Aero_383 wrote:

Fantastic write up and pitures...puts my trip to Tesco in perspective !

I particularly like the fact that Stacey gets to check the depth of the water (and for the presence of crocs) It saves them chewing on those nice tyres

We took a risk with the crocs because the closest one would be approximately 3600 kms away in Nth Queensland. Even then it's only the salties you really have to worry about. We were more worried that a trout might suck on her toes

Not quite so far away for the Crocs any more Mike! We have a 3.5m salty now living in the Mary River, just 3 hours north of Brisbane.
We now (jokingly) issue big sticks to our campers who choose the 'creek-side' sites. "Just whack him on the nose assertively if he ventures too close to your tent" we say - often to jaw-dropping faces. It's proving valuable for our young Olympian's swimming program where we simply ask them to swim from one side of the Mary River to the other. "Take your time if you like?" we say to them! It's the bull sharks that worry me!

Maybe we should have issued Stacey with a stick? There must be a croc population explosion due to them being protected? Or is it global warming? I remember when it was unusual for one to be in the river at Rockhampton. A lot of shark incidents in NSW at the moment. If we start spotting them in the high country then we are done for I reckon.

Great report, many thanks for sharing.... JT Upgraded to an ex demo, 7 mth old, Rimini Red/Ebony Napoli Auto HSE on 28th Jan 2011, added roof rails, mudflaps and side strips.
Gone - A great 57 Plate, Auto SE, Bought Feb 2009, Roof Rails and Mudflaps added on purchase. Blue colour, anything but drug dealer black.....

Mike - had an 8 foot croc spotted just a few metres away from our property today. Problem was - it was in flood waters, so venturing in to save assets is now more "challenging". If you haven't heard, Maryborough has suffered record level (and record speed) floods, so we have lost almost everything. My logging on to the Freel2 forum is last minute therapy before grabbing what cash I have available and absconding to Thailand or Myanmar!
The FL2 performed extremely well in the flooded waters towing tourist cabins to higher grounds. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late and 90% of them went under. We had what we thought was a brilliant system after 3 flood summers in a row, but when the waters got to about 1 metre deep around our cabins, the tractor blew up (no snorkel - doh!) we were doomed. No commercial operators would work in flood waters (insurance and liability threats) so we had to sit and watch our live(s) work go under. I would have paid $100,000 for a big old tractor that day, but nobody was selling (dumb!).
I'm guessing a million dollars damage, but it could be more. Many of my residents and staff have lost everything except the shirts on their back, so if we can salvage anything in the coming years we will be better off than some. Did I mention, no insurance for floods?
Towards the end of yesterday I was getting desperate and a couple of gutsy locals with big-arse Landcruisers towed a couple of cabins from our initial evac point to extra high ground. At about 1 metre deep and a threat of drowning the FL2, an old local told me to drape a tarp over the bonnet and maintain a decent bow-wave. I did and made it through to the surprise of hundreds of rubber-neckers. There were many converts to the FL2 that day I suspect. As if to break the depression over these past days, we've had some lovely visits from interesting snakes, leggless lizards that looked like snakes, a rare Mary River Turtle and a beautiful pair of black swans. After being up to my neck and even having to duck-dive into flood waters on numerous occasions, I'm glad I didn't know about the croc!
If I can remember how to post pictures, I will add another submission, though there never seemed to be time to take snaps.

Still haven't remembered how to add photos so added to Gallery. The lastest photo in my Gallery was at the first Evacuation point 1 on the morning of day 2 (all looking OK and almost always above the flood level). The river rose at 900mm per hour, so by mid morning the water was up to the top of the fences in the piccie. The road dipped about 300mm just around the corner on the way to higher ground. Even tonight we are hearing bad crunching noises and suspect some of these cabins might be crashing into houses. Air accumulates in the ceiling and despite their heavy weights, they begin to partially float. Not good!

Bloody hell Jak, I was actually thinking of you when I was watching it all on the news because they mentioned the Mary River. What can I say? I hope you can salvage something out of it all and hope you can keep your spirits up. Maybe the government or emergency flood relief can chip in? You guys in Queensland have copped a real hiding over the last few years that's for sure.
The weather has gone mad, I had planned to go back down to the High Country on the long weekend to do a few tracks I had missed but the whole area is closed by bush fires. One of the free camps we stayed at a few weeks ago was an inferno apparently. So one end of the country is burning up and the other end is being washed away.
Mate, I really do hope that things turn around for you. Stay safe.

Thanks for your thought Mike. Things are not good.
When you get to a point of complete devastation, there is a (brief) sense of calm where many little things seem either humorous or interesting. For example, we live alongside the famous Mary River which boast the endangered Mary River Turtle, is the most northerly home to the bass (a favorite amongst fresh water game fishers) and is also the most southerly river system for the Barramundi. The bitch flooded, but while we were awaiting our fate as it got higher and higher toward our last line of defense, strange creatures emerged. We had a beautiful diamond-head python, only 30cm long, try to share our sandbag defences (on numerous occasions), legless lizards and a one or two day old Mary River Turtle (called a Penny Turtle in the old days).
We were backed into a corner, armed to the teeth with mops and sponges, so these little visitors were welcome distractions. Our motel section was saved. Everyone was temporarily happy.

best wishes, My farms partly flooded today, again , but nothing compared to your level of devastation. At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

How can I miss this section of Freel2.com (perhaps I’m too vain to check only Photos, Videos & Media).

Hey Mike, that is a heck of adventure! Thank you for sharing it with us. The water crossing was shocking – it looks unbelievable. The steep descent was also scary...

I also want to congratulate your camera crew Stacey for the lovely photos, which really complement your text. I only wish there was a closer shot of your roof rack/tent configuration. I studied the photos carefully to understand the design of your “hammock style French tents”, which brings a few questions, if you would be so kind: The sleeping happens sideways? There is no mattress? There is no need of a firm platform? Is it comfortable? How much does it cost? Is it available in Australia?

The other practical thing I liked was the foldable awning on the side – similar questions for it: How much does it cost? Where did you buy it from? How wide/long does it stretch? Is it heavy on the racks? I am thinking of stretching a tarp over and behind the vehicle, which is held on the back roof rack and made tight by four poles and six ropes.

Once again Mike (and Stacey), thank you for the wonderful story and good luck!

Thanks Vesko, your trips, pics and stories are still the standard to judge by though. The tents are Oasis 5.2 roof tents, are very light, sleep 2 sideways and have an elastic type floor so no need for a mattress. I put a 3/4 self inflating mat in because the cold can come up through the floor. Easy set up and you can literally stop and sleep anywhere. I bought mine for around $750 off ebay and drove to Melbourne to pick it up. Mitch and Stacey paid about the same from a place in Sydney. They seem to cost more now...it's been a few years. My awning is a 2x2.5 metre Tigerz11 that I got for christmas, not very dear under $200. I also now have a new toy for when I don't want to put the roof tent on for short weekend trips, it's an Oztrail stretcher tent. Very similar to the roof tent but unfolds on legs on the ground. I sit it under the awning. It's just as quick to set up but only sleeps one. A bonus not having to use the ladder. To do the roof tent you need roof rails to fit the cross bars near the rear of the car.
I highly recommend the Vic High Country as a really testing but scenic trip. I would rate it at the extreme end of the difficulty scale for a Freelander 2 because of the low clearance. If it had been wet I might not have made it out of some of the tracks, extremely steep and rocky is an understatement. Stacey literally couldn't get out and take pictures in some places as it was difficult to stand up. You can train your skills out near Lithgow west of Sydney. The trail to Baan Baal Gap will definately have your butt cheeks clenched It's in the 4wd tracks close to Sydney book, and camping at Newnes is recommended with a nice river crossing. I trained Mitch and Stacey out there. Cheers.

Thanks mate, this is valuable information. I found the tent in Sydney but the price (around $1600) put me off, plus I have to bring a ladder. I decided that I wouldn’t be able to climb the ladder after quite a few 45º shots. I found sleeping in the car more comfortable (no cold, no outside noise/winds etc.).

I am getting a Rhino Aero Roof Racks with a steel mesh platform to load 2 tyres (with no rim), the MaxTrax, the long handle shovel and the tarp (3.6x3.6m) for shade. I hope it doesn’t exceed the 35 kg recommended by Rhino for outback travel (any thoughts?).

I used an old foldable fishing rod (3m) to convert to sand flag, which I plan to attach to the steel mesh platform when I get to the desert. The flag is made from a cheap reflection jacket ($5 Chinese shop).

I am yet to buy a uhf radio and a sat phone. I am not sure about the sat phone yet ($700), but I’ll go for the uhf radio for around $250. Can you tell me how did you take out the cable for the external aerial?

Another question: do you think a couple of days, one night would be enough to cover the distance from say the Big Red to Alice Springs? Where is the good spot for camping along the Plenty Highway?

Thank you Mike.

The tent comes with a ladder that slides in under it but $1600 is not good value at all and I definately wouldn't have paid that much. I like my ground stretcher tent and awning as well though. I would only take 1 extra spare off the rim since you have 4 on the car, a spare on a rim and the extra tyre on top. Carry a 20 litre diesel jerry instead. I couldn't get Rhino's for my car only Thule but I'm sure the load is 70kg for them. You won't need a flag if you are only going out to Big Red as it is the first dune you come to out of Birdsville. If you plan on going further out into the desert then yes you need a flag.

In the FL2 I don't use the external aerial for the uhf. My uhf is a 5 watt handheld that has an external speaker microphone. I have the external aerial setup in my Jeep because the bracket was easier to install. I must say you get better reception with the aerial outside. Really, I find uhf's only any good for convoy work. Reception is pretty patchy otherwise and it gets a bit annoying listening to static. Very handy if you are travelling with a group of cars but not for us loners. If you aren't crossing the desert then maybe you don't need a sat phone. I didn't have one then. In my opinion, a satphone would be needed for the Simpson or the Canning Stock Route....places you might be stuck for days without another person coming along. Even they are getting traffic these days.

Birdsville to Alice via the Plenty is around 1300 kms I think. I left Birdsville about 10 am and drove into the night because I was meeting my wife in Alice as well. I got to Alice around 11am the next day. I slept in the car at Mt Hart Police Station. They reckon Jervois Station is good camping. I couldn't get fuel so used my spare Jerry. I think Jervois is the only fuel available in an 800 km stretch and if they are dry or shut then you are stuck so carry some. If the Plenty hasn't been graded it can have really bad corrugations that will have you doing 40kph for hundreds of kilometres. If it has been graded then you can sit on 80kph no problem. I try not to go any faster than that as surprises jump out very quickly out there and you can flip your car or hit a camel etc. Boulia is an interesting town famous for the Min Min Lights. They are unexplained ufo type phenomena common in the outback. Don't forget to wear a tin foil hat to avoid alien mind control.

After Alice, a good way down to Oodnadatta is via the old Ghan track through Finke. Chambers Pillar is well worth a visit.

Happy travels man.

One other thing I should mention and I'm not sure if I should be saying anything, but once you get into the Northern Territory, you will have people walking out in front of you on the highways flagging you down and trying to beg for money, water or petrol. They will usually be camped semi permanently next to broken down cars on the side of the road. It can be difficult to determine if they are genuinely in trouble, just trying to con you or even rob you. I have been advised to be vary wary in this situation and so I'm passing the advice on to you. It won't happen everywhere but it will happen. Cheers.

What's that little bar underneath the grill ? And how did you fit it ? When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car