Tweet
For the past several months I have been working for an Australian company and planing a large convention in the US (SEMA). I was given the opportunity go 'down under' to help film a commercial and the first in a series of DVD about off-roading for OZ release.
The trip started with the day in New York city before leaving from JFK. I took Julie, Kennedy & my Mom to Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Coney Island, and was able to watch the practice for the Red Bull Air Races in the Hudson River. It was un believable how fast they fly the course.
For this trip I was able to get booked onto the Airbus A-380 the largest commercial air liner flying. I am amazed by this aircraft. the Economy seats are as large as business class on other airliners, there is an iPod connector, and the touch screen entertainment system was twice as large as in the older 747's. There were over 60 movies ranging from Academy Award winners, Australia themed movies, and new releases. I watched From Paris With Love, Edge Of Darkness, Braveheart, and several episodes of M*A*S*H, and Top Gear, and a kids movie that I won't mention.
Saturday didn't exist for me. We headed from Friday directly into Sunday crossing the international date line around midnight
Sunday, June 20, 2010
I arrived in Melbourne only to have problems in customs due to not having a physical address in Australia. My Mate was picking me up at the airport and we were hitting the trail directly. We finely agreed to put a campground along the way where I can check in for messages if there was a problem with my entry. I met some old Mates (Peter & Liesel) who are from Melbourne. I gave them some congratulate baby shower gifts and swapped some DVD's we have talked about. I was able to be upgraded to business class, so here I am just off a plane with no shower, no deodorant, and smelling like a Rio Tinto mine worker sitting in first class. I didn't [s]fit in[/s]smell to well; at least to myself. I talked to the businessman next to me and talked about the places I have been, the PP GTG '09, and the trip I was about to embark on. He told me that i have been places not even 5% of locals had gone and said he waned to take a trip like that for some time.
I arrived at Cairns, Qld. and was amazed at how beautiful it was. The town resembles Montego Bay, Jamaica in look and feel. There are warm breezes blowing from the Great Barrier Reef and into the maintains creating beautiful upslope clouds at the peaks. I got my Adventure Case & swag and came out to a precession of 3 dirty Land Cruiser 105's (sneery no Prado's this time), the MAXTRAX LC towing a trailer, and all covered in bull dust. Drivers were Brad McCarthy (of Dirty Weekends and MAXTRAX), Ben (Lizard!), and Rob, with them were Pete, Peter, James, and Ben's step son Will. We took off straight into the bush for the Cape York adventure. Once we were on the road we met many similar vehicles all headed up the Cape, and limo's with trailers heading to the posh resorts along the Great Barrier Reef. Once on the way Brad told me he had something I had to see in the trailer and we will break it out later. We traveled up the coast road through the Daintree National Park where the rain forests meet the Coral Sea. The shores are rough and there were turn off's at every switchback to overlook the Great Barrier Reef. The wind was blowing a hard warm air on shore with a chop over the coves and large slop onto the white beaches.
We pulled into a road side stop to look at the beach. First thing noticed was the warning signs for marine stingers, and salt water crocks. Coconut palms lined the beaches and the fallen fruit eaten by rats leaving empty husks. We returned to the truck to unload the contents. It was a completely restored 1942 Ford GP from WW II. We fired it up and shuffled around drivers for the Land Cruisers and took off. The Jeep was hard to drive due to the large flat steering wheel and of course nothing power on it and the drum brakes were almost non existent. We drove through the rain forests with the windscreen down and no seat belts able to see everything, everywhere, and all around us. As the sun set we headed into the bush using the old head lights. After several kilometers something blew and the headlights went out. We continued down the dirt track with a hand held spottie until we blew a tyre on the track and had to swap it out for a spare 500 Meters short of the Lions Den Hotel (actually a campground) for some long awaited XXXX Beer and Bundy's & Coke. We got a little comfortable and ordered several XXXX's from the nyce (and I do mean nyce) Canadian backpacker working the bar. We set up camp and left the jeep repair until morning.
Monday, June 21, 2010
We awoke on the second day to a heavy dew (its like a slow steady rain) that occurs in the rain forests from the warm moist upsloping air cooling over the mountains. We packed up and were unable to fix the lights on the Jeep and headed back into the rainforest.
1942 Ford GP 4X4
After traveling for several kilometers we came across Black Mountain It is an amazing natural feature made from black granite boulders pushed up from deep in the earth. There are stories about expeditions that have attempted to journey into the center and those who have not returned. You can take a hammer and hit each stone and it will reverberate through the stone with a different tone for each rock. We didn't climb it, but ran into numerous lizards and spiders running around the rocks.
Black Mountain
Great Barrier Reef from Grass Hill, Cooktown, QLD
Endeavor River from Grass Hill, Cooktown, QLD
We headed into Cooktown, Qld. Possibly the most famous town on Cape York. It was here that in 1770 Captain Cook ran into a reef in the Endeavor. They were able to pull it back with a basic hand winch and broke off a piece of the reef in the hole that actually saved the ship from sinking. They crippled the ship several kilometers north to a river (now named the Endeavor River) and beached her to make repairs. We climbed Grassy Hill where Captain Cook looked out over the Great Barrier Reef to map a route to open ocean. The views were tremendous, but obscured by the waves of the strong winds. We stocked up at the local IGA with some Kangaroo meat, lollies (gummy snacks and anything that isn't chocolate), and chocolate then head off on paved roads to the Development road. Essentially a long dirt highway. We passed Laura, and to the Musgrave Roadhouse an old telegraph station from the 1880's when stations like this linked Australia with the British Empire through Asia. Now they sell gas, drinks, lollies, and burgers like "The Lot" burger (beef patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickled beets, rashers, pineapple slice, and a fried egg with barbie sauce). We filled up out tanks and stomachs and headed North to the small town of Cohen. There is a pub there, the Exchange Hotel (actually a Pub), that some joker put an "S" in front of the name and this the legend of the SExchange Hotel was born. We continued north passing the Archer River Roadhouse (They are the ONLY buildings and are spread out about every 70-150 kilometers for gas and supplies). We stopped at a major intersection and road towards the Coral Sea and ditched the trailer in the bush to pick it up on the return trip due to the rough tracks we will encounter.
Lot burger
SExchange Motel
That night we stopped to camp along the Wenlock River in the Batavia Gold Fields. We made a late camp and barely made it due to the headlights still being out on the Jeep we had to replace the tube on the flat tyre, and repair the shifting linkage on the transmission. Before hitting the RTT's & swags we went to the river and shined our spotties in. There were flashed of gold everywhere in the river and decided to go in for a little panning. We found gold flakes, but they were too small to accumulate any serious amount of gold. I'm sure if we spent a day of hunting we could of found a nugget worth talking back. Perhaps next time.
Panning for gold
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
We left before sunrise to get into Lockhart River early enough to pick up the fill crew for the commercial we were filming for MAXTRAX. Some headed off into Lockhart River and the old UA ARRMY Coerps of Engeneers WW II airport, I headed to Chili Beach with several others to scout locations for the film shoot. When we arrived we found a tropical paradise. Kilometers of white sands with coconut palms reaching out over the water among mahogany trees with the twisted roots, among fallen coconuts, and other debris that washed on shore. We walked the beach in an attempt to pick coconuts, but had no idea what we were doing. I popped one off of a tree with a 2X4 that washed ashore, but had a hard time opening it with my leatherman. After we picked a filming location we made an attempt to clean up some of the beach. That afternoon we headed into the Lockhart River Aboriginal Community. There was a gas pump there and a store for supplies so we can stay put for several days in the Portland Roads Beach Shack we rented.
Chili Beach, QLD
We arrived in Portland Roads, a small town that had about 20-30 people and a hobby restaurant that was open by appointment only. The town is on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef and touches the mainland there. We unloaded the trucks and walked out onto the reef. I was told to watch out for stonefish and not to walk onto any rocks that looked like a fish. If you strep on a stone fish you die in less than a half hour. The nearest hospital was about a day away. I don't think I was ever more scared in my life. I walked slowly and got chills down my spine with every step onto rock. We walked over rocks that were almost exposed to the low tine and as we stepped we could see the large clams in purple, pink, & teal close seconds before placing our foot on them. We made it to the edge of the reef just Meters from large vessels in deep water fishing for reef trout and prawns. We didn't find anything worth spearing so walked back to the old jetty that was the remains of a NAVY pier for the US base that was there during WW II.
We walked along the beach to the edge of Restoration Island. This is the Island that Captain Bligh and his men first made landfall to gather supplies after the mutiny on the Bounty in 1789. They loaded up on fresh water, muscles, and other food the island provided before heading off to Timor. We returned back to the beach shack for kangaroo steaks and Scotch.
Restoration Island
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
We headed to Chili Beach to clean up the filming locations to make the beach pristine for the shoot. We collected coconuts that washed ashore, and palm frams to hide the jeep deep in the jungle for the commercial. The film crew set up and we waited.
The talent arrived later that morning. They were two Polynesians, Charlie and Maurice, both in island dress. in between takes we learned a lot about the coconuts 4 stages, when to eat, how to husk, and how to crack open to keep the coconut water. Charlie had a talent that he can husk a coconut in 20 seconds with his teeth and we put him to the test to see if this wes true...it was.
I know the commercial will show in Australia and during SEMA in Las Vegas this November, but will try to post it here when it's on YouTube.
That afternoon we headed off to the next day's filming location on Chili Beach to clean it up for the shoot. Then headed back to the Portland Roads Beach Shack exhausted from the day. That night after dinner we watched the dailies to see all the takes.
View from the Portland Roads Beach Shack
Thursday, June 24, 2010
We headed off to the second filming location early before high tide cut us off from the beach entrance. As I drove onto the beach the tide came in and we had to drive the jeep in the salt water and over tree roots further on shore. When I drove through the surf the moving water would suck the 'skinnies' into the soft sand so we had to have several of the guys on hand to push the jeep as she slowed down. We made it to the filming location where we set up the vehicle and other aspects then cleaned the beach of seaweed and other debris. I picked up one clump of seaweed and unknowingly picked up a blue button jellyfish. It gave me a slight sting that felt more like a burn from a hot pot or a stove. It only lasted about several minutes and didn't bother me much after that.
We filmed for the remainder of the day and picked more coconuts for the rest of the trip. We took the talent and the film crew to the airport and back into Lockhart River Aboriginal Community to top off gas for the next day's trail run to the Old Lockhart River Mission. That evening we headed back to the Beach House to look into dinner. We met the owner of a posh catamaran that was shored at the beach and borrowed his dingy to make it to the large fishing vessels to see what we can trade for some Aussies to be used for their drinking fund. We ended up with two beautiful Coral Trout, and 5 Kilos (about 11 Lbs.) of prawns (shrimp) for a mere $55 Aussies (about $44 USD). We got some other fish, but couldn't remember for the life of me what they were. We grilled the coral trout with lemon and 1/2 of the prawns with garlic and butter and left the remaining to steam with lemon (no Old Bay in OZ). I must say that it is the best fish I have ever eaten....period!
I rolled my glutinous azz into bed completely satisfied.
Friday, June 25, 2010
This morning we set out onto the Old Lockhart Mission Track with the guy's from the trip, Mick from the catamaran, and his dog Speedy Gonzales. This is a 61 Kilometer track down to the beach through the old track. This track is used only several times through the year to an old mission that tried to convert the Aboriginal through the 70's and now is an abandoned track of the worst river crossings and most beautiful scenery in the area. There are eucalyptus forests, river planes, sand fields, rocky hills, and all this ending on the beach with the most amazing views of the reef and surrounding islands. We walked the beach and found several shell fish and a large blue crab that became Mick's dinner that night.
We headed back just before sunset and it was my task to drive the Jeep. As it got darker I drove ahead of the group to get to the main road before it got completely dark. I was able to drive by the moon light and was doing well until the other vehicles caught up to me. I was blinded by their high beams in an attempt to light the trail for me. I was able to run through the river crossings easily in the light Jeep and made it through a narrow section tracking with the front wheels but the rear passenger wheel (remember this is a US Jeep) fell into a deep wash out. we are able to get it out with a set of MAXTRAX and continued gingerly on our way.
Just before the trail ended we came to one of the many water crossings. There was a Hi-Lux with road tyres in the center of the river. He had a hand winch to the rear of the vehicle and was completely stuck. We got out as the other Land Cruisers arrived. We pulled out 2 sets of MAXTRAX and made easy work of the Hi-Lux. While we were packing up the hand winch he said that he was there for the past 5 hours and was prepairing to sleep in the truck. It's good to know he was able to make it out for a Friday night. Lord only knows how long it would of taken him to walk out the next morning. If the Aboriginals would of gotten to his vehicle before it was recovered he would of had it stripped of any usable parts in no time. We made it back to Portland Roads to make or appointment at the only restaurant in several hundred kilometers and I must admit it's probably the best steak I have ever had, second to the one I had at the Breakky Creek in Brissy last year. The grass feed beef is far better than the corn fed beef we eat here.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
We had the beach shack for another night but was itching to hit the Frenchman's Track on the way to the tip. We back tracked through the Iron Range and to the Frenchman's Track. Upon hitting the trailhead there were trail reports posted on the trees of everyone who made it or didn't make it and reasons why.
As the trail started one of the Land Cruisers lost a rear view mirror due to the large corrugations. The first several kilometers were quite easy and scenic overlooking Iron Range National Park. There were several wash outs that were easy in the Land Cruiser 105 I was driving at the time. We approached the Pascoe River and found a Hi-Lux Surf stuck in the middle of the river (again). He was unable to get up the bank and we had to back up the steep incline to let him by. This poor bastard decided to take the trail without a snorkel and a rice burner cone air filter. We had to open the hood and place a water barrier to keep him from sucking in water throughout he intake that was flying from the cooling fan. We got him out with a set of MAXTRAX and used another set to get him up the steep incline to get out of the area to finish the Frenchman's track. The driver and his girlfriend stuck around to help us cross as a crowd of off-roaders were gathering on the shore to watch the low Jeep make it through the Pascoe. It was decided to let me go through first in the Land Cruiser and be waiting on the other bank with a snatch strap in case the Jeep gets bogged.
We put the canvas top over the hood of the Jeep to slow down the the rush of water into the engine bay and intake that didn't have a snorkel or modified intake; just the wet filter that was from the 40's. As the Jeep rolled into the river the water went up and to the hood and the engine cut out immediately. I backed up the LC into the river and James attached the snatch strap to the bumper by wrapping it around the frame. I pulled the Jeep out of the Pascoe and attempted the steep climb up the shore. I was unable to pull it and the drivers watching were giving me a hard time about needing to use a winch. The MAXTRAX LC doesn't have a winch, so James climbed the bank with a set of MAXTRAX and placed them in the hole I was digging out with the rear tyres. I gunned it and made it up the hill with torque to spare. Might I add that the Land Cruisers turbocharged 6 cylinder in line is a torquey beast. When we got to the top of the hill the front bumper was almost torn off the Jeep and the frame was bent. We cleared to the side of the trail to check out the damage.
We decided to pull it out to the end of the Frenchman's Trail about 42 kilometers so we can get to a road to access the trailer that was hidden in the scrub several kilometers away. We stated towing this time using a tree saver strap as a bridle to ease the stress on the frame. We were able to make it to the Wenlock River well after sunset and due to the lack of bush camping site had to cross the river and up the steep river bank to camp on the other side. After several attempts to make it up the steep and muddy bank we decided to unhook the Jeep from the LC and winch up the Jeep to prevent more damage in the bumper & frame. All the campers came out to see what was happening even several that watch the Jeep (now affectionately named Wet Willy) drown in the Pascoe. We made camp late with plans to start early.
Stay tuned for parts 2 & 3.
-Ben
The trip started with the day in New York city before leaving from JFK. I took Julie, Kennedy & my Mom to Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Coney Island, and was able to watch the practice for the Red Bull Air Races in the Hudson River. It was un believable how fast they fly the course.
For this trip I was able to get booked onto the Airbus A-380 the largest commercial air liner flying. I am amazed by this aircraft. the Economy seats are as large as business class on other airliners, there is an iPod connector, and the touch screen entertainment system was twice as large as in the older 747's. There were over 60 movies ranging from Academy Award winners, Australia themed movies, and new releases. I watched From Paris With Love, Edge Of Darkness, Braveheart, and several episodes of M*A*S*H, and Top Gear, and a kids movie that I won't mention.
Saturday didn't exist for me. We headed from Friday directly into Sunday crossing the international date line around midnight
Sunday, June 20, 2010
I arrived in Melbourne only to have problems in customs due to not having a physical address in Australia. My Mate was picking me up at the airport and we were hitting the trail directly. We finely agreed to put a campground along the way where I can check in for messages if there was a problem with my entry. I met some old Mates (Peter & Liesel) who are from Melbourne. I gave them some congratulate baby shower gifts and swapped some DVD's we have talked about. I was able to be upgraded to business class, so here I am just off a plane with no shower, no deodorant, and smelling like a Rio Tinto mine worker sitting in first class. I didn't [s]fit in[/s]smell to well; at least to myself. I talked to the businessman next to me and talked about the places I have been, the PP GTG '09, and the trip I was about to embark on. He told me that i have been places not even 5% of locals had gone and said he waned to take a trip like that for some time.
I arrived at Cairns, Qld. and was amazed at how beautiful it was. The town resembles Montego Bay, Jamaica in look and feel. There are warm breezes blowing from the Great Barrier Reef and into the maintains creating beautiful upslope clouds at the peaks. I got my Adventure Case & swag and came out to a precession of 3 dirty Land Cruiser 105's (sneery no Prado's this time), the MAXTRAX LC towing a trailer, and all covered in bull dust. Drivers were Brad McCarthy (of Dirty Weekends and MAXTRAX), Ben (Lizard!), and Rob, with them were Pete, Peter, James, and Ben's step son Will. We took off straight into the bush for the Cape York adventure. Once we were on the road we met many similar vehicles all headed up the Cape, and limo's with trailers heading to the posh resorts along the Great Barrier Reef. Once on the way Brad told me he had something I had to see in the trailer and we will break it out later. We traveled up the coast road through the Daintree National Park where the rain forests meet the Coral Sea. The shores are rough and there were turn off's at every switchback to overlook the Great Barrier Reef. The wind was blowing a hard warm air on shore with a chop over the coves and large slop onto the white beaches.
We pulled into a road side stop to look at the beach. First thing noticed was the warning signs for marine stingers, and salt water crocks. Coconut palms lined the beaches and the fallen fruit eaten by rats leaving empty husks. We returned to the truck to unload the contents. It was a completely restored 1942 Ford GP from WW II. We fired it up and shuffled around drivers for the Land Cruisers and took off. The Jeep was hard to drive due to the large flat steering wheel and of course nothing power on it and the drum brakes were almost non existent. We drove through the rain forests with the windscreen down and no seat belts able to see everything, everywhere, and all around us. As the sun set we headed into the bush using the old head lights. After several kilometers something blew and the headlights went out. We continued down the dirt track with a hand held spottie until we blew a tyre on the track and had to swap it out for a spare 500 Meters short of the Lions Den Hotel (actually a campground) for some long awaited XXXX Beer and Bundy's & Coke. We got a little comfortable and ordered several XXXX's from the nyce (and I do mean nyce) Canadian backpacker working the bar. We set up camp and left the jeep repair until morning.
Monday, June 21, 2010
We awoke on the second day to a heavy dew (its like a slow steady rain) that occurs in the rain forests from the warm moist upsloping air cooling over the mountains. We packed up and were unable to fix the lights on the Jeep and headed back into the rainforest.
1942 Ford GP 4X4
After traveling for several kilometers we came across Black Mountain It is an amazing natural feature made from black granite boulders pushed up from deep in the earth. There are stories about expeditions that have attempted to journey into the center and those who have not returned. You can take a hammer and hit each stone and it will reverberate through the stone with a different tone for each rock. We didn't climb it, but ran into numerous lizards and spiders running around the rocks.
Black Mountain
Great Barrier Reef from Grass Hill, Cooktown, QLD
Endeavor River from Grass Hill, Cooktown, QLD
We headed into Cooktown, Qld. Possibly the most famous town on Cape York. It was here that in 1770 Captain Cook ran into a reef in the Endeavor. They were able to pull it back with a basic hand winch and broke off a piece of the reef in the hole that actually saved the ship from sinking. They crippled the ship several kilometers north to a river (now named the Endeavor River) and beached her to make repairs. We climbed Grassy Hill where Captain Cook looked out over the Great Barrier Reef to map a route to open ocean. The views were tremendous, but obscured by the waves of the strong winds. We stocked up at the local IGA with some Kangaroo meat, lollies (gummy snacks and anything that isn't chocolate), and chocolate then head off on paved roads to the Development road. Essentially a long dirt highway. We passed Laura, and to the Musgrave Roadhouse an old telegraph station from the 1880's when stations like this linked Australia with the British Empire through Asia. Now they sell gas, drinks, lollies, and burgers like "The Lot" burger (beef patty, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickled beets, rashers, pineapple slice, and a fried egg with barbie sauce). We filled up out tanks and stomachs and headed North to the small town of Cohen. There is a pub there, the Exchange Hotel (actually a Pub), that some joker put an "S" in front of the name and this the legend of the SExchange Hotel was born. We continued north passing the Archer River Roadhouse (They are the ONLY buildings and are spread out about every 70-150 kilometers for gas and supplies). We stopped at a major intersection and road towards the Coral Sea and ditched the trailer in the bush to pick it up on the return trip due to the rough tracks we will encounter.
Lot burger
SExchange Motel
That night we stopped to camp along the Wenlock River in the Batavia Gold Fields. We made a late camp and barely made it due to the headlights still being out on the Jeep we had to replace the tube on the flat tyre, and repair the shifting linkage on the transmission. Before hitting the RTT's & swags we went to the river and shined our spotties in. There were flashed of gold everywhere in the river and decided to go in for a little panning. We found gold flakes, but they were too small to accumulate any serious amount of gold. I'm sure if we spent a day of hunting we could of found a nugget worth talking back. Perhaps next time.
Panning for gold
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
We left before sunrise to get into Lockhart River early enough to pick up the fill crew for the commercial we were filming for MAXTRAX. Some headed off into Lockhart River and the old UA ARRMY Coerps of Engeneers WW II airport, I headed to Chili Beach with several others to scout locations for the film shoot. When we arrived we found a tropical paradise. Kilometers of white sands with coconut palms reaching out over the water among mahogany trees with the twisted roots, among fallen coconuts, and other debris that washed on shore. We walked the beach in an attempt to pick coconuts, but had no idea what we were doing. I popped one off of a tree with a 2X4 that washed ashore, but had a hard time opening it with my leatherman. After we picked a filming location we made an attempt to clean up some of the beach. That afternoon we headed into the Lockhart River Aboriginal Community. There was a gas pump there and a store for supplies so we can stay put for several days in the Portland Roads Beach Shack we rented.
Chili Beach, QLD
We arrived in Portland Roads, a small town that had about 20-30 people and a hobby restaurant that was open by appointment only. The town is on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef and touches the mainland there. We unloaded the trucks and walked out onto the reef. I was told to watch out for stonefish and not to walk onto any rocks that looked like a fish. If you strep on a stone fish you die in less than a half hour. The nearest hospital was about a day away. I don't think I was ever more scared in my life. I walked slowly and got chills down my spine with every step onto rock. We walked over rocks that were almost exposed to the low tine and as we stepped we could see the large clams in purple, pink, & teal close seconds before placing our foot on them. We made it to the edge of the reef just Meters from large vessels in deep water fishing for reef trout and prawns. We didn't find anything worth spearing so walked back to the old jetty that was the remains of a NAVY pier for the US base that was there during WW II.
We walked along the beach to the edge of Restoration Island. This is the Island that Captain Bligh and his men first made landfall to gather supplies after the mutiny on the Bounty in 1789. They loaded up on fresh water, muscles, and other food the island provided before heading off to Timor. We returned back to the beach shack for kangaroo steaks and Scotch.
Restoration Island
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
We headed to Chili Beach to clean up the filming locations to make the beach pristine for the shoot. We collected coconuts that washed ashore, and palm frams to hide the jeep deep in the jungle for the commercial. The film crew set up and we waited.
The talent arrived later that morning. They were two Polynesians, Charlie and Maurice, both in island dress. in between takes we learned a lot about the coconuts 4 stages, when to eat, how to husk, and how to crack open to keep the coconut water. Charlie had a talent that he can husk a coconut in 20 seconds with his teeth and we put him to the test to see if this wes true...it was.
I know the commercial will show in Australia and during SEMA in Las Vegas this November, but will try to post it here when it's on YouTube.
That afternoon we headed off to the next day's filming location on Chili Beach to clean it up for the shoot. Then headed back to the Portland Roads Beach Shack exhausted from the day. That night after dinner we watched the dailies to see all the takes.
View from the Portland Roads Beach Shack
Thursday, June 24, 2010
We headed off to the second filming location early before high tide cut us off from the beach entrance. As I drove onto the beach the tide came in and we had to drive the jeep in the salt water and over tree roots further on shore. When I drove through the surf the moving water would suck the 'skinnies' into the soft sand so we had to have several of the guys on hand to push the jeep as she slowed down. We made it to the filming location where we set up the vehicle and other aspects then cleaned the beach of seaweed and other debris. I picked up one clump of seaweed and unknowingly picked up a blue button jellyfish. It gave me a slight sting that felt more like a burn from a hot pot or a stove. It only lasted about several minutes and didn't bother me much after that.
We filmed for the remainder of the day and picked more coconuts for the rest of the trip. We took the talent and the film crew to the airport and back into Lockhart River Aboriginal Community to top off gas for the next day's trail run to the Old Lockhart River Mission. That evening we headed back to the Beach House to look into dinner. We met the owner of a posh catamaran that was shored at the beach and borrowed his dingy to make it to the large fishing vessels to see what we can trade for some Aussies to be used for their drinking fund. We ended up with two beautiful Coral Trout, and 5 Kilos (about 11 Lbs.) of prawns (shrimp) for a mere $55 Aussies (about $44 USD). We got some other fish, but couldn't remember for the life of me what they were. We grilled the coral trout with lemon and 1/2 of the prawns with garlic and butter and left the remaining to steam with lemon (no Old Bay in OZ). I must say that it is the best fish I have ever eaten....period!
I rolled my glutinous azz into bed completely satisfied.
Friday, June 25, 2010
This morning we set out onto the Old Lockhart Mission Track with the guy's from the trip, Mick from the catamaran, and his dog Speedy Gonzales. This is a 61 Kilometer track down to the beach through the old track. This track is used only several times through the year to an old mission that tried to convert the Aboriginal through the 70's and now is an abandoned track of the worst river crossings and most beautiful scenery in the area. There are eucalyptus forests, river planes, sand fields, rocky hills, and all this ending on the beach with the most amazing views of the reef and surrounding islands. We walked the beach and found several shell fish and a large blue crab that became Mick's dinner that night.
We headed back just before sunset and it was my task to drive the Jeep. As it got darker I drove ahead of the group to get to the main road before it got completely dark. I was able to drive by the moon light and was doing well until the other vehicles caught up to me. I was blinded by their high beams in an attempt to light the trail for me. I was able to run through the river crossings easily in the light Jeep and made it through a narrow section tracking with the front wheels but the rear passenger wheel (remember this is a US Jeep) fell into a deep wash out. we are able to get it out with a set of MAXTRAX and continued gingerly on our way.
Just before the trail ended we came to one of the many water crossings. There was a Hi-Lux with road tyres in the center of the river. He had a hand winch to the rear of the vehicle and was completely stuck. We got out as the other Land Cruisers arrived. We pulled out 2 sets of MAXTRAX and made easy work of the Hi-Lux. While we were packing up the hand winch he said that he was there for the past 5 hours and was prepairing to sleep in the truck. It's good to know he was able to make it out for a Friday night. Lord only knows how long it would of taken him to walk out the next morning. If the Aboriginals would of gotten to his vehicle before it was recovered he would of had it stripped of any usable parts in no time. We made it back to Portland Roads to make or appointment at the only restaurant in several hundred kilometers and I must admit it's probably the best steak I have ever had, second to the one I had at the Breakky Creek in Brissy last year. The grass feed beef is far better than the corn fed beef we eat here.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
We had the beach shack for another night but was itching to hit the Frenchman's Track on the way to the tip. We back tracked through the Iron Range and to the Frenchman's Track. Upon hitting the trailhead there were trail reports posted on the trees of everyone who made it or didn't make it and reasons why.
As the trail started one of the Land Cruisers lost a rear view mirror due to the large corrugations. The first several kilometers were quite easy and scenic overlooking Iron Range National Park. There were several wash outs that were easy in the Land Cruiser 105 I was driving at the time. We approached the Pascoe River and found a Hi-Lux Surf stuck in the middle of the river (again). He was unable to get up the bank and we had to back up the steep incline to let him by. This poor bastard decided to take the trail without a snorkel and a rice burner cone air filter. We had to open the hood and place a water barrier to keep him from sucking in water throughout he intake that was flying from the cooling fan. We got him out with a set of MAXTRAX and used another set to get him up the steep incline to get out of the area to finish the Frenchman's track. The driver and his girlfriend stuck around to help us cross as a crowd of off-roaders were gathering on the shore to watch the low Jeep make it through the Pascoe. It was decided to let me go through first in the Land Cruiser and be waiting on the other bank with a snatch strap in case the Jeep gets bogged.
We put the canvas top over the hood of the Jeep to slow down the the rush of water into the engine bay and intake that didn't have a snorkel or modified intake; just the wet filter that was from the 40's. As the Jeep rolled into the river the water went up and to the hood and the engine cut out immediately. I backed up the LC into the river and James attached the snatch strap to the bumper by wrapping it around the frame. I pulled the Jeep out of the Pascoe and attempted the steep climb up the shore. I was unable to pull it and the drivers watching were giving me a hard time about needing to use a winch. The MAXTRAX LC doesn't have a winch, so James climbed the bank with a set of MAXTRAX and placed them in the hole I was digging out with the rear tyres. I gunned it and made it up the hill with torque to spare. Might I add that the Land Cruisers turbocharged 6 cylinder in line is a torquey beast. When we got to the top of the hill the front bumper was almost torn off the Jeep and the frame was bent. We cleared to the side of the trail to check out the damage.
We decided to pull it out to the end of the Frenchman's Trail about 42 kilometers so we can get to a road to access the trailer that was hidden in the scrub several kilometers away. We stated towing this time using a tree saver strap as a bridle to ease the stress on the frame. We were able to make it to the Wenlock River well after sunset and due to the lack of bush camping site had to cross the river and up the steep river bank to camp on the other side. After several attempts to make it up the steep and muddy bank we decided to unhook the Jeep from the LC and winch up the Jeep to prevent more damage in the bumper & frame. All the campers came out to see what was happening even several that watch the Jeep (now affectionately named Wet Willy) drown in the Pascoe. We made camp late with plans to start early.
Stay tuned for parts 2 & 3.
-Ben
Snaga
Comment