nuggetstuff
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Are us "colonials" allowed to enter? 
nugget's 110 Defender Build
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UHF? Blimey - I get about 36 yards on UHF! I could understand it being HF, but UHF has shocked me
Then I guess 'line of sight' over there is reasonably good!!
nuggetstuff
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UHF? Blimey - I get about 36 yards on UHF! I could understand it being HF, but UHF has shocked me
Then I guess 'line of sight' over there is reasonably good!!
UHF is virtually universal here with truckers, 4WD'ers and the remote stations (cattle property's bigger than some european countries
) all using UHF. We get excellent range..not HF of course but with satellite phones so cheap now, why would you bother with HF??I sopke to someone recently who had spent over $3,000 setting up for HF and I had set up a Sat phone for $400. I have used it in some of the most remote areas and never had a problem.
200tdi ayre
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UHF is virtually universal here with truckers, 4WD'ers and the remote stations (cattle property's bigger than some european countries
I sopke to someone recently who had spent over $3,000 setting up for HF and I had set up a Sat phone for $400. I have used it in some of the most remote areas and never had a problem.
Yep weve got our own station cant hear someone at one end if the farm at the other though
nuggetstuff
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I had planned to travel the Kidson Track from Well 33 on the Canning Stock Route to Eighty Mile Beach on the Western Australian coast between Pt Headland and Broome. The advice from the Well 33 end was that part of the track had been graded for a new mining venture and was apparently closed at the top end but open at the end I was at.
A few salt lakes...
Plenty of camel digs where they dig large cavities to lie in....not to be hit at speed as I busted a bead on one later in the trip...
It was a bit after this that the trip started to get really interesting in the form of a “Road Closed “sign. Given the info I had received at the last community and that I had found no advice of closure despite exhaustive internet searches before leaving, I decided to proceed. I may have even accidentally knocked over the sign but that is “allegedly”!
Disappointingly the road became a typical mining company graded highway after about 50kms. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon when I happened across a work camp with 10 or so guys sitting around a campfire. I must admit they looked a bit surprised to see an old fart in a Defender descending upon them until a bloke I assume to be the supervisor came running towards me waving his arms. I thought to myself…what a friendly fellow, so I waved back and kept going!!!!
But karma is a bitch as an hour or so later, a big Bustard bird flew out of the bushes right along side the track. Didn’t see it until it tried to rise over the front mudguard so no reaction time to slow or swerve. Mind you 2 objects with the response and tunring circle of the Queen Mary with a broken rudder resulted in the inevitable….I would call this one a 1 each draw as the bird wasn’t looking any better than the windscreen.
Luckily I could still see enough and I was only 300kms from the end of the track although it turned out I then had to drive another 500kms to Karratha to get a replacement. The drive to Karratha was very interesting being constantly showered with slivers of glass as 4 carriage road trains went in the opposite directions at 100km/h. I had to hold the screen as it flexed in from the wind pressure each time one went past. All good fun though and a replacement came up from Perth over night.
A few salt lakes...
Plenty of camel digs where they dig large cavities to lie in....not to be hit at speed as I busted a bead on one later in the trip...
It was a bit after this that the trip started to get really interesting in the form of a “Road Closed “sign. Given the info I had received at the last community and that I had found no advice of closure despite exhaustive internet searches before leaving, I decided to proceed. I may have even accidentally knocked over the sign but that is “allegedly”!
Disappointingly the road became a typical mining company graded highway after about 50kms. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon when I happened across a work camp with 10 or so guys sitting around a campfire. I must admit they looked a bit surprised to see an old fart in a Defender descending upon them until a bloke I assume to be the supervisor came running towards me waving his arms. I thought to myself…what a friendly fellow, so I waved back and kept going!!!!
But karma is a bitch as an hour or so later, a big Bustard bird flew out of the bushes right along side the track. Didn’t see it until it tried to rise over the front mudguard so no reaction time to slow or swerve. Mind you 2 objects with the response and tunring circle of the Queen Mary with a broken rudder resulted in the inevitable….I would call this one a 1 each draw as the bird wasn’t looking any better than the windscreen.
Luckily I could still see enough and I was only 300kms from the end of the track although it turned out I then had to drive another 500kms to Karratha to get a replacement. The drive to Karratha was very interesting being constantly showered with slivers of glass as 4 carriage road trains went in the opposite directions at 100km/h. I had to hold the screen as it flexed in from the wind pressure each time one went past. All good fun though and a replacement came up from Perth over night.
Thor1950
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Were you able to roast the bird? sweet revenge if you were able
nuggetstuff
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They are a bit on the tough side! At first I thought it might have lived but then realised that the eyes were too far apart
nuggetstuff
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The 3rd leg of the trip was the Talawana Track which is another of Len Beadell’s tracks in the Pilbara region of NW Western Australia. I started at the Newman end with the 1st half of the track being a well graded road as it provides access to the Cotton Creek aboriginal community. The second half is what it is all about as it spears out into the arid Gibson desert, crossing the infamous Canning Stock Route and ultimately joining the Gary H/way at Windy Corner…about as a remote intersection as you are likely to find.
The track starts on the Newman-Marble Bar Rd…Marble Bar is notoriously the hottest place in Aussie and as it is approaching mid November, temperatures are starting to rise with hot days and hot nights.
The track runs about 25kms form the Jigalong Aboriginal community where apparrently the favourite pastime is stripping stolen cars and then tourching them..I counted 30 in 30kms. Generally they have been flipped upside down which I later learnt was because the last thing they did was strip the wheel off!
The first half of the track is easy…follow the signs..
Unfortunately I didn’t have any immediate use for some spare magnesium but in this very rich mining area you are never surprised to come across another mine.
For the botanists this area is home to a little known rare gum tree the Rough Leaved Ghost Gum..for most of us just another source if fire wood…
I have crossed the Dog Fence on numerous trips which is not surprising given that this small section was 1,837kms long. Whilst this section is no longer in existence but other sections are still operational to help keep dingos and wild dogs out of the sheep and cattle areas.
One of Lens most remote plaques is located on this track. The current road has deviated from the original track and the sign is in the middle of a paddock a couple of hundred meters off the road. Amazingly the original drum is still there only rusted in the bottom section where it was filled with sand to stop it blowing away. A replica sign on a new drum has been placed alongside the original which was originally placed in 1963.
The dunes normally have a good covering
Recent fires have stripped the dunes. The ant hills are the size of a small car.
The colours of the desert are really strong even after the fires…I might add there is no fancy photoshopping either!
Time to make camp for the night and a quiet ale or 5
And another whilst cooking tea….it was a hot night OK…
Quick check in with civilisation on the sat phone..a pretty important safety item out here…
OK..time to get into the serious stuff. This is now the original track..what drew me here and I am not disappointed. Remote, arid, harsh, hot and isolated with next fuel nearly 900kms away the track heads off into the Gibson Desert.
The track starts on the Newman-Marble Bar Rd…Marble Bar is notoriously the hottest place in Aussie and as it is approaching mid November, temperatures are starting to rise with hot days and hot nights.
The track runs about 25kms form the Jigalong Aboriginal community where apparrently the favourite pastime is stripping stolen cars and then tourching them..I counted 30 in 30kms. Generally they have been flipped upside down which I later learnt was because the last thing they did was strip the wheel off!
The first half of the track is easy…follow the signs..
Unfortunately I didn’t have any immediate use for some spare magnesium but in this very rich mining area you are never surprised to come across another mine.
For the botanists this area is home to a little known rare gum tree the Rough Leaved Ghost Gum..for most of us just another source if fire wood…
I have crossed the Dog Fence on numerous trips which is not surprising given that this small section was 1,837kms long. Whilst this section is no longer in existence but other sections are still operational to help keep dingos and wild dogs out of the sheep and cattle areas.
One of Lens most remote plaques is located on this track. The current road has deviated from the original track and the sign is in the middle of a paddock a couple of hundred meters off the road. Amazingly the original drum is still there only rusted in the bottom section where it was filled with sand to stop it blowing away. A replica sign on a new drum has been placed alongside the original which was originally placed in 1963.
The dunes normally have a good covering
Recent fires have stripped the dunes. The ant hills are the size of a small car.
The colours of the desert are really strong even after the fires…I might add there is no fancy photoshopping either!
Time to make camp for the night and a quiet ale or 5
And another whilst cooking tea….it was a hot night OK…
Quick check in with civilisation on the sat phone..a pretty important safety item out here…
OK..time to get into the serious stuff. This is now the original track..what drew me here and I am not disappointed. Remote, arid, harsh, hot and isolated with next fuel nearly 900kms away the track heads off into the Gibson Desert.
Thor1950
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a chunk of magnesium and a knife blade and you got a good fire starter
Bennehboy
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Great stuff Nugget!
nuggetstuff
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and to think that I thought you northern hemisphere blokes knew about matches and zippo's...
..or am I getting soft??? Thor1950
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and to think that I thought you northern hemisphere blokes knew about matches and zippo's...
When they get wet not worth a fook
Rain and snow seems to do that.
nuggetstuff
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rain isn't too much of a problem where I go let alone snow .... but I use a fire stick just incase because when it does rain in the desert.....
At least I feel better than I am not getting soft , just keeping up with technology
At least I feel better than I am not getting soft , just keeping up with technology
Thor1950
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rain isn't too much of a problem where I go let alone snow .... but I use a fire stick just incase because when it does rain in the desert.....
At least I feel better than I am not getting soft , just keeping up with technology
As old as you are thought you would use one of these http://www.treehuggersurvival.com/images/primitive-wilderness-skills/HandDrill_03.jpg [/url] :behindsofa:
mick the builder
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lol
They are a bit on the tough side! At first I thought it might have lived but then realised that the eyes were too far apart
nuggetstuff
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Georgia Bore is just off the Canning Stock Route and an absolute oasis in the desert with water, some shade and a sit down dunny…how good is that!! The well was left behind by an Oil Exploration company who had set up camp here for 12 months in 1990.
The Talawana follows a section of the Canning and it is classic desert country.
Well 33 is in ruins these days
Well 34 used to be a fuel point where a fuel drop could be arranged on the 1900km trip. There was still a full drum but I reckon you would be pretty game to trust it was going to be there these days!!
The country just keeps getting more spectacular…for us desert nuts that is…
The water at Well 35 has seen better days as illustrated by the camel skeleton nearby
Canning Stock Route to the left, Talawana Track to the right…
Salt lakes don’t add to the hospitality of the area..
The carnage of past travellers
The countryside turns into spinifex plains where great care is required. The spinifex collects under trucks and can ignite around hot exhausts. I carry a 5L garden spray bottle with a long wand just in case.
And for those less prepared…
It was starting to get a bit warm…this is C so that’s a bit under 120F in the old money.
Quiet lunch in the desert…funny how you don’t get so hungry in this heat
Windy Corner and the end of the Talawana Track…no Macca’s to celebrate out here!!
The Talawana follows a section of the Canning and it is classic desert country.
Well 33 is in ruins these days
Well 34 used to be a fuel point where a fuel drop could be arranged on the 1900km trip. There was still a full drum but I reckon you would be pretty game to trust it was going to be there these days!!
The country just keeps getting more spectacular…for us desert nuts that is…
The water at Well 35 has seen better days as illustrated by the camel skeleton nearby
Canning Stock Route to the left, Talawana Track to the right…
Salt lakes don’t add to the hospitality of the area..
The carnage of past travellers
The countryside turns into spinifex plains where great care is required. The spinifex collects under trucks and can ignite around hot exhausts. I carry a 5L garden spray bottle with a long wand just in case.
And for those less prepared…
It was starting to get a bit warm…this is C so that’s a bit under 120F in the old money.
Quiet lunch in the desert…funny how you don’t get so hungry in this heat
Windy Corner and the end of the Talawana Track…no Macca’s to celebrate out here!!
nuggetstuff
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The 4th leg of my second trip last year took in the Gary H/way and a section of the old Gunbarrel H/way, both Len Beadell gems which have not seen a grader blade since they were cut in the 60’s.
The Gary H/way starts at Gary Junction. Just off well 33 of the Canning Stock Route, intersects with the Talawana Track at Windy Junction and the Gunbarrel at Everard Junction. I then took the Gunbarrel and Heather H/ways to Warburton…all “H/Ways” being very rough, unmaintained tracks.
Gary is marked with a replica of the original sign made by Len Beadell. He punched the original on an aluminium plate bolted to a flap cut in the top of an old drum and folded up. The bolt holes were made using his service revolver!
The Gary H/way is extremely remote and littered with white ant mounds which are hard as steel and just waiting to take a toll on the suspension, tyre or rim of the unwary traveller.
Wormy Whau Whau Well was drilled by an exploration team in 1970. The bore casing and the poly cap are still intact.
Veevers Meteorite Crater was discovered by a survey team in 1975. About the size of a soccer field it has obviously filled a bit over the years but it was still pretty awesome to stand exactly where something from outer space has hit earth.
The track in and out to the meteorite was more moon than earth like with the effect made worse by recent fires in the desert.
They reckon there are a million feral camels in the centre of Australia and I reckon they are right...they are everywhere. I have also heard that they are now the purest camel breed on earth. Not sure if that is right but apparently we export them to the Middle east so they can not be too bad!
There is a lot of scrub close to the edge of the track
Eventually it took its toll on my UHF ariel but nothing a section of rubber fuel line and some gaffer tape couldn’t rectify.
A bit of bush tucker..city style…
Bush sunset…damn it is a tough place to have to spend the night
Quick breakfast of champions
Back on the road again and the track is littered with small trees that have been burnt and the base causing them to fall on the track. I went around quite a few before I decided to drive over one…maybe a bit bigger than it should have been and maybe a bit faster than I should have and the Defender engine died within 2-3 meters and I rolled to halt.
No problem, only 300kms from help in ANY direction and I am on my own! Tried to start which it did but as soon as I tried to accelerate it stopped….not good. Turns out a 1” branch speared up along the inside of the chassis rail and pinched the fuel line going to the fuel cooler. Luckily the line was not split and once I eventually managed to clear it, I was on my way again, travelling considerable slower and doing around every twig on the track, with a heart rate higher than the tacho.
The Gary H/way starts at Gary Junction. Just off well 33 of the Canning Stock Route, intersects with the Talawana Track at Windy Junction and the Gunbarrel at Everard Junction. I then took the Gunbarrel and Heather H/ways to Warburton…all “H/Ways” being very rough, unmaintained tracks.
Gary is marked with a replica of the original sign made by Len Beadell. He punched the original on an aluminium plate bolted to a flap cut in the top of an old drum and folded up. The bolt holes were made using his service revolver!
The Gary H/way is extremely remote and littered with white ant mounds which are hard as steel and just waiting to take a toll on the suspension, tyre or rim of the unwary traveller.
Wormy Whau Whau Well was drilled by an exploration team in 1970. The bore casing and the poly cap are still intact.
Veevers Meteorite Crater was discovered by a survey team in 1975. About the size of a soccer field it has obviously filled a bit over the years but it was still pretty awesome to stand exactly where something from outer space has hit earth.
The track in and out to the meteorite was more moon than earth like with the effect made worse by recent fires in the desert.
They reckon there are a million feral camels in the centre of Australia and I reckon they are right...they are everywhere. I have also heard that they are now the purest camel breed on earth. Not sure if that is right but apparently we export them to the Middle east so they can not be too bad!
There is a lot of scrub close to the edge of the track
Eventually it took its toll on my UHF ariel but nothing a section of rubber fuel line and some gaffer tape couldn’t rectify.
A bit of bush tucker..city style…
Bush sunset…damn it is a tough place to have to spend the night
Quick breakfast of champions
Back on the road again and the track is littered with small trees that have been burnt and the base causing them to fall on the track. I went around quite a few before I decided to drive over one…maybe a bit bigger than it should have been and maybe a bit faster than I should have and the Defender engine died within 2-3 meters and I rolled to halt.
No problem, only 300kms from help in ANY direction and I am on my own! Tried to start which it did but as soon as I tried to accelerate it stopped….not good. Turns out a 1” branch speared up along the inside of the chassis rail and pinched the fuel line going to the fuel cooler. Luckily the line was not split and once I eventually managed to clear it, I was on my way again, travelling considerable slower and doing around every twig on the track, with a heart rate higher than the tacho.
Thor1950
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Correct about the camels. Ship live and boxed meat back to the mother land
nuggetstuff
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Having been into a lot of remote communities where there is virtually zero employment, and also seen how many feral camels there are, it staggers me as to why they don't create an industry catching them, even if it was for pet food.
As it is they cull them from helicopters, so why not catch them and create employment.....having to work as opposed to being handed welfare might be in the equation there somewhere sadly!!
As it is they cull them from helicopters, so why not catch them and create employment.....having to work as opposed to being handed welfare might be in the equation there somewhere sadly!!
