JAG811
JAG811
14.06.29
10 years in the making. Four planned trips that never eventuated. The first saw everyone else go as I remained in Cairns … money, or lack there of unravelled the adventure. The other three adventures were given up long before they arrived, with lack of vehicle preparation and failed timing.
For the last 5 months I'd been planning, carefully working away each weekend as the planned trip drew closer. This time I guess I knew. I guess I knew, that this time I was going to get there.
A work bonus helped to finance the preparation of the truck. Well it helped to buy parts and required additions for the truck. Too much 9-5 work had not allowed me to be prepared sooner, and I was now just days away from the planned departure date.
I'd cut down the bull bar, fitted a new steering wheel, replaced oil cooler pipes, made a roof rack, upgraded the lights, fitted the camper and awning, made rear draws that appeared to be rattle free, fitted a duel battery isolator, fitted an inverter, cut down the bumper again to fit 40mm closer to the truck, fitted a winch and re-wired more than I care to think about.
Additionally the truck has had the injector pump overhauled, every suspension bush replaced, transmission seals replaces, clutch replaced, new wheels and a set of new tires.
Five tireless months of 80hr weeks at work and then hours at home on the truck.
I wanted to be more excited. I had been two weeks ago, but that excitement faded quickly as the intended departure date drew closer with so much still to do.
It would be one more day of preparation, and then we were off. Off on an adventure that meant so much more to me than anyone could even hope to understand.
14.06.30
I worked on the truck all day before throwing in the towel and deciding to pack. So I spent the afternoon and evening packing. Best thing was I got excited again. It seemed as though too much work and stressing about getting the truck ready really sucked the excitement right from me. Packing however had me skipping around the garage!!
It was short lived however as I then began to think of everything that could go wrong and for the first time actually felt anxious. That there was so much that could go wrong, carrying such precious cargo, with so much still out of my control.
But isn't that the essence of a true adventure …
I was sure if I could get an early start I might be ready to go by lunch time. But then I got to thinking maybe I should just take one last full day in preparation, get an early start and then shoot as far as I can north on Wednesday. Bypass Laura and Split Rock on Wednesday and stop in on the way home.
I went to bed undecided. Ready to make no plans and head where the road took me. Realising I could be heading off tomorrow I went to bed perplexed. My day had been excitement, squashed with anxiety … 90% packed with just a UHF and a return to centre steering damper to fit to the old girl.
14.07.01
I had a great start to the day. I had finished the oils box that I threw together with old plywood finished before 8am rolled straight onto the return to centre steering dampener. For the record RTC Steering Dampeners are an awesome bit of kit for any truck. I was still optimistic for a 12pm exit, as I came in for food and to give Inca some attention at 9am.
The UHF however was not going to be as easy and as the job progressed time too ticked on. I starting feeling very guilty Inca was just watching TV and I wasn't giving her enough of my time. I had to tell myself to turn off the bad Dad guilt.
I pushed on realising we were not leaving that day. Back to feeling run down and tired and thinking this had to end at some stage. Sadly excitement levels were back to 0.
It wasn't until sunset did I have the UHF and all wiring sorted. Just in time for dinner and a quick test run down to McDonalds for a real coffee and banana bread for dessert, as I'd promised Inca through the day.
At 11pm the truck was packed and looking pretty much set for lift off. Well, all bar one dodgy mud flap.
I did some last minute clothes packing and flopped into bed. It certainly didn't feel like the night before an adventure I'd been waiting on for the last 10 years.
14.07.02 Cairns to Laura River 310km
I woke up cautious. Like it was “actions on” and I needed to finish the task.
Needed just over an hour to finalise the truck. Pillows, sheets, the kid! And the task, was finished …. Land Rover Defender warming up in the driveway, last minute walk around as I asked myself what I'd forgotten …
Once I was in the car, and the wheels were rolling, I had a smile I just couldn't hold back. And out of town we rolled.
As we headed north out of Mareeba the Land Rover wanted to get up to 100kms/hr and was handling really nicely. Far better than the Jeep JK ever did. I had to be mindful all day of speeding and had to continually drop it back to 95 in an attempt to reduce fuel consumption.
As we continued past Mt Carbine the blue sky was littered with low lying clouds that seemed to just spot the landscape with shadows. It was a really nice part of the drive as the road wound it's self through granite gorges.
We pushed through to Lakeland and Inca would scream “Moo Cows” with excitement every time she saw a herd near the highway. It was really nice just to see her so excited and having so much fun, but actually served as a nice way for me to remain vigilant with no fencing and cattle on the road.
We turned left at Lakeland which meant North West, rather than North East up to Cooktown. I unleashed my Frodo joke where I say as Sam did to Frodo “This is it ….. If I take one more step, it will be the farthest away from home I've ever been”. It was wasted on Inca, who didn't want to play Frodo, didn't know who Frodo was and couldn't draw any parallels to the fact it was the furthest North that I'd adventured. Four year olds rarely see the humour in Dad jokes, but laugh all the same.
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Driving into the afternoon sun and the tableland land like country side just past Lakeland really made me feel for the first time very relaxed. Like I'd finally done it, that an unbelievable adventure lye just beyond the hills on the horizon …. Little did we know that the first day from Cairns would be one of the most memorable of the trip.
I'd read about Split Rock, 10kms South of Laura and had marked it as a key interest point and Laura as our first nights camp. I just wasn't sure if we would visit the galleries during the day before rolling into camp, or if we'd pop back out the next morning, before heading north for day two.
But as Laura approached the lowering sun was lighting up the surrounding rocky outcrops red and I was in total awe of the country we were passing through. Then a Split Rock car park sign appeared and the temptation was too great. Even with limited time to see the galleries and then find camp I was drawn in to have a look.
I hurried Inca from the car knowing it would be a fair hike up an incline to see the galleries. I also knew I would be playing “Let's carry the little girl” on this incline but I was just so happy to be there I didn't notice how heavy I was breathing until Inca asked if I was hot because I was panting.
Fifteen minutes of incline and you could sense something special was around the corner. And I have to say, neither words nor images could ever do that experience justice. With just my daughter staring in amazement, a cold afternoon breeze whistling through the trees and the setting sun lighting up the surrounding landscape in red … I would argue the gallery speaks to you … you just need to listen. We spent 20 to 30 minutes at that very special place, before a setting sun called us away.
Out of respect to the Laura community and its people past, present and future I cannot show any pictures. I've attached a link to the Quinkan and Regional Cultural Centre believing the more support the centre gets the more the people will be able to share their culture and stories so that their past and future are secured for many more years to come.
http://www.quinkancc.com.au/rock-art-sites-tours
Crossing the Laura River I decided to turn the old girl around and look for a spot to pull up in the river. Once down in the river I noticed four other parties had the same idea but there was more than enough room for everyone.
We camped a 100m or so down-stream from the other parties and I was soon cooking in the dark. I knew Inca could stare at a fire all night and so a quick fire was started too and before long she was fed, washed and asleep in the camper up top.
Fire was burning out. It was cold, but I felt free.
Day one, done and dusted.
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