Healey’s West                                                                                                               April 2008 February 2008

It was still dark as I headed out of Perth, crystal clear and cool, the camper trailer neatly tucked in behind the car and feeling good. Fuel top up at Greenmount and I was off on the long waited trek. Mods to the trailer and preparation of the car took over 3 months, then a count back of travel days required to the first schedule (Tasmania) and visiting time in Adelaide enroute and suddenly D day had arrived. A nice touch was the AHC BBQ at the Mike and Jackie Hopkins the previous night and a chance to say farewell with all the usual banter. I think Anne still questioned my sanity, but some things a man’s just gotta do? And it has been on my agenda for many years, early retirement just made it sooner.

With the soft top up, back window stowed and side curtains removed, I was very comfortable and more importantly out of the sun. The fact that the roof wouldn’t fit in the boot was just a legacy of packing, but traveling alone this was my plan, as experience had taught me that heat and sun were the fatigue killers. The other plan was having some creature comforts, like a cold beer, a seat and decent bed at the end of the day, things that I missed on the bike-with-tent trek, 5 years ago. So I was feeling good, the car pulling strongly and ……….I ran out of fuel before Southern Cross on my first fuel leg! Out came the 6l fuel can, and used half of it to make SC. All my test drives and consumption checks went out the window at this blow. It seems that my wind in the hair motoring, by complacently not watching the tell-tales along the roadside and the block of flats behind, I miscued the headwind component on my cruising speed. The headwinds were to remain with me all the way to Adelaide, and Weber carbs are used for fun not economy, so I just dug a little deeper at each fill. More embarrassing was my newly calibrated speedo, which was spot on with the odometer, but later determined to be +9% out on the speed reading, keeping me very legal but behind in the traffic. My goal was to average 60mph over the day, including a break every 2 hours, and having a frig, thermos and food made this easy to Adelaide. I have done this leg too often, me thinks!

I phoned ahead at Norseman to my preferred camp at Frazers Range Sheep station, to find them closed for their annual break, so it was onto Balladonia to set up my first camp with the new trailer. I hadn’t factored on the wind, which was still gusting despite the shelter of trees and the hollow location. The arrival of the Healey, with trailer, provoked quite some interest at all my subsequent camps, mostly bike people, but always old car types and then some campers. I think seeing the size of the camp come out of the little trailer was the main interest, then as I got further east, touring alone in the Healey drew some discussion. Without interruption, the camper folds out in about 10minutes, then time to get out of the trailer what ever you need, ie food, chair, clothes etc. Overnighting I don’t extend the annex, which zips to the base tent and can remain folded over its roof. Except in the wind, so I removed it and it stows under the trailer tonneau while on the move. To set up camp, all these bits (tonneau, annex, blanket) get chucked into the Healey passenger seat (out of the dirt) – it’s a one man system that seems to work well. My first night camping was a delight, extremely comfortable and warm under my doonah, even dry when I woke up to rain on the canvas. This stopped before brekky, and I was able to pack up dry.  Even now, trek day  69, Anne has yet to sample these delights.

Where my first day had been clear and warm, windy and only minor road kill, day 2 loomed overcast, spitting rain all morning, more wind and stronger due the exposure, and plenty fresh road kill. I had an early ‘roo scare (0715 on the road) when a couple of them jogged beside me as I hastily slowed down before we parted company in safety. The sun came out late morning, and stayed with me throughout the day, as did the wind. Putting the side screens in to reduce drag only caused some exhaust fuming probably because of the camper so I left my side out.                                                                

At Cocklebiddy the fuel bloke took a photo of the ‘rig’ for his gallery, so I am immortalized there I guess? Nullabor was my next camp spot, fellow trekkers will be familiar with the ‘park’; barren as a badger’s bum, exposed to the elements like nowhere else and impossible to use tent pegs. So I backed the rig into the shelter of a large caravan, leaving the car hooked up down wind, and then tied the frame of the camper tent to a fence and settled down for the night. Slept like a baby, despite the wind and passing road trains and on the road again 0800 after breakfast. Day 3 much the same, except to squat at the quarantine stop to devour my fruit and then my first shop at Ceduna to restock and head to overnight at Streaky Bay. Being able to carry a supply of food is a big saving, My pace notes say it was cold and amazingly unable to get warm in the Healey (!!) early on, and again fresh road kill along the way.  

The next leg to Adelaide was short in miles, but long in time as I took the Horrocks Pass option (as you do) and down through the Clare Valley scenic route (the journey is the drive not the destination) arriving at John and Jenny Reads in peak hour traffic. My 3 days blew out to a wonderful 5, including a lazy stay down at Encounter Bay, a Police/Sting concert, dinner guests with Hindsons and Veales, some tyre

My Healey Odyssey – part 1