80 mile & Broome

Day 1 included me picking up a couple of last minute spares that i forgot to get and then a quick pic with Red Dog and I hit the road with 80 mile destined to be my stop over point for the night.  The best thing about travelling by myself is that i can listen to cold Chisel and ACDC as loud as i want with no one there to turn the volume down (the Wife), the worst part is that I have no one else to blame for the horrendous smell of car farts.

Made 80 mile no problem although it was funny as to see 2 young backpacker girls plough through a flock of parrots, there was plenty of dead ones flying over there car and landing on mine, they had a horrified look on there faces when I overtook them a few minutes later.

Pulled into Broome yesterday morning after a nice drive up form 80 mile, left nice and early.  So I'm in broome now until tuesday night when i pick up Knickers and Raz from the airport when they fly in.  So today i went for a bit of an explore around Quandong and James Price Point, stopped in and said gday to all the protesters up there and watched a bit of thier concert they had.

Fuel economy in the hilux has been off the chart on the way up as I was punching into about a 98 knot headwind i reckon, the hilux was copping a hammering from the wind.

The Tug and the home on wheels

I thought I should write a little about the tug that will be towing the camprite around.    It's a 2005 Dual Cab SR Hilux. I bought it a couple of years ago when i first moved up to the Pilbara, it wasn't much, but i had a vision for it and I reckon I have it where i want it now, well nearly.  although this past 2 weeks it has cost me some money.

A $1200 service, followed by a trip to the auto lec last week to suss out an electrical gremlin and the air con decided to kark it whilst there, $1700 later and I have a new air con in the ute.

Here's a list of mods I've done since i bought it.  Have done all the work myself along with a couple of mates who have lent thier skills and knowledge along the way, so thanks to them for thier help.

Dual Batteries (home made bracket, Thanks Motty)
On board compressor under bonnet
On board shower
Lightforce 210 genisis HID's
Rhino roof racks
Home made boat racks (thanks Jarrod)
2" Tough Dog Suspension lift ( thanks for the help there Buff, and the fright of my life)
BF Goodrich KM2 Mud Terrain tyres
Dual wheel Carrier with outborad motor mount (homemade, thanks Motty)
Reversing Camera
High lift jack mount
1000 watt inverter
40lt Engel & 47lt ARB
Canvas Canopy and ally frame
3" Roo System aluminised exhaust
LED lighting in the canopy
Safari Snorkel, (thanks Nic for having no fear cutting a big hole in the side of my ute, i was to scared too)
GME TX3100 Uhf
120 watt solar panel on the roof to keep the batteries topped up on extended stays to help keep the beer cold.

I'm sure there is more, well it feels like it the amount of money i have forked out for it.  Have managed to save a lot of money by doing things at home.

The camper trialer is a 2005 camprite TL8.

I was inspired to get a camprite after seeing a couple of my mates that they bought up here and how friendly they are for young families and ease of use and all up off the ground.  after searching for a while i found one in Perth that has done very little work in it's short life.

So far I have wired up some LED lighting on the Kitchen for the "cook to be able to see a bit better, some LED lighting will go inside wholst on the road next week before i pick the girls up in Broome next Tuesday.  Other than that we are stoked with the camprite, they are a very well built trailer and turn heads everywhere you take it.  I look forward to giving the Hilux and camprite a good work out in the next couple of months. have a 120 watt foldable solar panel to keep the battery in the trailer topped up.

Only 2 more sleeps untill i am officailly unemployed and on the road having an explore around the place with my 2 girls on our journey home to the east coast.

Cheers

Yesterday we had the chance to get some family pictures taken before we leave Karratha, Our photo taker was a lovley lady by the name of Ally C, she showed us a couple on the camera that she took yesterday, they look amazing, and we can't wait to see them all when she has finished our package.  Here's a couple from the sneek peak she has given us.  They were taken down at Hearsons Cove, we had the whole place to ourselves which was just magic.

It's getting closer

It's finally been made official, my end date on Pluto is the 25th May :)  Knickers & Raz will be flying back "home" on the 22nd May for a week to take our dog Lexi back over east and into a kennel while we are on our trip home.  In the meantime I will be leaving the gates of Pluto at 12:30 on the 24th, cracking a beer in the car park, have a quick reminice of the good times I've had over the past couple and a half years in K-Town and then drive away heading straight for Exmouth and a dive with the whale sharks.

We did a quick trip up to 80 mile beach last weekend for a quick getaway which was good, I think we have all we need for our camper trailer now.  i have done a bit of trailer maintenance this week, re did the wheel bearings and i have some more LED lighting to do this week.  I will post pics from 80 mile soon.

I'll have myself 5 days to get to Broome where I will pick up the girls and then we're headed straight to Kununurra for the ord valley muster where we will get to watch Paul Kelly, Kasey Chambers and the Black Sorrows play.  I will be catching up with a few mates from Pluto who will also be there, so that will be nice.

Today the Hilux (havn't named it yet) is in getting all her fluids changed out and a major service done prior to the big trip.  we also thought we should get some new family pics, which we will be getting today, including Lexi, it will be a nice memory of our time here in the pilbara. 

We will miss this place, we have made some life long friendships here and it will be hard to leave, however all good things come to an end, and we move on to another adventure as a family.  I have no doubt we will be back, it would be too hard not to come back.

We have decided to make our new home at a place called Forrest Beach, which is 20 mins from Ingham,  We have adapted really well to the small town lifestyle while living here in Karratha and have decided that that is what we want as our family grows and hopefully expands.

Thats enough dribble from me today.
Cheers,
Slippery

More pics of our time up here in the pilbara

The end is in sight

Well, we have been living in Karratha for the last 2.5 years while i have been working on the Pluto lng project.  It was a big call uplifting my young family from our home and friends in Townsville over "east" and bringing knickers and our 6 month old daughter Azra (Raz) to Karratha.  I was not sure how knickers would cope, but having lived in WA with her before i was confident all would be good.  As it has turned out, we have had the time of our lives up here and it will be sad to go.  We have made some lifelong friends in the Pilbara, and we have no doubt, we will be back  here at some stage.

But the time is coming in the next 4-8 weeks where it will all be over and we'll move on to somewhere else, but first, a long camping trip to the Kimberley and hopefully explore some more of the NT.  some pics of our time in the Pilbara.