Trek to Oz

Megan’s penchant for swearing like a sailor is back, I don’t know why really, but the other day the list of profanities that came forth in the space of a two minute rant was simply shocking. Maybe it’s the heat, or perhaps the tuna pasta has finally got the better of her, or maybe it’s the fact that the other day we went through a very deep river crossing with the vent flaps open and we both ended up with a lapful of freezing cold water. Actually, now I come to think of it the swearing started just after this episode… so yes, yes it was the fact that we nearly drowned the car and ended up very wet and in a mild state of shock that brought about this latest vulgar and shocking decimation of the English language.

 

It’s been going well, apart from the potty mouth. Well, maybe ‘going well’ is a bit of an exaggeration… The road has started getting a little worse and the shaking and rattling is beginning to take its toll. So far:

We have a chip in the windscreen.

The dashboard has come loose.

The air-filter cover has been rubbing against the bonnet and has almost worn through.

The fuel filter bracket has cracked.

One of the bonnet mounting brackets has broken.

One of the ventilation control levers has fallen off.

The off side headlight is full of water.

Needless to say there has been a lot of gaffer tape, random bits of rubber and cable ties called into action to hold the car together. We’re not at the top yet, still another 40kms and then the long trip home. I’m hoping that all the problems and weak links have now been fixed, so fingers crossed the route south will be mechanically uneventful.

 

From Weipa we headed north towards a place called Elliot Falls. Elliot Falls was awesome. Despite being surprised by a deeper than average ford we had a great time there. It is one of the few places you can actually swim on the Cape; although the sea and creeks look inviting there is a real risk of crocs, jelly fish and stone fish so you can’t really take a dip. Here however there is a fresh water swimming hole just below the small and ever so pretty falls, which we took full advantage of.

 

We also met a couple of fellow Land Rover enthusiasts and swapped stories and lists of all our current problems and issues. I particularly liked the stickers on the back of this Discovery!

Most of the time on the drive to the tip we have stuck to the major development road, which although dusty and a tad bumpy has not been too bad. However, from Elliot Falls northwards we decided to tackle a bit of an off road route called the Old Telegraph Track, which is one of the things Cape York is famous for. This is proper off roading, proper river crossings that you have to get out and walk across first to make sure you don’t get washed away, proper muddy banks to climb and the need for diff locks and low range all the time. So, so many man points. We ended up following a friendly couple of Toyotas, which was lucky as we didn’t have a bloody clue what we were doing! It was damn cool, I loved it, loved every moment of it and judging by her smile Megan loved it even more than me! It took us an hour to cover just 15kms but there was a real sense of achievement once we broke clear of the bush and got back on the main road. I had two beers that night, manly.

 

Currently we are camping at a place called Seisia, gaffer taping everything up and plugging up all the holes to try and stop the dust from coming in. The more observant of you will have noticed the two towels sandwiched between the back doors. Not only does this add a bit of much needed colour to the rear of the car but is also quite effective in the battle against the dust.