Busy times

Marvellous how busy one gets post-retirement. Legacy takes up much of my days at this time of the year as we work to set up another auction of militaria. The proceeds go to help support widows and children of veterans and we will most probably field over 550 lots. This year it is scheduled for 2 April at Brisbane; the date being set by my social calandar as I am off on another trip on the 10th of April. My wife thinks that just because we are undertaking a 12-15,000 journey,(depending on side tracks) in a few weeks I should be attending to trip planning and vehicle preperation NOW. Trouble is I have to work for legacy NOW leaving me one week free to get the Discovery on track, packed and ready. I’m sure it’ll work out. We plan to drive from Brisbane to Adelaide 2000 kms (1250 miles) and then put the 4WD and ourselves on the Indian-Pacific

One of the reasons we are driving to Adelaide is that the Sydney-Adelaide trip has a height restriction on vehicles of 1.57m which doesn’t say much about our national infrastructure. How does the ADF move heavy vehicles from Sydney to Adelaide?

Two nights and three days on the Indian Pacific, a week in Perth attending a Regimental reunion, then south to Albany, the home of my fathers, to visit family including my nearly 87 yr old Mother and then back home via Broome. Broome itself is 3,000 km (1,900 miles) north of Perth and is a cosmopolitan town born of pearl diving.

Established as a pearling port in the 1880s, Broome has a romantic and often flamboyant history. It was populated by people of many nationalities – mainly Europeans, Malays, Chinese and Japanese, as well as Australias indigenous people – who flocked to the shores of Roebuck Bay in the hope of making their fortune from the pearling industry. The influence of the pearling industry, with its cultural melting pot, has helped to create the distinctive character and charm of Broome. South Sea Pearls are recognised as the best in the world and pearling remains one of the towns major industries due to the cultured pearl, which revived the industry after its near demise in the late 1950s.

From Broome it is a mere 3,700 kms (2,300 miles) to Cairns along the Savanah Way through the Northern Territory, the Gulf country of NT and Queensland, up onto the Atherton Tablelands and then down the range to Cairns. Cairns to Brisbane is only 1600 odd kms (995 miles) No big flash caravan or mobile home, just a good four wheel drive, a tent and two swags. Should be a breeze.