Wheels

 

Wheels

 

Triton III near Tullamarine, VIC
I suppose if one is to drive around mainland Australia a set of wheels is useful? Not the two-wheels of a Gold Wing that I dreamed of decades ago. I prefer to keep the rain off and the road under four wheels these days. Besides a Gold Wing would have been crap on some of the roads I'll be taking.

I could have brought my kiwi wheels over but the red tape could delay the trip by a good few months. Nah.

Some time back I began poring over the interweb, comparing models, set-ups, prices, swings and roundabouts. Reliability, fuel consumption, price, location. Narrowed my search down to an early model Nissan X-Trail.

I bought a Triton. As you do. Sort of a non-identical twin to my kiwi one. Nice and shiny, with a lightbar. I’ve always had driving lights on cars for ’roo spotting, but  as this was the only Triton readily available at the right price, a lightbar it is. And brand new tyres though I suspect they're a crappy brand that'll need replacing somewhere. 

So. All set up and running once a 2-way (UHF) radio is installed. I can have invigorating conversations with fellow-travellers, like, er …  (edited excerpt from my forthcoming novel follows) …

“Copy, southbound?”

“Yeah mate.”

“Evil Knievel ten clicks back mate, otherwise all good.”

“No worries mate, clear this way through to the border. Flash-for-cash the other side. He’ll have paid for his lunch by the time you get there.”

“No worries, have a good one.”

“You too, mate.”

 

That, by the way, would be a very southern states conversation. The borders are a long way away in the bigger states.* 

But there is a more important reason for a 2-way. I’ll be heading into road train country. It’s useful to let drivers you’re coming past. Road trains were 53.5 metres back in my Charleville and Darwin days, but in some spots now they’re up to 60 metres and 195 tonne.

Road train near Betoota, QLD
It can do a bit of damage to a Triton if a truck sits on you. So yeah, let the drivers know you’re passing. The big rigs can be quite exciting when they get a trailer wobble going. I tended to keep both hands on the wheel when passing … sometimes with a couple of wheels in the dirt for extra excitement. 
 

Oh … and on real dirt roads just stop and have a cuppa, or drive on side tracks (off-road). The rigs chuck a lot of dust and stones up and drivers aren’t keen on slowing down.

So yeah, a car lined up. But not paid for. Well not by me. In the eternal hiatus of waiting for my superannuation, a Daughter Unit has rescued me. Repayment will have to wait, though hopefully not too long.

Meanwhile, Triton III is having a few matters tarted up before I hit the road.



*oh, yeah ... the novel? Coming out later this year if all goes well. It's not about 2-way radio conversations.

Comments

  1. Peter Hotchkin27 July 2025 at 01:19

    This choice of vehicle does not surprise me at all. :-)

    ReplyDelete

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