WRAP UP {EDITION 18}

HELLO + WELCOME to the 18th edition of the regular Wrap Up of what’s been going on behind the scenes. As we, the Aussie Overlanders, prepare to hit the road to cross Australia, makes tracks through Africa and if we are lucky drive all the way to Europe.

Life is incredibly hectic + exciting right now however we wanted to carve out a little space in time to Wrap Up what’s been happening.

Here it is.

LEAVING ANY DAY NOW

Right now everything is about marking things off the list. Because the list is the thing standing between us and the open road.

Non-Slip lining in drawers. TICK.

Call that guy about that thing. TICK.

Hook up the solar panel. TICK.

Magazine Article written. TICK

Family bonvoyage dinner. TICK

And so it goes. TICK. TICKETY. TICK.

As soon as that list is all ticked off we will be driving out of Sydney towards a whole lot of sunsets. We could just pack up and leave tomorrow… but we really want to put the last spit and polish on everything. That’s just us.

We’ll depart any day now. Vagueness intended.

MOVING OUT

Moving out meant Boss made his way over to his new foster family. He loves them. They love him. AND he has been writing a blog about his new adventure so we can stay in touch www.bossthedog.com.au

…I have just written and deleted about 8 sentences about the experience of being away from our little man. No words sum it up… let’s just say we love and miss him. So much.

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The rest of moving out was bloody awful. There’s no putting rose coloured glasses on that one.

But at the end of the day we were so giddy with happiness and relief. It all felt so right.

Sometimes it takes a bit of hustle to reach harmony.

SUPPORT ANNOUNCEMENT : SHOCKS THAT PUT US INTO SHOCK

Aussie Overlanders have been fitted out with Bilstein shocks and a Polyair Bellow system by the Aussie owned Heasman Steering workshop.

First up, let it be said, it is an absolute dream come true for us to be kitted out with Bilstein. I’m not sure if many people in this world have ‘dreams’ about shocks. But for us Bilstein are it.

The guys heard us when we said we were worried about a lean in the Troopy. So they also fitted us out with Polyair Bellow system. What the hell is a bellow system? To put it in layman’s terms it is essentially underbody air bags that support your ride. The air levels are adjustable via schmick valves installed on the rear step. From here on the 4X4 will literally be gliding on air.

I’m not sure what we expected. I guess a slight change. Nothing too drastic. “Ohh it will be more for Africa… so we don’t have to change them mid-way”, we thought.

Well, holy hell, did we get a shock! We rolled out of Heasman in disbelief. The Troopy is now a completely different ride. Smooth. Sturdy. Glidey. Less crunch, more comfort. Pretty incredible actually.

SUPPORT ANNOUNCEMENT : LET THE WATER FLOW

Gareth made his way up to Newcastle at the crack of dawn last week to reach Out Of Town 4WD. He was late but that didnt worry Ric Black and his team who were ready and waiting for the troopy to go straight up onto the hoist to install a 57 Litre Long Ranger underbody water tank.

Gareth was in his element with his love of all things that are made with such attention to detail and quality. He got a look behind the scenes at how Long Ranger is created and how they test their products. Laser cut stainless steel sheet metal. Cut with precision to eliminate waste. And tested by hooking up fuel pumps and floats to ensure the life cycle of the tank so they can back it with warranty. Really impressive.

It’s been really fulfilling getting out there and seeing where a lot of our gear is actually made. For us it’s all part of the journey.

Since then G has sorted out our plumbing (he’s a plumber by trade). The tank is hooked up with a pump. The pump gets the water out of the tank and out through our taps. One tap for filtered water. One tap for non-filtered water. One shower head flowing with hot water. The shower will draw water from a bucket so we know precisely how much water we are ‘wasting’ when cleaning ourselves.

GARRY GOOD GEAR

Here’s a snapshot of the garry good gear that has made it’s way onto the expedition lately.

The Hema Maps that will direct us throughout Australia

Custom rear arm carrier + Expedition Centre rear awning

Lounge cushion to go on top of our Drifta fit-out

What else? Putting in an article on our preparations to Pat Callinan’s 4X4 Adventures magazine (out May 1st) + saying goodbyes + packing the vehicle (!!!!!!) + curtains + ohh, about 24781 other things making our minds constantly buzz. We are getting there! Hooorah!

Also, a big thank-you to everyone on our Facebook wall who contributed a photo of their adventures! It has given us so many ideas.

That’s us all wrapped up.

Let us know what you reckon in the comments below or on the Facebook page by clicking here.

If we can encourage you to do one thing today… it would be to GET OUT THERE.

See you soon.

Cheers

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