Reflecting on my long Arnhem Land trip
I guess the next thing is to write about what I liked or didn’t like etc. about my Arnhem Land trip so here goes.
This trip was years in the dreaming, months in the planning, weeks in preparation and 6 weeks in the executing. It was the longest trip I have done in time and distance and also the most expensive fuel wise ($6000). And I still have a couple yet to complete. Connie Sue here I come!
In embarking on one of these trips, one has to have a certain level of mechanical trust and distrust. The latter means that one ends up taking far too many tools and therefore lugs around unnecessary weight and inconvenience when it comes to finding what you want.
Tool wise, a good jack, some jack boards, a tyre brace and one of those 120 piece “tool sets” is probably all you need plus the usual belts, filters, oil, water, radiator fluid, spare tyres etc. Just make sure all the spanners will fit the Jeep. It is small things that break that stop you, rather than big things that you can’t fix anyway.
The JKU was in good nick and performed flawlessly, as I expected. What broke was not JKU but its add on appendages such as shock absorbers.
The bed in the JKU was very comfortable and practical and I really don’t know why I did not make this set up for earlier trips. It is a keeper!
The best accessory I had was the TravelBuddy oven. This would heat a frozen pie or equivalent in an hour to piping hot. Pre-frozen homemade stews as well. Best used while the engine is running. This meant that it was not necessary to cook at the end of long and tiring days.
A good but not too large fridge is a goer as well. Make sure the battery is in good nick… it is not always possible to get one when you need one. If there is room, also a small cooler for milk, fruit and veg and the like because these can freeze if your fridge is too cold and then you are buggered.
I took lots of water, some in 10 litre jerries but the rest in 600ml water bottles that could be packed into all sorts of nooks and crannies. Spare headlamps and batteries came in handy too. For storage I have now adapted mine to allow me access to items from the side of storage boxes rather than from the top… much easier and convenient. Storage boxes need to be very strong to cope with endless hours and km of corrugations.
Although I cursed when I first noticed, it was very smart of my missus to sneak in an extra sleeping bag. Temperatures got as low as -2C in the morning and even with clothes on, 1 sleeping bag under my mattress and two on top (rated -5C) I still felt the cold. I haven’t told her about this.
Also, you need to have a good bank balance to cover anything that goes wrong. Don’t leave home with a maxxed out credit card. I paid everything with my debit card which has allowed me a very accurate record of what I have spent and where.
Most people are very nice, and helpful when necessary, so it is worth making contact with some. Clearly, some people can be right pricks but that’s life. You do have to keep your wits about you when you are on your own, without being paranoid. If it doesn’t look or smell right, leave!
One has to also take the good with the bad, the glorious with the disappointments. Not all that you dream of will turn out as you have dreamed.
For me, what is great about these long trips is the self-affirmation that you have done it, on your own, and without too much bother. You have fixed things that broke or that went wrong. You have dealt with difficult people and you have learnt a lot and seen things you may never have seen.
It’s all good. Go for it. I can’t wait for the next trip. Gotta save some money first.
Cheers.
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