Top Tips for Travelling

Photo by Scott Montgomery

Gabyon Station

cross the Gascoyne River and I was getting pretty tired. Suffice to say, after restarting the LandCruiser, I failed to switch off the safety systems, and bogged it just short of the water crossing. To increase the level of difficulty, we were also towing an offroad hybrid. After a bit of digging, a lot of swearing and some winching, John Collins from Track Care came to the rescue in his Mog. It was well after dark by the time we got to camp.

Camped out Model A style.

Mooka Spring from the air. Morning has broken.

8 June 2022

Overcast skies and the news that the shire had closed roads and asked visitors on the eastern side of the Kennedy Range to leave greeted us the next morning. We had a shire representative with us and permission to continue. We filmed the Model A, 'Glad' being towed across the river by the Mog before heading deeper into the park. A stop at Mooka Spring was fortuitous as we had split the side wall of one of the caravan’s tyres. Knowing we still had two more days of rugged terrain to cover and only a single spare, we opted to plug it, with a view of changing it once we arrived on maintained roads. We pushed on to Chaff Cutters, a delightful campsite nestled in a small valley, with a small creek running through it. Here we interviewed Brett, the owner of 'Glad', his mate Paul and John about why they wanted to drive a 1930s Model A through the Kennedy Range and what was the attraction to the iconic vehicle. 9 June 2022

We were visited during the night by at least one curious dingo, finding fresh paw prints around the camp. After a rendition of Morning Has Broken from a pyjama-clad Brett, our convoy kept moving north. We had jumped into lead position so that we could control locations where we could get some good footage, much to the ire of the Model A’s crew. 'Glad' was overheating due to the slower speeds. The loss of her starter motor during the trip up from Perth meant that a push or tow was required to get her moving again. The rain caught us as we started the climb to the top of the range, playing havoc with our drone and camera gear. Getting into the sand dune

Melangata Station

country atop the range demonstrated the landscape’s diversity. One minute we had been crawling up over a rocky track/creek and then we were in undulating red sand dunes covered in spinifex. A light, annoying rain kept us company until we reached the cliffs at The Neck. Another late end to a very long day.

Temporary office sheltered from the rain. Camped on the basketball court at the old PCYC in Carnarvon.

10 June 2022

Watching the sun rise in the east, bathing the cliff face in light was one of the highlights of this trip. The drone gave us a bird’s eye view as the gloom made way for a beautiful day. Rob shot another interview, this time just with Brett and his beloved 'Glad' before we got some aerial footage of her in her element. Ian and I found a spot to shoot some drone footage without any other vehicles in view before it was time to head for Carnarvon. Ian left us so that he could make some client visits in town with a plan that we would meet up at the end of the day. Arriving back in Gascoyne, we refuelled and checked in. The Guru Productions Everything Outdoors crew that was flying in from Perth and meeting us in Carnarvon had been delayed. Bugger. Our overnight accommodation was being provided by good friend Ben Broeder. Ben bought Gascoyne Auto about a year ago and has quickly made his mark on the town. He had recently purchased the old PCYC centre and was in the process of renovating it into a new mechanical workshop and 4WD centre. We were able to drive our vehicles inside onto the old basketball courts and sleep right alongside them. Ben treated us all to a very tasty dinner at the Carnarvon Motel. 11 June 2022

Saturday ended up giving us a chance to stop. We got some washing done and made some running repairs to the vehicles. We put the LandCruiser up on the hoist and removed the wheels. The brake assemblies had collected river stones during their immersion in the Gascoyne River, which was producing a constant grinding noise.

Kennedy Range

Filming the Bushranger winch in action with Ben Broeder.

Happy birthday Rob. Heading for Mount Augustus.

12 June 2022

We headed down to a section of the river on the edge of town to shoot some additional content. We had been tasked with producing a winch video piece for Bushranger 4x4 and needed to bog the Ranger to do it. It took us four attempts, Ben’s hat and 70psi in the tyres to get it adequately bogged. Ben invited us over to his place for dinner. 13 June 2022

Rob’s birthday. The poor bugger had already been away from home for two weeks prior to this trip, only to come home and find his family all infected with COVID. He spent the week in between trips sleeping in the shed. We swapped out the damaged caravan tyre and shot some more footage on the banks of the Gascoyne River. Today was a resupply day, ensuring that we had everything we needed for the next 10 days, and the vehicles were prepped. I looked everywhere for an icecream birthday cake but had to settle for some Bulla icecream sandwiches instead. We cooked a roast in the Weber, with Ben and his crew joining us for dinner. The Guru crew arrived in town, having driven up from Perth. 14 June 2022

Day 1 of filming for Everything Outdoors. After a quick briefing over coffee, we headed out to Quobba Station. It was still pretty overcast and windy, however, the team shot their footage and we were quickly on our way. Next stop, Gascoyne Junction (again). By now we had all developed exceptional night vision as it was dark when we finally made camp at the caravan park. 15 June 2022

Today we filmed in the gorges on the eastern side of the Kennedy Range before coming back to town (the road north was still closed beyond the gorges turn-off), refuelling and then continuing on to Mount Augustus. The country was beautiful, however, our tight schedule meant that we couldn’t really appreciate it. We managed to startle three bustards on the side of the road, catching them taking flight with the

Quobba Station

dash cam. Another late arrival into camp. The Guru team, not towing, had arrived almost an hour before us. We opted to have dinner in the restaurant. Steak makes everything better. 16 June 2022

We filmed an interview, some b-roll around the campgrounds, took a quick look at Cattle Pool and got some drone footage. The Guru team took off to film some location pieces before we all met up for a quick lunch before hitting the road. We were heading north on the recently re-opened Dooley Downs Road. One of the local rangers that we got talking to laughed and said that the Dooley Downs Road had been made by giant snake. If the number of twists and turns was any indication, he might be right. Spectacular scenery. The Guru team quickly left us behind, arriving more than an hour before us at Cheela Plains Station Stay. Another late arrival. I could have kissed Robin, owner of Cheela. She had arranged dinner for all of us. We shot an interview with Robin after dinner before falling into bed. 17 June 2022

More drone and b-roll around the campsite before heading out to Cheela’s spectacular gorge country on the Beasley River. A visit to The Wall and Mussel Pool was all we had time for before we had to make tracks to Paraburdoo. The crew were flying home. Another chance to fuel up and grab some treats before driving back to Cheela Plains for the night.

The Wall at Cheela Plains. Set up in the caravan park in Newman.

18 June 2022

We spent the first few hours of the morning repairing some damage to both the trailer and caravan’s 12-volt trailer plugs. Ricocheting rocks had destroyed both plugs and they needed replacing. We then headed back out to The Wall and Mussel Pool to shoot additional footage and get some drone shots. Lunch was generously provided by Robin and her team and then we were back on the road. Next stop, Newman, five hours away. An uneventful drive through more beautiful Pilbara landscape, dissecting through the middle of Karijini National Park. Another late afternoon arrival. We opted to eat in a restaurant for dinner. Another good steak. 19 June 2022

A rest day. I think we spent much of the day either sitting in the sun or sleeping. We were camped in the caravan park in town, so we got talking to plenty of other travellers and handed out a lot of magazine samples. We helped Sue with her battery charging issue and fixed some technical issues that we were experiencing. 20 June 2022

A slower day. We shot some footage at the big haulpak and conducted some vehicle maintenance.

Cheela Plains Station

We did some sight-seeing today. Headed up to Radio Hill and got a good overview of the town before heading out to look around Opthalmia Dam. Perfect spot to shoot some drone footage before we stopped at a water crossing on the track in. Rob and I switched roles, and he jumped in front of the camera. The Guru team flew back in and we met them at the airport.

Filming at Radio Hill.

Heading out to Kalgans Pool. Alongside the iron ore train.

22 June 2022

The Guru team needed to get some footage around town as well as at the Visitor Centre. With that “in the can” (you gotta learn the lingo) we headed out to Kalgans Pool. There is always plenty of water flowing down the Kalgan River, thanks to the dewatering pumps at one of the nearby Rio mines. The five water obstacles were fun and made the drive out to Kalgans much more interesting. Arriving back in town, the team wanted to stock up on snacks and drinks. I was boring and bought a new tyre inflator and an additional air line. 23 June 2022

We headed out to Hickman Crater and the Punda Rock Art Site. More great country, just a pity we are always in a hurry to get to our next destination. The corrugations were as brutal as ever and the track out to Hickman hadn’t changed since our visit last year. We had both drones in the air, Alex and I sounded like fighter pilots as we talked to each other, making sure that there were no mid-air collisions. More b-roll and pieces to camera before we loaded up and headed back to Punda. Great spot for lunch before we got to exploring the rock art. More drone, b-roll, pieces to camera before Rob and I went and looked at a water tank hiding in the bushes. We found a well right next to it. Heading back to Newman, we stopped to air up on the rail access road. We even managed to time it as an ore train went past. This was something the Guru team had never experienced before.

Kalgans Pool

Today was a big day. First we had to get out to Eagle Rock Falls and film a story. We opted to take the Kalgans Pool track as we already knew its condition, before cutting across from Kalgans to the Eagle Rock Falls track. Absolutely stunning. Dad made a comment about a woman’s ability to drive this track which got Emma steamed up. I decided I needed to fly the drone instead of drive and gave the LandCruiser keys to Emma. Alex had to conduct a search and rescue mission when his drone clipped a tree and went down on the side of a hill. We lost our first Go-Pro around here somewhere, swallowed up by the Pilbara landscape. We spent some time at Eagle Rock Pool before heading onto the Falls. The team ventured down a section of the waterfall with Rob. I opted to see it from the air and had the drone running up and down the impressive river valley. We had some lunch on the edge of the cliff and then started making our way back to town. We had an idea where the Go-Pro fell off. It wasn’t the camera that we needed, just the footage. It was nowhere to be found. This was our fourth pass through the water obstacles. Arriving back in Newman, we hooked up the van and trailer, topped up our fuel tanks and headed for Nullagine. It was after 5.00pm by the time we left. We got to Nullagine sometime after 7.30pm and quickly ordered dinner. We got the crew settled into their accommodation before we went to find the caravan park. They lock the gates at 5.30pm. Back to the Nullagine Hotel to book three rooms. Cold showers and a reasonably comfortable bed.

Eagle Rock Pool.

Eagle Rock Falls. Filming at Garden Pool in Nullagine.

25 June 2022

The crew were filming around the hotel and shooting an interview with one of the owners. We made some breakfast - it wasn’t included with our very expensive rooms, and drafted some social media posts. A drive up to the lookout revealed the town’s connection to our proud military history with an information board telling the story of William (Bill) Lynas, VC, MC with Bar (WW1). We visited Garden Pool, just out of town before again hooking up the towables and heading further north. The

Hickman Crater

Punda Rock Art

road out of town was in great condition. There were two graders operating, making the surface much more pleasurable to drive than the road in had been. We arrived at Meentheena around 4.00pm. The Guru team grabbed the ute and shot out to get some footage down near the river. This was home for the next three nights, with the crew being billeted in the retreat’s donga accommodation. Dinner was a quick affair. 26 June 2022

We hooked up the van and headed to Carawine Gorge. The glacier rock was a little bit of a letdown as we arrived in the morning. Last time we arrived here it had been in the afternoon and it was lit up like glass. We set up the van along the bank of the river and the crew shot some staged footage. We had both drones back in the

air and Rob shot more b-roll. Alex had to thumb a lift across the river in a small boat to recover his drone after landing it on the wrong side. I reckon his drone had developed a complex about now. We packed up and headed for the Oakover River. The script needed to show a water crossing. It was a little drier than our last visit but still enough to get the footage we needed. It was getting dark as we pulled back into Meentheena. The wind was blowing a gale and we had been struggling with the gas burners producing enough heat. I grabbed the dinner ingredients and headed for the camp kitchen. Rob dragged the generator out and hooked it up to the camp’s washing machine and ran a load of laundry through their twin tub. We were all tired however I thought we needed something to lift our spirits. Another apple pie was created from scratch and cooked in the kitchen’s gas oven. I think it was well received.

Filming at Carawine Gorge. Apple pie made from scratch.

This skull and spring mark the turn-off to Skull Springs.

27 June 2022

Another early start. This time we were covering the same ground as yesterday and pushing on to Skull Springs and then back to Running Waters. We could travel a bit quicker though, not towing anything. We only spent an hour or so at Skull Springs before back-tracking to Running Waters. The team were a little disappointed

Running Waters

with the lack of swimming options at Skull Springs so I was praying that Running Waters delivered. We drove right up to the water’s edge, with another group leaving as we arrived. This place is amazing. I could easily spend a week here, swimming every day and chilling out under the trees. The crew were impressed. We got a fire going so Emma could make chocolate bananas and we weaved the drones through the trees to get some aerial and over the water shots. We had multiple cameras

going at various times, capturing as much content as we could. Emma was already in the water as part of one of the shots they needed. She was able to coax both Kat and Taihra into the water to join her. I didn’t go in. No one needs to see that. It was a great way to finish another hard day of filming. Early during the day, the girls had given me a proposal for dinner. If I was prepared to make another apple pie they were happy to forgo dinner. I guess it was a hit. After spotting four dingos crossing the road and a very near miss with a large horned cow commuting down the Ripon Hills Road, we arrived back at camp in the dark. Dragging dinner and dessert ingredients back to the camp kitchen, I discovered that the oven had finally given up the ghost. As there was already a raging fire, I resorted to plan B and grabbed the trusty camp oven. Dinner was filling (and tasty) and dessert was another hit. Thanks Jo for sharing that recipe.

Campfire on the water's edge at Running Waters. We shot a little footage around the campground before packing up and getting on the road. It was only a short trip to Marble Bar but we had a lot to do. We had topped both vehicles up with fuel from the jerry cans we were carrying, however, the Ranger limped into town with less than 10km of range in the tank. We got the crew filming at the heritage buildings and visitor centre while we fuelled up and unhooked the van and trailer at the caravan park. Some footage was needed from Marble Bar Pool and some prospecting out at the 4 Mile before we raced out to Dooleena Gorge and Coongan Pool for more footage. With a setting sun we made it back to the Flying Fox Lookout. Once the drones were back on the ground and the camera work was done, we all took the opportunity to sit for a few minutes and enjoy the sunset.

Back in town we took over the front bar of the Iron Clad Hotel for more content before back to camp and a late dinner. The girls gave me the night off and cooked.

My Dad and I enjoying the Flying Fox Lookout.

29 June 2022

We had quite a bit of ground to cover today, so we got going relatively early. A final top up of fuel and we were on our way to Coppins Gap. It was not what I remembered from our visit 12 months ago with a much lower water level and most of the reeds having died off. Despite the strong winds,

Cape Keraudren

we managed to get the drone in the air and the crew shot some footage. We cut across to Kittys Gap and then onto the Muccan-Shay Gap Road. Crossing the De Grey River, the crew decided we needed some additional footage. We doubled back and repositioned the vehicles so that we could get some Go-Pro and drone footage. Jumping back into the car, the wind caught the door of the LandCruiser, slamming it shut on my protruding ankle. Let’s just say some tears were suppressed and many expletives were thought of. We carried on to the petroglyph site on the Yarri homestead driveway. More footage and some lunch.

I put an icepack on my ankle, which was getting worse by the minute, however, I was not keen to take my boot off. We pushed on to Shay Gap. We got the drones up and the crew were keen to recreate some images of the town before it was demolished. We got some more pieces to camera as well as some in-car pieces before calling it a day. We still had more than a 100km to cover to get to Pardoo Station for the night. Another very late afternoon arrival and having our thoughts of a cooked dinner for us dashed. Due to COVID restrictions and the station catering for mine workers, their restaurant was off limits to campground guests. At least the showers were hot. Oh wait, they weren’t.

Petroglyphs at Yarri Station.

Emma George checking out the petroglyphs. 30 June 2022

We got going early and headed for Cape Keraudren. The wind had not let up and when we arrived, we were severely limited as to where we could get decent footage. Drone flights were not possible (Alex was at three crashes and wasn’t keen on losing one out to sea) so we shot what we could before meeting up with Dave the Ranger. Interviewing him at the Ranger Station was the only place we could get out of the wind. With that content done, we headed towards Port Hedland. The crew were flying out that evening. A quick detour for some additional footage to close off the story and we were done. We headed for the Esplanade Hotel and ordered a late lunch. Steak had never tasted so good. We spent a couple of hours enjoying the ambience of the place and not being in a rush to be at our next destination

Group shot before the Guru team flew home.

Bullara Station

Warroora Station

before taking the crew to the airport. We squeezed into a very small caravan bay at one of the local caravan parks. We took over the laundry room and put three loads of washing through and had a pretty simple dinner (we were all full from our late lunch). 1 July 2022

Today we had to get from Port Hedland to Bullara Station in time for burger night. About eight hours of bitumen. We unknowingly passed my mate Mitch (exExplorex Caravans marketing manager) before having a pitstop at the service station on the highway at Karratha. We pushed onto Nanutarra for more fuel before the final push to Bullara. Just for something different, it was dark when we got there. The place was pumping. A sea of people were encamped out the front of the shearing shed, enjoying some live music. We parked up in our allotted camp site and then got to work. More b-roll of the night’s festivities before enjoying a Bullara Burger and then crashing in my swag. 2 July 2022

Today was more filming around the campground, drone overflights and a trip out to the gulf. We managed to get a couple of hours in the afternoon to do nothing. Well, when I say nothing, I mean to catch up on some sleep. 3 July 2022

Today was another busy day. We left Bullara and headed for Warroora Station, only about 100km south. We ended up turning in too soon and made our way down the coastal tracks instead of the more maintained gravel road. Great coastal scenery made for some good drone footage. Arriving at Warroora, we quickly unhooked and went on a quick tour with owner Marty. We shot additional drone and b-roll before finding a spot out of the wind to interview Marty about the station. We originally planned to stay, however, with my ankle getting worse we decided to push onto Quobba Station, a further 230km south. As the last rays of daylight disappeared, we pulled into a campsite for the night. Another cold shower. 4 July 2022

Rob got going early and shot some b-roll around the campground. I got the drone flying, trying to capture some of the sunrise and the coast around the main camp site. We tracked down owner Tim and interviewed him before hitting the road again. We fuelled up in Carnarvon and took a break at Overlander. It was here that we decided that we had had enough. We were all exhausted and my foot was not getting any better. I had broken the same ankle a year earlier, walking on it for about four months before it was surgically repaired. This felt just like that. A top up of fuel in Geraldton and then onto the home straight. We pulled into the driveway just after 10.30pm.

Would I do another trip this big? Probably not. We and our equipment were pushed to the limit by tight deadlines and unrealistic schedules that left little time to capture the reason for visiting many of these destinations. A single delay meant having to change our own schedules and left us little time to visit locations when first planned. With that said, I do look forward to revisiting some of these destinations again and enjoying just being there. For those following along, I didn’t break my ankle, however, I did require surgery to fix the damage sustained to it.

This car looks how I felt by the time we got home.