Day 9 - Hay - Albury - 25th Oct 2014

LAST DAY ON THE TRACKS - Hay to Albury.

Anticipation  and a little regret of the end of EsCarpade was in the air (ok and maybe a little sheep smell) at breakfast at Hay's premier (maybe only) tourism attraction "Outback Shear". A great breaky of bacon and egg rolls and pancakes was prepared and happily served by Hay's branch of CanAssist .

Some EsCarpadians (mostly the city slickers) went to watch the sheep shearing demo and got to pat and hold lambs.

Darren got up high jinks , putting vaseline under peoples door handles so when they opened up they got a moisturising treatment. Going for the giggle award Dazz? Maybe next year .

Out of Hay and onto Lockhart for lunch.

After leaving lunch , there were ominous black clouds in the distance - would we rain for the last section of EsCarpade?
There were some very rough minor tracks in the afternoon session with a couple of tricky corners too.
We got a few drops of rain just before mustering outside Walla Walla where  Adele ,one of our EsCarpadians lives.
After cruising through the small town making a whole lot of noise EsCarpade style it was onto Albury .

We all met up at the Albury showgrounds to rally for the final parade in though Albury and to our finish , which was to co-inside with a CQ family fun day in the park. With the kids and families we do this awesome event for eagerly awaiting our arrival ,through Albury streets once again lights ,sirens and water cannons ready we arrived at our destination , where there was the usual end of trip water battle raging.
After the last 6 days of heat  and dust ,no one really complained about a little water.

After the pre-shower, again off to find our digs for the night , check over the car for the last time and shower ,get shiny for the final night dinner at the Albury entertainment centre.
Wearing our Team QLD shirts (which would later tie into next years route) ,we had a good show of numbers in maroon.

Being the final night , speeches were given , backs slapped and awards given.
Team Bender , unfortunately received the hard luck award - their prize was a car care pack - that dint is not going to buff right out.

As the tallies of each car and team were read out , we ready - the $20,000-$30,000 group was us - yep we got $63 short of $23,000.

Then came the moment we had all been waiting for the combined tally - a whooping $1,308,788.96 (yes every cent helps). $200,000 over the target amount - wow what a huge and fantastic  effort.

With a bigger drive ahead tomorrow back to Brisbane we had a relatively early night.

Day 8- Wentworth - Hay - 24th Oct 2014

This morning we had breakfast at the Sports club again - pancakes -
Again there were people missing from breakfast due to illness - this was a bad bug.
Our car managed to miss out on anything to major , thank goodness.

Driver briefing and out to Clare -NSW most remote school (8 students) for lunch.
Leaving Wentworth , at about instruction number 11 on the route  notes our mates , Team Bender - Futurama with Lisa driving lost traction on a soft sandy corner and had an accident. We were on instruction 13 by that stage , about 4km up the track ,so with deemed too dangerous to turn back we continued on , trying to get any information as to how the crew were.

This morning's run was great we crossed from South Australia into NSW - travelling on the Border Track that runs along a fence line defining NSW and Victoria. Kind of a once in a life times opportunity to get to see these roads .
Arriving in Clare for lunch was special - homemade cakes and fruit and oh so fresh salad rolls and so much enthusiasm from the 6 children that were at school that day , as two students were away ill.
It was at lunch that we heard that the bender crew were all Ok and been transported to Mildura for medical treatment.

Treen took up the navi spot into the afternoon run  into Hay . Driving along - as happens on all sections ,hazards encountered on the track are radioed though in a way as to alert other drivers as to where and what they are. One of these hazard calls reached us ,instruction number? yes ? distance ? yes what it was ?NO! Reaching the particular point  we came across what Dazz thought was a monkey .  A dead monkey out here? No it was a very large ,well decayed emu- a few laughs broken the intensity of the  section for a while.

EsCarpade is fun , but when on the tracks we are 100% concentrate on the road ,the radio and the route notes - miss a turn or a hazard and the least problem you encounter would be a ribbing from fellow entrants as to a goof up or if it's a good one a turkey award at dinner, and the biggest could be having an accident.

Once booking into our room or apartment , we went for  a drive around to find Treen's grandparents old house and see the sights of the town.
Then Dazz decided the pool looked good - it looked great but gee wizz it was cold.
Again we were staying just down the road from the dinner venue. We were looking forward to his dinner as it was not beef or chicken alternate drop,but a Chinese buffet. oh yeah !
After dinner , Dazza's little mate Baked Beans was sent to the sale yards , with a fierce bidding war won by Jon Jag for $150.00. Thanks Ange and Jon for taking Baked Beans with you and giving EsCarpade peace and a little less embarrassment from flatulence noises.

Another early night , and ready to finish up EsCarpade for 2014 in Albury tomorrow night.

Day 7 - Barossa - Wentworth - 23rd Oct 2014

5.30am start again  - yes there is a pattern to this morning routine.

Breakfast at Peter Lehman wines - beautiful setting for a fresh start.

Darren and his sheep got to know the crowd - making flatulence types noises behind people - thus Elleni naming him/her Baked Beans. There was a plan to this sheep - would she help us make more money ?

During his committee meeting , Darren was told that the organisers had been contacted by a source in Broken Hill that that they had a gastro virus running rife through the town and that we should be warned - too late , it had already struck. With people needing injections to help ease the symptoms and rehydrate.. The busy ,dusty and extremely hot days were no help to recovery

The photographers took the opportunity to take to the whole group photo.

Then it was off to Wentworth via Berri for lunch.
Treen took the navigators seat for the afternoon session - no major problems - just being too quiet in giving instructions and sometimes forgetting to warn Dazza of small hazards.

Arrived into Wentworth nice and early - our motel was again close to dinner venue.
Sat in the shade by the pool and recapped the day with officials who were also staying at our motel.
Tonight's dinner was 'what I want to be when I grow up?"  Dazz always wanted to be a fireman , so on with pants,suspenders and ripped t-shirt revealing 6 pack abs.- Hot fireman Sam.
Treen took the easy route by borrowing Dazza's scrubs and went as a doctor - complete with toy stethoscope and plastic syringe. Loz got into the spirit of things as a Broncos player.
We had everything from Wonder woman,Ned Kelly,  Super girl, Iceman from Top Gun to Carra and about 4 others making up Souths rabbitohs. A great night of fun .
The sports club where dinner was held was originally planned as a casino , before Victoria changed their poker machine laws.
But the club went broke - it's really no wonder a town with 1200 people and a club the size of a large suburban RSL- excellent facilities including accommodation.

Same evening pattern , back fairly early for another 5.30 wake up call.
Heading to Hay in the morning via Clare , NSW most westerly town.

Day 6 - Day off in Barossa - 22nd Oct 2014

We still got up early - even on our day off.
Did basic maintenance on car and washing of clothes to get through the rest of the trip . I know thing for sure , I will only pack no more than half of this years bag load of unworn clothes.

We found that Nuriootpa had not got much in the way of shopping - one IGA supermarket and a few local stores.
Darren bought a dog toy in the shape of a black sheep that when squeezed sounded more like a duck or maybe a pig.
Baked beans , as the sheep was to be named by Ellani (puppeteer) and become well known to the esCarpade group.

We drove around to see the area and went Penfolds winery . Loz wanted to get his wife a bottle of wine from the winery - Treen suggested a nice bottle of red , it was a bargain at $4800.00 - it was a magnum though - Loz opted for a more modestly price bottle.

Had lunch and the afternoon rest , before getting car ready for the next day on the road.

Dinner at Tununda Clubhouse - guess what was for dinner - yep chicken or beef (might have been lamb).

We went back to the motel had a chat and night cap with some other entrants and then off to bed for the start of the next 3 days on the tracks.

Of to Wentworth tomorrow - with a theme night of "What I want to be when I grow up" , will make for some fun and creativity.

Day 5 - Pt Augusta - Barossa - 21st Oct 2014

Up and about early ready for a long and very hot day on the road.
Went for breakfast in the town's central  park .
Team QLD had their team photos - great to see that almost all the teams have themes.

Each morning Ben gives a driver briefing - Treen was to navigate the morning section ,so she  had the route notes - sitting front and centre ready to hear
Ben's morning report - Dazza yelled out across the group -" Have you got the route notes?" Caught out by Ben , who announced to the group that "Teen was all ready with notes up the front. So settle down Darren".
The temperature was 34 degrees at 8am, it was going to be another hot day. It reached 44 degrees in Pt Augusta that day.

During the morning breakfast /driver briefing it was coming to light that we had some very ill people in our group of 220 + , gastro symptoms were starting to appear and the question of food poisoning arose. Throughout the day the day the sick list was to start and keep rising throughout the week.

After briefing - we headed off for our first school visit - the kids were inundated with lollies , stickers and loads more treats and treasures . Then inside for puppet show and  EsCarpade song . After finishing  the school visit Treen jumped in the front to navigate to Clare Valley for lunch . Because of checking out for the school the route notes were  changed to join up at instruction number 3 - but which set of lights - after a wrong turn we were back on track and on the way.

Instruction 75 - a deep water crossing was much anticipated . We made it  through without incident , unlike many others that got so far through and then stalled - many filling up with water.

Stopped at Clare Valley for lunch , quick stop then onto Barossa.

Nice drive into Barrosa area , with loads of grape vines and wineries - drove in through Seppeltsfield along palm lined roads.
into Nuriootpa and Tundunda .
Checked in to motel and got set for  a good night out at the Vine Inn ; the night before lay day is always a good fun night with the promise of a sleep in and rest the next day and no breath tests to pass.

Day 4 - Broken Hill - Pt Augusta 20th Oct 2014

Alarm at 5.30am again- packed the car , booked out of accommodation .
First job for us was source  tyre store  and get our flat fixed- found Bridgestone and someone was there at 7am  - dropped doff tyre and to breakfast.
Another breaky of bacon,eggs,toast,cereal,juice - you never go hungry on EsCarpade especially at breakfast.
Leaving breakfast we all picked up our packed lunches to take with us.

After breakfast Gordon helped Dazz tighten the power steering belt and change the fan belt to stop squealing noise that had developed.
All done - checked out with Ambo 1 - unfortunately due having go back to pick up our tyre we would have to drive to lunch on the main road .
Picked up our tyre then set GPS for Yunta where we would be stopping for lunch at a rural school.

Driving on the main road - along with about 17 other entrants - we passed the border of NSW & SA - on approach we saw a quarantine sign - oh no would we have to ditch our fruit in our packed lunches? No got through no dramas.
Uneventful drive - time catch up on daily diary from yesterday . At the lunch stop we heard some good news Damo & Angus had dodged a bullet and not done too much damage to their car - at dinner last night they thought this might be the end for booger mobile  in 2014 .

Got into lunch early - stopped at Yunta school to eat our packed lunch.  The school has 4 children, they were treated to a puppet show.
After lunch headed out toward Port Ankara on the dirt - good run except for some inconsiderate drivers passing without calls and spraying us with rocks - left a few chips in the windscreen.
Daz and Loz cruising along nicely , the roads were not too challenging this afternoon -though a story that got a good run throughout the week - Loz said "in about 3.7 km there are humps - I'll ley know about 3.4-3.5 km" - "OK" says Daz ,  the guys continued chatting about lizards and how they should getting off the road Loz looked at the trip meter and "HUMPS - NOW" - we launched a little - but were more wary of the next few.

Made it into Pt Augusta without incident - the check in post was down by the water .
Pt  Augusta has a bad reputation , with a few derogatory names banded about - but the bay/water area was quite nice  - it was great to see water after the last few days of red dirt and sparse landscapes.

Dinner was held at the Old Army barracks , we had a pleasant stroll across the bridge with the sun setting over the bay.
The first of Ben's daily round ups , these speeches only get better and further embellished each day. Also the first auction was held , with Team Canberra buying the keys to The Mario Cart. Another $500 to the rapidly climbing EsCarpade total.

Another day done - looking forward to moving on to The Barossa tomorrow.

Day 4 - Broken HIll - Packsaddle _Broken HIll - 19th Oct 2014

EsCarpade - start your engines.
Up early  at 5.30am to get ready to go to breakfast. First of many yummy cooked breakfasts to be had.
Many teams dressed in their team uniform or theme costumes. Great to see so many new teams getting into themes and old teams theming up.
Driver briefing and breath testing and load up  and out onto the road to Packsaddle Roadhouse for lunch.
Long ,dusty ,sandy roads, a sign of the conditions head for the week.

Had a 'fun stop' and break at a property - some local school of the air came to see the Camp Quality puppet show -

We crossed many dry creek crossings , many with deep ruts .
Two of these crossing caused us some minor problems - the first one our temperature gauge stopped working as the wire had vibrated loose -
Gordon from MW1 fixed that quickly and checked our fan belt .. all good to go again.

Heading along the track  we heard to watch out for the mud across the road. Someone in the convoy put out a call over the UHF  radio
'Where did all this mud come from? " with a repose floating back "Ah , you mix water and dirt!"
Dazza saw the mud as an opportunity to play - and churn the mud pit up for cars behind us. 

Coming through the second and  biggest dry creek crossing  - we powered through but on coming out the other side - hisssss!!!
Argh a flat tyre - two in two years on new tyres ! So we pulled over ,the guys started to change it when MW3 stopped to help out - with the rattle gun and bigger jack we were ready in no time .
In the time we were stopped , our mates from Team Bender had buried themselves deep into the creek bed.
Along with another car they had to be towed out of the sand.

Made it to lunch at Packsaddle - a no horse town - a roadhouse and that's about it.
Great lunch of hot dogs,fruit , cake  and best of all icy cold drinks.
Driver briefing - then again load up and back toward Broken Hill , via Mungo  Mungo lookout - the only place on land you can see the edge and curvature of the earth.
Then the last section driving  into Silverton - had to stop at Silverton Hotel for a cold beer -who knows when we will be back here.
Back into Broken Hill - checked in - fueled up and then back home to check the fluids and empty the dust catcher then in  for a very  welcome shower.

We had surly picked up more dust in this first day than we usually get in the whole week.  

Off to dinner at Palace Hotel - which featured in "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" - Italian buffet - Daz,Tony , Rob & I had a dig at Loz as he told us all the day before it was Indian buffet.- oh well all starts with I . Maybe it was an Indian chef.
Tonight was rubick's cube night - the idea was to dress in many colours and then swap with other people to finished dressing in the one colour.

Walked back to the house and straight to bed - another early start tomorrow and moving on to Pt Augusta.

ESCARPADE was well truly on .