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Thread: Tasmania to Norway, 110 build log

  1. #31
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    Hi all,

    Some updates (sorry to be a bore, but this motivates me, it's like keeping a diary )

    I finally got the new 110 Perentie down to Tasmania. I put in new bearings, various seals etc in Vic and spent a very long time trying to sort out a leaking fuel tank, to no avail. Anyway, I temp-repaired it and have a new tank on the way.

    The next six weeks will be spent preparing the vehicle, working on it full-time till it's done, as I leave next month to take the slow route to Fremantle where it will be shipped from. I think I will go over the top-end.

    I have a full set of Koni Heavy Track shocks on the way (no, not RAIDs, too $$ unfortunately), fuel tank (which will require filler/breather mods to fit) various bits and pieces to plumb in a freshwater system, Maxtrax mounts, sound deadener (butyl rubber) and under-bonnet foam sound deadener. I have six cans of camouflage black paint and a Team Perentie canopy on the way - so the vehicle will be matte-black with an olive green ragtop. I'm sewing up a bunch of internal pockets and storage pouches. There is also basic rear-tray camping setup I will improve upon, made by the previous owner.

    For anyone interested in day-by-day progress in images, I have just started an Instagram account Cape to Kapp (@cape2kapp) • Instagram photos and videos

    Nick.

  2. #32
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    Project update:

    I've successfully driven from the most southern road in Tasmania as far as Darwin. 45mins out of home the rear pinion seal went, but after some quick thinking and generosity from new friends, I was back underway a few hours later, able to make south east cape and then up to catch the ferry 24hrs later.

    I drove up to Sydney where Expedition Centre & Frontrunner Australia generously supported me with the rest of my fitout. The FFR has now turned into a full overlander and I couldn't be happier with how it's turned out. I then drove up the east coast exploring many different tracks and beaches without a hiccup, until the slave cylinder on the clutch went - I managed to nurse it to Coffs and get some assistance. I then took a visit to British Offroad in Noosa and got some more work done, including heavy duty rear shocks to level out the sag after the weight additions. I also got a new master clutch cylinder and a balance tube to resolve the migrating oil from the TC to the gearbox.

    Bored with the huge number of caravans, traffic and grey nomads on the east coast, I turned left instead of heading up to Cape York as per my initial plan, and drove across the Simpson Desert, which was incredible. From Dalhousie springs it was up and across to Alice, then Darwin where the Landy is parked at the moment. I went off to make some more money and will return in three weeks and keep driving to Fremantle where I meet the ship for South Africa.

    Pics etc at Cape to Kapp (@cape2kapp) • Instagram photos and videos


  3. #33
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    Mate, sorry I am late to the thread...

    This is a wonderful trip you are making! I am envious In any case, I have traveled to the north cape in winter in 2017. I am not sure during what time of year you intend to get down there but if you plan to visit in winter I recommend driving through sweden in stead of norway. Norway is a beautiful country, don't get me wrong, and sweden lacks the big fjords but norway is a country that has 6 weeks of vacation in a year in the middle of summer and beyond that it has been my experience nearly all public services are closed of including the public toilets.

    When you travel through sweden once you get above the first 1/3 of the country the population severely decreases but along the 2 main north/south roads the public toilets are open, very clean, heated, running water and have trashcans. With almansrat you are allowed to camp everywhere unless specifically mentioned. We camped in our rtt at -30c but had the comfort of a heated public toilet to change close and wash up, it was a blessing

    Also sweden is considerably cheaper than norway and so is denmark. There are several ways to travel up north if you need some tips by that time just let me know. I live in the netherlands btw so if you pass through, give me a shout and perhaps we can have a cold one! And in case you are around germany in june next year, the abenteuer und allrad messe is one of the largest overland get togethers and might be a nice visit. I'll be there as well.

    Safe and happy trucking!

    Cheers,
    -P

  4. #34
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    Quote Originally Posted by prelude View Post

    Safe and happy trucking!

    Cheers,
    -P
    Thanks!! Would love to make the abenteuer und allrad messe, that sounds awesome, however I think June might be a bit early for me. I am traveling strategically with the seasons, so right now I am in the north Australian dry season (well, verging on the edge of it now), heading down to lower latitudes in Fremantle for the beginning of summer - the truck then arrives in the South African summer (January), and I make my way up the eastern seaboard in time with the coming summer mid-year in Europe. I hope to make North Cape by Sept/Oct (end of the northern summer) 2020.

    I have hitchhiked to the arctic circle and did so primarily through Sweden as Norway was too expensive!! So, as per your recommendation I will most likely do this similar route, however... It would be pretty amazing to drive beside those fjords and experience some of the big bridge infrastructure those Norwegians have built... We will see how much money I have left by the time I get there!

    I will update here on major legs and hopefully see you in Holland!

  5. #35
    DiscoMick Guest
    This sounds like a great trip - I'm envious.
    Do you expect to have any trouble through Sudan? Isn't that rather dodgy at the moment? Looking at the map, maybe you can slip along the coast through Ethiopia and Eritrea - Addis Ababa, Dessie, Djibouti, Mek'ele, Keren, Kassala, Ad'Damar, Karima, Dongola, Abri, Wadi Halfa - and avoid the worst trouble spots. Don't know, just speculating. Stay away from South Sudan.

    I wonder how much extra cost it would be to tow a camper trailer on trips like this. Obviously would need to fill a longer container and pay more for shipping.
    I reckon the wife might just come at the idea if we could take the camper. She loves our camper.

  6. #36
    DiscoMick Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by karlz View Post
    The trip sounds fun, I've ridden the other way from Europe (including Norway) to Cape Town on a motorbike.
    What route from South Africa to Europe are you planning?
    This is the route I took.
    Attachment 149653

    My advice like others have said, travel light, carry spares but not too much.
    I met a guy in a defender and we travelled together thru Zaire, he had so many spares that he ended up snapping several axxles, 2 coil springs and many other issues. Its pretty extreme 4x4 going through Congo. Malawi has the most potholes I have ever seen and the corrugations in North Kenya are horrendous (I snapped my motorbike frame there).

    Another suggestions is to get a lot of your vehicle work done in South Africa, it will be a LOT cheaper than Aus, they know what they are doing too, and the cost of living is low.

    You'll have a memory of your life.
    That's quite a trip. I had understood that route, particularly the Congo and Mali (basically anywhere which used to be French), were pretty dangerous. How did you go?

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by DiscoMick View Post
    Stay away from South Sudan.

    I wonder how much extra cost it would be to tow a camper trailer on trips like this. Obviously would need to fill a longer container and pay more for shipping.
    I reckon the wife might just come at the idea if we could take the camper. She loves our camper.
    Do you have specific on-ground experience in South Sudan? Because everyone has an opinion about Africa based on what they see on TV, yet everyone I've spoken to who has actually been to these places, or overlanded them has a very different view. I'm open to actual recent experience, but the amount of fear mongering I hear when I mention this trip to anyone on earth is staggering - the same thing happened when I sailed around the world on my own, all I ever heard were horror stories from men who never left the dock... Meanwhile, I carried on & they're still on the dock rolling cigarettes, 'preparing', and bolting gear on for situations that will never arise...

    Regarding shipping, a 40ft container isn't much more than a 20ft, so you could take a camper I suppose.

  8. #38
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    Awesome, keep us posted

    I’m sure you’ll relevant info once in country or close to the borders

  9. #39
    DiscoMick Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by nickj View Post
    Do you have specific on-ground experience in South Sudan? Because everyone has an opinion about Africa based on what they see on TV, yet everyone I've spoken to who has actually been to these places, or overlanded them has a very different view. I'm open to actual recent experience, but the amount of fear mongering I hear when I mention this trip to anyone on earth is staggering - the same thing happened when I sailed around the world on my own, all I ever heard were horror stories from men who never left the dock... Meanwhile, I carried on & they're still on the dock rolling cigarettes, 'preparing', and bolting gear on for situations that will never arise...

    Regarding shipping, a 40ft container isn't much more than a 20ft, so you could take a camper I suppose.
    No, just heard the usual stories.

  10. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by nickj View Post
    Thanks!! Would love to make the abenteuer und allrad messe, that sounds awesome, however I think June might be a bit early for me. I am traveling strategically with the seasons, so right now I am in the north Australian dry season (well, verging on the edge of it now), heading down to lower latitudes in Fremantle for the beginning of summer - the truck then arrives in the South African summer (January), and I make my way up the eastern seaboard in time with the coming summer mid-year in Europe. I hope to make North Cape by Sept/Oct (end of the northern summer) 2020.

    I have hitchhiked to the arctic circle and did so primarily through Sweden as Norway was too expensive!! So, as per your recommendation I will most likely do this similar route, however... It would be pretty amazing to drive beside those fjords and experience some of the big bridge infrastructure those Norwegians have built... We will see how much money I have left by the time I get there!

    I will update here on major legs and hopefully see you in Holland!
    Let's just see how your trip will go mate. The abenteuer is late next year since it is coupled to some national holiday. Officially from 11-14 of june. I HIGHLY recommend beeing early, so arrve on the 13th or perhaps a day earlier although that is not officially allowed This way you can get the best spots.

    Depending on what you wish to see and travel to in europe, you might be able to adjust the route somewhat to make it to germany. No worries if you don't though, but it is one of those things one would like to visit if you have the chance.

    Regarding having a peak into norway: There are a few (2 or 3?) roads that cross from from sweden into norway and back so you could opt to leave sweden for a few hundred K's to visit norway. For example the road from sundsvall to trondheim. In Norway you would drive around 600K's or so, which should be doable on a cheap tank of fuel from sweden, fill up your jerry's and buy the food in sweden as well. From there you would take the road to storuman back into sweden and on up north. I am not sure if the fjords on that stretch of road are worth while this would take some googling.

    On the other hand, you need to cross from sweden into norway at some point else you can't get to the nord kap. I entered norway through finland all the way along the top border of sweden. Since you have been around those area's you probably know already that not many people live there. The road I just mention, the E14 sundsvall to trondheim is sort of population line, above that the density drops of sharply. My dad lives in sweden, 100k's beneath that line and down there you can still drive around seeing houses and villages dotted all over.

    Regarding traveling through europe; I know you are trying to follow the seasons and I checked your website which has a itinerary not including most countries I am about to mention but I though I just give you these two cents: In portugal there are a lot of unpaved roads through nice scenery and it is quite easy to camp off the beaten track. Afaik it is legal as wel. In france all roads are public roads unless a sign specifically says you can't enter so it is a sort of offroad haven for us in that regard. There are 3 or 4 area's that are very nice to visit. Wild camping in belgium, the netherlands and germany is strictly forbidden but there are some ways around it. Especially in germany along the motorways you can always sleep as long as you do not act like you are camping. If they should ever ask (the polizei) you can simply claim that you are no longer fit to drive and nobody will bother you.

    I am not up to speed with the rest of europe (enough).

    If you wish to drive most of your time and spend the least possible time on a boat you would have to travel through denmark since the oresund and storebelt bridges connect the large island with the mainland of denmark and sweden respectively. Denmark is however en seriously expensive country in terms of both fool and food. Pizza for 3 people (that was it!) was 50 euro's a few years back and the toll for both bridges will run you up to 100 euro's. It is great if you can say that you drove it ALL so I get if that is what you want to do, I always take the bridges when visiting my dad. You can't really see much though, there is no touristic stop in the middle or anything so, eh... Whatever floats your boat.

    For the same amount of money that you would spend on the transit through denmark you could easily take the ferry from the top of germany, bergen, to trelleborg. It's a night ferry I believe that you roll onto late in the evening and roll off around breakfast. On that same german island sits prora, the massive 4km long concrete building the nazi's built as a holiday resort for the people

    Ah well, this is far away for you so

    Regarding horror stories, you are absolutely right. Contact the locals, contact the people who have recentyl traversed the area and you increase your chances of succes significantly. Also, I mean locals not the neighbours next door!

    In Czechia they'll warn you about the slovaks, there they will tell you: it's all right here, but the romanians you should be careful of! Once there they'll tell you that bulgars, those are the real criminals.

    Don't let me talk you (or anyone else) into a false sense of security though, but in general the ratio of horror vs succes stories I have researched up until now is by far in favour of the succes stories.

    Can't wait to read more of your adventure. I'll have something nice to read in our upcoming winter

    Cheers!
    -P

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