I love dogs, especially the red kelpies out here so obedient they’re amazing, I don’t have one because I want to travel and not be tied to one. There’s hundreds of the barking little mothers out here and I didn’t bring a gun….my bad!
AussieNick's Expanda adventures
- Thread starter AussieNick
- Start date
Yippy Yappers, can't stand them but often its the owners who are the problem ....... that looks a great spot @AussieNick
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Oh hey there.....
It's been way too long since I stuck my head in here and said hi. Lots has happened over the last 6/8 months that's kept both the van and us stuck at home. Having 2 specials needs kids has been a great time haha.
We do actually have a trip planned for Easter. Off to the Gold Coast to see my olds, since the old man didn't feel safe flying up to meet his new grand daughter (8 weeks today) due to Covid and recovering from cancer.
So we're hitting the road on the 9th of April. Darwin --> Tennent --> Cloncurry --> Augathella (or Charleville, haven't decided yet) --> Goldie for 8 days then return via the same stops. Should be an adventure with an infant who needs to get out of the car seat every hour to have her hips moved (Dysplasia).
In terms of the van, haven't done a ton of work. Fixed a massive water leak under the sink that flooded the van. Thankfully it was on a slight lean so the water drained out, and the burst pipe was only leaking for maybe an hour so we've avoided any water damage. Installed an inline water filter when we replaced all the water lines with brass fittings and proper hose.
4 weeks for the first, proper long distance road trip with the family since getting the van last year
sounds like a plan
we too are leaving on the 9th as well
going through bourke and up to Karumba then across and down the east coast to organize our new home build then home 6 weeks away
@AussieNick I nearly made it to Darwin for work but it all fell apart I fear I will never make it
So I've got a bit of down time while we do some washing.
3400km in 4 days with a 5 year old and a 3 month old. I've got to say it went better than I thought. Kids handled the massivw days really well.
We ended up gping tennant, cloncurry, a massive push through to mitchell after some issues with the planned stop at charleville and then the gold coast. The roads from basically Barkly Homestead to Miles was atrocious. Damage, pot holes, undulations.... Made for an interesting drive.
About 1k in diesel, and only a few issues with the van on the trip.
Turns out when I changed from the navara to the patrol, the 12v power through the trailer plugs are different pins. So i didnt realise but on 12v the van wasn't charging. Never been an issie as out tripa have been short, but this one, with 12 hours on the road we killed the deep cycle. So no 12v in tue vam during the days took out the option of using the rest stops between towns if we wanted. Got a sparky coming to rewire the plug, replwce the battery and fix my reverse and led parker on the patrol as the only other failures on the trip. And honestly the 12v was just poor luck more than damage.
Tennant creek
Morning in tennant creek
Breakfast in tennant creek
The border. Got mobbed by a few thousand flies
Mitchell, morning of the final push to the Gold Coast
Set up at broadwater tourist Park
But all worth it for my old man to see his new grand daughter for the first time (thanks covid) and his eldest for the first time in 2.5 years.
Another week here enjoying a much needed holiday before we full send it back to Darwin
3400km in 4 days with a 5 year old and a 3 month old. I've got to say it went better than I thought. Kids handled the massivw days really well.
We ended up gping tennant, cloncurry, a massive push through to mitchell after some issues with the planned stop at charleville and then the gold coast. The roads from basically Barkly Homestead to Miles was atrocious. Damage, pot holes, undulations.... Made for an interesting drive.
About 1k in diesel, and only a few issues with the van on the trip.
Turns out when I changed from the navara to the patrol, the 12v power through the trailer plugs are different pins. So i didnt realise but on 12v the van wasn't charging. Never been an issie as out tripa have been short, but this one, with 12 hours on the road we killed the deep cycle. So no 12v in tue vam during the days took out the option of using the rest stops between towns if we wanted. Got a sparky coming to rewire the plug, replwce the battery and fix my reverse and led parker on the patrol as the only other failures on the trip. And honestly the 12v was just poor luck more than damage.
Tennant creek
Morning in tennant creek
Breakfast in tennant creek
The border. Got mobbed by a few thousand flies
Mitchell, morning of the final push to the Gold Coast
Set up at broadwater tourist Park
But all worth it for my old man to see his new grand daughter for the first time (thanks covid) and his eldest for the first time in 2.5 years.
Another week here enjoying a much needed holiday before we full send it back to Darwin
G’day @AussieNick. Apologies, but we are flat strap getting ready for a trip this weekend or I would organise to drop by, we are only about 15 km away from Broadwater CP. Enjoy the rest of your stay and safe travels home.
All good man, we shot out of broadwater at 7am yesterday.
Unfortunately for us we're now having an enforced break in Tambo after my patrol decided it didn't want to leave
Blew that sucker out 30km west of tambo last night. Was a slow, slow drive back to town. Waiting for the spare hose to get here tonight from Toowoomba. Then a much more gentle drive back to darwin.
Guessing, since thats the 2nd one in 6 months I've destroyed, the tillex needs to be wound out, and i need a stainless kit
Could think of worse places to be stuck, have always carried fan belt and hoses with me, best way to ensure they never get used........................ Truck museum at Winton along with Searles Store are great places to visit but I suppose with this hold up you'll be pushing for home.............
Yes and no. Was planning on getting home Saturday night, but now that I'll be driving a bit slower just in case we might have an extra day or 2 on the road. But that comes with it's own upsides as we can stop off earlier and check some places out. Work will just have to suck it up
Only part that im concerned with will be the run across the Barkly, just due to their being 0 options and no phone service if it goes again. Worse comes to worst if we can get to Isa i csn out the girls on a flight home, get the pipee changed to stainless and recal the tillex and then just full send it home myself.
Only part that im concerned with will be the run across the Barkly, just due to their being 0 options and no phone service if it goes again. Worse comes to worst if we can get to Isa i csn out the girls on a flight home, get the pipee changed to stainless and recal the tillex and then just full send it home myself.
Yea when it went it was touchy just holding at 50km/h. Once it had anything over 1500rpm (which was any slight rise) back to tambo the EGTs rose super quick
We were doing 105km/h for most of the day, might drop back to 95 just to stay safe
I popped a hose with Big Mal on the back at the bottom of a hill, scared the crap out of me as I at first thought the tubo had gone and it was a great start to a trip, easily sorted and the Colorado roared off again............ actually should have gone back home as that was the trip the alternaror went up in flames, whole rig owuld have as well but I always remove the plastic engine covers, they reckon that allowed me to put the fire out before it did everything in.... must be crap hoses.
Crap hoses is right... Blew this sucker just north of tennant creek on sunday driving home.
So thats the intercooler to throttle body on Wednesday night and then the turbo to intercooler on sunday.
Both on level ground at constant speed..... Got me stuffed why they are blowing. Ended up winding the tillex valve out to only let 15psi boost through. Was a seriously slow acceleration and only drove home at 90km/h did not want to p9se another hose as I'd have had no options and no phone reception....
Oh well, finally tally of damage was 2 hoses, 1 AGM battery in the van, 1 led parker, 1 reverse light, 1 draw latch in the van, the waste hose splitting, trailer wiring needed redoing at the plug and I lost an awning arm tension bolt somewhere between darwin and Barkly homestead.
Little upgrade líst for us after the first big trip for the family, but i feel that wr will be upgrading to a full size van in the not too distant future. Something with bunks. The panda is awesome once setup, but long days then setting up and breaking down constantly on the transit to and from our destination.....will have to see our options for a 2.5 ATM full size bunk vans.
Until then, mods and heaps of shorter trips this dry. And a V8 conversion for the patrol when the minister for finances allows me to
Bugga, again....... boost isn't running amuck and blowing things I wonder ?? age, oil causing hose breakdown, many things, I would go stainless plumbing but still has some rubber.............
The fix for the awning lock is to pull the arm off and do a cross cut on bolt end so it doesn't come apart when you forget to do it up.
The fix for the awning lock is to pull the arm off and do a cross cut on bolt end so it doesn't come apart when you forget to do it up.