Healey’s West                                                                                                               April 2008 February 2008

kicking and the odd cappuccino. The joys and comforts of a Healey Hilton and good friends. I called my camper the Healey Hilton but in hindsight, I need to change the decal to Wheelie Healey Hilton, which more aptly describes it?

On to Melbourne, and a drive through of The Grampians and the Otway Ranges, areas I have often bypassed on previous trips. Both areas are very scenic and grand Healey roads, however a mandatory detour, because of a road closure in the Otways, was so corrugated and rough, even my careful 25kmh so pounded the rig that the towbar fractured. I arrived in Melbourne OK, but all was revealed when I later dismantled it at the Healey Factory, having called Robbie for assistance, departing after 3 hours with a stronger support bracket. Good job, by their gun body/welder man to graft it into my original fabrication.

The early fix gave me social time to spare, so while in the area, I ventured off to visit Harvey and Val Lewis, where I met up with Ernie and Merle Clark from QLD. Never a couple not to have a house full, H & V were hosting friends of E & M, who were on the Tasmania tour Anne and I were about to join. It was tea, coffee and fruit cake all round, and of course plenty of banter and car talk and jokes and anecdotes before I left on the haul across town to my digs at Port Melbourne, where friend Lexie (and Jeff) had a level 4 apartment above boutique Bay St and outlook to the Tasmanian Ferry Terminal. It was a perfect base for Anne and I, but not the place to drive a Healey to in peak hour, so I found to my detriment. The short story is I sat at 230 deg F for too long before finally driving the temp down and parking the car. Next day it drove and sounded OK, but the dual gauge broke, it ran about 10 deg hotter in cruise (around Tasmania and to Sydney) and I eventually had to remove the radiator in Sydney and flush out congealed coolant that had blocked it. $160 fixed the radiator, $260 fixed the dual gauge and same bloke fixed my lazy speedo for $180, we were/are happy again.

Tasmania is a Healey touring delight, and if you haven’t done it, do so, as soon as. Not that it’s going away, or changing, it’s just that it is a must do for the variety of scenery, pleasurable roads and people and places to visit and food and………….It is all there, more fun perhaps in a group, but equally enjoyable without. The Bancroft tour package reflects his experience gained from repeated visits: namely multiple night stayovers where necessary (and precludes packing up) not big distances per day (nowhere is really too far anyway) and great accommodation in good locations. We met up with the group (ad hoc) for brekky and dinner, and sometimes during the day if our paths crossed. Everybody doing there own thing, or pairing up for tours. It was Annes first visit and I only managed one car museum, but we did an historic train trip and between places I remembered, and ones she researched, we had a fabulous 2 weeks. We also hooked up with a Hobart car group with Healeys, MGs, Triumphs and the like, for a scenic (Targa roads) drive to Huonville and a BBQ dinner at a members place. Additionally, a Healey couple up on the east coast, located us (through Terry Bancroft) and invited us to their acreage and a sumptuous BBQ+ dinner at St Helens. As I said earlier, just lovely people out there. The group we were with were also a lively lot, of the 14 couples I knew maybe 8, including those I met at the Lewis’ in Melbourne. Within a few days/meals it was just like a mini rally and very sociable. We were fortunate with the weather, only having rain on a few occasions, nothing to spoil the driving or fun along the way. When we alighted the boat in Melbourne, we noticed a few ‘new’ healeys in the area, so after parking ours, Anne and I walked back to the Tasmanian jetty and chatted with Ed and Barbara Jenz and a bunch of AHOC Vic members off for their 2 week tour of Tasmania. Small world, even in Melbourne.

Anne returned to Perth and I drove to Sydney, taking a ‘new’ scenic High Country route north east out of Melbourne through Kinglake, Yea, Eildon, Mansfield, Bright and Wodonga to my brothers place at Albury. Again, fabulous touring roads (motorbike touring atlas of Oz is my ref), so scenic and traffic free and places I haven’t visited before. Some is Ned Kelly country and new for me, so got Anne (Kelly) appropriate souvenirs. The car was still purring along OK, but running hotter as stated previously. The trailer trails perfectly on the twisty bits with the car not bothering with the weight behind. So pleasurable.

With the healey fixed and percolating once more, Anne flew in and we headed north to Port Stephens and the National Rally over Easter. It was NSWs biggest rally, the books closed at 212 and some on standby. By the time we arrived Thursday arvo, with 9300kms on the clock from Perth, there were plenty of healeys already in the carpark and Nigel’s deep purple SS commodore. He and Mike were relaxing after a long bike ride but stirred themselves as hosts, and we settled in. Within 24 hours the resort was burbling with healeys, friends were getting reacquainted and registration was very busy. And so the Rally was under way, with a sumptuous sit down buffet inhouse Welcoming on the Friday night. A full breakfast was included in the room tariff so everybody started the day well. Saturday loomed very wet, the squalls getting worse as cars set off on the 90 minute observation tour to the Hunter Valley historic village of Morpeth for the lunch rendezvous. Many opted to pass on the observation questions due the inclement weather causing a safety hazard, while others persevered as it improved. The afternoon was free, so plenty of carpark activity as the weather