Number Crunching

I’m already back a few weeks now but I finally got round to doing some number crunching.

In 94 days I traveled 21,351km by car and bought 2,961 litres of diesel. On average we traveled 227km a day, wheres the largest distance we traveled in a day was 615km. We spent $4,259 on fuel and on average a liter cost $1.44. The cheapest fuel was $1.16 per litre and the most expensive was $2.2o (at Rabbit Flat Roadhouse). We used about 14.2l of fuel per 100km and it cost about $2o in fuel to travel 100km. Including the car servicing and repair cost (that were quite high) this goes up to $42 per 100km. Quite a bit of money…

Outstanding Equipment

Throughout our trip we have used a lot of equipment and we are proud to say that we didn’t pack too much useless stuff, and that there wasn’t really anything missing. A few pieces of equipment were quite outstanding and you might be interested what we never would leave at home.

1. Bruce – We had a few breakdowns but our Toyota Landcruiser 80 series still makes it to the top of the list. We simply couldn’t have done it without it and despite everything we would buy it again.
2. SPOT – An easy way to let everybody know where you are and that you are fine. And in an emergency it even can save your life. Simply brilliant.
3. Tyre Pressure Monitor – It has already paid for itself by saving more than one tyre. Combined with our tyre repair kit we could fix most punctures before we had to change the tyre.
4. Camp Oven – Some of the best dishes came out of it.
5. Biji Barbi – It’s always nice to have a clean, non-rusty BBQ plate.
6. Jimmy’s Thunderbox – No comment.
7. Shovel – Without one you can’t survive in the bush. Ok, maybe you could but it is a lot easier with one.
8. Baby Wipes – The easiest way to keep hands clean on the road.
9. HEMA Maps – Great value for money and everything important is on it. Plus they kill flies really well!
10. NRMA Premium Care roadside assistance – Yes, it was well worth it.

Memorable Moments

After traveling the country for more then 3 month we where left with some great memories and stories. Some of the most memorable moments were:

• Breakdown on Cape Leveque Road – We almosty lost our front wheel.
• Mambi Island on the Lower Ord River – First my dad caught a barramundi and then we had to evacuate because of a bushfire, crossing a croc infested river in pitch black darkness.
• Crossing the Pentecost River – Very Australia.
• Traveling the Old Telegraph Track – Simply breathtaking.
• Breakdown in Clare – What a great place to break down.

Somehow it seems that great adventures are made out of a few breakdowns, a bit of trouble and a few scary moments. We consider ourselves lucky as we only ever had material damage; never an accidente and nobody ever got hurt.

Great Places

On our trip we have visited some spectacular places and met some amazing people. Some of the places we think you should visit if you ever going to travel around Australia:

• Cape Leveque – One of the prettiest places in the World (I know it’s a big call. Just visit and decide for yourself.)
• Fruit Bat / Elliot / Twin Falls (Jardine River National Park) – A breathtakingly pretty spot. And if you take the Old Telegraph Track it’s even a fun drive.
• Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungle) – Simply spectacular! And make sure you go for a helicopter ride.
• Broome – What an amazing little city. Sunset on Cable Beach with a nice bottle of sparkling is a great end to the day. Or see a movie at Sun Pictures.
• Clare Valley – Simply a great experience and a beautiful place. Try some nice wines at Skillogalee, Kilikanoon or Tim Adam Wines. Or go for a tour trough the Seven Hill Winery.

I’m already thinking about where I could go next. On this trip we have seen so many amazing places but we have also learned that there are many more out there and quite a few we want to see again.

The next six weeks they will spend in a car with Simon and me driving around the country. At the moment we are just completely stressed out and trying to think of anything we forgot at home. We hope that a few days into the trip we will be all relaxed and enjoying the experience.

We will keep you posted!

It’s less than a week away from the start of our trip, and having tested everything thoroughly we decided to take Marianne’s parents on a 1 day offroad trip to show off our efforts.

Can you guess what comes next? Exactly. Demonstration Fail.

We had decided to take Marianne’s parents down to Nowra and do a very small part of the Tianjara Fire Trail trek we’ve done before. Complicating things slightly, my cousin Steve had arranged for us to take a backpack full of what I will call ‘Romantic Supplies’. We were to drop this off at a specific point with gorgeous views by midday. This was critical as he was going to propose to his girlfriend Sarah, and (I assume) provided she said yes he’d pull out the backpack from its ‘Romatic Hideaway Spot’ or ‘Hole in a Cliff’ and voila! Instant Romance!

Ask anyone who has had to give a presentation, speak in public, demo a piece of technology, or generally be a source of focus for a group of people. The demo will work every time, EXCEPT the time you need it to. Its like technology, or machines, can smell your fear. This is when they pounce! Sarah Connor knows what I’m talking about.

Its 8:30am in Cronulla, we’ve packed the car and Bruce failed to start. If I could illustrate (with text) the sound Bruce made when I turned the ignition it’d be something like ‘… Burrr… <silence>’. Not a good start.

We were lucky to have our support crew nearby, and they gave us a jump start – and the trip was on. We figured the battery had drained due to a light being left on, and so we drove to Gerringong. I figured that 1.5 hours driving along major roads, often doing 100km/hr would charge the battery. I figured wrong. We stopped in Gerringong for 5 minutes, and when we got back in the car you can imagine the sound: ‘… Burr… <silence>…. <@#^&F!!>’.

NRMA Roadside Assistance helped us get the car started, but at this point it was clear the battery was toast. We were told we had to go back to Sydney as the car engine wouldn’t start without jumper leads.

At this point we thought about Steve, proposing on the side of a cliff, and what would happen if the Champagne being absent would cause her to say ‘No!’. I did what any True Blooded Australian Male would do, I blindly went off road ignoring the fact we might get stuck… because a mate NEEDED me to!

Mentally we were picturing the car getting stuck on a rock or mud bank in a deep puddle and stalling, leaving us in the bush with no hope. You guessed it – the winch runs off the primary battery, so we’d have no love there! I was constantly reminding myself not to simply stop and turn off the ignition – an often automatic process. Luckily we made it all the way to the drop off point and delivered the package. We had lunch in a beautiful campground at Yalwal, and at all times we had the engine running. With Bruce’s diesel engine chortling away there were a few quotes about the Serenity. So much Serenity.

We made it back home without further incident, but it was a long and tense day.

Fast forward 24 hours and I’m happy to say that Bruce has a new battery, and Steve has a finacee.

We are leaving in a couple of weeks away on our big adventure, and recently posted a map showing our intended route (one way only!). I’ve taken the time to roughly map our journey in Google Maps, and the distance is about 11,000km. What does this figure really mean?

I thought I’d try and put it in perspective by asking the question: Where does 11,000km get you in this world?

Perhaps if our states and territories were different countries complete with language, currency and cultural differences we’d think differently about our interstate holidays. We Australians live in a large country with a low population density and we are used to travelling long distances without much thought, hence our almost comical understating of travel distance.

Let me give you a few examples: Back in 1998 I drove from Sydney to Melbourne with my PC in the boot, solely to attend a large gathering of geeks who played computer games all weekend. Then I drove home thinking nothing much of the 2400km round trip involved.

Similarly, last month whilst testing all our equipment we casually ‘popped over’ to Wagga Wagga, visiting a school mate of mine. We had a great weekend thinking very little of the 950km journey. Sure its a 6 hour trip (one way) but its still in NSW right? It’s just around the corner, mate!

So, I hope it’s understandable that the prospect of 11,000km over 2 months didn’t really phase me.

Google Maps has the ability to dispel all of these illusions about distance. I’ve created custom maps in both Europe and the United States to see where 11,000km can take you. I’ve tried to pick major cities, and have routes that map to major roads.

Needless to say, I was a little surprised, and quite humbled.

Paris to Hong Kong via Iraq: 11,873km

View Paris to Hong Kong in a larger map

Seattle to Los Angeles via New York and Miami: 11,055km

View USA 11,000KMs in a larger map

… and the real kicker is our 11,000km trip is just one way. More on this in another post.

Our itinerary is rather loose as we want the ability to change our route at any point in time. This trip is not about the destination, it is about the journey! We want to be able to discover and experience the land and the people without having to think about time.

The map below gives you an rough idea where we are planning on going.

Our trip starts in Sydney from where we will head through Victoria to South Australia to our first major destination, the Flinders Ranges. From there we will make our way over the Oodnadatta Track to Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kings Canyon and the West MacDonalds Ranges. After a stop in Alice Springs to stock up on fuel and food we will head through the Tanami Desert to the Kimberley where we would love to see the Purnululu (Bungle Bungle Range) and the Mitchell Falls. We will be driving over the Gibb River Road to Darwin to stock up and refuel. From there we will travel over the Savannah Way to Cairns to head to the top of Cape York.

We will update our blog regularly so you can see what we have been up to.