8
NEWS
FROM BOTTOM TO TOP: And we're off!
It’s a race to the centre before heading further north into unfamiliar territory…LandCruiser’s 138 litre fuel tanks full? CHECK… New Age van’s DO-35 hitch securely attached and brake lights working? CHECK… Alarm clock set for 4.30am to beat the Melbourne morning (and Adelaide afternoon) peak hour rush? CHECK…
Having done the three-day dash to the Red Centre before, my aim was to do it again before resting up in Alice Springs for a day and then taking a more leisurely drive up the Stuart Highway to Darwin.
With a few cross- and head-winds heading across the Victoria's central region before powering up and down the Adelaide Hills, fuel consumption for the 650Nm twin-turbo V8 LandCruiser GXL is a tad high for our first ‘leg’, averaging just above 21L/100km. Not helping consumption is the fact that the 2.8 tonne ‘Cruiser is so stable with 2300kg van in tow that 100km/h in cruise control is par for the course.
After over-nighting at the picturesque Port Wakefield caravan park, next stop is Coober Pedy, another 630km up the ‘Track’. But before hitting play on another podcast or 10, I stop off at Port Germain, just off the highway and just shy of Port Pirie.
I’ve stopped here a couple of times before but always run out of time to walk the historic 1.6km pier, purportedly Australia’s longest straight wooden jetty. Opened in the late 1800s, it allowed sailing ships to dock in the shallow waters and while no longer needed, it's kept in good nick for tourists and fisherfolk.
I enjoyed the old pier to myself for the 15 minute stroll to the end, with only cormorants and the odd pacific gull for company.
With legs stretched, it’s another 600 dead-straight clicks up the Stuart; the journey broken up by the odd wide-load mining equipment trailer taking up almost the width of the road.
Arriving well before sunset and conveniently located just off the highway in Coober Pedy, the BIG4 park not only has great drive-through powered sites but a delicious in-house pizza bar for weary travelers not keen on firing up the Weber…
Having previously enjoyed both above and undergrounds delights of the opal mining town and surrounds, next day I tackle the final 700km stretch to Alice Springs, before pulling up stumps at another luxo BIG4 park for a couple of nights.
With most nomads already heading back south after their northern winter sojourn, the place is almost empty and it’s a peaceful haven on the grassy sites.
Unless you’re a die-hard truck driver, driving long distances with trailer in tow is tiring work, even in the spacious armchair of the LandCruiser, and I take the chance to fill the tanks and stock up on supplies before heading into unchartered territory (at least for me) north of Alice Springs…
FROM BOTTOM TO TOP: Intro
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Written byChris Fincham
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Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
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