HI STAR, no i will not be able to visit again insurance is well loaded plus cash.as much as i would like to.as we have family in MELBOURNE and PERTH area. however knowing what can be dealt to anyone, never say never…dbp
THE SNAKE AND SHOVEL. trip
ONCE i had made all the arrangements for my trip, the day before i was to fly from GATWICK i received a email=do not forget your working boots ■■ i was already packed just under the baggage weight allowance i had to think what to do ,my working boots, i had not worked since 2002 they were my walking boots, all leather ,Vibram soles, well worn at least 6 years old been greased after every walk with the old [dubin] waterproof Vaseline for boots.
the only way out was to wear them throughout the flight luckily it was November here ,they were ok i slipped them off once airborne a bit warm in DUBI Transit but it solved a problem ,i did wonder why boots i was thinking maybe we would be doing some walking in the outback ,as i knew there was trip planned plus a ride in a KENWORTH .
NO one took any notice of my foot wear ,well when you see all the types of clothing in DUBI TRANSIT YOU COULD WEAR A CARBOARD BOX and it would be normal…i used to call them rag heads but that has changed to worse…i know you middle east men will have something to say but that is my opinion i came across lots of Arabs in the 1960s not as bum boat men trying to sell you tat at port said but trying to steal from your cabins .
Once arriving at PERTH i was taken to my nieces ,and stayed there for 3 days ,pleased to get the boots off.
C’mon peggydeckboy, I’m eagerly awaiting the next installment. 
This is home to the oka she is powered by a 4cy PERKINS PHASER 110HP it has been updated with a larger turbo 5 speed turner gear box badged Spicer NP transfer box and Spicer diffs
As you can see a fitter must have this space ,sat in a lot of ground with tame hand fed MAGPIES ,a small holding property ideal to start off my trip .
We arranged to meet Dave at a well know spot called HILLIARYS my niece and myself ,we were looking for a ex Aussie trucker, i said to my niece ring his mobile and i will go look in the restaurants and see who is chatting on the phone while we did that he was sitting 2 tables behind us he stood up and shouted my name and that was that ,within half a hour his wife and my niece were chocking on diesel fumes, after a couple of beers we were mates as if we had worked together and lot in common ,i have been know by family ,as they say i can [chops a lot] esp lorry talk i think i might have overdone it as we had another beer ,the 2 ladies went off lots to see at that place and it was roasting it was NOVEMBER.
.Arrangements were made that i would be picked up Sunday and start our trip however there was a surprise for me Sunday DAVE told me to put my boots ON .
I had packed a borrowed hold all ,i had no idea where we were going and how long for so it was socks and undies Tshirts etc and a coat as i was told it would get cold at night,i packed as if i was going to work for a week or morei had no idea if it was a ute with a back for sleeping
camper van or a car and sleeping on the ground in what i did know as a SWAG, for us uk men a swag is like a massive sports bag hold all that really is a outdoor sleeping bag like a old army sleeping bag with canvas outside and quilt inside i used one when cabbing it in the CRUSADER .PRE 1980.
Ihad no idea about the OKA i had never heard of them.
Dave picked me up around 9am and i can tell you i was really looking forward to this ,in all my years i was nearly always in control where i went or what i did ,this time nothing ,it felt sort of strange .we drove out of the PERTH ,I was all eyes we pulled on to a industrial estates stopped out side a place Dave got out and said wait there a minute later he shouted me to come on over the gate opened and my mouth dropped i had never seen so many massive KENWORTH trucks in all my life, trailers, dollies, I thought PULLENS and BOWKERS had some set up but this was like[really] usual transport yard blokes shouting, fork lift about etc i had no idea why we were there .
Dave said follow me we went into a transport office and i met the boss one of DAVES OLD MATES MR BISHOP. after introductions we soon got down to lorry talk and i was off again mostly about EUROPE ,THE PREVIOUS CUSTOMS,ETC they had no idea what EUROPEAN HAULAGE was like i did stress i never did middle east as the were the real pioneers and only started euro in 1982 .but learnet quickly.
he then said i have a bit of bad news for you ,you were going with one of our drivers this afternoon for a trip up north and DAVE was going to meet you the next day and carry on with your trip however things had changed and the run is off,f so one minute i was up then bump down again [thats transport ] i said no problem thank you anyway ,he said when you get back you come here and we will take you out for a day run in a truck ,that was fair enough.
Leaving the PERTH suburbs’ we were soon into a different country side, very green looking and hilly, you would catch a glimpse of the odd house ,they looked out of place in the middle of what they call the ["bush "the only other bush i new was kate bush ,and one other??]
we were making our way to BULLBROOK Dave’s area , before we turned off the main road we pulled in a massive area ,it was the area where all the triple road trains drop there trailers and deliver only one trailer it was a marshalling yard, with hard surface ,apparently all citys and towns have such a place for transport it all was well ordered parking just like a truck stop it is where they make there triple trailers up for the long hauls ,distances far beyond our comprehension
.The ministry men in AUSTRIALER are called [MERMAIDS]
[I have no idea how a Australian driver that is employed are paid ,by the trip, or hour, or monthly , do they get a pension ,sick pay i realise that every one is not on long haul and most just pull one trailer and do the same as us do here these are questions i forgot to ask when i was out there.]
When we turned off the main road it did not take long before the tarmac started to look as if it been done as a after thought and the road got narrow and we were heading up in to the bush ,we turned off again and it was a dirt track road we stopped at a double bar gate i jumped out opened them dave shouted make sure you shut them we dont want the dogs to get out, bloody hell dogs, im ok with some but any big ones they get my respect i would have to wait to see what they were.
ARRIVING at Dave’s property from the road into the lane [middle photo] i could not believe the size of the place, you could have ran a large haulage company from the premises it had massive water tanks to fight any bush fires ,a typical Aussie home stead build by his self awife/son and daughter, over a number of years a credit to anyone.
i was welcomed by the dogs ,lots of sniffing but i was ok ,one looked a bit le a dingo, a cold drink was at hand, and it was good to get out of the heat ,b one of my thoughts were i hope we do not brake down in the middle of nowhere in this heat, but then i put that aside ,Dave is a mechanic he knows every nut and bolt of the OKA also all the supply’s, food and water i just relaxed and took it all in.
Previous photos part of DAVES property also the ministry men are called [MERMAID SCALIES
The OKA was all loaded up ,we were well fed, i assumed we would be cooking our own food it was well equipped for that,i think that could well be my role .
went went from Daves place to TOOJAY via the road through the JULIMAR FOREST distance around 70ks then TOOJAY to NUNGARIN via GOMALIN TRAYIN KUNAANOPIN, just short of NNANGARRIN our first camp 200ks .
THERE i had my first instruction of what to do and not to do while in the outback ,i must say it was a bit like ,[am i going to like this ]in the middle of nowhere not another person or houses around ,we did a scenario if anything happen to Dave what i was to do ,know my direction via the sun if out etc N.S.E W. i have always liked maps and can read a map if given coordinates, learn to use the C.B. RADIO I had never had one or used one in the UK it was not my scene
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The setting up the OKA, always park facing the way you want to get out, [like with the trucks i would never back in a parking area so as to back out ] lifting the roof up by a socket winding gear ,positioning wedges under the front wheel, finding where everything is ,setting up the petrol genni ,[ run the cable leading through a compartment with all the electrics sockets,] clear of fire hazard material far enough away from the oka and secure it with a metal stake in the ground ,there are so many compartments within the body work it was like being back on the trucks ,everything you would think of DAVE HAS completely self sufficient nice fold down table and chairs, all locked up secured for the night everything is put away ,we both also had mobile phones ,but to have back up was important ,also we had a good medical kit yes i know it sound a bit over the top but believe me it was not .i was the same when i was on my own in the truck i would have food for a week plus i would buy and make stews fresh cabbage etc all the vegs fresh as i used a small pressure cooker. all bits of medical stuff ,cooker gas water just like most of us had esp outside chairs
The spare wheel was on a swing swivel on the rear,as seen on the first photo, all solid steel nothing flimsy what so ever and sticking out of the top was a long handled shovel covered in a leather snood, which Dave told me it was one of the most important bit of kit we had with us .first it was for clearing all around your site ,and most important you took it with you if you wanted to have a little wander around [which i never did on my own] also toilets… you used the shovel to clear a area if you wanted to squat and to clear up after by burying .also you stayed within sight and sound of the camp and told each other what you were going to do and keep you boots on at all times out side from the cab .
I had never seen such fast- country side absolutely useless for crops ,grazing , just nothing , just like some of the hillsides in SPAIN dry and barren ,there were signs that people had been around where we stopped as old tyre ruts gave it away dave reckoned that for a few dollars you can but a prospectors licence in certain areas and dry pan for GOLD or use metal detectors .
ONCE I managed to wake up after a very good sleep Dave had the whistling Kettle on full bore ,the breakfast was ready Weetabix with ice cold milk ,not bad for a first one for me ,i washed up inside sink, flip flops off, boots on ready to go out side and start the pack up there was a order to that and i just did what i was asked ,winding the roof down,getting the jenny ready for storage it was just like when on the trucks getting squared away.last think for me was to make sure nothing was left behind as to show where we had been ,then the shovel was put back in its pole position on the spare wheel sticking up we were ready to strike of towards MERRADIN .
Both DAVES parents lived there originally[Merradin] sadly they are both in the cemetery there we stopped for a while.
we were making for KALLGORI VIA SOUTHEREN CROSS to look at the old gold field workings and then on to Kalgoorlie mine via the gravel road to ORA BANDI the gravel road is some experience all red type of clay that gets leveled by graders that we d came across Dave was on the C.B to the drivers of the graders and they talk you round as there are about 3 machines all working together different sides .
Bewick:
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An MAP Bulker hard at work in the wheat fields of the Ukraine yesterday !
Dennis is that really in the Ukraine, funny enough 9 out of the 10 Scania’s we have just replaced ended up over there doing the same job, Cheers Buzzer
Instigated primarily by Andy Burnham’s proposed implementation of the Greater Manchester clean air zone’s prohibitive charges , a friend of mine recently arrived at the conclusion that pulling her tripe out for buttons didn’t appear to be entirely conducive to a prosperous future, and correspondingly sold her 6 cu metre 2014 plate mixer truck .
The vehicle was equipped with some form of tracking device evidently , which remained in the vehicle after it was sold .
Several weeks following the sale , the lady received a notification from whoever operates the tracking system to say that the truck was in some unpronounceable place or other halfway across Ukrania .
As it was an ex - Hanson concrete mixer , I very much doubt that it would be used for harvesting grain , but with the drum removed and a fifth wheel attached……who knows ?
Buzzer:
Bewick:
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An MAP Bulker hard at work in the wheat fields of the Ukraine yesterday !Dennis is that really in the Ukraine, funny enough 9 out of the 10 Scania’s we have just replaced ended up over there doing the same job, Cheers Buzzer
Aye John I believe they are bringing the last load back for Weetabix 
contd.
The area around the ora bandi pub was just like a old wild west salon type place,covered in dust [not open] old barrels showing the parking area as large as a football pitch,it was just west off the GOLD FIELDS HIGHWAY on the coolgardie north road, north of coolgardie west of KALGOORLIE Dave went a bit off route to show me what the old type of “truck stops” were like also if you like dust that is the road to be on how the drivers put up with it is another story that road is still used by the odd cattle truck but mostly tourist
BACK ON TARMAC,to be honest i had seen enough of the real off road [tracks] that is what they were, with a barrel left where a turnoff to a [station] cattle ranch or a mine site will be ,just like the middle east drivers had to use so i read.
Old road signs all shot up ,no one around ,no point staying so we made tracks ,
The roads seem to be endless ,you look far into the horizon and the track ROADS just peters out to nothing,one sign i did see said next service 100 ks,[i might be getting our timeline/route a bit out of line] but i did not write it all down at the time.
we were heading along the Great eastern highway
The time we spent at the KALGOORI mine was like looking in to one of the wonders of the world it made you feel so high up, but it was the other way round ,like looking to the depths of the earth the massive dumper trucks looked like little dinkie toys it was difficult to count them as they were all following each other up like a massive snake working their way to the top. we were the only 2 people at the site viewing area and the other viewing center was closed where i think you went closer to the machines that both of us would have liked, i made do with what i had seen however ,yes the ice cream van was there,true…in fact the drive up to the visitors center is very steep you needed a crawler
On our way down the GOLD FIELDS highway towards KAMBALDA i was amazed to see a massive LAKE lake "lefory "small yachts were sailing around it was sort of surreal after the heat and dust not 3 hours before,we also had a feed from a outfit called RED ROOSTER.yes guess what their product was ,DAVE also had the air con working while sitting eating [result]
I did not realise we were heading into the wheat growing area until after a drive of some distance i could see like massive blue coloured type structures in the distance i was a loss as what they were and DAVE said wait until we got close , and it was worth the wait it was massive, i mean massive mounds of wheat,covered in tarps they must have been at lest half a kilometer long and the height was as high as 60foot at least [a guess] but i could imagine a 40ft and 20ft container on their end it looked about right, ,you could not see the width of the mounds how they did it i do not know but remarkable all for export, normally wheat is stored in massive concrete towers,the port of ALBANY is about due south around a 1,000 ks from where we where at the moment a long way off it is one of the main grain export ports on the southern coast.
we were heading south it was getting time to find somewhere to camp away from any noise and secure you would think that you would be able to just run off the tarmac road into the bush and just park where you like not so [ if you went in there the truck would be a mess ] there are big drain ditches running each side of the road like storm drains and bush every where .
Another thing i had not seen one animal, cattle, sheep, nothing and not one wild animal i thought i would have seen a kangaroo ,not even road side crows.it was getting close to dusk so parking was essential luckily a lay -bye that you could drive through and in to the bush clearing came up DAVE drove well in so no road noise,it looked as if it was a old mine area
as piles of tailings were scattered around in fact there was like a circle of flat hard packed sand surrounded by tailings it looked so flat as if it had been polished ,strange,
We started setting the camp up getting the jenny away but chained to a bush ,roof up ,nearly ready and i said to DAVE i have to take the shovel ,he knew what i meant and he said do not wander off beyond those tailings.
Once i had got settled in to a squat, i can tell you i was not happy as you can only see in front of you not behind so i was banging the shove all around me [good job i was used to the SPANISH and ITALIEN loos] to deter me thinking scorpions, snakes, believe me your mind plays tricks on you .
I had just about settled down ,a out of the blue i hear this scream shout VIC, VIC,get HERE QUICK,bring the shovel QUICK
with shorts half up and down i run over to DAVE AND HE SHOUTED ,STOP DONT MOVE,he is stood right by his door to the cab with his legs apart ,he said, that i did slowly hand me the shovel by the handle,he takes it and lifts it up high and in one swift movement makes a chopping movement between his boots ,there was this now cut in half pure black snake not that big but deadly if bitten,he was lucky.
That was it for me no more squatting i did not need to go after that ,what i did not know until last week reading on trucknet that he had had a similar experience years ago i am glad he did not tell me before we left as i do not think i would have went on the out back trip that we were on.but i was then well hyped up.