of water. He is equipped with a swag, tarp, groundsheet, chair, wireless shortwave radio, Trangia stove and other bits and pieces. He also has his own coffee maker...

It takes a special type to do this, and he is most interesting to talk to, and very engaging to boot.

Safe journeys Peter!!!

From The B Double Bicycle

Peter, an unassuming type, with a wicked sense of humour.

From The B Double Bicycle

The Prime Mover, so to speak..

From The B Double Bicycle

The first trailer....

From The B Double Bicycle

And the 2nd trailer. Note the scouting flag on the back...

From The B Double Bicycle

and the "Whole Shebang"...

From The B Double Bicycle

Peter, on his way, slowly, and with conviction. 40km a day...

WOW!!! Horizontal Falls...

While being stuck in Fitzroy Crossing, we decided to make use of the time and headed to Derby with J and M to do the highly recommended Horizontal Falls trip. The fact that my parents "raved" about it was enough for us to bite the bullet and spend the money. Also the fact that we had been trapped in Fitzroy made it all the more attractive, so we opted for the overnight package.

It has been, so far, the highlight of our trip.

We went with Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures and are glad we did. The fast boat was well setup and stable. The crew were most capable and provided just enough "excitement" to make it interesting. Well, white knuckle is probably a better description.

The overall experience was, in our opinion, good value for money. THis sentiment was agreed to by all 10 people on our trip.

For me the ability to stay on a luxurious vessel and see stars out bright was a delight. I even got up very early to see the morning sky before the twilight time.

The flight in and out was lovely with yet more views of the Kimberley land mass..



The falls are breathtaking, and the scenery is stunning. I hope my photo's (and JB's) do it justice..



My photos of Derby are here.

My photos of the Horizontal Falls are here.

Horizontal Falls and on to Broome

We went to Derby yesterday, boarded a Cessna Caravan aircraft and went to the Horizontal Falls where we spent the night on a five star ship, went for numerous boat rides and trips through the horizontal falls and returned to Derby today by Cessna Caravan float-plane. What a fantastic trip. The best experience of the whole trip so far.
See our Picasa site for details here.
Off to Broome at 0600 tomorrow.
Bye.
J&MB

FITZROY CROSSING

Fitzroy Crossing is hot, very hot and today it's humid as well. Still, that's why we have aircon, isn't it? The days are pleasant towards late afternoon, when you can sit outside under the awning and have a cool drink - or two.

I have some minor maintenance to do on the vehicle, but can't be bothered in the heat of the day. I'll wait until it cools a bit, then if I have the motivation....................................................

The road to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek is a bit rough and it shook out one of the driving light back stays, so I have a "droopy" left driving light. I just have to instal a new nut and bolt or tech screw and the job's right.

I also bought a small cartridge grease gun in Katherine, with one cartridge, thinking that I would grease the caravan before travelling the Gibb River Road (GRR). The cartridge disappeared very quickly. It turns out that the caravan service people at Queensland Caravans, who make the Sunland Caravan that we have, did the old service trick. Just stick the gun on the nipple, brief squirt and it looks greased - but it's not. Anyone with any nouse knows that you push grease in until you get a show of grease at the joint or the rubber dust cover moves with filling grease. That ensures that dirt is pushed out and water can't get in. But if you do the old "el cheapo" trick, it takes a lot of grease to fill an empty joint - and I have a lot of them to fill, so more grease is required. Then it's under the van to apply it all to the dry joints. It will pay dividends in the long run, but it's a pain in the bum having to second guess slack individuals and their masters.

Bob's vehicle was just plain bad luck and we feel for he and Fiona. Still, it could have happened on the GRR and that would have been far worse in terms of getting repairs and parts. At least we are here in beautiful downtown sunny Fitzroy Crossing - and we are on holidays, don't forget.

I will be getting the auxilliary fuel tank problem checked out in Broome, probably at the Toyota dealer. We will be in Broome for a few days after we get Bob's Disco back on the road.

On Monday, we are driving to Derby, where we will join a flight over the horizontal falls, land in a seaplane on the sound and stay overnight on a luxury houseboat. We will be taken through the horizontal falls in a RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat - like on Sea Patrol on the telly). Bob's Mum, Phil, reckons it's a hoot, so we are looking forward to it. Back to Derby on Tuesday, then back here to pick up Bob's (by now) repaired vehicle and off to Broome on Wednesday morning - early start (about 0600). We plan a few days in Broome, then back towards El Questro for two nights, Victoria River overnight, Mataranka for a night, Banka Banka for a night, then off into Queensland for a bush camp on the Matilda Highway before getting to Mt Isa for a couple of nights. That's all the planning for the moment.

We hope that it all works out the way we planned it.

Bye for now.

Maureen and John

P.S. Keep looking at our Picasa site as I keep updating it when I can. Hope that you like the pics.

JB

A day trip to the Leopold Ranges

We set off on a day trip to the Leopold Ranges to go to Windjana Gorge and Tunnel Creek.



All in all a fabulous day.

Winjana Gorge photos are here

Tunnel Creek photos are here

A small hiccup on return (and the roads were terribly bloody corrugated)

Something got into the area of the radiator fan (rock??) and shattered 4 blades and in turn put a couple of holes in the radiator. Another enforced layover to effect repairs... Oh well, surely Old Man Murphy can leave me alone now.


EDIT: It now appears that the fan blades were fatigued and just failed and did other damage tot he radiator. Parts should arrive from Perth Monday to be installed Tuesday.

So, what name do you put on the

back of the van when Fiona and Bob are driving along???

Works on a coupl'a levels.... Don't it????

Geikie Gorge

This morning we got up to get to the Geikie Gorge National Park for a one hour river cruise run by the Department of Environment (or whatever it is called over here).

Well worth the visit, and the $25 bucks!!

More pics HERE

The Bungle Bungles, Lake Argyle, and stunning scenery...

The Bungle Bungles, Lake Argyle and the surrounding mountain ranges are stunning and awe inspiring sights. We decided that the best way to see as much as possible of this area was to fly over it. We purchased some seats on an Alligator Airways Cessna 207 and away we went. The area around Kununurra is renowned as a market garden area, producing all sorts of crops. The view from the moment of takeoff was ever-changing and absolutely riveting. The landscape changed from manicured plantations of sandlewood trees and market gardens to the rugged beauty of the natural landscape, to Lake Argyle, to Bungle Bungles, Carr Boyd Ranges, Argyle Diamond Mine and back to the patchwork quilt of the gardens of Kununurra before landing back at Kununurra Airfield.
I have put up a sample of the photos of the flight, but I don't think that they do justice to the stark beauty of the areas. The Bungle Bungles are just so fantastic, we have to come here again and look at them up close, on the ground.
As always, the pics of our adventures are here. Feel free to comment, as we welcome comments on the blog or on Picasa.
We are at Fitzroy Crossing for the next three days, so more pics to follow.
Bye for now.
John and Maureen

Turkey Creek....

Wow, what a day.

The flight over the Bungle Bungles, Lake Argyle, and the Argyle Diamond Mine was simply breathtaking.

Lots of video and lots of stills taken. We are on an unpowered site here, so battery on the laptop is limited. I will upload when we get to Fitzroy Crossing in a couple of days.

The plan is to get away early in the morning, take it easy to a place called Mary Pool(s) and take it easy to get to Fitzroy Crossing early in the day to book in to the Caravan Park. They don't take bookings so early arrival will assist in getting a site.

More updates when we have more time and electricity..

B and F

Some photos uploaded from Bob

The magnificent country that we live in has amazing things to see. I have managed to capture only a few images on the way so far, but they are in Picassa albums located at http://picasaweb.google.com/rastas000

The highlight for me so far was the Gregory National Park area with the stunning country side. The are around the Victoria River Crossing was just amazing.

It is in the Katherine to Kununurra folder.

Today we are off to fly over the Bungle Bungles... I am sure there will be posts on that later, but once we leave here, internet access could be a little scarce for a week or so.

Also, we welcome comments on the blog. It is nice to get your feedback and wishes...

The best view of Katherine..............

IS IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR!!!!
We are glad to be leaving here to continue our trip. The caravan park was nice, unpowered site, but beautiful shady sites and clean facilities. But, it's good to be out of here and on our way again.
My fuel tank issue remains unresolved, with the local mechanic and 4x4 guru inspecting it on his hoist (took all day) and finding that the tank is connected in accordance with the manufacturers specs. He found two hose clips loose (not tightened during install) and a nut and washer missing from a 'u' bolt that mounts the tank. It was good that he found them, as it may save me future headaches, but they are not the cause of the fuel issue. He found that the supply to the engine is fed from both the main and the auxilliary, so fuel will equalise in both tanks. Therefore, they don't empty the main or the aux tank first, but both together. That's handy to know when diagnosing the problem further. We filled up tonight and it took 129 litres. The guage was showing about one third full, but I believe that the guage is meaningless untill we sort out what it is measuring. The mechanic did not pull the fuel gauge sender out, so we don't know if the sender was modified IAW manufacturers specs or not. The 129 litres is is 36 litres more than the capacity of the original main tank in the vehicle. See how it plays with your head?
We will just watch it and see how we go, but I am not happy that the tank is not performing to specification.
Off to Kununurra in WA tomorrow. A big driving day to try to make up for some lost time, but doable.
Cheers for now.
J&MB

Katherine (at last or revisited?)

Our trip from Dunmurra to Katherine was uneventful. The country is all Tropical Savanna and is in good nick. The road is fabuluous, but busy today, with lots of "travellers" like ourselves.

Our site at the caravan park is lovely. Lots of green grass and shade. No power sites available, so we run the genny for a short time.



Here are some pics of our site at Katherine:

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kAWPopWtEANtcopClXp_aw?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8fci29CDotK4Hb6wIrUc0g?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/czDbkPD_nn_Py3SUIhdqpQ?feat=directlink

Bye for now.
JB

The trip north toward Katherine.

The trip from Barkly to Dunmurra was pretty uneventful, with a small problem of a blown tyre... At least it should have been a SMALL problem.

On the positive side the Discovery ran beautifully, albeit that I was listening to every crak and rattle with suspicion. After 150km I started to relax.. About 4km out of Dunmurra a wobble from the back end occured, and I guessed quite rightly it was a tyre going flat. And flat it did go and very quickly, sorta like blowout/rapid deflation!!!

The bush mechanic story is that I had a blowout/rapid deflation of the driver side van tyre.

When the rubber fell away it rolled to the inside of the wheel and bound up around the brake line (handbrake) for the van. So the van locked up on the bitumen and I was lucky to be able to get the van off the road.

I have to tell ya that the cars and trucks zipping past at 130kph was really daunting but we were pretty safe. Most pulled over to the other side of the road to give us room. A couple of vanners stopped to check we were OK, which was nice.

OK, so it was a tyre change, easy peasy... NOPE.. One of the security wheel nuts seized, and the coded key to remove it stripped. What to do.

Hmmmmm, Bush Machanics 101!

Take of the brake hub and drill out the stud.. It could not possibly work...

Getting the hub off was not easy either. The brakes were locked on. So we had to loosen the brake line on the handbrake of the van, a none to easy task given it was guitar string like tension. Still it released OK.

Take off the castlated nut (the split pin was a bit of a wrestle) and then remove the bearing (keeping it clean on the patented paper towel tray). The brake hub came off easily enough.

The back of the stud was now visible, so a well aimed pilot hole and then a LARGE hole to allow the head of the wheel stud to be hammered out worked like a dream.

Replace brake hub, replace bearing, and replace tyre, and we were on the way.

Even had to do a bit of shovel work to get the tyre on, but all is good. It was nice to get the van to the Dunmarra Caravan Park, and stop.

I have been feeling very anxious and uptight since the prop shaft died, but I guess thing will sort themselves out. We ARE well prepared for this trip, and had done the checks suggested, and still little things bite ya on the butt.

We are currently in Katherine and I am due to get the tyres on the van replaced in the morning. Overnight freight from Darwin.... Oh well, We are still enjoying ourselves..

I will post on a more positive note later. The countryside has moments of breathtaking beauty and surprises. It is everchanging and it has been so long since I have been here, it is good to refresh the mind.

As of tomorrow, it will all be new to me, as the previous trip was done at night, and I am looking forward to it...

The knackered remains of the once inflated tyre.. (and it also looked like a tyre once)

Confession.....................................

I am making this post under duress, but as you all know, I am a firm believer that every doggie has his day. That means that anyone who puts me under duress to make a confession that I am reluctant to make will eventually pay the price. Are you listening Maureen?? Hmmmmm?
I ran out of fuel about 140 kms out of Barkley Homestead. Yep, you read it (it's not a typo) I ran out of fuel. There, I've said it, but it doesn't feel any better - yet.
We refuelled in Winton (filled it up) and drove 759 kms to where it quit! Yep, 759 kms from 264 litres of fuel. Would you believe it? Well, I didn't - at first. But the answer was inevitably the same, no matter how I looked at it - until today.
Filling up with fuel generally means filling until the pump shuts off then rounding up the litres or money and that's it. Not with a 171 litre auxilliary fuel tank it's not!
I ran Max over the pit when Bob's Disco vacated it and inspected the tank installation. The filling connection to the auxilliary 171 litre tank joins the main filler line as a RIGHT ANGLE fitting. This means that the bulk of the fuel goes straight into the main tank and when that's full, starts filling the auxilliary tank, through the right angle fitting. Any foaming of the fuel or fast filling means that the filler shuts off the pump very quickly, as the fuel has to negotiate the right angle fitting to get to the auxilliary tank. The auxilliary tank is higher than the main tank and takes some time to fill (larger too) because it has a greater "head".
So, that explains the mystery of the missing fuel, but it doesn't go even close to explaining the embarassment. And, when the time comes - and it will come - those of the female persuasion who rabbitted on about admitting (don't I always admit to my - few - shortcomings?) to my fuel error are GUNNA PAY - BIG TIME!!!!
I feel better now.
Bye for now.
JB

On the road again........................

Remind you of the Willy Nelson classic? Well, we are just about ready to go. Actually, we are anxious to go, cooling our hels waiting for Mr Toll to freight the parts to Tennant Creek....................... it was pretty quick, so no cause for complaint. Bob and I installed the new prop shaft quickly, Bob gave it a test drive, drove it over the pit once more for a squiz, then we declared it FIXED!!
For those of you who were worried about our enforced stay at Barkley Homestead, you shouldn't have worried. We were fine. Some pics that I promised earlier are here, and I have completed all of the picasa albums to date here. We hope that you enjoy them.
That's it for now.
Bye.
J&M

Problem Sorted!!!

After a forced layover in the Barkly Homested Caravan Park, the Discovery has finally been re-shod with a new front prop shaft, and all seems to be working well.

There is much joy in my heart to be able to leave, and much thanks to J and M for the short little trip top Tennant Creek to pick up the part. The hospitality of the homestread staff, particularly in letting us use the mechanical pit, made the job MUCH easier.

It is with much joy that we hook up, and prepare for a longish 520-ish km drive to Dunmurra. All is ready for a 7am departure.. WHOO HOOOO

I am sure I shall sleep well tonight, as the past few nights have been with some anxiousness underlying.

More soon..

Having a rest......................

This is my first post for the blog, sorry about my recalcitrance. I purchased a Telstra mobile broadband dongle in Longreach and have had some success with it, but I am still learning.



My Picasa site is here. I have uploaded the latest pics, but they are in low quality to conserve bandwidth.



As Bob has already reported, his Disco "threw a shoe" (chucked a universal joint) about 40 kms from here. The parts are ordered and will be here on Monday (I have confidence). He is replacing the whole prop shaft flange to flange. We have today removed the old one. Here are some pics of the failed uni coupling. It's very fortunate that it did not cause more damage when it flailed about, but all it did was ding the chassis rail abit. All of the auto trans plumbing and other "soft" stuff under there escaped unscathed. (phew!!).

I will also included some pics of our caravan site at Barkley Homestead when the system allows me to upload them.

Bye for now.

JB

Not a good day....

It has been a challenging day today...

The Discovery had a failure in the front drive/tail shaft early this morning.

It is pretty hard to get stuck in a more remote place in Australia... (on a main road that is)

Fortunately we were only 40km from Barkly Homestead, and a quick tow (3 hours) and some calls have parts on air express to be available to be picked up Monday morning (hopefully)....

View Larger Map

Oh well, nothing for it but to say that we will have a relaxing day or so, awaiting the parts..

More later, but we are all well....

Hooroo

Cloncurry.. WARM!!! not hot, but not freezing...

Yesterday was a long haul from Longreach to Cloncurry.

It will probably be one of the longer days of travel to be had on this trip. Remember that we are travelling at between 80-90kph to conserve fuel and take into consideration some of the road conditions. The added bonus is the ability to take in the scenery

The changing country is amazing with visibility of over 30km to the horizon with just a few trees in sight, and then a surprising land mass will popup and just look stunning.

As we went through Kynuna, I had to fulfil a request for a sticker and a stubbie holder, so a quick stop at the Blue Heeler Pub was in order..

The roads are so much better than I expected, as last time I was through here it was diabolical when road trains went through... We are yet to see any of the HUUUUUUGE road trains.\, but here is where it will start.

Tonight off to the NT border at Avon Downs... (After a look around the Isa to see what to see on the way back...

One for my camp oven cooking friends...

Lurking in Tambo, I spied these beauties.

Sadly they are destined never to be cooked in again, and unloved but for the few of us who would covet them....

There are some "Branded" CO's there.... (Oh, and no, they are not for sale under any circumstances)

Longreach...

After a couple of days travel, we stopped at Longreach for a day to take a look around.

We had a few little teething problems on the way here so the late evening and early morning was set aside to resolve them. I shall let JB talk about his stuff. The pawl on the van winch (that winds up the roof) decided to take a holiday when we set up. The remedy was to empty the "boot" of the van, take out the floor, and work out what the problem was. It seems the winch mechanism lubrication was old and "gluggy". A liberal squirt of cleaner and new thinner lube should make it better. Even if it doesn't, we have a fall back position of four lengths of broom handle cut to length (mainly for maintenance, but also as emergency props).

The mains water tap on the Golf also took a holiday, and as luck would have it the hardware store we visited had EVERYTHING we needed...

Anyway, enough of the problems....

The weather up here is OUTSTANDING, to hot. A cool nite to 8 degrees, was followed by a 28-ish degree day.. Clear sky and a stunning sunset.. Tonight he moon is full, and as I sit here the sky is clear... Another cool night in the wind, so to speak.

Today we visited the QANTAS Founders Museum. What a difference a decade makes. Fiona and I were here when it was just the old hanger, and now with the 747 and 707 displays, the new buildings and the like, it is something to behold. They tell us that next year they are expecting a Catalina Flying Boat to be part of the museums holdings.

The Stockmans Hall of Fame is also getting better and better.

I like Longreach. Fiona and I spent a little time here when her sister was working here with Education Queensland. I often thought that a two year stretch would be a possibility, but unfortunately there are no postings for my work area here.

We will be up early in the morning.. Off to points north..

Day 2 TAMBO

What a great day....

WE had a slight change of plans today with the sky looking very overcast (High level horsey tail sort of cloudy stuff and some other stringy and dotty cloudy stuff...) JB will make it fully correct in terminology if you so desire. It looked like the viewing of the Cosmos Centre would prolly be a blowout. We made the executive decision to divert around Charleville and head a little north to the lovely little town of Tambo.

View Larger Map

As I sit here, it is 8 degrees C and no wind. I am siting outside under the stars with an almost full moon overhead.

The day on the road was really enjoyable. We have become those vanners who sit on 80kph (for fuel economy and handling reasons. I must reassure my van hater friends that we are most cooperative with truckers and th elike to facilitate them doing their jobs of driving.

The amount of road kill is just breathtaking, in more ways than one... There are reallty good reasons not to drive at night around this neck of the woods, and the roo's are the big thing to avoid.

The term "Blue Sky Country" is just so spot on.

You will recall that I said we were snug in the van last night. Well, at 4am (yes the mandatory pee was required) it was 4.8 degrees. I suspect that tonight will be cooler.

Photos and video will be posted up when we can..

Next stop is Longreach, with a good look around Blackall (The Wool Scour is a place I want to visit again) and then Barcaldine, (Tree of Knowledge display, as if I wouldn't?) and then a couple, of days in Longreach to check on stuff, do a little maintenance and washing.

Day 1...

Right now we are sitting snug and warmish in Roma. The Big 4 Caravan park here has turned on the Country Music Club for the evening, and while I am not the biggest fan of Country or Western, but it is nice to hear live music rather than some DJ! Bring on Neurum Creek Music Festival in September... There will be the folk music I enjoy..

Anyway this morning saw us depart Toowoomba and meet up with J and M in Oakey (a very cold place, why else would the army have a base there).

A gentle run to Roma ensued with a break in Chinchilla for a brew and a leg stretch.

Bob took the opportunity to grab a few caches (Geocaches for the uninitiated) to break up the trip.

Time for dinner and a shower before a well needed sleep

Hooroo

Just for Paula....

This is the mounting and cabling job on the van roof (Bob and Fiona's)...

Apparantly Paula's son may have been responsible.. So there ya go..

More later for you Paula

And off we are too...

The plan is to drop in on the In-laws, if time allows, and then stop with friends in Toowoomba..

Here are the final layout and setup of the internals of the truck.. All nice and locked in...




Departure after a shower and a change of clothes..

Seeya on the road

POSTSCRIPT..

We arrived in Toowoomba to see this moon.. It is a pity it did not come out as well as it looked, but you get the idea....
Also the changover of the temperature sensor went better than expected thanks tot he Landrover Guru (Who it seems works for single malt scotch)...

BTW, it is bloody freezing in Toowoomba tonite......

Ready to go............

Here we are, all ready to go. The last minute stuff just about kills you. Manufactured a stone guard/deflector for the back of the vehicle last night and I am quite pleased with the resul. Now, if it just stops the stones from smacking the caravan, it will be magnificent (even if I say so myself). We ended up taking the small (45 lt) Waeco as a freezer as M found that all of our frozen stuff fitted into it and the caravan freezer (sorry Bob). It makes the back of the LC200 much lighter and more roomy. The twin rear wheel carrier and extra matching spare wheel and tyre are on the back and it all works. Camera is mounted (dunno what I can see yet, but that's just a detail) and the electronic/electrical stuff seems to work.

That's it for now, got to hit the road - first stop Oakey.

Hoo roo.

JB

24 hrs to go.....

I have had a couple of hiccups today in the final prep, but we will be ready for departure.

I cannot believe how much stuff we are taking. I have thinned a few things out, but I am going to take a couple of kites....

The camera's (stills) and the audio recording gear, the video camera (newly acquired High Definition camcorder), the GPS, the MP3 player, and all of the associated leads is just diabolical.. But it will fit and be secure..

All will sort itself out tomorrow...

Fiona will be at work, and I will just potter around and finalise the little bits and pieces..

Whew......

Bob (and Fiona)