Our Thailand sojourn over, we are off fishing in the NT.
All flights on time – up the pointy end on
MH – Phuket to Adelaide via KL = magic
On checking our caravan the batteries appear to be all screwed up – 7.9 volts –
charger fault light is on, reboot the system and on 240 volt, it took awhile for Master Volt
to sort it’s brain out – cycling properly and batteries all
good.
House in good nick, no issues.
Troopy cranking battery dead – charger on for
several hours and good to go, 2+ years old, replaced!!
Dropped by Chooks place via Cummins - the rest area dunny neat!
Not sure what the significance of the fried egg is - okay, look closely
Ladies dunny mirrors
Old photo's on display - railway gangers
Railway station back in the 50's
Hard yakka lugging wheat bags
Dad would let us move the oats bags around, but the wheat and barley ____
were HEAVY!!
Grain ship arriving
Hard to see what this is - but it's Team Viewer an app that allows remote control of my computer.
Plugged into the auto transmission and Leigh at Marks 4 x 4 re-tuned the auto - magic stuff.
Issue with the THROTTLE SENSOR -finally sorted - we hope!! Tidy up and load the van for our tour north to King Ash Bay
Plugged into the auto transmission and Leigh at Marks 4 x 4 re-tuned the auto - magic stuff.
Issue with the THROTTLE SENSOR -finally sorted - we hope!! Tidy up and load the van for our tour north to King Ash Bay
0735hrs on the road, as the sun rises over our private drive way - well almost private.
Port Augusta re-fueled and lunch at the
Arid Land Botanical Gardens with Chook and TJ returning from ADL from Doctors appt.
Basically his wrist is stuffed!! The food excellent and reasonably priced.
no drama until south of Cobber Peddy - yep she blew, a pop and a quick glance at the tire monitor 31psi indicated van right tire deflating,
down shift (auto with click button controls makes it easy) and roll 50 meters to a
manageable slope to get off the hwy.
Sure blew the tire – seems a mfg fault.
Sockets too short for the extended thread on the spare, just as well the troopy brace is
single hex even though 2mm over size got the nuts off. Then the jack would not
hold, used the jack stand to hold the suspension arm – the rattle gun worked a
treat ______
an hour and twenty minutes later back on the road.
After our drama yesterday it pales in
comparison to today’s issues!!
0300hrs the cold south westerly started and has not let up all day. 0530hrs to the Troopy to get my jacket = bugger the left back tire flat as a pan cake! An hour to change out with the failing jack but just enough hold to again get the jack stand under, dig a hole to get inflated tire on. All good – then____
Cranked up and engine warmed ready to roll off and CODE P2221 yet again, double bugger, and no phone reception. Did a few laps in the area next to the rest area, code will not clear. Tried the other throttle sensor pedal same issue. More laps with rev’s and holding at 2000rmp with code, proceed cautiously back towards Coober Pedy – final ran out of puff 52ks North of CP, and phone reception – 1 bar, on our high gain aerial.
0800hrs called Blake at Port Lincoln Auto Electrics to get instruction on how to dismantle / UNPLUG the Cruise Control, to rule out this as a possible cause. After pulling instead of pushing the pins it was much easier with less than preferred tools, and finally got the cruise control disconnected and pins back into the throttle sensor.
Still got the CODES!! Called RAA
– 1.5 hours later we are loaded onto the flat bed, with our Indian friend Jib from Punjab.
1226hrs checked into the Stuart Range Outback Resort Caravan Park!! less than 48 hours later we are _______
packed and good to go 0800hrs – movement at
the RAA yard 0845 – 0900hrs – Barry from Dial a Tow arrived 0920hrs – tow hitch
mod’s required at the RAA yard.
1000hrs on the road. Yak to Glendambo –
Connie Sue Hwy with a Holden Colorado and Coramol Van plus heaps of other
stories
1000hrs on the road. Yak to Glendambo – Connie Sue Hwy with a Holden Colorado and Coramol Van plus heaps of other stories
1300hrs - Glendambo for pee stop and lunch 252k’s down. Next stretch to Port Augusta 282k’s arrived 1700hrs, re-fuelled and Whyalla for tea – Hungry Jacks – crap burgers, Sue reckon her’s was okay = HUNGRY!!
Kept rolling as on the home stretch another 280ks stretch – Barry not weary as a driving veteran – 250,000k’s a year in his prime, just does vehicle recovery work in retirement.
Arrived home 2245hrs, Barry camped in his truck. We opened up our house and crashed 2330hrs.
Coffee and tour of our shed and house view
etc with Barry. Off to PLN Auto Electrical – dropped off vehicle and Barry off
to back load a Ford Ranger from Mortlock Motors for Adelaide auctions.
An hour later Blake calls all fixed –
bridging plug from the performance chip pins and wires loose and dropped out.
Resolder and heat shrink – good to go!!
Van tire - internal view = stuffed!! Bridgestone to change out tires and tube
the fractured King Wheel rim. Called King Wheel in Sydney to get new rims,
Recommend their Mine spec. Rim rated at 2,100kg,
current rims 1,200kg – no other rim on the market rated at 2,100kg. 
Installed tow hitch to take van down to
Bridgestone to get the tire changed out. Plus troopy tire tube and changed off
the spare as the last original rim.
ED! - Executive Decision made - we should be arriving King Ash Bay today = cancel our trip north this year - OKAY! Projects
Dunny door - painter missed a small section
Some one's ambitious project
Pre-season fire hazard clean-up by our hill side neighbour
Verran - Linden Masters farm - Utunya, Cleve field day
Some serious Metwurst here
Local youth fashion show - recycled materials - this creation made with coffee pods
My new 2,100kg rims only in white - 2 coats of Kill-Rust soon changed that! Maybe this is the way to go with our Bushtracker rims? and perhaps a black stone guard??
New rims require these stud nuts to accommodate the 10 mm center plate
It was 4 degrees this AM - magic but cool on the calm waters of Boston Bay
Chook delivering chooks and getting his sheep processed into an more user friendly format - at least one leg of lamb for roasting at our Far West Camp - Geuse in October
Baking day - Anzac biscuits and lemon meringue pie
All the colours of a _____
Start on the veranda infill
Great having tools - OZITO makes the projects a breeze, all projects using left overs or salvaged materials from the house build
Supervisor keeping me on track whilst knitting socks.
Thumbs-up approval
getting the work shop tools organised
Tea about to be served - Scotch fillets with pan roasted veggies and Sue's mashed spuds!
Stiff easterly
Jumbo and Mandy's view - Sapphire Waters
Architectural designed
Farm Away Farm is up for SALE!!
Talked to these guy's at the Cleve field day - re-map the engine and engine clean - see series of photo's next_____
Dinner plate clean!!
Day out in the Lincoln National Park - pulling weeds around tree plantings earlier in the year
Careful where you tread in the long grass - Black Tiger snake = deadly
Veranda infill now painted and complete
Morning walk - found treasures after the work crew departed their project staging site during the cemetery clean-up
Next project - more veranda infill - steel channel salvaged from the car port - house tie-in, now bracket fastened and cemented in place
Painting in progress before we head off up the far west coast - fishing - Off on the 16th for a month - Far West Coast fishing - see separate BLOG.
Back at it and a helping hand to move some paver's - Chiro required soon after!
Calculating my remaining pavers - enough to add an extra row to the carport and along the entire side of the shed
Bugger- gutter down pipe like egg shell - scraping the soil to install final post for veranda infill
Rubber sheeting and tie wraps did the job
Flick mixer ex-Thailand now installed on my utility/fish cleaning sink
Rubbish bin paving area - DONE!
This is what 6 tons of crusher fines looks like - now to move it all, by bucket and borrowed wheel barrow!!
Paving the _____
utility basin area - pavers a good match with the decking
west end side of the house - crusher fines with weed matting - ex-King Ash Bay dump
Paving areas done!! Now out of pavers beauty
National Park weed eradication - Polygala
Threat / Problem
• Serious environmental weed that forms dense thickets.
• Increased fire risk due to high flammability and increased fuel load of dense thickets.
• Produces prolific qty of seeds, viable in the soil for many (3-10) years.
• Germination stimulated by fire.
• P. m. var. grandiflora once thought to be sterile, is now recorded as being able to set seed, and so could also become a problem plant.
Spread
• Grows readily from seed, dispersed by wind, water, seed contaminated soil and dumped garden refuse.
• Grows readily from seed, dispersed by wind, water, seed contaminated soil and dumped garden refuse.
easy to pull out, smaller plants/seedlings best spayed
Now a Lincoln National Parks walking trail volunteer - equipment provided.
Borrow my neighbours wheel barrow - time to get stuck into moving crusher fines
Salvaged the sand previously used for the turf, now to be installed with crusher fines
before with weed matting
complete - no more weeds!!
Day 3 - Half GONE!!
Spiders! and their web's
Last barrow loads
Only two buckets left
Done!!
Off to do a reconnoiter of my walking trail - Check point 4 to 7 approx. 4k's - collection of photo's next________
Wood Cutters Bay ruins and under ground tank
Wood Cutters Bay at low tide
Check point 7, 56 minutes
Actual trail form my GPS tracks download
Recycled more rubbish than I disposed of at the bins. Complete clothes line in one rubbish bin - plastic locking slides cracked - now reinforced with Tie-wraps
Directors chair with new fabric salvaged from a camp broken camp chair frame - possible ex King Ash Bay dump
Hand stitching the lawn together
Looking good - now we can walk to a from the shed in our house UGGS!
Grab a couple = Yum!
Getting the weeding done - it's a jungle
Yep! it's instant lawn
Nailed in place (150mm) and about 200kg of sand
Weeding done and laying the irrigation for the fruit trees and hedge
Surprise move - our neighbours Brian and Annette selling up and relocating to Murray Bridge
Another great start to the day
Prawn
cocktails, Thai - Chook Mussamun, with special herb rice and stir fried veggies, chocolate pudding and ice
cream
Barb and Tony Carey over for tea, over dosed and now relaxing with a cuppa tea
Now try pulling it out you bastards - 3 time's it's been removed by local party goers in the neighbour hood and it's now in place with compacted granite rocks and concrete.
Whilst I am at it may as well install this one - kerb side salvage off Hall Street. I reckon they should get the message - 'it's a 'NO THRU ROAD'
Hedge and fruit trees in - Hedge in alternating Templetonia - Cocky Break and Melaleuca Decussata - Totem Poles but indigenous to Eyre Peninsular. Fruit trees Decided
on a Red Delicious, pollinator Granny Smith along
with a Eureka Lemon. Apples and lemon trees, less bird attacks and fruiting when
we are in residence. Plus a self propagating peach tree from over the fence
Our hedge flowering in several years time - both approx. 2 to 3 meter high and spread - both handle pruning well
Two Templetonia's for potting - staged growing pot before final potting. Tube stock obtain from Eyre Native Seeds and Plants - $3.5 each.
Looking good - now grow and fruit!
Early AM start - Breakfast before we tackle our walking trail maintenance
Good to go!! Starting at check point 7
Low branch pruning - okay for walker but those on a mountain bike may get globbered
Replace direction markers that have faded over the years
Great specimen of a Black Tiger snake - we gave him/her a wide berth
My trusty Banco pruning saw
Check point 4 with some rubbish - now our return walk
Completed in 2.5 hours in the cool of the day
Golf day at Coffin Bay with the locals - look closely in the shade
Clear day from Winters Hill
This fellow hit our 'clean' lounge room window - 20 minutes later he came good
Swing panel infill - storage area
Framed out ready for ______
Gladding___
Painted
Defrost our bait freezer, and feed with Pelican's with the trash bait
Now that's a flowering whattle
Removed the Troopy on board computer for Marcus to sort out it's brain - Window's XP
Off to the Friends of the Parks annual year end BBQ, just had to drop by RSS for old time sake - 2017 here we come.
Cruise ship in town for the day - wet and soggy all day!
5 years and all this gear already
Barry Tee - from Heathers Curtains getting ready to install our fixed screens - before
After - the creases will fall out once the fabric stretches and heats up
View from the lounge room
good visibility thru the screen
We may end up with a wind tunnel here - time will tell
Jumbo's place nearing completion
and we are off on holiday's - Thailand here we come
Tram to Glenelg - for lunch at Hogs Breath
Wow! MH keep upgrading their air craft, how ever seating reduced from 36 to 28 in Business class
On that note we will leave you to DROOL!!