Day 1 - Saturday 16 June 2007

Click here for: Day 1 Map - actual...

Steve driving - loaded up the car and headed off from Simon's place (St Ives Chase, NSW) at 05:10 in heavy rain. Tried to use the printed directions from Google Maps to get to Bathurst, but soon gave up as total bollocks - instead went by memory and headed to Bathurst via Bells Line of Road.

Simon fired up the GPS system and a nice lady confirmed our view re how to get to there. The drive was wet, wild, windy (as in blowing) and windy (as in rolling from side to side)

The controls of the car are opposite to what I was used to (LHS indicator) but the rain gave me plenty of chance to get some practice. The car handled very well and managed the conditions with aplomb.

Simon tried to get his iPod working with the car's sound system, but unfortunately it would not tune in. The prospect of spending 4 days listening to the ABC is a bit glum.

At 07:50 after 197 kms we stopped at Bathurst for some breakfast at the Golden Arches. Checked out that the wireless internet worked and jotted down today's itinerary from Google Maps. It was 4° centigrade. Took first picture of car.

Simon driving - after adjusting the seat & mirrors from 'dwarf' setting we left Mackers (Bathurst) around 08:45. Weather clears to a cloudless day whilst on radio we hear about storms in Sydney, temperature around 15°c with us.

The car drives really well and hugely deceptive as feels like going a hell of a lot slower than the actual speed. No huge initial acceleration but once up to speed the very torque diesel engine runs extremely quietly at something like 1,900 rpm whilst cruising at 110 kph! A very unstressed car to drive (Land Rover Discovery 3 SE) and turning in something at best around 8.5 litres per 100 kms driven at an average speed of 98 kph...

The farmland looks amazingly healthy after recent inland rain and crops in vast fields are coming up brilliant green. Huge grain silos, sheep with lambs, cattle, road trains (massive!) etc all part of the scenery. All up this stage everything looks really well kept and in good health!

We find Cowra next around 10:00 at 304 kms, next West Wyalong at 11:30 at 462 kms. Here we stop and manage to fix the iTrip thing so that we can play my iPod through the car stereo; this is thanks to Steve's Telstra NextG connection and my amazing PC talents (!) so now music all the way.

Steve driving - we leave West Wyalong around 12:30, pass through Rankin Spring at 13:30 at 553 kms. At this stage we were meaning to head to Ivanhoe thanks to Google Maps (then Menindee & Broken Hill) but get surprised when the GPS try's to send us off on unsealed road and this being a new car and lacking trust we punch in Hay into the GPS and head mistakenly off course, that said no huge issue in a trip of this distance that said don't 101% trust G/Maps!

We arrive in Hay desperately in need of fuel (a separate story here not for telling here for fear of showing up general hick inabilities & inordinate embarrassment of our driver!) only to find that the first three (yes 3x) garages in Hay are shut! Serious times and directed across the Murrumbidgee River to another Mobil servo and this, the 4th one, has run out of diesel! Fortunately the Caltex next door has diesel and we fill up with 80 litres of diesel - a clue to desperately naive state + pic's to follow!

Simon driving - taking advice from the Caltex station manager we decide to press on (twilight & fear of Kangaroo carnage aside!) to Mildura and arrive in Gol Gol (the NSW side of the Murray River / Mildura the VIC side) at 18:50 with 1,000.4 kms on the clock which, physiologically at least, is quarter of the way! We check into the very grubby (but expensive!) Mildura Riverside Motel (to be missed) and head out straight away to the Gol Gol Hotel (no accommodation) for an excellent steak & bottle of red.

Back to Motel room by 21:15 (around 4c and clear skies full of stars!) to write this up, freeze in room and a rough plan to get to bed early for an equally early start tomorrow morning. We have pic's and will add these tomorrow as too knackered now.

All up a brilliant day made all the better by great company and an excellent car = good fun had by all. Out from Gol Gol / Mildura...

PS: Road kill count to date = Roos x2, Fox x1, Misc x3 + Direct Hit (Steve a bird) x1 and Sheep x1.