Report July 27
By Dirk

This morning we arrived at Schiphol after a flight of over 21 hours from Brisbane, via Singapore to Amsterdam.
We were met by our son Dirk-jan, daughters Rosemary and Willy and 4 of our grandchildren.
They had made a beautiful banner with Welcome Home on it.

This ended our wonderful journey through New Zealand and Australia.
Seen a lot and met a lot of lovely people.
Thank you for this.

We hope you enjoyed our travel reports on the website and thank everyone for the nice comments on our stories.

Dirk and Trudy

Report 18 July
By Thecla en Benno

Today the last kilometers to Brisbane! Dirk has chosen a few beautiful scenic drives so we have to drive as few major roads as possible and once again we have enjoyed a new side of the landscape of Australia. What is the green in the Mary Valley and what is it hilly and sloping and there are beautiful curves so we also see many motorcyclists drive. We also fully enjoy the last 235 kilometers of the total traveled 6088 kilometers that we drove from Darwin to Brisbane. Late in the afternoon we reach Morayfield where Merve and Margaret warmly welcome us. Dirk and Trudy have also started 20,000 kilometers back here. We made it! Fantastic!!!

After the delicious dinner we open the five collection busses and count the proceeds that has picked up along the way. A large 2000 Australian dollars is donated for S.O.S. children’s villages .. Fantastic!

And Benno and I also had a fantastic time in this great country. Just super!
Thanks!

Tomorrow we fly home after we first visit Benno’s nephew, Jord Wiegering and his girlfriend, who recently moved to live in Brisbaine. The trip is finished and has succeeded on all fronts !!

Dirk and Trudy stay in Australia for another week to arrange the transportation of the cars, after which they also fly back to the Netherlands after a journey of more than 6 months and 26,000 kilometers through New Zealand and Australia.

Report 17 July
By Thecla en Benno

Today we leave again in time to experience as much as possible of this beautiful island. The trees here are huge and therefore already very old. A very untouched nature, where you can not spot any animals because of the dense vegetation. Really untouched rainforest and sometimes also beautiful ferns. We can not drive faster than 10 to 15 kilometers per hour because of the sometimes erratic path between monstrous tree roots in a tunnel of green. Here we walk once again with the Landrover’s stairs against a tall tree root. We make beautiful film recordings. Dirk has the taste for or on top of the Landrover. We reach Lake Mackenzie (fresh water) which is wonderful and exotic with pearly white beaches in a wild jungle, and where Benno naturally goes swimming. Then on to the Eastern Beach and then drive back 44 kilometers over the beach. The men take another dive in the ocean. We see several ospreys and as the last bonus two other dingos come up the beach.
At half past five we have the ferry back to the mainland where we put the tires under tension before we go back to the campsite.
Fantastic that we have seen this!

Report 16 July
By Benno en Thecla

The Model T-Ford gets its extra green camouflage cover and can stay on a special parking spot on the mainland of Australia. We arrange in the village the vehicle and camping permit and ferry ticket and can then transfer to Fraser Island with the ferry in the Landrover. Yeah! We drive to the Inskip Point but do not actually see where the ferry is mooring. No sign, no road only a large sand plain by the sea.

But the mooring of the ferry depends on the tide and we have to take that into account. Part of the route is inland but if it is two hours before or after high tide we can also drive over the beach. From the ferry we are stuck in the sand. First let the tire pressure run off. That works fine. A beautiful pearl white sandy beach with no splash of pollution or stones or other disturbance. It is therefore not difficult to recognize when a turtle or snake is on the beach. Dirk is still spotting a whale with his binoculars and we just see his last fountain of air and water spraying up before he disappears. The scenic drive inland goes through low vegetation that slowly turns into jungle, beautiful but sometimes very loose sand and deep channels, holes and large roots of trees over the road and the path is not wider than a car. With a first oncoming car (after an hour) on the inland route, we glide into a bend against another car, which will cause considerable damage. As a result, there is some stress, but after exchanging the details of the insurance we go further. And end up after a beautiful ride through a forest of forest giants at a sheltered camp site in the middle of the island, shielded from the packs of dingos that walk around here on Fraser Island (the largest sand island in the world). We sleep again with all jungle sounds in the background, and stars that twinkle between the tree tops.

Report 15 July
By Thecla en Benno

All the people on the campsite visit us this morning, the collection tin is well filled and our neighbor, Louisa has made sure that there is an interview on the radio with Dirk on the favorite Sunday morning program Macca in all of Australia for 4.5 minutes. Thanx!
Then we drive carefully towards Rainbow Beach. The boys are again alert in the Model T-Ford and regularly feel the temperature of the differential. Many hills and even sharp slopes have to be taken there, but everything stays out of two popping sounds, okay.
Also only the high gear ring is still used. The Rainbow Beach has beautiful pastel colors where we drive along the beach with the Land Rover.
Then we look for a campsite by the sea. Wonderful site with another colorful sunset. We speak to other camping guests who give us a lot of information about how and what about Fraser Island. Tomorrow we will see if we can actually go there.

Report 14 July
By Benno en Thecla

Departure from 1770. Dirk is happy that he has solid ground under his feet and his T-Ford can steer towards Bundaburg. However, ten kilometers ahead of this town there is suddenly a strange sound from the Model T-Ford. Dirk and Trudy do not trust it! Benno and Dirk look at the hallway of the rear axle and it does not seem to run completely smoothly. Oei. The men again refresh the oil of the differential and see to their great horror again enormous accretion of liquid gold in the oil. This should probably be the bronze axially lower again. What to do? (last time in Borroloola could also be driven with the liquid gold in the differential … Consultation …

The men crawl together in the car, the ladys in the Landrover and with adapted speed is still driven (60 km / per hour) to Woodgate Beach.

At the campsite we meet a lot of enthusiastic campers. They find it amazing what we do with this tour!

Report 13 July
By Thecla and Benno

We are not superstitious, but unconsciously it comes up, the question: “What will this day bring?”

When we arrive at the jetty, the captain of our ship has noticeable problems with his servant, as far as payment is concerned. Although we would leave 7.15, we are still on the jetty at 8.30 am. Four bookings have been oddly solved in the dark, so we leave with 16 passengers. It promises to be a clear, windless day, with enough space on a boat with forty places. Fifty meters after sailing, the boat comes to a halt. It starts, but the engine does not start. After frantic efforts we float away on the incoming tide. There is shouting and not much later we anchor. In the hold it is painfully quiet. Weather is started, but the engine gives no on request. Thecla looks at me. My hands itch, and not much later I disappear with one of the boatsmen in the engine room, where a thousand PK M.A.N. engine shows itself. I look for the venting pump that does not give pressure, even after venting, no pressure. Then we discover that strangely enough a crane is not completely open. I bleed the system and hop; the engine is running again and we continue. The five-member delegation of the boat expresses their thanks and full of power we roar to the island. Dirk looks a bit gray from his eyes and not much later, strange food scraps out of his mouth. He is deadly ill. Between the reefs we reach the island where we are shown around and get an explanation about the vegetation, the reef, the animals that live there and what not. Dirk walks behind the group as if we were dumped on Papillon. He must surrender again on the pearly white beach and feel saddened. After the island we crawl in a glass boat to view the coral for those who do not go snorkeling. Then we put on a wetsuit and splashed in the water snorkeling. Trudy has difficulty breathing, so it soon starts looking higher. Thecla and I go snorkeling along the reef, where large turtles show up and take a swim with us, stepping out of their heads and going further. It is truly breathtaking in terms of beauty, diversity and color splendor of corals and fish in all forms and creations. Unfortunately, due to the declining tide, we have to leave too soon. Dirk has now assumed a green-yellow color as if he were of coral. But from one of the passengers he gets a wonder pill and fortunately comes along.
Dirk gets his advice via the Internet of his daughter to make a ride in the Model T, and the thought alone makes him look better. All in all a strange Friday the thirteenth.

Report 12 July
By Thecla and Benno

Every time it is a pleasure to wake up in the nowhere with only nature sounds around you. The nocturnal dew has made everything soaking wet, where you had to go through every turn on your side or back.
We say goodbye to mounth Alma and our beautiful camping spot.
We go over a good asphalt road through a undulating landscape with gras land stretching to the left and right. Because of the unusual rains everything looks fresh and fruity and breathes a Dutch country atmosphere. We have picked up the plan to take a boat at the seaside village of Seventiensevety to the island of Musgrave in the middle of the great Barier reef, an hour and a half sailing from the coast to go snorkelling.

The office is quickly found and arranged. The boat is only half full, so there was enough space. The boat mechanic says he wants to fit on the T-Ford tomorrow Then looking for a campsite, but everything is full. Even though I show my neptatoe and Dirk his muscles, they do not give a kick. Then we throw it over another bow and pull on our most sloppy clothes and show the decrepit T-Ford, this is paying off at Captain Cook camp. We hit our camp and walk through the jungle to the beach, where no one is to be seen. Eating and sleeping. I read another sign with “beware of falling branches, and indeed I hear a branch coming down with a lot of crackling at night, fortunately no coconut that swings above us in the wind.

Report 10 July
By Benno en Thecla

Last night it was slightly warmer; up to 5 degrees. We have interested parties for the T-Ford at an early stage. One of the guests has worked for a long time on Fraser island and says that it is very busy with tourists nowadays, especially during the school holidays. Fraser Island is worth it but not for snorkeling. He probably knows another possibility near his home address. Seventien Seventy. We write it down!

We continue and not much later our path is crossed by a porcupine (bad signs ?!) A little further we see 4 emus in the field and 3 khoribusters. Fun! Because the last days we drive a lot of kilometers in a day. In the afternoon I take over the wheel and a little later we hear a lot of noise at the right rear tire of the Landrover. We steer straight into the roadside, and see that the canvas of the tire is barren. Ben is considering reducing the pressure in the tire, but less than a minute later it is bang! First we wait for Dirk and Trudy, but start by disassembling the spare tire and removing the wheel with a baco because we can not find the wheel wrench.

Once we have that job, the job is done. Not much later we stop to store our camp for the night and so the men can also inspect what is going on with the T Ford, because they always pull to the left with brakes. After the wheel and drum has been removed it appears that the brake lining is dredge. We clean everything and seal the hub with silicone gasket. Just before dark everything is together. Then just change the differential oil. This looks pretty good. (no more bronze available)

Everything seems to have been taken care of again so that we can go to bed quietly, the stars wink us to sleep.