|
DOWN UNDER XXXPEDITION 2006
- PREPARATIONS
A dream is about to come true: we are getting ready for a circumnavigation
of the Australian continent!
The XXXpedition rig is currently
being upgraded to ensure maximum safety and reliability in one of the
most challenging wilderness areas known to man: the Outback!
We're excited to report that our enduring overheating problem has been
resolved! Tipped off by a fellow reader of Offroad-Adventures Magazine,
we contacted Custom Aluminum Radiators (www.alumrad.com)
in Arizona and they shipped us their Jeep radiator the next day. Immediately
after installation, we took the truck into the Mojave desert in Joshua
Tree National Park to test the modification. Although we pushed it up
steep inclines at 70mph with the AC on full blast, the thermometer needle
barely moved. We're so glad this issue is finally resolved, and at a very
reasonable cost at that!
|
space
|
Another cool modification are our
Cut-Out Fender Flares from Bushwacker (www.bushwacker.com).
Australian law requires that tires do not protrude beyond the flares and we
feared that our trimmed stock flares might cause some problems. The flares are
easy to install but we had to modify them slightly to match them with our rear
bumper and snorkel.
We also added several heavy-duty
locks on our cargo boxes. Without any doubt, our rig will stick out like the
proverbial sore thumb; though Australia is considered very safe, we don't want
to invite any unwelcome curiosity.
We installed a wheel-to-wheel tie rod conversion because we haven't been happy
with the stock Y-setup for a while. Then we ripped out all the waterstripping
in the 4 doors and replaced it with brand-new door seals. After rolling the
Jeep once on each side, the doors have been leaking quite a bit; in fact we
discovered several inch-long cracks in the door frames which we welded and sealed
with silicone.
Tom
Wood shipped us a new drive shaft which we installed; we'll keep the old
one as a spare.
The passenger door has taken on its own identity and started to swing widely
whenever opened. We installed a new strut to keep it under control.
We also found another leak in the roof which we sealed.
|
The customs and freight paperwork
for shipping the rig to Australia is quite complex since we're temporarily
importing it. Our shipper Rinkens International assured us that they could
handle the carnet paperwork on our behalf. We're also researching the
route, 4x4 trails and local contacts. In order to obtain a driving permit
for Australian roads, we need to buy Third Party Insurance. This has proven
quite a challenge as Australian insurances don't want to insure privately
imported vehicles; however, the Australian Automobile Association helped
us find a contact to sort this out. We already have our plane tickets
and tourist visas, so there's no turning back!
All incoming vehicles have to undergo agricultural inspection in Australia
since they are weary of foreign seeds or bugs. Hence we spent several
days scrubbing the Jeep inside out to avoid expensive steamcleaning at
the port of Sydney.
|
space |
|
January 5th: We drop off our
XXXpedition rig at Rinkens International near the Los Angeles port. It
will take a total of approx. 6 weeks to clear customs, ship to Australia,
and pass customs and inspections at their end. If all goes well, we'll
meet the truck there mid-February.
WARNING: Be sure not to ship with Rinkens! They srewed up big time on our paperwork although we informed them of the kind of carnet we would need and that cost us a lot of extra money!
January 12th: We got word from the shipping company that our truck is
now loaded into the container.
January 16th: Our rig is on the boat sailing towards Down Under...
Check below packing list:
|
|
We received an update of the location
of our truck: somewhere on the Pacific...
Just kidding. The truck is estimated to arrive in Sydney on February 12. Our
flight is on the 14th and after a 15 hour travel time we will arrive in Australia
on February 16th.
February 4: We have a yard sale to get rid of most everything we have. We don't
want to put our stuff into storage for six months.... and since we're going
to Europe after the Down Under XXXpedition we don't want to spend a fortune
for shipment.
February 13: We're ready for departure. The house is empty and the good-byes
have been said. Satcom
Direct shipped us an Iridium satellite phone so we can stay in touch and
keep you all updated on our adventures while traveling through the most remote
stretches of Australia. Our Jeep has not made it quite to Sydney yet and will
arrive there on Feb 15.
February 14: Flight to Sydney, Australia.