surferboys nats diary

[FC_fer_me]

That,s if petrol is still around in 2012. We might all be feeding our food scraps into the bolt on Flux Capacitors on our FC's. If that's the case then Maccas will be triple the price! Cheers, Jack

[EffCee]

Sorry to be hijacking the thread but from what I am reading the FE FC Nationals will be in 2012? 

[ridgey_didge]

Keith - 2010 in Orange NSW, then 2012 in WA is how it will be as I understand it.

Surferboy - I both love and hate this thread.  Your photos and stories are great and deserve an award for best thread about the Nats.  But, I watched the story start and only realised how much I wanted to be going to the Nats and couldn't share the experience.

However, the photos and story are so good, so thanks for that and for helping me be even more determined not to be a stay at home next Nats.

Cheers,
David

[graham_fuller]

Hi Graham,
This is a fantastic account that you put together and while you were on the road as well.It makes for great reading and viewing.Thanks.
Cheers,
Graham

[smithy]

hhey surfer boy, i will have to agree wholehartedly with what ridgey-didge said.
even though i too could not make it the story and pics supplied gave me my own little  road trip.

well done mate and looking forward to your next installment

Orange 2010 

thank you
dean

[surferboy]

Thanks for your comments guys
It makes struggling with this computer (which has developed a bad habit of turning itself off for some unknown reason ! ) really worthwhile

The highest petrol price driving to the Nats was $1.91cpl (pulp) at Cockelbiddy
3 weeks later on the trip home it was $1.96cpl
Total fuel bill for the entire trip came to $1,760 ( don't know why but we decided to keep the receipts out of curiosity, now I know why the guys at work think I'm crazy)
Didn't keep records of Litres so I cant calculate m.p.g ( I'm not that Crazy)

We will have to find a different route to Orange in 2010...or I could cheat and just post the same pics again 

I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to 2012....if I don't need to drive across the Nullabor, people might expect me to wash  the wagon before the show and shine

 
PS will try and post some more pics when i get my new beaut computer

 

[surferboy]

Our road map



 


  & Cathy
red lines are new roads we've not driven before

[Johns]

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to share this with us Surferboy, told just as a story about Australia should be, very dry, wth lots of irony.

Loved it.

Cheers
John

[surferboy]

G'day everybody

Was just checking my calendar ( then realised my Trax calendar is a bit out of date...but I still enjoyed checking it out  )
and realised..there's only

               394 DAYS

left before the Nats in Orange

so I figure its about time to start planning the route to Orange

getting across The Nullabor is straight forward..theres not a lot of options

But do we go east through Broken Hill (again ) to Cobar, turn north through Bourke (where we can go "out the back"), to Cunamulla in QLD(just so we can say we drove through Qld ), turn right to St George (to see if it has "a BIG dragon" !?) and Goondiwindi (to see if it's GREY ?). (sorry there is no grey colour option)Turn right, head south to Tamworth..perhaps I'll bring my geetar and see if I can get a country music career.  ::)Then catch up with any Sydney guys who are cruising to Orange

or

do we head south and cruise through the fire ravaged areas of Victoria ? Spending money on food,accomodation etc in our small effort to support those fire victims who have stayed and started rebuilding thier towns ?

Any suggestions ?    Let us know where you think we should go

Then I might go and get one of them internety plug thingys ( ) that go in the laptop and let me post my ramblings anywhere and anytime

 

[Paul In Ireland]

Go up through Coober Pedy and go mining, up to Ayers Rock and then go to Queensland, down to Sydney, on to Orange, down through Canberra and home through Vic and the fire zones and back home.

Unless you take a ferry trip to Tas, you'll have to every state and territory in the one trip bar one!

[lucky_gwen]

Excellent reading surferboy. My partner Mick and I have never been to any Nationals before, we just bought our FC last September and are very much looking forward to going to Orange in 2010. To meet all of the Holden fans from this forum. Thanks heaps for letting us read your adventure.

Cheers
Janette

[weddo]

Ahhh, so you have already planed the trip??? just as Paul has outlined
Thats why you are detouring to Tassie this year!!! just to get it out of the way.

Regards
Weddo

[surferboy]

G'day Paul ( I'm still writing in an Irish accent so you can understand this)
Were only using four weeks of our annual holidays from work this time so were on a bit of a sprint.
 Left turn at Port Augusta to Cooper Pedy looks promising.( just like we did a left turn on the way home from Mt Gambier and ended up at Port Lincoln...just because we've never been there before  ) PS I poured you a Guinness but you weren't here so i had to drink it for you 
Saving Alice Springs for when the QLD guys host the Nats and we can save up extra holidays and do a loooooong slloooow crawl around the Northern end
Weddo, we're using our Tassie holiday to plan where we will drive the wagon and how much wooly underwear we will need for when you guys host the Nats
Janette, it will be nice to meet more new faces at the Nats in Orange, Thats what the Nats are about for me. Just look for the guy in a BIG hat, driving a rusty wagon covered in dirt and bugs with the longboard on the roof
Another great weekend on the way..I can't wait ( I wonder if theyre going to do Kareoke ...I hope so)

 

[Martin]

Hey Surferboy,

Here's a couple of fairly obvious routes for you, starting from Port Augusta to:
Wilmington
Gladstone
Clare (excellent wine region)
Burra (historical copper mining)
Eudunda
Morgan
Renmark
Mildura
Balranald, to Orange

The return, from Orange to Bathurst then on to Narrandera, then
Deniliquin
Echuca (where there's a famous Holden museum)
Swan Hill (where there's an historic village in the mode of Sovereign Hill at Ballarat - but quite different)
Ouyen
Pinnaroo
Murray Bridge
Mannum, Palmer, Mt Pleasant
Nuriootpa (Barossa Valley - lots more good wines)
Kapunda
Clare (top up with some more wine to replace what you drank at the Nationals)
Crystal Brook
Port Pirie and then on to Pt Augusta

(As a variation, you could go from Nuriootpa or Clare to Wallaroo, then get the car ferry across Spencer Gulf to Cowell, then through Cleve and Lock to Wudinna, then Ceduna.  If you book the day before and get either the very first ferry trip of the day, or the last, the trip is half price.  See http://www.seasa.com.au)

You retrace your steps on only a couple of roads, and from your map its seems you will barely touch previously travelled roads.

Bring the trailer to take home lots of 1st class South Aussie wine - and some Coopers beer.

Martin

[TTV6FC]

Here here Martin.Hey Surferboy,you gotta do the Nuriootpa/Barossa bit.We can show you plenty of fine wineries.Even if you don't drink/like wine,it's a beautiful place and hopefully you can cruise around with one Black FC. Jamie.

[surferboy]

YAHOOOOOOO   

Surferboys Nats Diary...with the magic of moving pictures   

It's taken a while but i have finally managed to my video footage onto a DVD
(bloody stupid computers... i have only managed to burn one copy and now the stupid computer has decided thats enough  )
1 hour and 20 minutes of our trip and the weekend. (with BONUS footage of ''The INFAMOUS Granny Knickers")

When i manage to get some copies done I'll try and post a copy out to each club.

 
 

[FC0058]

Graham
The correct terminology is "Nanna Knickers",

Please note that I am heading back East (Adelaide) and the year 2010 where they have late night shopping, Sunday trading and daylight savings. With this in mind our Nanna's better start looking for a new recipient to present this prestigious award at the Orange Nationals.

Cheers Jim

[surferboy]

Bugger
now its gunna take me 6 months to change the title !
 

[surferboy]

We,ve only got 4 weeks holidays so our quick sprint to Orange might go something like this ?

Fri      19th LAST day at work before the epic journey
Sat     20th  packing
Sun    21st  Easter egg hunting with the Grandkids

Mon   22nd Peth          to    Kagoorlie     600km
Tue    23rd Kalgoorlie   to   Eucla            900km
Wed  24th Eucla          to    Ceduna        500km
Thurs 25th Ceduna      to     Pt Augusta   470km
Fri     26th Pt Augusta  to    Coober Pedy 540km
Sat    27th sightseeing and getting rich digging up opals
Sun   28th Coober Pedy to   Pt Augusta   540km
Mon  29th Pt Augusta   to   Broken Hill    415km
Tues 30th Broken Hill   to    Nyngan        590km
Wed 31st Nyngan        to    Tamworth     440km
Thurs 1st sightseeing and getting rich busking
                            (people pay good money to make me STOP singing  )
Fri     2nd Tamworth     to    ORANGE      450km

                                                         5445km+?

Has anyone been to Nyngan ? Theres not much on google. We just need a clean motel and decent food for the night.

Any comments and ideas are most welcome

 

[Paul In Ireland]

Do you play golf? There is that new 1400km course along where you'll be driving....