Pre Trip Preparations

With the experience and learning from last years trip, I thought the preparations for the trip would be THAT much easier...and I guess they have been. However, the preparation phase has thrown a few curve balls my way.

The most pressing issue when entering a desert for a couple of weeks is water, even though much of the outback is in flood, it is a matter of , water, water everywhere...but not a drop to drink.

I determined that I would purchase a bladder that was the same as the one I borrowed last year. A sketch of the requirments were sent off the company. It turned out they were upgrading their technology and many communications were being blocked as junk and spam. Anyway finally sorted that out, and a box arrived at work. Unfortunately the contents didn't much resemble the borrowed bladder.

Black one is the new one...

...grey one is what it should have looked like!

 It didn't really fit in the car and I wasn't real happy. After much filling, washing, rinsing, trialing, changing fittings etc. I decided to ditch it and use the same one I took last year.

I organised for new tyres, a slightly bigger size, for some more height, we tested one and went ahead.

Tyres fitted and just doing a bit of a test run up the bush.

Don't you Ska looks SOOOO much taller?

 When fitting the tyres the guys noticed that one of my poly air bags was split...so began the saga of replacing that which was only purchased for last years trip.

here's the split the tyre guys noticed...lucky for me they did.

Got that all organised, only to find when getting ready to fit that one, that the other was split too.

here they are - removed and ready for sending back.

Hoping for a full refund on replacement. No news yet!

Anyway the folk at Gilmour Motors were fabulous, got another down and fitted it while I was in Melbourne.

Food planning, purchase and preparations have also taken place. We should be living like kings.

I hope the preparations, planning and new bits and pieces hang in there.