tumbleweed the extended australia trip

[diggerdickson]

dang, compressed some photos and there still to big, cant show you the insides. Will try a different photo

[diggerdickson]

out of focus sorry. This photo shows one of the metal bands that has been burnt out, the bits rattled around inside the gearbox. Below is a list of what was wrong inside the beast of a box

1. One burnt out band, another split and ready to let go, this band was adjusted to buggery without much life left in her. I basically only had the first gear band left.

2. The pins in the drums were split and loose inside the gear drums, they were ready to let go.

3. The shaft was cracked.

4. Two drums were cracked.

5. The teeth in the gears were worn and at the stage where they were about to no longer function.

6. The O ring seal was in pieces, absolutely shattered.

7. The seals around the air connections on the outside of the gearbox were faulty and not doing the job.

Basically the mechanic said I would not have made it up his hill and he didn't know how I made his yard without blowing a drum out the side of the box.

All in all it took four other gearboxs to fix my one. We pilfered parts where we could and ordered another O ring. It took a week but we are free again and on the road. All our Chrissy money is gone but we don't really care, we have our bus and will celebrate Christmas without the retail trappings.

Will try tomorrow to get the insides of the gearbox up. We are at berry holding out here for a bit and might head to Moruya breakwall in a few days.

[diggerdickson]

we survived a gearbox failure and I think we can survive anything now. My young lad is still real sick with whooping couth. He has just developed a fever to go with it and is still throwing up, seems to have slipped back a bit and still waking up ever hour, so so tired. When we do drive we don't go far no more as to tired to be on the road.

[diggerdickson]

My family set out on this part of our South Coast travels with stories of my youth planted firmly in their collective minds. I had told them of my many travels and lies, one of the earliest that sticks in my mind was our railway trips down south when we were all just 15. We would lie to our parents about whose place we were staying at, catch the train from Central, get off at the last station and walked over the headland to sleep the first night on the wooden verandahs of the public school just near honey surf shop. The next day we would all walk down to seven mile and surf all over the area, out at black rock, the different spots of the headland, the other side of the bay, and seven mile. This went on for nearly six months till one day it came to a crushing halt, ahhh, the good times.
Of course there were many other memories shoved in there but this time the memories didn’t fit the reality of today. If I had taken a more realistic approach at the beginning I would have realised that it never could have. My memories go back over thirty years, my surfing grew up and matured down here on the deserted points and bays. Today it is much different.
The question I have come to realise is that the younger generations of today still can find that south coast magic. Its not gone at all. Its still there for all to sample. If I talked to old timers ( hey Trev ) they would share with me stories that would make mine seem so placid. Todays youth just have a different south coast to mine. The local surf industry has changed, but this is bound to happen, as it will change again in the next thirty years.
I still found my little slice of paradise. South Durras is a magical little place in the off season. Even though Batemans now feels like a beach suburb of Canberra the town of Durras mid week is isolated, the surf is uncrowded, and every now and then it would no doubt turn it on for those lucky enough to be there.
Though my trip I was dogged by bad luck, bad winds, and terrible timing for catching swell. My young boy caught whooping cough over 5 weeks ago and its rare for us to now sleep longer than one hour without him being woken up coughing and gagging at night. So sleep deprivation has struck hard. The gearbox suffered a major breakdown which has taken our kids spending money for chrissy away. Rarely did I get to the beach without it being blown out, no swell, or flooded with blue bottles in the lineup.
The positives of this part of our journey though far outweighed the negatives. We meet some wonderful people at places I never expected. If my young lad still has an interest in diesel motors when he is fifteen he may have an apprenticeship already lined up for him. We visited a part of the south coast I have not been to before and found a town I feel in love with. Meet some Canberra locals and other locals who were the genuine deal. One guy at Moruya Breakwall stands out. He moved down there in 67’, he surfs nearly every day whenever his knee allows it. The lines in his face tell me he has lived a hard life yet with all the changes around him he still has a smile on his face. I gave him the pick of the sets and eventually he called me on to a few crackers. We both hooted and laughed for an hour, both tried to do our best soul arch bottom turn and I even got to watch him do a few drop knee cutties. It was a hoot.
Im now sitting in a cp at Eden ( there was no point stopping at either Pambula or Merimbula as there is no swell to speak off, dead bloody flat) looking at the map of Vic and planning our next destinations, Im not really expecting to get any surf, though I will still look at a few places around the lakes entrance. Travelling in a big school bus does not really let you go off the beaten track searching for waves and to tell you the truth it doesn’t bother me. If I see something I will be pleasantly surprised.
Im heading to colac for Christmas then will head down the other side of the great ocean road after holiday season is over. Im skipping Bells, Ive done it to many times and want to do something far less travelled. After that im either heading up the middle of oz or going across the nullabour. The aim is to get as much surf as possible then head inland again.
There is so much to see in this great big country and Im loving it.
If there is ever any good surf I will make sure I take a few pics, but so far nothing decent to shoot

[Rustt]

Why would you want to spend Christmas in Colac Digger?

[diggerdickson]

we are meeting other travellers there, its to expensive to be on the coast during holiday season, we will rush down if the swell comes good but apart from that no. My luck with the swell has been shocking so im hoping to sit out the flat spell and shocking winds inland and then hit the coast when I know it will be good.

[Rustt]

Be wary of anyone that spends Christmas in Colac that does not have family there Digger.

$32 a night will get you a site at Johanna, least when it gets hot the waves are on , that's if there is not to much swell.

Tell us when the waves are good mate, cause we never know. Your heading to the almost, not quite right coast, good luck.

[diggerdickson]

My mate is working on a dairy farm till feb for some cash. Swell one foot at lakes entrance, cant be bothered surfing that. Time to go fishing me thinks

[diggerdickson]

Joanna is def on the list, cant wait to get there

[Rustt]

Your a year late, could have stayed for free last year, now you need to book on the net.

[swvic]

$32 a night? Fcuk me

Think you can still stay for free down at the Aire River. Last I knew, there are also no bookings - first in, best dressed

Can't cross the bridge with the bus (they've recently put a height restricter) on it, but in summer both roads are open. Think you'd have to go in from Sand Rd on the west because the bus probably won't get into the camp area on the eastern side. Gets a bit loose at the height of summer, but a bus would probably be fine on it

It's not far from Johanna and occasionally gets good banks. Beach is a bit of a walk from the campground. Was down there for work on the 7th and there was a really good left. Was there again yesterday and looked like there were no real banks, but it was onshore. Also, on Johanna size swells, check the banks at Castle Cove and Gibson Steps

You're driving past a whole lot of surf between LE and Colac though, digger. Like the entire country though, it's not the best time of year for surfing

Oh yeah, what crustt said about Colac

[Rustt]

Na Mate it has all changed, the aire is $32 and it's pay over the net maximum 6 per site. Parks guys aren't happy, they have to pay too.

[diggerdickson]

I understand that everything has changed down their in the way of camping. I feel for those families who can no longer afford to take their kids to the beach for holidays. I reckon its wrong. Doesnt effect me to much as I will just aviod those places, another spot that has changed is Yorkes, was going to go their but may skip the area now, not decided on that either.

I have done the great ocean road many times so no great concern to miss the area around apollo bay ect ( I know there is heaps of surf, I mean heaps, but at this time of year not worried). Though I need to take my kids to Gibsons and castles and to see the Apostles. Not sure where to stay but will work that one out later.

We are going to go up through the center of oz, have submitted with queensland ed dept a home schooling plan which takes into account our travels through the center and the territory. Will be a big year and aim to really explore the WA coast and surf a lot over there.

Aiming to maybe get a new board for WA, a step up board, about 6'9. Im thinking three options, a bonzer, a widow maker or a quad, rounded pin of course. Not sure yet.

[diggerdickson]

Our journey on the east coast and inland of queensland and nsw is now over on this first circuit of Austraila. Im sure there will be another circuit before we stop travelling and new places discovered, though it will be two years time at least before we revisit the east ( at least that is the plan ).

For us there have been two places that have effected us deeply for two seperate reasons.

The first is Cresent Head. I dont want to go too much into the area but we found such solitude and peace there that all in all we spent at least three months just sitting and soaking up all there was to offer. My children got to watch Whales playing in the ocean, walk on empty beaches with no one in sight and play with the dog on the beach. The campfire cooking was a highlight and the locals we meet and got to know. One day I will move back to Kempsey to live just to be near to the special place. The waves, well as you could imagine three months is enough to catch the place pretty special. I got to test my new board out and Huey you f#$%ing nailed it mate.

The other place believe it or not was lightning ridge. I never understood the attraction of inland Australia. It wasnt until I spent enough time inland that one day it just clicked. I watched the sunset at Lightning Ridge splash it colours of purple, orange and mouves against the backdrop of our sunburnt land, it just sent a shiver of national pride rippling up my spine. Some travellers go there for a weekend and just dont leave. The characters in the town suit my personality and if I had to live anywhere inland in Australia it would be Lightning Ridge ( so far )

I highly recommend a holiday there just to see it. It wont be for everyone but for me it explained why bushies never go anywhere near the coast, the beauty is just something out of this world.

[crabmeat thompson]

where to now digs ... the wild west?

[diggerdickson]

Im at colac now recovering from sickness, we have been hit hard. Will see out the silly season here unless swell pops up, if it does there will be a mad dash to the coast.

Apart from that my next move is port fairy region then SA. Im heading up the middle of oz around march so will suss out the grampions, yorks, robe, wherever our hearts lead us. The big plan is to get to red bluff in season next year and stay for a month or two around there, fishing and surfing my nuts off before i head down the coast agian

[diggerdickson]

And then catcus, back across the nullabour and do it all agian in reverse

[Davros]

Get a widow maker