Being on the other side of the World, on the other side of the road, on the other side of the car and changing gear with your other hand is an adventure in itself. At least I like to think so. Luckily for me it was a Moke! Yes, an adventure because don’t forget I live in the Netherlands, a small country with approximately the same amount of inhabitants as Australia, which is the size of Europe. And you really have to look hard to find a dirt road over here.
I am pleased to say that thanks to Smokey, I was able to make the Moke Round Up into an International event. Anyway, for me it all started on the Tuesday in Port Stevens. We followed a beautiful scenic route to Tamworth. The Country and Western Music Centre of Australia.
The next morning, after a bacon/egg roll and a drivers meeting, we were on our way to Bendemeer. At a certain moment we turned left and the first cattle grid took me totally by surprised . The rest of the road was what you call interesting. Which side of the hole is the best way to go or a wheel at each side? I had never driven on a road like this. But it was a fast learning curve. This was by far the most difficult road of the week, well not quite.
The Wednesday hot en dusty and by contrast the Thursday was wet and muddy. I opted out on the water dips route and travelled on the tarmac, sorry bitumen, road to Quirindi. After lunch the question was bitumen or mud... Mud of course. The rain had stopped when we turned onto another dirt road, we past a sign which said something like: only passable when dry. I was the fifth car when I turned the corner. Almost immediately I came to a standstill, yes in the mud. Luckily I was not the only one.
On Friday the weather was fine and there was a excellent picnic lunch in the Warrabah National Park provided. On the way out of the park I was not sure where I was going and said so on the radio. I understood that I had to turn around, ...rocks on one side, valley on the other...but I managed. Then the Mokes that had followed me appeared....no I was on the right track anyway and had to do it all over again. When I joined the rest of the group they welcomed me with applause.
Nundle was the destination for the Saturday. We stopped at the Sheba dam for the view and another photo session and visited the Hanging Rock lookout, before we went into the old mining town for lunch. Via yet another fantastic route we returned to Moke Centre. That evening we visited the Look Out for a beautiful sunset.
The Sunday morning quite a few people were loading there Moke on trailers for the long haul back home. The rest left for another visit to the Look out. From there we left for the Tourist Information Centre. Being in Tamworth, a visit the Golden Guitar is compulsory.
Approaching a roundabout I was so focused on a enormous lorry from the right that I went straight on. I noticed my mistake made a u-turn and followed the information signs. Not having the radio on I was unaware of the conversation about me missing the turn. There I said goodbye to Smokey, who decided to travel on into the outback. After lunch there was a last opportunity for a tour and of course I joined.
The Monday morning was a lot quieter. The remainder of the group was packing. After I said me goodbyes. Woody and I left Moke Centre for the trip back to Port Stevens. A fantastic adventure had come to an end. A great thank you to the organisers, but also to the participants. It was wonderful to be part of such a fantastic company. The Moke RoundUp was the highlight of my stay in Australia. And a special thank you for Smokey, who trusted me to use his Moke for a week. Do I want to do it again? Yes Please!!!
Topic: (International) Moke RoundUp (Read 1172 times)