Marcus Wilson’s Blog

The night was VERY cool, and we both regretted the decision to not put a tarp over the swags. A frost had descended on the valley during the night and everything was frozen. Opening the swag was like bending cardboard. Getting the fire going was a challenge, but there was one cool element. As we had breakfast and watched the sunlight slowly come into the valley, we witnessed steam rise from all that was frozen… the swags, the Zook & the Jeep… very cool to watch.

Frozen Jeep!

Frozen Grass!

To be honest, I did not have a good night. My tooth was killing me… the pain was extreme…. pain killers where no longer working. I was more frustrated than pissed off.

I was using a bit more fuel than I had anticipated and I was just a little concerned about making the whole trip on one tank. So I suggested to Kim we head out to get some fuel. The plans that were in place we scrapped and we decided to see where the road takes us.

We waited a little while for our swags to dry out, then packed up and left the Poplars. I don’t think I’ll return.

We started to make our way to Suggan Buggan, where we thought there was some fuel.

On the the way to Suggan Buggan

On the way to Suggan Buggan

Awesome tracks in the Victorian High Country!

The trip to Suggan Buggan was uneventful (accept for my bloody tooth ache). We arrived to find no fuel. I must have got my wires crossed. Kim then had the outstanding idea of continuing to Jindabyne, find some cheap accommodation, find out what the weather forecast was like and make plans from there… awesome idea!!! We were both in need of a shower and a good nights sleep.

Along the road to Jindabyne which more or less followed the Snowy River we came across a great lookout to have some lunch… and more of that awesome Blue Tongue Ginger Beer.

View of Snowy River from lunch stop on Snowy River Road.

We continued to Jindabyne, stopping at another lookout which had information about the 2003 fires which devastated the area.

The view from Snowy River Rd, somewhere between Suggan Buggan & Jindabyne.

Some locals on the way to Jindabyne

On arrival in Jindabyne we topped up on fuel and endeavoured to find some cheap accommodation. We had no luck, it was not the ski season so the places we drove past at East Jindabyne were all closed. Kim suggested we continue to Berridale, we might have better luck there.

On arrival at Berridale we come across this small motel with a note on the office door. We first tried the B&B next door, but they did not answer. So I rang the number that was on the office door of the hotel. The owner was in Sydney, but said the keys to room one should be in the door. We could have that, just leave $65.00 in the room when you leave….. I could not believe that. How trusting!!!!… and it was cheap!!!

The room had 4 single bunks and a double bed. Kim was kind enough to take one of the bunks and left me the bed (Thanx Kim!). The room had basic facilities… tea & coffee, TV, heater and and big shower!!

We both got ourselves all cleaned up (after 3 days without one, the shower was awesome!!)… but we continued the camping element by heating up dinner on the gas cooker. We uploaded our photos to my laptop and had a look at those.

I we saw the weather outlook for the next week… and it was not good. Nothing but rain was forecast for the coast. We decided we should quite while we were ahead and head home the next day. If it was not for my tooth, I would have suggested we find something to do for the next couple of days…. but I needed to get to a dentist, I was in agony.

I then got stuck into the Cowboy cask I bought for the trip, and Kim got stuck into a bottle of red wine. Not to long after I was on the pissed side of tipsy, and the pain from the tooth ache was less annoying.

I don’t remember much after that

…………to be continued.

I first woke… I’m guessing at about 5am. The bladder was not happy, so I stumbled my way out of the swag… and what a gorgeous site I found.

I hate mornings

This is the 'early in the morning, sick of the rain' version of Kim.

A slightly damp camp on the morning of Day 3

Stunning views... but very, very naughty of us to drive on this grass, I found out afterwards.

I think this is the crossing at Charlies Creek.

A collection of wood for the nights stay at The Poplars.

Waiting for the Bendigo 4WD Club to go by... a 13 vehicle convoy.

The shitter at The Poplars... say 'Hi' Kim!! (yes, she was in there!!)

Camp site at The Poplars

Enjoying a few cold ones before dinner.

I awoke quite anxious to get going… I just wanted to get there, but at the same time I would have quite happily stayed to hang out with Tubby for a bit longer… but we had to make tracks.

We said our goodbyes, chucked some fuel in the Zook and made our way to Cooma.

I liked Cooma… it seems to have this tranquillity about it that oozed niceness! We stopped here to pick up our final lot of necessities, like bread, veggies etc. I forgot to bring a pillow, so I purchased a new triangle one, with a black pillow slip. Considering we were going into the High Country, I had to have the proper head gear, so I got myself an oilskin stockmans hat… and I love it!!!!

We said goodbye to Cooma and made our way to Jindabyne where I topped up with fuel. We had lunch next to Lake Jindabyne, where we heard a strange noise coming from the back of the Zook… my heart dropped. We decided to have lunch then head back to town to see if there was a mechanic about. We went back to the servo were I fuelled up, and by the time we arrived, the noise had stopped. The guy from the servo seemed to know what he was talking about, and after having a look underneath, he could not see anything obviously wrong… so we decided to go for it anyway!

We took a drive through Thredbo, and I must say it’s a lot smaller than I imagined. I though it was this huge thriving town… but it’s tiny, and to tell you the truth, really did not do much for me. I imagined a shit load of people all crammed into this small space… and I did not have nice thoughts. However, as I have never experienced proper snow, I think I may force myself to make the journey there during this coming winter… just so I can say I have been to the snow!

The noise from the back of the Zook reared it’s ugly again, but I decided to march on! Luckily I have not heard it since. I’ve put it down to a stone or other foreign matter in the rear brake drum.

We left Thredbo behind and made our way via the Alpine Way to Tom Groggin. We stopped here to let the brakes cool after the decent from Thredbo. We said hello to a Kangaroo, had a drink, grabbed some fire wood and went to find the crossing of the mighty Murray River.

Gday Skip!!

After one wrong turn, we eventually found the crossing of the Murray River. Ever since I have been into 4WD’ing I have wanted to do this, you could say it’s one of my ‘bucket list’ entries! So as I approached the water, I took a quick moment to take it all in and see what the depth was like. The water looked refreshing and so inviting… but my purpose was to drive across the mighty Murray!!! At first it looked a little deep, but al the advise I had previous assured me it would be all good… so I made sure I was in 2nd gear, low range and dived in!!!  What a thrill. Simply the most fantastic water crossing I have done, over taking the crossing of the Kowmung River many years earlier. I was now in Victoria.

After the crossing I grabbed the camera to catch Kim & her Jeep do the crossing, which she achieved with no dramas at all. I really wanted some pics of my crossing from the front… Kim agreed to take them, so I had to cross the Murray AGAIN to get back to NSW so I could cross the Murray AGAIN so Kim could take some pictures. AWSOME!!!! 

Approaching the Murray River crossing.

Kim crossing the Murray River

On my return to NSW.

On the way back to Victoria

Any deeper and I'd be worried!

Nice bow wave!

On interesting think I did note… on the Victoria side of the crossing there are signs warning you that the crossing could be deep and to check the depth before crossing. Nothing at all like that on the NSW side. It’s a good representation of how NSW runs things and how Victoria does it… and Victoria obviously has some clue, while the NSW govt (now and past) have no idea at all! (That’s just my humble opinion).

Signs on the Victoria side of the crossing.

After the excitement of the crossing it was time to head to Davies Plains Hut, the destination for the first camping spot of the trip. It was an uneventful drive there. Some steep driving requiring  1st gear-low range… nice stuff, I love that sort of driving.

We arrived at Davies Plains Hut about 3.30 – 4pm. I fell in love with this area right away. I could have camped for a week or more. This was my first experience with a Snowy Mountains Hut… I was not sure what to expect.. but I was astounded at the beauty. Thank christ that it’s so remote. I’d hate to think what would happen to a place like this if those ‘arsehole’ vandals from the city ever made there way in here.

The area is a huge flat grassy area, ideal for camping. There is the hut of course, as well as a whole in the ground toilet and a few pre-designated fire places. I liked the fire places. They have a circle of rocks cemented on the ground with a device hanging over the top that includes a hot plate and hooks to hang billys from at different heights. I’ve never seen anything like that in NSW!

There was only one other lot of campers here, so we decided to set up our camping spot at the furthest fire place from them. First thing to do was to collect some fire wood and get the fire going. We then set up the rest of the camp, heated up some dinner, had a beer… and relaxed while we listened to the thunder and watched the lightning in the distance. I could feel it in my bones… we where going to be in for a wet night! Then the rain came…. it was not a downpour, but it was constant. We called it a night. S et up the swags and bunked down for the evening. I watched a few episodes of Heroes on my media player and then drifted off to sleep… listening to the rain……..

Davies Plains Hut

…… to be continued.

Easter Friday… YAY!!

The first day was more or less used with getting closer to the High Country. Good friend Tubby and his wife Linda where going to be in Canberra, visiting Festi Stu. So I decided this would be a good time to catch up with Tubby and finally get to meet his lovely wife.

After battling the outgoing traffic from Sydney I met Kim at the Pheasants Nest servo. We got some supplies for lunch and continued our way south.

I decided that we would break up the trip to Canberra by calling into a place called Charleyong. This is a lovely camping spot on the banks of the Shoalhaven River, not far from Braidwood. We stopped here for a relaxing lunch and the first of the Blue Tongue Ginger Beer….yum!

Lunch at Charleyong, on the banks of the Shoalhaven River

Although this area does not have the best camping, as the soil is very sandy and there is not any real grass to talk of, this area has become very popular. There were plenty of families camping here. I cant wait to go back.

After lunch we continued the trek south to Canberra via a piss-stop in Braidwood.

We arrived at Festi Stu’s at about 3.30pm to find Stu in the final act of washing his Discovery. We made a quick trip to the local bottle-o to get some grog for the evening and then waited for Tubby & Linda to arrive. Before long Tubby & Linda showed and the beer started to flow… and flow it did! Soon after Stu’s other half Ceaser arrived home and it was time to head out for dinner.

We booked a Mutli-Taxi and made our way to the Helenic Club for dinner. It was not as busy as I though it would be as we got seated right away. We ate, drank and get more merry as the time passed… accept I held back as I did not want to be hung over with a big drive the next day.

Kim & Linda acting the fool at the Helenic Club.

Festi Stu never ceases to amaze me with some of the stories he tells. This particular evening I got to be part of one.

To get back to Festi Stu’s place we were forced to get two Taxi’s. Kim & I shared a cab with Festi… The driver was a cool bloke! As we approached one corner to make a right hand turn, the lights turned orange… Festi said “Floor it mate, she’ll be right!” The driver floored it!! The way it flowed, it was soooo funny!!! I guess you had to be there

On our return, more bevies flowed and then there was an attempt to watch Slum Dog Millionaire. I was knackered and really wanted to be refreshed for the next day, so I called it a night… quite early by my standards. Kim also called it a night, and we both crawled into our respective swags in Festi’s back room. Before I knew it I was in the land of the Z’ds.

As a member of the Suzuki 4WD Club I have seen plenty of pics and trip reports of members trips to the Victorian High Country. The scenery has always looked marvellous and been something I have wanted to lay my own eyes on. The huts are something that I have been particularly interested in seeing.

I decided that before I move to Tassie, that it’s something I should do. So I did!

At first I wanted to go by myself, but knew in the back of my mind it was not the best idea, but I certainly did not want to be part of a large group. I started to think about who may want to come along.

My first thought was someone who I had worked with at UUNet many years ago, and who I had recently made contact with via FaceBook. Kim had recently bought a 4WD (a Jeep Wrangler) and she had been hassling me for ages about when we were going 4WD’ing. So Kim was first cab of the rank with the ‘Do you want to go to the High Country‘ question. It was a spur of the moment thing… I really was not expecting the positive response I received. Kim was thrilled with the opportunity!

At first I planned to just take a couple of days off after Easter, but then we both figured it would be better take the whole week off and really make a trip of it.

Over the next few months a had to get the Zook ready. What had prevented me from going camping over the past few years is the fact I have sleep apnoea and I use a CPAP machine while sleeping, hence I need power! So the first thing I needed to do was sort out a power source from the Zook. This meant a second battery and an inverter.

Good mate Darran helped out with the installation of the second battery. As the only logical place it could go was behind the drivers seat on the floor, it required that the draw behind the drivers seat had to be shortened to leave space for the top of the battery to pop out of the fake floor.

The draw gets shorter to make way for the 2nd battery.

Darran installing 2nd battrey into the Zook.

I then was lucky enough to source a 1000w inverter at a VERY good price (Thanx Squik!). This gave me more than enough 240v power to run CPAP machine, a fridge and still be able to charge my laptop, camera and blue tooth headphones. I love technology!

Next on the agenda was some new shoes for Zook. The old Goodyear Wranglers had given me many good years of service, but they had to be replaced. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd then announced that just about all of us would be getting some ’stimulus package’ dollars… sweet!! That will pay for new shoes for the Zook. So I had a budget of $900 for 5 new tyres… the research did begin with earnest.

After a few weeks of phone calls to many tyre retailers, I finally found some good tyres that where within my budget. I really would have preferred another set of Goodyear Wranglers, but no one would budge towards a good price. Everyone had them for around $240 each, which was beyond the ‘Rudd Bucks’ budget. I eventually settled on some Cooper Discoverer ATR’s for $199 each. So, for only an extra $100 on top of the Rudd Bucks I could get the 5 new tyres. SWEET!!! These were fitted the weekend before the big trip.

New shoes for the Zook.

After renewing some worn out or lost camping gear, and borrowing a car fridge (Thanx Pagie!) I was finally ready!

Kim and I had during this time been mainly communicating via email and had agreed on the proposed route… so everything was just about ready!! Only thing that remained was the all important beverages to consume…oh, and some food!

……to be continued

Yes… it’s been a while.. but I’ve been a very busy lad.

I’ve been fishing, I’ve been to Tuff Truck and about to head to the Victorian High Country, Bendethera, Yawal and the Easter Show!!!

I promise when I get back, all will be revealed!

See ya soon!

Had not heard this one for a while… it poped up on my MP3 player today, and really hit home.

I’ll let the Lyrics speak for themselves… enjoy!

Ozzy Osbourne – I Don’t Wanna Stop

I don’t know what they’re talking about
I’m making my own decisions
This thing that I found ain’t gonna bring me down
I’m like a junkie without an addiction

Mama don’t cry I just wanna stay high
I like playing with danger and fear
Everybody’s walkin’ but nobody’s talkin’
It looks a lot better from here

All my life I’ve been over the top
I don’t know what I’m doing all I know is I don’t wanna stop
All fired up, I’m gonna go ’til I drop
You’re either in or in the way, don’t make me I don’t wanna stop

Why don’t they ever listen to me
It’s just a one way conversation
Nothing they say is gonna set me free
Don’t need no mental masturbation

Too many religions but only one god
I don’t need another saviour
Don’t try to change my mind
You know I’m one of a kind
Ain’t gonna change my bad behaviour

All my life I’ve been over the top
I don’t know what I’m doing all I know is I don’t wanna stop
All fired up, I’m gonna go ’til I drop
You’re either in or in the way, don’t make me I don’t wanna stop
All my life I’ve been over the top
I don’t know what I’m doing all I know is I don’t wanna stop
All fired up, I’m gonna go ’til I drop
You’re either in or in the way, don’t make me I don’t wanna stop

I don’t wanna stop
I don’t wanna stop
I don’t wanna stop
I don’t wanna stop
I don’t wanna stop
I don’t wanna stop
I don’t wanna stop

[SOLO]

All my life I’ve been over the top
I don’t know what I’m doing all I know is I don’t wanna stop
All fired up, I’m gonna go ’til I drop
You’re either in or in the way, don’t make me I don’t wanna stop
All my life I’ve been over the top
I don’t know what I’m doing all I know is I don’t wanna stop
All fired up, I’m gonna go ’til I drop
You’re either in or in the way, don’t make me I don’t wanna stop

With the arrival of the Queen Mary 2 in Sydney Harbour this morning, it reminded me of the day when both the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Elizabeth 2 arrived in the harbour on the same day.

I was fortunate enough to catch a ferry that got me right in the think of the action as the QE2 arrived… was a thrilling experinace.

Here are some pictures of the occasion.

You can find the rest at: http://photo.upzook.com

Queen Elizabeth 2

Queen Elizabeth 2

Queen Elizabeth 2

Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Sydney 2000

Queen Mary 2

Queen Mary 2

Queen Elizabeth 2 at Circular Quay

After getting back from Hobart at Christmas, I was really eager to get back there at some stage. But I never thought I’d be going back this quick!!

It turned out that brother Davids birthday fell on a Sat… Sat 31st Jan. I had a chat to Emma (Davids girlfriend) about what their plans were. She said a BBQ at a friends place was planned. I thought to myself… what the hell!!! Flights are so cheap, why not head down for the weekend and surprise David for his birthday! A plan was hatched with Emma & cousin Leigh.

The day arrives… so I plan which trains will get me to the airport on time… but the train breaks down, and I’m stuck on it… no phone reception either… not happy. 20mins I sit there, in a train I cant get out of.. watching my non-refundable airfare to Hobart slip out of my fingers.

After 20mins the train eventually starts moving again. I finally get thru to Jetstar and tell them of my dilemma. They tell me that check-in has closed for that flight. I’m getting angry by now. I arrive at the airport and get to the Jetstar help desk a good 15mins before the aircraft is due to depart… but they tell me I’m too late. Then, to dig the knife in further, a couple who were also late arrive at the help desk, but because they had checked in, where told to hurry to the boarding area!!! I am fucking furious. I’m told there is nothing they can do.

The thing that pissed me off the most was the fact that if they ‘wanted to’ they could of bent the rules just a little to ensure that one of their ‘customers’ got to where they needed to go. The simple fact that I felt like I was treated like a piece of trailer trash was what made me angry. Instead, I’m given some bullshit excuse that the fuel load has already been established and pilots don’t like to change it!! So, they are trying to tell me they only put enough fuel in the aircraft to fly from point A to point B with no allowance for emergencies… what if the aircraft gets nice and close to Hobart and find they have to divert to Launceston because of some issue at Hobart? “Ladies and Gentleman, this is your Captain speaking. Because of <insert what ever reason here> at Hobart airport, we have to ditch in the Derwent because there is not enough fuel to fly to Launceston. Lets all hope I can fly as good as that guy in New York the other week”… total bullshit. So, not only did they treat me like shit, but they lied to me as well!!! I was then told that for an extra $36 they would put me on their next flight to Hobart… at 6.30pm that evening…. getting me to Hobart at 8.30pm… no bloody good. Might as well have stuck my tail between my legs and went home.

I walked across to Virgin and they had a flight in an hours time…. $430 one way!!! I then went to Qantas, and they offered me a flight at 2.30pm, but would go via Melbourne, and would not get me to Hobart until 7pm… not good. Back to Virgin I went and handed over my credit card

I arrive in Hobart in a better mood.. simply because I was there… loooove Hobart!!! Cousin Leigh picks me up and drops me outside Davids place. David has no idea I’m there, so I ring him to wish him a happy birthday etc, and tell me that I had arranged a special something that Leigh has left on his front doorstep… IT WAS ME!!!!!!!… he had totally no idea!!! I love surprises!! Happy Birthday Davo!!!

After David got over the shock, it was present time. First of all was some photos I had enlarged from my trip down there at Christmas. Secondly, as David is a bit of a Triple J freak…. I organised to get a Triple J shirt signed by most of the presenters on the J’s. David loved it, he thought it was ‘filthy’!!!

Davos JJJ shirt.. FILTHY!!!

It was then time to head to the BBQ which was being held at friends of David… Rob & Kristy. On the way we picked up one of David’s good mates, Ty. We diverted via the shops to get some supplies, and then headed to the bottle’o.

I decided that I was going to have a quite one, like I always do, so I figured a 6 back of Cougar and coke would more than do me for the arvo/evening. When I entered the bottle’o, I thought I might add a Mudslide to the order. I picked up the Cougar, found the Mudslide… but what’s this I have spied??? It’s a 2 litre cask of Cowboy for $25.00!!!! With no hesitation what so ever, the Mudslide was ditched for the cask of Cowboy. I walked out very happy with my purchase. David thought it was ‘Filthy’!! lol. Does not look like I’ll be having a quite night after all

In the back of the Kombie on the way to the BBQ.

I was very nervous about the impended evening…. Having not met any of Davids friends before, and being a bit older, I was thinking that I might not fit in.. or maybe considered an intruder… all sorts of things where going thru my head. I really had no idea how I would be accepted. My fears were soon turned to mush.

As we were one of the first to arrive, I got to be introduced to everyone has they arrived, which made things a lot easier. All of Davids friends are amazing people. I was welcomed into the group with open arms, and made some great new friends.

View from Rob & Kristy's place.... supurb!!

We drank, played cricket, listened to cool tunes, ate abalone, played more cricket and then, after I finished my last can of Cougar & Coke…. The cask of cowboy came out. It was all downhill from there… but it was fun!!! How far can you get the gooney bag away from ones mouth without missing!! For some, it was not far at all, and for others…well, lets just say that Cowboy up the nose does not work (does it Dave?).

David loosing some of the cowboy after the 'nose incident'.

Overall I had a fantastic time and was well worth the bullshit and cost it took to get down there. I would do it all again in a heart beat! I am now even more looking forward to moving to Tassie. With all these new friends to get to know… I can see my transition to life in Tassie is going to be much easier that expected. A big thank you to all Davo’s friends for welcoming me into the fold, you are all champions!! Also a big thank you goes out to Rob & Kristy for your hospitality…. you are wonderful people.

Heaps of new friends!

After getting the supplies I decided to make a detour on the way to the concert have and a closer look at the Captain Cook Memorial Jet.  Very impressive.

Captain Cook Memorial Jet

Captain Cook Memorial Jet

At 5pm I arrived at the concert on the lawns at the front of Parliament House. I contacted Natalie, a colleague from the ABC who had organised the ticket for me. Along with Natalie’s daughter and a few others from the ABC, we were in the ‘mosh pit’ right in front of the stage. Awesome spot!

Front row at Australia Day Concert, Canberra.

The evening was a little slow going with lots of breaks between acts. The line up of act included:

• Trial Kennedy
• Lovers Electric
• Jessica Mauboy
• Natalie Bassingthwaighte
• Dan Kelly & The Ukeladies
• Wendy Matthews
• Gurrumul
• Brian Cadd
• John Schumann and the Vagabond Crew

Of course is was all about Natalie Bassingthwaighte for me… I guess it’s the groupie in me coming out. Her music, voice and looks… could be the new Kylie!!! (but there will only ever be one Kylie!!)

Natalie Bassingthwaighte at Australia Day Concert, Canberra.

I did enjoy the concert, even if it was a tad drawn out. After the concert I said my goodbyes and made my way to Festi Stu’s place.

Had been ages since I had caught of with Stuart. He was kind enough to offer me a bed for the night, but not until we had good old chin wag and catch-up. He even introduced to me to my first ever Lip, Sip & Suck!! Had a ball with Festi Stu… was great to catch up.

The next morning it was Australia Day!! I said my goodbyes to Stu and headed out to the Brindabella’s to catch up with a few of the guys from the Suzuki 4WD Club. It had been many years since I locked the hubs and went 4wd’ing… and I truly loved it.

Unfortunately I did not make it all the way to the Brindabella camp spot the club uses, as I misjudged what time the group would be coming out… so I met them on the track as they were making there way out. I tagged onto the end of the convoy and followed to the spot where we had lunch.

Australia Day with the Suzuki 4WD Club in the Brindabella's. Photo: Chris & Linda

I really thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Locking the hubs again after so many years was very therapeutic. It gave me the bug all over again… so much so that I’m organising a trip the Victorian High Country with an old work colleague. More on that trip later.

After we got back onto the black stuff, the group pulled over so those that needed to could air up their tires. The group more or less broke up from there and we all went out own way. I followed a few others up the freeway to to Sydney and made my way home. I Trully awesome way to spend Australia Day!!

I really did enjoy this weekend away. There is a part of me that loves Canberra, so I’ll be doing my best to make a few more visits before I move to Tassie.

Thanx again to Det, Hemmi & Festi Stu for their hospitality.