A Florida Lady travels Down Under.

After writing and talking about travelling in Australia on the TLCA list (check under 4WD-clubs), I have eventually had the pleasure of entertaining a Florida guest in Perth.

Perhaps a little explanation is called for. Domestic circumstances made it possible to travel to the USA in October where I met this lady. After a period of 2 - 3 weeks in Florida, we were getting on well enough for me to invite her to Perth. She accepted and visited in January. She is not a Landcruiser owner (but considers the little corner windows on the 40 series "cute". Her vehicle would cause palpitations on the list, it is not chromed, and not 4 Wheel Drive but it is made by Chrysler. As a result, not only did I have the opportunity to show off my home state of Western Australia but also the power and might of the Diesel 80 series with after-market turbocharger.

For the curious, my cruiser has a Safari Turbo, twin batteries with auto-isolator, ARB lockers front and rear driven by the Blue Tongue air compressor. Warn 10,000 pound winch, PIAA driving lights, long range fuel tanks holding 255 litres, 80 litre built in water tank, Milford cargo barrier, ARB bull bar and roof-rack, Kaymar twin spare wheel carrier with integral rear step and towing hitch, Recaro driving seat, Codan 8525 HF (Royal Flying Doctor Radio), Uniden UHF (477 MHz) CB, GME AM/SSB 27 MHz CB, Pronav 100 GPS unit and an assortment of retrieve and puncture repair gear - including the excellent Tyrepliers bead breaker.

Carol arrived in Perth 11 hours late! The flight from Miami was delayed due to engine problems and so Carol missed the connection at Heathrow London. So efficient were the airlines, her case arrived 2 days later and without some of the contents. British Airways were so generous as to give her 5 pounds (Stirling) for a meal (Big joke as apart from a Golden Arches burger you could not feed a goldfish for 5 quid in Heathrow!) and nowhere to rest for the 11 hours between flights. Malaysian Airlines and Singapore Airlines do. Therefore, if flying to Australia's West Coast, fly Malaysian Airlines from New York, the food is great and the staff delightful. Thumbs down British Airways!

Carol had 2 days to adjust to the clock and temperatures before we headed into the bush. Since the temperatures were heading upwards (35 to 40 degrees Celsius - 95 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit), I decided not to go too remote.

We headed north towards Cue (650 kms North of Perth) and camped at Walga Rock. Walga Rock is the second largest monolith in the world (Uluru [Ayers Rock] is the largest). The camp was set up under trees and we then went walking to examine the rock art. One unusual drawing of a sailboat is present. This has defied experts as to the origin. It is certainly genuine, but does it reflect Macassin sailors or influenced by early Dutch visitors to the coast. The Dutch visited in 1629 when the Batavia was wrecked on the Houtman Abrolhos Islands off Geraldton. The story of this incident is a real saga of murder and mayhem. (Read "And their Ghosts may be heard" by Rupert Gerritsen, Published by Fremantle Arts Centre Press1994 ISBN 186368 063 2 or "Voyage to Disaster" by Henrietta Drake-Brockman University of Western Australia Press 1995 ISBN 1 875560 32 7).

The next morning, we went for a long walk around the rock, every 2 minutes. Carol was hoping to see a Kangaroo. She had missed the early visitor to the camp. Sadly, no 'roos. There were however many Ringneck parrots. The rock glowed in many colours as the sun sank in the west.

Walga Rock

The camp was dry, the only water being that in the tank in the truck. The 60 litre Engel Freezer kept the food safe and also cooled the drinks. The early evening was spent playing Bocce, local knowledge helped, soft sand is a great help in the game but hard to spot in the terrain. Apart from 2 vehicles passing by, we saw no one for 2 whole days.

After 2 days, we set off across country to Geraldton and upto Coral Bay. Over the early part of this leg, we saw numerous Emu and Kangaroos, much to Carol's delight. At a roadhouse (truckstop) just North of Geraldton, Carol encountered an item that became very dear to her! This gastronomic delight was no less than a "Truckie Breakfast". Such a delight consists of sausages 5 inches long and 1 inch diameter, bacon, chop and cackleberries (eggs) served with toast and coffee. Beans, tomatoes and mushrooms were also on the plate. Before this, I had only known Carol to eat healthy foods.

We crossed the Tropic of Capricorn (right) as we boogied along to Coral Bay with Carol commenting on the numbers and varieties of LandCruisers on the roads. We passed 40, 45, 47, 60, 61, 62, 55, 73, 75, 80 and 100 series cruisers. Some were wagons, others traybacks, utilities, hard-tops, soft-tops, petrol and diesel. I guess if Brother Andy or Brother Henry - the newly married - had been there, we would have heard wailing and gnashing of teeth. Not only was Carol impressed by the numbers, she also commented on the lack of rust!

Coral Bay

Coral Bay is a small seaside community about 1200 kms north of Perth. It is near the lower end of the Ningaloo Reef. Ningaloo Reef is a hard coral reef just off shore. It is easily accessed and both snorkellers and SCUBA divers can revel in the clear water. Manta Rays are seen at the Outer Reef and in season, the plankton eating Whale Sharks may be seen of the coast. The lucky ones may dive with these gentle giants. Other exciting diving can be had at Exmouth a short drive (130 kms) from Coral Bay.

The water is a fantastically clear and blue. Again, many LandCruisers were present. Some stay in Coral Bay permanently and are used to tow boats to the water and also carry dive gear down for the charter companies. As a result, 2 of the 55 series were more rust than cruiser! Carol and I took a glass bottomed boat cruise and saw many of the corals and the fish that inhabit the reef.

For those with Internet access, a short piece on the Coral Bay region may be seen on the Sofcom pages [here]. This is the Cape Range Region.

The gastronomic tour continued, here it was Fish and chips that caused salivation. Fresh proper fish - not mass-produced oblongs of rejected cat food. Tiger prawns 5 inches long also caused a Pavlovian response. Carol also had a meal of Kangaroo (commercial not wild).

4wd.sofcom.com/News/1999/990219.WA.html IMG SRC="PiCs37/WAFEB03.jpg" HEIGHT=240 WIDTH=320 --> Nature's Window Warribano Chimney

After Coral Bay, we headed down to Kalbarri. This is in the Murchison region of Western Australia - 600 kms north of Perth. The trip down was uneventful. 2 days were spent exploring the gorges and visiting the Warribano Chimney.

This site is away from the main road. It is the site of the original lead smelter site for the Geraldine Mine. Access to the mine is possible but only by 4WD. This area was HOT! We gave away frozen drinks to 2 young overseas tourists who were melting!

The other attraction we visited was "The Rainbow Jungle". This is a privately established and run centre for the breeding and protection of rare Parrots and related birds. Eclectic and Princess Parrots were there to be seen. From Kalbarri we returned to Perth.

We spent a few days in Perth before we went away for a second trip. This was eastwards towards Kalgoorlie. We camped the first night near Boorabin Rock. Carol was a bit nervous as we left the road and I zigzagged along dirt tracks to a camp spot. The GPS was not giving a readout due to the surrounding trees. After a crash course in how to use the radios in emergency, Carol relaxed. (We had seen a few venomous snakes on the way). Carol volunteered to dig a bush dunny, 3 inches under the soil, she hit granite! Although we were in a gold bearing area, she was unlucky.

The next 2 days were spent in Kalgoorlie and area. We saw the "Superpit"; this is a goldmine 5 x 1.5 x 0.5 kms in size. The 75 series trucks at the bottom were minute, even the Haulpaks that carried 190 Tonnes of ore at a time were tiny.

Super Pit

A trip to a bush pub was a treat for Carol. Here, you've guessed, another gastronomic delicacy. A true Aussie meat pie with Tomato ketchup and washed down with a tinny of Emu Export beer. She left her name scrawled on the wall of the Broad Arrow pub (right) 50kms North of Kalgoorlie. Saturday night, we went for a beer in Kalgoorlie. With over 20 pubs to choose from, it was difficult. We managed.

Sunday was HOT (45 Celsius = 113 Fahrenheit), and we visited Kanowna (White Feather) a ghost town to the East of Kalgoorlie. That afternoon, lunch in the York Hotel in Kalgoorlie followed by a tour of the Museum of the Goldfields and an examination of gold bearing ores and nuggets.

Monday we returned to Perth.

The last trip was to the South West area. We had a lab party at a colleague's beach home. Here, Carol enjoyed a traditional Barbecue. Better than Sonny's Pit barbecue by far. We drove through the Jarrah and Karri forests and along the Blackwood River. Since Carol had experienced many of the local wines the night before (as had I), we didn't visit the wineries. Instead, a stop at KIRUP, the Mecca of Meat Pies! Carol drooled!

2 days after returning, Carol returned to Tampa in Florida. Did she enjoy herself? I believe so. She wants to return and I will be waiting here with open arms for her. Oh, and she now wants a LandCruiser of her own - with a diesel engine.

- Nigel Buxton

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