3:30amThursday 26th March 2009.
Im awake and ready to hit Brisbane Domestic Airport for the 5am Flight, to Melbourne. A one way ticket to signify the Beginning of a new chapter in my life. I find myself filled with Anxiety, as im unsure what lyes ahead of me over the next few days. I have a plan yes, Fly to Melbourne, Buy the Motorhome, Drive it back to Brisbane via the central route, but im also nervous as this something completely new, unknown and have always been afraid of. Change. Ive become so comfortable in my current lifestyle that the decision Ive made is freaking me out.
Step 1. I made the flight at least thats a step in the right direction. And what an awesome time to fly. I recommend this anyone taking a flight from Brisbane to Melbourne, Magic Hour @ 44000 feet is absolutely incredible. “Make sure you get a window seat left side of the plane, which i didnt. doh!” I cant believe people had their faces stuck in the newspaper reading stories of war when something so spectacular is happening right in front of our eyes. T’was a great flight.
Ive been to Melbourne Plenty of times, so immediately after landing, I made my way directly to the Shuttle, grabbed a ticket and jumped on the waiting bus which left 1min later. Perfect. The Shuttle drops off in the City next to Southern Cross Station, which is where I made my way to get the Train out to Ringwood. More anxiety, with flashes of excitement and revelation. This is finally it! Im actually doing this aren’t i.
After a 45min train ride through Melbourne’s east side, I set off on foot, 1km to where the 1975 Bedford CFL Deluxe Motorhome was situated. And there she was. First glimpse of the front Skylight poking up above the fence.
Step 2. Just as I had imagined. Old and a tad rundown, yet perfect. After the detailed tour, pointing out the good, the bad, the working, the broken, The owner and I went for a drive around the block. Wow. Big chunky, and Surprisingly quick off the mark. The sound in the cabin i can only describe as, imagine you have a large mower with no muffler, sitting next to you in a confined space. 
Awesome!!!
Ill Take her! The deed was done. We signed the paperwork, Paid the Cash (yes did i mention i had 9 grand concealed in a utility belt under my clothing since Brisbane? ) then I was off.
Step 3. First Stop. Service station. Topped up the fuel, Filled the Tires to the recommended 65psi+ (truck tires)
Then hit the road following the directions i was given out of Melbourne City ASAP. Ive not driven in Melbourne myself, but didnt want to start now, especially in something Id never driven, 4 times the size of my last car. See, the Road rules are different in Melbourne City, With Trams running down the center of a lot of the streets. I was given a back route to the Hume Hwy, different to my original plan, as i was advised that the path i had chosen took me through the mountains. (Thats funny, it seams so flat on the map! ;D ) I only got lost once, and after 30mins I was on the right track heading North East with the City behind me. “WEEOOOOooOOOO” I shout with the windows down.
12:30pm and Im heading Back to Brisbane in the Motorhome. I had a lot of ground to cover so I was hoping to get as far as possible on the first day. It wasnt Until a few hours after, I realised that, even though the Speedo was in Miles & Kilometers, the ODO was only in Miles. And I was wondering why It was taking so long. This was the beginning of a Rich learning experience. I spent most of the trip in silence, concentrating, listening and feeling how this machine operated. Watching the gauges (all 7 of them) and Taking note of what happened when i did THIS! And generally she Runs Really well.
I followed the Hume Hwy (M31) North East until, after a brief Fuel Stop at Wangaratta, headed North to Narrandera via a Direct route over the Victorian / New South Wales Border, through Corowa. And there isnt much out there at all. These photos below, were taken on the 44km stretch between the minute towns of Urana and Morundah where i was astounded by the silence. No Traffic, Planes, no wind, no bugs or insects.. NOTHING. I cant explain it better then that. Incredible. From here it was Dark and I was now on the Newell Highway (39)
Narrandera was supposed to be my stop for the night, but I wasnt tired , more excited about the experience, so I grabbed a bite to eat and continued on. However after the meal i began to get quite drowsy so I decided to finally rest at a truck stop along with 4 massive road trains, about 20km south of Ardlethan, which just had dirt to park on, a bin, and a composting toilet. I had covered about 500km on the first day. Not to shabby.
4:30am Friday 27th March 2009.
Still Dark. I woke up freezing. I didnt take any sheets or anything with me so I made up the bed with some cloths as sheets and a towel for a blanket. Hmm didnt think about sleeping did I. I eventually managed to get the beast to start after 5 attempts and stalling. I forget that this is a 34 year old Engine. They need to warm up. This is what you get for getting to used to a modern 17month old Hyundai Getz that starts instantly and your on your way , no questions asked. However this Old Holden 186 needs about 10mins with the choke out a bit. This is an 8degree C morning. First Destination West Wyalong situated about 100km north of the Truck Stop. I came ever so close to hitting a very large Roo as he jumped out from the right. As I swerved to the left I though “this will be a test of the bull bar!” However, he must know the roads, as i passed, he leaped in the right lane jumped on the spot a few times and then continued as i past. spin out. never seen them do that before. West Wyalong. Servo Food 
and Fuel, from a lovely store owner made an awesome start to a Very Long Day.
Next stop, 138km to the town of Parkes. Made famous by the Huge Radio Telescope used for the moon landing mission and from the movie “The Dish”, I couldnt go through here and not make the 3km side track out to the Telescopes Visitors center. And well worth it, I had my mind set on getting home ASAP but this place is awesome. Encouraged to switch off your engines as soon as you could, and Turn off Mobile phones and video Cameras, along with every other electrical device, as the telescope is still in use and any of these items can interfere with it. I only spent 15 mins here before i had to get on my way, but I must say, after getting close and personal with the actual control desk that they used on the moon landing, HOW THE FRIG DID THEY MANAGE TO DO IT ? Geeesss.
Heading to Dubbo in silence still listening and thinking. I had this sudden thought. Machete. Im calling the Bus Machete. I dont know where that came from. wasnt thinking about naming it. just came out of nowhere. Reminds me of that Robert Rodriguez Movie Trailer ‘Machete’ from the Grind house compilation. “And they called him Machete” lol. So Im calling it Her Machete. 
Dubbo. As exciting as it sounds. Ive been here before so not of much interest except for food. Its now to large to be a quaint little outback town with super markets and shopping centers. The Western Plains Zoo is the big attraction, about the closest we’ll get to the open plain wildlife parks of Africa. But really its just like a zoo, in the desert! But I’ll also say if you havent been there You’ll probably get a kick out of it. I remember i was impressed when we went there at 8 years of age.
I had a fair bit of a break at Dubbo none the less. I still have a fair way to go if i was to reach Narrabri this evening. So after another Servo trucker meal, checked the oil, breaks and Transmission fluid, it was up north yet again Through Gilgandra. Holy Crap! Wild Emu’s. heaps of them everywhere. They are really road smart as well. never saw a dead Emu. The babies are so cute. wouldnt let me get close enough to get photos, Id have to camp out here and use the Bus as a hide. I continued on through Coonabarabran and finally Narrabri. But hey, I was doing really well for time, Moree is only another 97km away and its still daylight. So without stopping, I continued on.
Then it happened. 40km out of Narrabri, Cruising along at 90kph (averaging 80kph) A sudden Very loud BANG with continuous Rapid THUDS. Many things raced through my mind as I pulled off the side of the road as fast as possible. Then as i came to a standstill I thought. “oh crap its a tire blow out” and sure enough. Rear Passenger Side Tire is completely shredded. Not only that , but its ripped a chunk of metal from the inner wheel arch, and shattered the Large PVC pipe used for storage. Damn. All good. I have a nice industrial Jack, Spare Tire. Ive changed tires before. Lets go. HA. hour later. What a task this turned out to be. First the Jack didnt work. Doh, After a while I worked out that it was out of oil. no worries. after working out how to get the oil INTO the jack, This still took freaking ages. Then the Jack didnt lift as High as I would have liked. DOH. Blocks of Wood (i had on board) fixed this. then finding where the Jack actually goes that will lift the bus without causing damage, or push the axel too close to the wheel arch.. GRRR.. ok getting Tired, and angry. Dont have enough water on me to deal with such physical exertion.
Eventually I worked it all out, as the sun was setting behind me, I found my self being distracted taking photos when The more important Tire change was in need of focus. Finally on my way. Covered in dirt (oh yes did i mention that i had to DIG A FRIGGN HOLE to make the wheel align.) A gash on the sole of my foot from, well, changing a tire in the bush with bare feet. Man I need to sleep.
When I finally made it to Moree, man, I felt exhausted. I continued on the last 60km at about 65kph, too paranoid about another tire popping. I found a nice Free Motorhome park on the outskirts of Moree, with a decent toilet and quiet rest area. It wasnt until I sat down and calculated the distances, that I realised I had just traveled 1053km that day. Which put a positive spin to the end of a very trying day. I Call Emma, txt twitter then Sleep.
5:30am Saturday 28th March 2009.
Wow, slept for 9 hours. I havent slept that long in weeks. Now with only around 470km to go (i believed) and after topping up with fuel, Its time to hit the road for the homeward stretch. Along 127km to Goondiwindi, about 20km before town, I pulled over to let a truck past. I havent been getting it in the northern part of NSW but further south, when I pulled over for the Road Trains, they would give me an indicator hand wave. Which is a way of waving to say thinks by flicking the indicator left right left right after they pass. Up here i think they just spit on me.. ha ha. I came to a full stop this time and decided to make the most of it, stretch my legs and well, be rid of excess fluids. I check over the Tires one more time as an elderly man pulled over in a Ute to see if everything was ok. He then Asked where im headed, to which i reply, “Brisbane Via Goondiwindi then Warwick.” He shook his head.. “nar dont go that way” ( Google chose this way) He said “Continue on the Newell Hwy (39) then head right on Gore Hwy (85) through Toowoomba, the road to Warwick is very windy, hilly and the surface is rubbish”. And so after watching many old-school horror movies where the old man in the wilderness is always right, i decided to take his advice. The signs to Brisbane take you this way anyhow i found, with an extra sign saying Caravans and motorhomes this way. So he WAS right, and Through toowoomba is was. Not without its hills though. Its a slow grade up to Toowoomba goes unnoticed but a steep decent on the eastern ridge. I found my self in low gear along with the trucks decending at 10kph. I wasnt frustrated by this at all. in fact it felt good. I was in no rush, and im to the left with 3 other large semi trailers, I felt like i fitted in to a litle group, rather then being separated and rushing to be the first down the mountain.
From here it was all familiar terrain. Down the Warrego Hwy and eventually home. I felt good, and yet even though I just drove 2055km (goodle was WRONG) I felt that this was way too short. And even now I miss being out on the road, in the unfamiliar, the challenges, the people and the way they do things. Im Looking forward to living like this, even though The travel will be much shorter, the stays much longer. Its not easy, and i hope it never is, as we need challenges to learn and grow, and i believe that this lifestyle is going to challenge me to something worth learning.
