LEG 3

Port Headland

I am trying to find words to describe just how grateful we felt when we saw that wonderful oasis in the desert.

We left Tom Price a little behind schedule, 6:35 instead of 5:30 and made a great start back through Karijini National Park. We were back to the main road to Port Headland by 9:15 and were feeling very pleased with ourselves. We stopped for a few minutes because the front right headlight was a little loose but Tom felt it would be okay until we reached Port Headland (which reminds me I wonder if he fixed that, I must ask him).

The run from the main road as far as Aski was sensational. Some of the scenery was some of the most breathtaking I have every seen. We have a wonderful country and we really should try to see more of it.

But enough of being nice and get back to the story.

We were still fine when we reached Aski roadhouse. "This is a piece of cake," we were congratulating ourselves.

Well I don’t know if someone has drawn a big black line across the map about 1kilometre from Aski but suddenly a fierce, hot wind sprang up and enveloped us in a furnace. Every time we thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did! It was absolutely dreadful. We each had a water bottle, in a wet sock, hanging from the hood support, next to us and a wet tea towel draped over our heads. We did look a proper pair of idiots.

During the next 7 hours we drank or used 15 litres of water. I can only think of one good thing to say about it and that is that we have made even more modifications to our load including two spray bottles and more water in the cab. Tom chatted to a couple of truckies who, in less polite language, questioned our sanity but all of whom congratulated him for his courage (also using more colourful language).

Finally after what seemed to be an eternity we turned onto highway one and almost simultaneously felt a cool breeze spring up.

By this time I was getting a bit ratty and Tom made a few disparaging remarks about my good humour or lack of it. However all was restored to normal when we pulled up to the Port Headland Yacht club to meet our friends Peter and Christine Morton. We spent the next few hours (immediately following my shower. My greeting, "Hello, nice to see you, can I have a shower please") very pleasantly sitting overlooking the sea eating drinking and most importantly talking.

Today Tom has been involved in a few modifications (finally my box under the floor) and services to Matilda and we will set off again after lunch. Actually "Bones" (Brian of Pilbarra Glazing ) kindly did the box for us assisted by his offsider Alan. The Citroen dealers are being very supportive as indeed are the Kia dealerships and are assisting with services for our darling. We were able to grease the kingpins etc in Port Hedland thanks to their assistance. Thankyou Lads !

In fact we have already met some lovely people through our travel and web site. It just thrills us to have so many people supporting us. I especially want to thank those very kind people who asked us to visit them on our way. We feel very privileged to be able to attempt this trip and love the opportunity to share it with friends both new and old. So again, thank you.

We hope to be in Broome for Saturday night so expect an update either Saturday night or Sunday.

Until then, travel safe

Dear All,

My turn to write the report. Broome was a bizzarre experience.

A lot of odd things happened some of which I won’t put into print, but most that I will as follows.

Since Port Hedland, the king pin wear started to cause problems at low speed and would set up an oscillation, which a snatch of the steering wheel would cure. At cruising speed it was OK. By the time we got to Broome it became more apparent and started to happen at higher speeds set off by any imperfection in the road. We met Wade Freeman (John Freeman’s son). It was also an odd thing that neither of us had realised we had met some 19 years ago when I drove my Austin Seven through Perth.

So I was out fixing the car while Lois did her things.

First I went to see the precision engineer, a fellow called Dafff. He understood the urgency and said he would look at the problem. So I collected the parts from the BP station and took them around to the next street to Dafff’s workshop on Wade’s bike. I had the axel strapped to the cross bar with an ocky strap and the wheel hubs and other parts in a milk crate on the front handlebars. The king pins weren’t too badly worn but there were some rust pits and just a little slop at the base of the pin where it fits the axel. Most of the wear was in the bushes. Dafff skimmed the king pins and made new bushes and I helped by line-reeming them for a nice fit. Daff had a great solution to the bottom piece of slop. He counter sunk the hole and made a collet to fit. So as the nut was tightened the collet squeezed into the counter sink and centralised the pin. We reassembled the entire axel which I gingerly cycled round to the car and had completely fitted in about a half an hour.

Lois was delighted to see the car return and we called on Dafff and his wife, Debbie, socially that evening. I am delight with the job and also feel that I have made some good friends. In spite of the urgency of the situation I feel that the bill was most reasonable and the workmanship first class.

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