Tassie West Coast - Stony Cape to Arthur River

We left the beautiful Tamar Valley and headed west.  With no schedule to keep, and no real agenda, we enjoyed a leisurely drive generally in the direction of Stony Cape, west of Smithton.

The weather was threatening, but we enjoyed a pile of hot chips in Sheffield, famous for its mural lined main street.  I had to get a snap of the boys in front of a Mountain Rescue themed mural!

Tasmania - Tamar Valley

We survived the crossing of the fearsome Bass Strait in style on the SPIRIT OF TASMANIA.  With three metre seas, we feared the worst, but thankfully the boys slept through the worst of it, and in no time at all we were roused from our bunks to be greeted by a drizzly day at Devonport.

We were extremely fortunate to be staying with friends on the beautiful Tamar River, near Beaconsfield.  We were made to feel at home, and in no time at all, Matilda was set up on the front lawn with a view to die for.

Our fantastic first camp in Tasmania!

The next couple of days we explored a little of the local area.  Being so close to Launceston, we headed in for last minute Christmas shopping, and the compulsory stroll in Cataract Gorge.  The boys powered up the Zig Zag walk, and we enjoyed a ride on the chairlift, before returning on the easier walk on the western bank to Kings Bridge.

On the road at last. Home to Melbourne

We aimed to get away at 8am precisely and would you believe it we actually made it away on time!  And then at 8.07am just before we turned onto the main road, guess which Numpty remembered he had forgotten to turn the power off.  So we made our second departure at fifteen minutes later than planned... Not too bad considering we will now be spending the next twelve months or so living our own schedule!

The reason for our early departure was to catch up with friends in Bombala for morning tea.  We had a delightful time catching up, whilst the kids squeezed in a ride on a pony before we headed down the coast to Eden for lunch.  

One sleep to go - Setting off for our lap around the block tomorrow

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is our departure date.  This moment has been years in the making, and I am a little excited, and mostly exhausted!

I thought I would keep this a short post, except to thank some of the many people who have helped us get to this point.

At the risk of missing someone, I want to thank some of those wonderful people.

Firstly a big thank our to boys, who have embraced our camping lifestyle and bring so much joy to us when we see the world through their eyes.  We hope this year is one they will remember forever with fondness, and excite in them a passion for learning, travelling and all things outdoors.

Our parents I suspect initially thought we were mad... until they saw our camping set up which confirmed their beliefs.  That said, their support has been wonderful, culminating in a week long working bee at our little house getting it ready for tenants.  It is due in no small part to their efforts that we can leave our house knowing it is in tip top shape.  Thank you. 

I have the most amazing manager who gave me approval to pursue this dream way back in early 2009.  I also work with a great bunch of people who will cover my shifts for me whilst I am away - which will provide its own challenges and I appreciate no end.  

We are fortunate to be part of an an incredible tight knit community, and we have been touched by everyone's support and encouragement. From offers to keep and eye on our home, to completely unexpected little farewell gifts, and even looking after our little pooch, we have been blown away. We will miss you all!  Our school and it's wonderful teachers have been so supportive of our plan, we leave well armed for a year of homeschooling. 

And of course, Jo, who agreed to my foolish adventure.  She has worked tirelessly on all the boring bits to make sure that everything will carry on at home in our absence that needs to, and what needs to find us will find us.  An incredible woman and a tower of strength.  Thank you!

We are so fortunate to have so many wonderful people in our lives, that funnily enough on the cusp of our grand adventure I feel a twinge of sadness.  Almost like being on a ship leaving for a long deployment, we will soon settle into our new routine, but we will miss our wonderful friends and family still at home.  Sometimes you have to leave to really appreciate how fortunate we are to be surrounded by such great people.  However unlike ships of not that long ago, we will be not far from mobile phones and email, so we hope to stay in touch!

And so here we are... Almost all packed, and due to hit the road at 8am tomorrow.  Fingers crossed we will get away before lunch, after all, what could possibly go wrong!

11 Days Out From A Year On The Road...

We are officially 11 days out from our year on the road... and the nerves are starting to show as we try to get everything ready to go.  In fact it was as good as called off this morning!

For the past few weeks our focus has not been on the trip at all.  Rather we have been busy trying to get our house ready for tenants to move in, ensuring schooling is in hand and all our furniture is packed away. Whilst the trip has been foremost in our minds in one way - it has been the furthest from our minds in terms of what we will actually do on our adventure.

Indeed we have often joked that we will start the
planning for our year on the road, once we finally get on the road!

That said, in addition to all the household jobs we are trying to get on top of, there have been a few last minute jobs to do on the camper and the Amarok too.  Nothing like leaving things to the last minute.

One job on my list for months was fitting a pair of helper springs to the Amarok.  A simple job - but I finally admitted I didn't have time to fit them, and organised my lovely wife to have them fitted at the local mechanic's.  Unfortunately the young fella who put them on didn't appreciate the dynamics of the suspension and the U bolts were striking the chassis.  

Argh.  Wasn't particularly happy about spending that evening pulling the U bolts off and turning them over - but it had to be done.  I guess the reverse of Parkinson's law is also true... (Parkinson's law states that work expands to fill the resources available to do it.  I have discovered that if your resources shrink (in this case time), the somehow you manage to fit it all in regardless!).

Upside down Miss Jane

Much better

Some good came of it - the road test!

But wait, there's more.  We decided we really should fit some bike racks for the kids bikes on the front of Matilda.  The most cost effective method was to buy a fork mount and bolt it to the top of the pantry box...  Not a big job, but placement was important to ensure that we can still use the hot water system on extended camps!  I ordered the parts on eBay - only to be told after four days that they weren't in stock, and I could upgrade my order or cancel it.  It was Friday afternoon - they were supposed to be delivered that afternoon.  Not happy Jan - I cancelled the order and picked up the parts from the local Roof Rack City - for $0.02 more than Mr eBay!

Making sure it all fits.

Got to get it just right!

And then we decided to take it up a notch.  In order to give the food a bit of protection from temperature extremes, we had been meaning to line the top of the pantry with carpet.  Having experienced the pleasure of trying to line the Amarok's canopy with carpet previously, I encouraged Jo to give it a go.  After a few false starts, she got fair cracking and to be honest did a great job.  We had more timber holding it in place whilst the glue set than is holding our house up...  The only casualty was a bit of hair that came in contact with the adhesive...  but as we tell the kids: "It will grow back!".

And finally this morning we hit crunch time.  For the past few weeks our study has had all the furniture removed, and replaced by all the stuff we might want to take with us next year.  Some of it is not negotiable, like the medical supplies, however some of it is best described as discretionary.

We took the point of view that if we might want it - then we should put it in the study so we could at least consider whether we want to take it or not.  Well this morning we pulled out all the camping chairs, BBQ, water jerry and so on and started our game of Tetris.

Hmmmm...  One thing is certain, the box isn't getting any bigger!

We both had a few different ideas - tried to work out what we would use every night and what we would perhaps use less frequently.  Mulled over where the emergency water should be - had a somewhat heated discussion over the size of the laundry bucket and damn near divorced over the where the awnings should live... 

We must be getting stressed...  But friends had warned us that just before you head off, the task will seem impossible and you will find yourselves asking if it is worth it.  Thankfully we both calmed down and the adventure is still on!  

I must be a lucky bloke!

50 days to go!!!

We sat down yesterday, and for the first time counted the days to our departure... Today we are 50 days out from what we hope will be a great adventure, our 12 month journey around Australia!

Friends have been asking me how the planning is going?  And yes - whilst the concept has been on the table for many years now, we are not much closer to having our trip planned out.  There is so many little jobs to do in order to get us prepared to go, that we have hardly had a chance to think about what we will finally do, when we haul down our driveway, get to the end of our road and flip a coin.  Heads = turn right, Tails = turn left.

The journey to this point begins back in 2009, when our eldest son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  We made a decision then that we would make a concious effort to live life to the full.  We had just started camping as a family, and a few months later we bought a four wheel drive - our faithful Terracan. In April 2012 we bought our camper trailer, Matilda.

Our first journey with our camper attached.

Our first camping weekend with the camper ended in failure (http://project2014australia.blogspot.com.au/2010/04/our-weekend-in-pictures.html), but we were hooked, and our dream grew and grew.

A Day On The Green - Mudgee

As we hit the fifty days to go mark, and started wondering how we are going to get everything sorted before we head off, we decided to accept an invitation to A Day on the Green at Mudgee with a bunch of old friends.  And what weekend it was.


All set and ready to go - and yes - no camper trailer this time!

Of course if you're going to a concert, the most important thing you need to pack is your tickets...  everything else can be replaced, or you can manage until you get home... 

We took off after work on Friday, planning on eating dinner on the way (Thanks to the Thermal Cooker).  All was going well as we pulled through Gunning.  We had decided on the most direct route to Mudgee via Gunning, Crookwell, Tuena, Bathurst, then on to Sofala and Mudgee.

It is a very pretty drive - scenic undulating grazing country, with a bit of dirt road between Binda and Perthville.  We were hoping on being through the worst bits before dusk.  But as they say, best laid plans...

Sydney as a tourist

We had long desired to give the boys a taste of Sydney different to their normal impression of one long traffic jam.  So almost a year ago, we booked an apartment near Circular Quay for a week with the intention being to live like tourists and show the boys some of the classic sights of Sydney.  We were extra fortunate that the Navy decided to host their International Fleet Review on the same week, so we also scored a fantastic firework display and parade of warships!

This week was quite unlike our normal camping adventures, however having rented an apartment, we were able to cook our own meals and make our lunches, saving a fortune on meals.  The other trick we used to sustain our lads on the days when we walked seemingly everywhere, was to buy a four pack of ice creams from the IGA or Woolworths or Coles supermarkets that were always just around the corner.Thankfully ice creams are the one food every one in our family likes!

So, live like tourists we did.  The Little Helper was fascinated by the public transport system, and it took him three days before he stopped pointing out each train and bendy bus crossing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The boys with the view from the apartment

The Little Fisherman was fascinated by all the warships, in particular the 5 inch guns - and was thrilled with a tour of the HMS DARING and the HMAS PARAMATTA.  A highlight for him was being able to hold one of the boarding party shotguns during the tour of HMAS PARAMATTA...

Oh dear... what have we created

Kanangra Walls - Boy's Weekend Escape - Close to Sydney

Sometimes it takes a woman to get a bunch of blokes together for a weeekend away.  My wonderful wife had succeeded where we had failed and managed to select a weekend for a group of old friends to get together and designate an official Big Boys Weekend!

The passage of time had seen us go to school together, cut our teeth in the big smoke, before dispersing.  As we all have children now, fitting a little time for our own friends is rarer and rarer as our social lives increasingly revolve around our children's schooling / sporting / music / scouting interests.

We met at the Boyd River Campground, in Kanangra-Boyd National Park, as it was almost the exact same distance for all four of us to travel to, from north, south and east.  As we all started closing on the park, the weather was looking pretty ominous.  It was about 3 degrees and raining sideways, when the suggestion that we bail and head to the Oberon Pub was mentioned...  but being tenacious males, we decided to persevere.

And I'm so glad we did. The weather cleared as soon as I arrived, and continued to improve all weekend.




Boyd River Camp

Pigeon House Mountain with kids!

With our lap around the country fast approaching, and free time seemingly disappearing from the calendar, we decided a few months ago to lock in a date to hike to the top of Pigeon House Mountain on the south coast.  After all, it is not just the car we need to get ready! We picked our date carefully not to clash with any likely major events... until Kevin Rudd decided to change the election to our day of reckoning.

Initially we were going to plan a camping trip at Yadboro Flat, where we have camped previously.  Yadboro Flat is conveniently located in the upper Clyde River, and is a popular free camp, with plenty of space.  In the end we decided we would simply do a day trip, leaving early on the Saturday morning, and returning home after our hike.

We enjoyed an uneventful trip to the Pigeon House Mountain carpark, where we quickly topped up our water bottles, enjoyed morning tea and then set off to the summit.

The climb to the top is in three main stages.  An initial steep climb followed by a flat section, before the climb becomes steeper again, culminating in a series of steep ladders and steps to the peak.  We were interested to see how Master 8 and Master 6 1/2 would go, not just with the hike, but also the ladders at the peak.

The first bit was easy

Big Red Run - Day 10 and 11 - Eulo to Trangie and then home via TheDish at Parkes

After being delayed and back tracking to Eulo, we pulled out the map again and decided the easiest and simplest way home was on the blacktop, east to Cunamulla and then south to Bourke, before pushing on to a free camp at Warren.

Being a long day of  just over 600 kilometres, we hit the road early and found it an easy days run on wide straight highways.

We tried a self portrait...  whilst the boys made cubby houses in the back!

We stopped for lunch at a great future camp north of Bourke at Mays Bend.  This former caravan park on a bend in the Darling River was a beautiful spot for a rest and a leg stretch. We marked it as a great spot to consider coming back to.  The access track could be a little difficult after some rain, but we found the camping area wide and grassy with plenty of shady camp sites.

Mays Bend - Bourke

And so we continued south, through Narromine and on the Warren Weir, where we were confronted with a locked gate, barring our acesss to a promising camp.  Despite our wearieness we returned to the main highway and pulled into Trangie Caravan Park a short time later.

Big Red Run - Day 9 - Quilpie to Currawinya to Eulo - Or the day we nearly lost it all!

As our plans altered so drastically the day before, we thought we would try to head south on roads less travelled, with the aim of camping at Currawinya National Park near Hungerford. We got away just after 9am, after stocking up on a few supplies at Quilpe.

It was the last time we don't check a weather forecast when we have the opportunity to. And as it turned out, after an unfortunate series of events, we were lucky to have a camper to sleep in by the days end... 

We set off confidently enough from Quilpie, and made good time to Eulo, where we stopped for lunch at some mound springs.

The mound springs wern't exactly what we expected, and the chap at the Eulo Visitors Centre didn't seem eager to explain more (but he did kindly point out where we could find out about the Eulo Queen with a vague wave of his hand towards a collection of newspaper clippings on the wall).  Enough time spent here we thought, so we headed south towards Currawinya NP, north of Hungerford.

Our lack of observation of the changing weather began to haunt us as we turned off the black top.  The road ahead was red, and a sign ominously said "Boggy When Wet"... A short time later the wipers came on as a few spots hit the windscreen.  The Meteorologist of the family went a litte quiet as she confessed that she hadn't checked the weather for a couple off days...  Ah, what could possibly go wrong!

Big Red Run - Day 8 - Birdsville to Maree...er no make that Quilpie

We rose early to capture the sunrise on Big Red to overcast and foreboding skies.  And after a leisurely pack up, we headed back into Birdsville to fuel up and make tracks south to Maree.

The sun starts to make its appearance felt through an overcast sky.

Sunrise lights up our camp - at Big Red

We headed out of town on the Birdsville Track - and almost immediately got stuck in clouds of dust, behind a convoy of caravans doing about 50 kilometres an hour.  It became apparent in the next minute or two that the caravans weren't likely to pull over and let the trail of 4WDs behind them past in a hurry, so we pulled over to the side of the road to re-think our options.

Big Red Run - Day 7 - Big Red, The Simpson Desert and John Williamson

Day seven of our adventure dawned with much excitement in our camp.  This was the day that a dedicated group of ultra marathon runners would depart Birdsville for the run across the Simpson Desert, raising money for Type 1 Diabetes.  It was also the day that John Williamson would support the runners with a concert on the crest of Big Red... and it was our first day in the desert!

The first order of business was to watch the start of the race.  This was the first time that an event of this magnitude had ever been considered - and I was amazed that there were some 54 starters for the Big Red Run.  I must admit to having tears in my eyes watching this group of people depart for a 42 kilometre run to Big Red, all the while raising money for a cause very dear to our hearts.  In a moment of weakness, I promised the Little Fisherman (himself a type 1 diabetic) that if he wanted to run in this race when he was 16, then I would do it with him!  And please, if you want to donate to this worthy cause - please donate here:  http://www.bigredrun.com.au/ or http://www.jdrf.org.au/

The Big Red Run is about to commence

The Born To Run Foundation

After the runners departed, we enjoyed a much more leisurely breakfast at the Birdsville Bakery, before packing up camp and heading west ourselves.  This was where the fun really began!

Big Red Run - Day 6 - Innamincka to Birdsville via Walkers Crossing

Being our first time in this part of the world, we wen't too sure what to expect when travelling in the remoter areas.  The usual route from Innamincka to Birdsville is north, via Cordillo Downs on the Strezlecki Track, but we had caught up with some seasoned travellers at Innamincka who urged us to follow them along the Walkers Crossing Track.

Walkers Crossing is named for Sydney James Walker, who was part of the Santos Field Service who constructed the crossing of the Cooper Creek.  He died on 7th November 1986, just as the crossing was completed, and a plaque on the site is erected to his memory.

Big Red Run - Day 5 - Innamincka and the Dig Tree Circuit

We started our rest day with a nice lazy sleep in, followed by a delicious breakfast of home made pikelets.  As the sun rose, we amused ourselves watching the meandering pelicans, and other bird life making the most of the glorious day.  It was simply a magic camp, and we all appreciated the fact we didn't have to get up and get going in the morning.

The Cooper Creek was delightful place to camp

Playing in the River Red Gums at camp

We had a quick look at the map, and I suggested a quick dash out to visit The Dig Tree was in order.  The Little Helper was a bit puffed after the last few days travelling, so he asked to stay at camp with Mum, whilst the older brother and I made the dash.

Big Red Run - Day 4 - Tiboburra to Innamincka

We watched the sun rise from the comfort of our bed at Dead Horse Gully near Tiboburra.  We were enthralled by the beauty of the red earth juxtaposed with the ever changing spectrum of colours of the sky as the sun rose above the horizon, before it decided on a deep pale blue.

After a quick consult of the map, we have decided not to camp at Fort Grey, but to head to Innamincka via Cameron Corner, and then have a rest day - before pushing onto Birdsville.

Spectacular Sunrise!

Before we left Tiboburra, we stopped in to examine a replica of Sturt's boat that he hauled west in 1841, convinced it would be useful when he found his inland sea.  We were to follow a lot of not just Sturt's, but also Burke and Will's footsteps over the next week or so, and it was great to appreciate the challenges they faced by immersing ourselves in the terrain they traversed... and remind us to be ever thankful for the luxury of an air conditioned 4WD!

A reasonable size boat!

The drive out to Cameron Corner was the start of dune country, and we stopped for the obligatory photos at the corner itself, although we all agreed the original hardwood marker (on display at Tiboburra) was a much more romantic marker of not just the state boundaries, but of a time gone by!

We followed the old Strezlecki Track north to Innamincka.  The track was was in pretty good condition although a little sandy in places.  Being just graded on the clay pan, it is easy to see how a spot or two or rain would make any progress near on impossible.  I didn't twig initially, but the Strezlecki Track was first traversed by John Costello, a friend of Patsy Durack of Kings In Grass Castles fame.  

Playing on a dune in the Stezlecki

Strezlecki Fun

The Old Strezlecki Track was in great condition

We made our way to Innamincka, and camped on the banks of the Cooper Creek, such an iconic part of the Australian folklore.  We found a great camp down on the Creek, and settled in.  

The Cooper Creek at Innamincka

Some of the locals on the Cooper

It was an easy day of driving on good dirt roads, and the ever changing landscape kept us all enthralled as we headed west.  Innamincka is the kind of place everyone should visit - in order to sit by the Cooper Creek and watch the world go by.  The camping in the town common is dirt cheap - $5 for a site by the creek itself, and the boys found plenty of sand and dirt to play in.

We had covered 1 734 kilometres in the last four days - the rest day was very much in order!

Big Red Run - Day 3 - White Cliffs to Tiboburra

We decided to get up early to watch the sun rise over White Cliffs, and it was definitely worth the effort.  There is something special about seeing the dawn of a new day, particularly in somewhere where the sky is huge.  We went for a short walk to get a special vantage point where no photo will ever do the scene justice - but it didn't stop us trying for the perfect shot.

One little fellow wasn't particularly impressed with the early morning!

We had planned on a leisurely breakfast, before poking about in town for a while, however our plans changed when we met Garath on our way back to camp. Gareth was out walking his dog, and we got chatting.  It turned out Garath was a NPWS ranger, and invited us on a tag along tour of the Perry Lakes.  

Big Red Run - Day 2 - Condobolin to White Cliffs

We decided we wanted to be on the road by 8.30am, with the aim of making White Cliffs in the evening.  The kids were briefed that it would be a long day in the car, and after a damp pack up we hit the road.
 

We had decided to head north west to Cobar, before tracking west to Wilcannia.  The boys were bored with the black top, and kept asking when we would hit the dirt…  Not long was the answer, until we hit it, and the initial squeals of delight soon were replaced with the boys asking when we would be back on the black top!  I think they appreciated the fact we could travel a bit quicker on the bitumen roads, and the bumps were far more frequent and violent on the dirt!

Red Dirt!

Big Red Run - Day 1 - Home to Condobolin

As with all things requiring preparation, our shakedown trip to Birdsville was upon us before we knew it.  A previous commitment to a couple of weeks at sea ensured that I was unable to do anything much towards our trip - except occasionally ponder the situation between waves of nausea.

We berthed in Sydney on Sunday, and as the financial year closed, we caught up with family and friends in the big smoke, before barrelling south on the Monday to shop, pack and get our heads around the adventure ahead.

As we headed south we started to actually plan the journey ahead, and developed a rough meal plan.  We had originally planned to pack on the Tuesday, and get up at the crack of dawn on the Wednesday and make as much ground north west as we could, however Jo had a fantastic idea.  She suggested that if we were ready to head off on Tuesday afternoon, then we should aim to get a few hours down the road in order to break the journey.  I couldn't agree more - so the timetable was adjusted.

All packed at last...

New shoes for Rocky

With so many tyre options available, it is easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to picking the right tyres for your ride.

So after reading enough forums to make my eyes bleed, and talking to several tyre retailers, I suddenly realized that I had run out of time to organise a set of tyres before we head to Birdsville.

As I was going to be away in the lead up to the trip, I didn't want to leave the hassle of organizing the tyres to Jo.

So, in the manner all decisions of importance, I made an impulse decision on the way home and wheeled into Costco.  After determining they had a set of D697s in stock, I said if they could fit them within the hour, I'd take them.

Challenge thrown down, and Dave from Costco rose to the occasion and fitted the tyres, as promised in under an hour, and for $25 a corner cheaper than anyone else in town.

Job done.

Initial impressions on the way home were positive. A quiet ride, and considerably more grip on our dirt road (fresh after 7mm of rain).

I hope they're up to the miles of corrugations ahead!

Fitting out... the finer details

 

Whilst our dash to Birdsville might still be a couple of weeks away, the time at home available to prepare for the trip can be measured in hours. 

And the list of little jobs I want to get done on the truck doesn't seem to get any shorter... but there is always time for a little play! 

Rocky shows the limitations of an independent front end!

One of the many little things to do was a maintenance run on one of the local RFS trucks.  The boys love to crawl all over the BRT (Big Red Truck) - and declared that travelling around Australia in a dual cab 4WD truck would be a great thing to do.

After becoming acquainted with the capabilities of these trucks last year, I would be inclined to agree, that they would be a fantastic way to get around the country, with enough space for all the comforts of home. They can crawl up and down just about any mountain... however the thought of getting one stuck in sand sends shivers down my spine!

A new sound system for Rocky!

Whilst the canopy on the back was my first priority to get fitted out into a useful space for us to use,  with the prospect of a long road trip ahead of us, in car entertainment for the family became a much higher priority on the list.

The Canopy is starting to be useful.

So the next thing to sort out was the in car entertainment.

For some reason the Trendline Amarok is fitted with a four speaker stereo... where all four speakers are in the front!! So our previous trick in the Terracan of fading the speakers to the rear, and putting on an audio book weren't going to work. Oh, and the VW iPod kit was about $1000, and blue tooth another $1000... yeah no thanks.

The original unit. Functional - but pretty basic

With the Terracan, a simple replacement radio and wiring loom for under $150 was a sufficient upgrade to give us all we needed in a radio, and a free Garmin GPS when renewing our NRMA membership kept us on the right track mostly. Unfortunately with the Amarok, nothing was going to be that simple, or cheap!

The first thing to sort out was to put some speakers in the rear door.  Thankfully this was something I could do - and as the space was already there - it was a simple task of removing the trim, installing the speakers and refitting the trim.  I did purchase a whole heap of new trim clips as the original clips are very brittle. I managed to break every single one when removing the trim.  Thankfully I wasn't he first to do this, and had new trim clips on hand.

After reading many forums and reading most people's opinions of aftermarket gear for the Amarok, we went with the Zenec 2011D. It essentially is the following:

• CD/DVD Player
• Radio
• Bluetooth Handsfree Phone Kit
• iPod connectivity
• Bluetooth music streaming
• Satellite Nav
• Reverse Camera

What impressed us is that the dash looks just like it rolled out of the factory. It works beautifully and seamlessly and more importantly intuitively. The guys who fitted it upgraded the reverse camera, and gave me the other one, which I will be able to fit to the Camper Trailer - perhaps not in time for Birdsville!

The funny thing is that whilst this unit will support the playing of DVD's, including screens on the back of the headrests for the kids, this is something we will not do.  We have lots of audiobooks on the iPod, and the kids (and big kids in the front) enjoy listening to the stories such as Wind In The Willows, Peter Pan and all the classics by Roald Dahl.

The other thing we fitted was the old UHF radio,  in the parcel shelf under the A/C controls.  it slotted in easily, and I picked up power from one of the cigarette 12v outlets just forward of the gear stick.

Fitted up - and about to plug the microphone in.

It is a 40 channel UHF radio - but still in perfect working order.  The aerial I mounted to the bullbar.  This is not my preferred position for the aerial, as it resonnates beautifully on the dirt road home, and I am not entirely convinced thousands of kilometres of corrugations, or the odd kangaroo strike will do good things for it.  Still the mount is there, and I didn't need to use a Z bracket under the bonnet (which didn't fit comfortably with the Amaroks tight seams).

The aerial is mounted on the bullbar

So, now you will be able to hear us coming.  We will be the Amarok with audio books such as The BFG blaring from the rear speakers as we barrel along the highways and byways of Australia!  Gloriumptious!