Zed's shed!!

[packeteer]

An IT guy without a laptop, ohh no you must be traveling light goto be killing you

we are travelling light, but I still brought the lappie. power is at a premium, so its only come out twice in 3 weeks

[cuzo4x4]

Arrr new there would be obe somewere, enjoy cant wait to here the stories when you guys get back, the kids must be having a ball.

[packeteer]

ok, so this will be a quick write up of the trip so far as I don't have much battery left
btw, you'll need to click for fullsize

one of the best pics so far:


on the old coach road, in Maytown:

camped just past Maytown:

at a trig point on the Old Coach Road:

Elim Beach coloured sands:

Chilli beach:

Pascoe River crossing on the Frenchmans Track:

and the exit:



that'll have to do for now, the truck is ready to roll

[Rocket55]

Nice photos Craig. Looks like you guys arr killing it. Travel safely to Darwin

[cuzo4x4]

Awsome stuff.

[rayy]

Looks like a epic trip mate, well done.

[roguetraveller]

Hey mate where did you get the Bud's Flat Plate Bar from ?

[packeteer]

Hey mate where did you get the Bud's Flat Plate Bar from ?

ordered through Monster Rides

[packeteer]

we had a fun drive back down the Maytown 'old coach road'.
after a long day of wheeling (had to recover our friends again), we found a campsite, unpacked and set everything up. and thats when we noticed the bushfire heading in our direction! so it was a very quick packup and keep driving!

that track is a tough drive at the best of times, but late at night with a bushfire on your heels adds a certain element

[packeteer]

quick update:

we spent 3 nights in Cairns area (theres a decent rest area 20 odd k's south of Cairns), left earlyish today heading towards Atherton, we thought we'd tale a look at the cathedral fig, then kept going further into the bush (the GPS indicated a through road). turns out it was a track that went up over one of the highest points on the tableland! very picturesque, but a bit scary (narrow, steep and very slippery).

anyway, we headed into Mareeba, stocked up on coffee and choc (Coffee Works FTW), and finally got on the road to Chillagoe in the late afternoon. we'll do the caves tomorrow. then head south to Cobbold Gorge the day after

[aandy]

Come on, need another update! Still hot on your tail and want all your hot tips.
We are currently in chillagoe, what a great little town, just been in the caves.

[packeteer]

hehe, sorry. seems we're having to much fun

Cobbold Gorge was fantastic and definately worth the money, more than we can say for other gorges.

from Cobbold we headed back to Georgetown (goto the Info centre early, check the 'rock show' and then get a token for the free public pool). from there we went via Normanton (dont bother stopping) to Karumba (good, with CHEAP fuel ($1.64). after a few days with my Uncle, we headed off down the Savannah Way towards Burketown (tho we turned left at the T intersection and took the "shortcut" to Gregory Downs (stay next to the river, not the official spot a hundred metres back). from there we went to adels grove and Lawn Hill (nice oasis, but very expensive). then Kingfisher Camp aka KFC (great place, and not expensive). next stop was borroloola (be careful where you stay, the locals can get a bit agro. the caravan park is ok)...

and thats where I'll stop, my dinner is getting cold!

[packeteer]

quick update...

2 weeks after I returned, I got a job. Unfortunately it didn't work out. So I'm on the hunt again :/

will upload some pics when I pull my finger out

[packeteer]

finally wired up my winch (pics to follow)

also cleaned the MAF sensor and left the battery unplugged for a while.

car is running heaps better now, and fuel usage is down. short trip through Jenolan State Forest used an average of 9.5L per 100 for the day

[packeteer]

pics of winch install

[Rocket55]

Nice work Craig, hope the job hunt is more fruitful this time.

[packeteer]

cheers Rod

just looking for a way to isolate the winch power now

[packeteer]

so today, I finally went looking for a place to recondition my original Toyota CV. figured it was due, as the Repco one I had installed in Weipa has shat itself (the boots are shredded). Unfortunately the guys in Weipa were a little heavy handed and destroyed the threaded end of the CV.

anyway, found a place in Five Dock (http://www.centraldriveshaft.com/). He's going to rebuild it for $165 (same price as a new one).

[pisso01]

Yeah thats Jim, hes a legend. Keep in mind though, his boots might hit your strut. I had to get genuine boots on the new CV. Keep you orginal outer joint as a spare.

Cheers,

Chris.

[packeteer]

thanks Chris

I dont think the outer joint will be re-usable as the thread is damaged