Yesterday, our group had decided to leave early to ensure we got to our hotel while it was still light. We were keen to ensure we were not driving around Wilcannia and White Cliffs after dark, and wanted to see a bit more of Broken Hill. Therefore we rolled out of the Stamford Hotel at 4:30AM in the morning.

Our goal was to get out of Adelaide while it was still dark, and stop for breakfast around dawn to ensure we were not driving on outback roads when kangaroos are too active. We managed to see the sunrise while we drove and then stopped at Terowrie for a fuel up and a service station meat pie for breakfast. We planned to fill up more often than previously on this drive. The service stations are fairly far apart (often 200KM) and we didn’t want to chance one being closed our out of fuel and running out. Therefore, we filled up every 200KM or so to be sure.

At Terowrie, a lady staying at the roadhouse urged us to drive through the old town before getting back on the highway. We were a bit skeptical, but we were really glad we did. She had told us it was this original old town from the 1880s that was basically untouched and she was right. It was definitely worth the short detour to take a look. There were still buildings with blacksmith signs and so on.

From Terowrie, we ventured further and further into the outback. The traffic really started to thin out and eventually it was mostly road trains, Toyota Landcruisers and the occasional car. For readers who live outside Australia, the Land Cruiser is king of the hill when it comes to outback Australia. Nothing comes close. I had never driven with Road Trains before, so it was quite the experience passing them. Most of them were doubles, but there were the occasional triple road trains along the way.

Eventually we reached the NSW/SA border at Cockburn. At this point it was starting to get pretty hot and the green 280CE was starting to suffer. It was able to maintain our pace with the windows open and the heater on full, vents pointed out the window. That would keep the temperature at about 100c. In addition, the rear suspension had sagged even further that the car was starting to resemble a taildragger airplane.  This car, being an 81, is was not equipped with SLS.

Eventually we reached Broken Hill for our lunch stop. we had made pretty good time arriving at 11:30AM instead of our planned 1PM, thanks to our early start. Broken Hill was quite different to what we had anticipated. There were a lot of people around and some of the shops on the main street seemed more at home in Byron Bay than a previous mining town. Still, you couldn’t get away from the mining heritage, with the Miners Memorial dominating the skyline above the town. After lunch in a local cafe, we went up to take a look at the view and the memorial. It really highlighted how dangerous mining was until the second world war, and how gruesome some of the deaths were.

At that point my car started to run pretty hot in the city. The auxiliary fan had stopped working. Luckily, it was just a fuse and we had it up and running again quickly. It had obviously been running a lot as temperatures were starting to climb. I was seeing about 90C on the gauge before lunch. My electric can is modified to cut in mid 80s to ensure reasonable A/C performance with R134A.

Up until this point the scenery had been quite interesting. However, the first hour after Broken Hill was pretty monotonous. In addition, both 280CEs and my car were starting to feel the heat, so we had to maintain 110KM/H to keep temperatures around 100C. At this point, the white 280CE and my 450SLC could maintain 100C and have the A/C on. The green car was still cranking the heater to keep temperatures under control. The day was so hot that as soon as we stopped, coolant temperatures rose quickly due to the lack of air flow and water pump. At our stops during this part of the drive, you would see all three cars with bonnets open and electric fans running to try and keep temperatures reasonable. The 380SEC was completely unaffected, highlighting how good the W126 cooling system is. Certainly on 40+ days in Sydney I would normally drive a W126.

Eventually we arrived in Wilcannia. There was a real eerie feel about this town. It seemed almost deserted, like the residents had just picked up and left. Given we had a 200KM round trip to White Cliffs, we decided to fill up at the local BP. It was the strangest petrol station I have ever used. Down a lane in the back of town, it looked more like a junkyard with a petrol pump. You had to pre-pay your petrol in a kiosk while the lady running it eyed you off from a shipping container room. it was really expensive too.

From there, we started the final leg of our drive to White Cliffs. We stayed at the White Cliffs Underground Motel. A downside of this choice was that the room don’t have their own bathrooms, but the novelty of sleeping underground seemed worth it. The rooms didn’t disappoint, it really was quite a cool place.

We had dinner at the Hotel which was nice but quite expensive. After starting at 4AM, we were pretty tired and ready to retire to our caves for the night. Tomorrow is a 6:15AM start and the marathon 1,000KM drive to Sydney.

Today’s drive was long, but really good. It was such a different experience driving in the outback, from the road trains, to the scenery, to the vast expanses of emptiness in all directions. Totally different to driving in the USA or Europe, which I’ve done more than my own country!

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This event was interesting to me because not only have I never been to one of these events, I have never been to Adelaide either.    A ground of friends from the club had the same idea, and we figured not only would we go to the event, but make a really interesting road trip out of it.   We would get to participate in the event, see Adelaide and see some other parts of the country we have never seen before.

On the way there, we decided to hug the coast, all the way to Adelaide.  This would also allow us to do the Great Ocean Road, something I have always wanted to do.   For the return journey, we decided to take the route via Broken Hill and far western NSW.   The total route was about 3900km, not including any minor detours or driving at the National Rally venue.

Participating on our journey will be four cars.   We originally had five, but one of our group had to withdraw due to work commitments.     My 1977 450SLC will be the oldest (and the thirstiest).    On the trip we’ll also have two W123 280CE models (a 1978 and a 1981 model) and a 1983 380SEC.    My SLC is almost at 306,000, so I will likely roll over 310,000 not far from home at the end.   This will take me close to 50,000km on the car since I became its custodian.   I’ve recently been preparing the car for the trip and making sure I have a few essential spares.

In planning our route, we have tried to avoid driving at night.  I don’t want a repeat of the Kangaroo incident of last year!  In addition to our group, there is a larger contingent from the MBCNSW taking the more direct route to the event.

Day 1:  Sydney to Orbost

The first day will take us down the coast of NSW, starting with the Royal National Park, then through Kiama,  Nowra, Batemans Bay, Eden and then into Victoria.   I’ve never driven further south than Jervis Bay.   Once we cross the Victorian border, there are few towns until we get to our stop for the night in Orbost.    We’ll cover about 630km over about eight and a half hours of driving.   I expect the driving will be quite scenic with the route we have chosen.

Day 2: Orbost to Torquay

The second day will be our easiest day of driving, with only about 530km to cover.   On this day, we hug the coast again until we get to the Mornington Peninsula, where we take the car ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff.   I’ve never been to any part of this days route, and we will pass through coastal towns such as Port Albert.    We end our day in Torquay so we can do the Great Ocean road on day three.

Day 3: Torquay to Glenelg

The third day will be a more intense day of driving with a bit under 900km of driving.   We at sunrise with the Great Ocean road.   I’ve always wanted to do the Great Ocean Road, and doing it on a Friday in April should hopefully mean its not as busy as it gets during tourist season.   The Great Ocean road is well know outside Australia with sights such as the 12 apostles along the way.   Once we have done the Great Ocean road, we need to make good time to get to the National Rally.   There is a Welcome event in the evening that we would ideally arrive in time to attend.   Between the Great Ocean Road and Adelaide, we will hug the South Australian coast.

Day 4: National Rally Day 1

The first day of the National Rally includes a show and shine in the morning, a free afternoon and an evening experience.   The show and shine should be a great opportunity to see all the cars from South Australia and the other states I don’t normally get to see.   South Australia may also be feasible for intrepid owners from WA to make the trio across the Nullabor.   I’ll have to keep an eye out.

Day 5: National Rally Day 2

The second day of the National Rally starts with a morning drive, a catered lunch and then a farewell dinner in the evening.    I wonder if the official drive will be as picturesque as our route to the event?

Day 6: Glenelg to White Cliffs

Day six will take us through some remote areas of Australia.   We’ll leave Adelaide to the North via the Barrier Highway and head towards Broken Hill.   Once we get out on the open road we are really in the Australian outback and there are very few towns until we reach Broken Hill.   This day will take us around 815km, although with few towns average speeds will be higher.   I’ve always wanted to travel through real outback Australia, and this trip will give us a very small taste of it.    We’ll finish the day at the White Cliffs Underground motel.   Temperatures in White Cliffs are high all year round, so many residents live underground.   This keeps everything at a livable 22c.    I’ve always wanted to stay at one of the underground motels.

Day 7:  White Cliffs to Sydney

The final day has the largest distance to cover.   We’ll start in the outback and travel through towns like Cobar and Nyngan.   From there we’ll see the countryside getting greener and the population density grow as we pass near Dubbo, go through Mudgee and start getting closer to Sydney.   We’ll split up at Lithgow, as some of us will return home via Bells Line of Road and others via the Great Western Highway.   Mudgee is as far as I have gone in this direction, so a lot of this route will be new to me.

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