Tell us about the first Land Rover you ever owned

[incisor]

lets hear some tall tales and true about your first land rover and where it took you...

Mine was a series 3 lwb that had a hinged roof and a queen size mattress that towed more discoveries and yotas than i care to remember

everywhere we went in it we always ended up coming across some poor bugger having troubles on the side of the road

regularly went camping in it up to charlie moreland at kenelnworth and spent endless hours looking around forest tracks.

sadly one christmas we were camped up there with a few friends for a couple of weeks and it rained for 7 days straight and my better half woke up early one morning in a panic with claustrophobia out of the blue... never had it before...

that spelled the demise of it and we ended up with a 96 v8 disco and a campertrailer....

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[grey_ghost]

My first Land Rover was a 2000 D2 td5 manual, with 120,000km on it when I bought it for SWMBO.

The next was the “Grey Ghost” - my 1961 S2 109 Ute.

I was towing the S2 home behind the D2, when the D2 died. Lol

The D2 is gone but I still have the S2.

Lol

[1984V8110]

Mine was a 1950 ish 80 inch. My brother Peter and I dragged an intact chassis (there were actually two) from the Herberton dump on the Atherton tablelands back when it was easy to make deposits and withdrawals at dumps. The year would have been late 1976. We then bought a wrecked 80 inch for 150 bucks and I went and did vacation work at MIM over the summer (to earn money for the Landrover rebuild) while my brother (who was just finishing school) started work on fixing it up. By the time I got back from Mt Isa in February 1977 he'd pretty well got the wreck onto the rescued chassis (which was imaculate) and we set to stripping the engine to have it rebored. I recall we paid 50 dollars for that - we supplied the bare block.

Once we had the engine back together it was time for us both to go to University in Townsville (my third year, his first) and I remember running the engine in by driving at various speeds down the Bruce Highway from Innisfail (where we lived) to Townsville. It was a slow trip, even by the standards of the day!

Some time later I got a Series 2 and Peter accumulated a Series 1 (which he still has) and the 80 inch was retired for a short while. However once my brother had finished his degree he dropped a Rolls Royce engine from a champ into the 80 inch and he still has the vehicle running (but not registered) to this day. So we've had that vehicle for 45 years!.

Cheers

Michael

[DeeJay]

I bought a series 2 LWB at the army auctions in June 1969- I was 17. It was a 24volt sigs wagon and thus my learning curve began..
It took everything I threw at it, which was a lot. All pics were the first years of driving it.
Wonnangatta 1970-1
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Portland beaches
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Mt Buller
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I can't delete the attached pic below of it in the first year.. (P plates) Sandy Point -Shallow Inlet

[trout1105]

My first was an old series 2 or 3 shorty I can't remember what series it was but it didn't have a roof on it.
It was a great little 4WD and it took me to some amazing places But I got sick of getting wind blown and wet so I traded it for a Nissan G60
This is going back a few decades though.

[incisor]

I traded it for a Nissan G60


my first 4wd was nissan g60

had a ball in the thing up and down the coast...

[jerryd]

My first Land Rover was a 1983 110 County named ''Bertie'' purchased in the UK in 2000 [smilebigeye] It belonged to a family man enthusiast who had installed a 200 tdi motor in it, had used it for camping, holidays, family bus etc etc.

I knew nothing about them at the time as I owned a lwb suzuki, but was a member in a club where the majority of 4x4's were Land Rovers. So after a good chat with the owner I decided to buy it and gave the man the cash. It was then that his two kids who were present burst into tears as I prepared to drive it away [bawl] At the time I thought it strange why kids would cry over a car but 20 years on I think I understand. I told them I'd look after it and off I drove.

Me and my two young boys had lots of fun in it, off roading it and a few weekend trips to Wales [smilebigeye] We also took part in the guiness book of records '' longest procession of land rovers'' and received a nice plaque and a photo taken at the start line.

Jump forward to 2002 and I had to sell it rather quickly to fund a holiday in Australia [bighmmm]. So now I was a bit sad as were the boys, without knowing it Bertie had become part of the family !! The holiday made us forget about Bertie, but it was a holiday that would change our lives forever as we applied to emigrate as soon as we got back to the UK.

I've since owned quite a few variants of Land Rovers, all different and each seems to have it's own character. I now have my forever Land Rover.[tonguewink]
A Series (pre-Defender) Land Rover is quite possibly one of the most spartan, uncomfortable, slow, and unreliable cars ever made. I love mine though. (now upgraded)
I don’t prefer being attached to things if I can help it, but a Land Rover is not a thing, a Land Rover is not a car, a Land Rover is an experience! Truly, it is. However you use it. And if you let it, it will give you a lifetime of epic stories worth sharing.


Bertie was exactly the same as these pics

[trout1105]

my first 4wd was nissan g60

had a ball in the thing up and down the coast...

Did yours rust itself to death like mine did[bawl]

[mick88]

Back in the early seventies an 86 inch Series One Truck Cab with it's original motor and driveline was my first Land Rover, and my first 4WD.
Along with three mates we decided to take a trip from Mildura up through Broken Hill, Tibooburra, Innamincka, then across to Maree and up the Birdsville Track into Qld. So I set about making up a hard canopy for the tub of the old girl as it needed to accommodate four, and in standard form it was only a three seater. I never fitted a fourth seat, instead it was decided we would take our spare clothes in Duffle Bags and they would provide a soft mattress like surface for occupant number four, who would change on a daily basis. We also decided to take a trailer with a Honda SL100 in it as our back-up vehicle, just in case the Landy decided to let us down in any way. First night out was a roadside camp on the Tibooburra Road (Silver City Highway) about fifty kays north of Yanco Glen. Whilst setting up camp and getting wood for a fire, one of the guys put a razor sharp axe through the instep his foot, so that buggered that. We packed up and headed back to Broken Hill to seek medical attention for the badly lacerated foot, which we had sufficiently bandaged up in the meantime. On arrival at the Yanco Glen Pub we thought there may be someone with a faster vehicle that could take our injured mate on ahead to the Broken Hill Base Hospital ED, however the female publican/bartender's response was, "take a look around, everyone here is way too ****ed to drive to Broken Hill", however she did ring for an ambulance to meet us along the way, so we set off again in the Landy.
After rendezvousing with the ambulance and being treated at the BHBH our mate was hospitalised for a couple of days, as it was a nasty gash that had severed a few of the bones that were attached to his toes. This incident waylaid our journey for several days and in the meantime big rains had fallen up north, which resulted in the roads north of Tibooburra being closed to traffic, so we decided to detour via Yunta, then up through the Flinders Ranges to Maree, then head up the Birdsville Track into Queensland, but as it turned out the Birdsville Track also ended up closed south of Birdsville, so we diverted up the Oodnadatta Track to Alice Springs.
The rest of the trip took in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Mt Isa, then we headed home via Barcaldine, Longreach, Charleville, Cunnamulla, Bourke, etc. and for the whole trip the old Landy never missed a beat, just used a bit of oil.
Eventually when worn out, the motor was replaced with a Holden 186 engine using a Johnson Conversion kit, as this was a far cheaper option than reconditioning the original motor.
Back in those days the cost of Land Rover parts were prohibitive, a series one water pump alone was $90, whereas the engine conversion kit was $120.

Cheers, Mick.

[incisor]

Did yours rust itself to death like mine did[bawl]Yep

I watched it dissolve before my eyes but sold it to an old fellow that pestered me on a regular basis as he wanted it right or wrong

[Markf]

My first LR as a 50's Series I. It was slow, gutless, drank as much fuel as I could give it and it was LOUD. If it was hot, dry and dusty outside it was hotter, drier and dustier inside. If it was cold, wet and windy outside it was the same inside. It was my daily drive.

One night on the way home from work it suddenly started making a loud ticking and rattling noise. The racket soon settled down and by the time I got home (~15km) it just sounded like a tappet. Some weeks later when I got around to taking the head off I saw the issue - there was a groove down one side of cylinder 2 and a bit of piston missing. Long story short - EVERY piston ring in the engine was broken and piston 2 was in 3 pieces. A new set of rings and a second hand piston and we were on our way with a re-used head gasket. I dare you to try that crap with a modern car...

First trip after that was up to Snobs No 6 Track near the Rubicon Power Station in Vic. The LR acquitted itself very well. Next trip was to Perth and return from Melbourne. No problem except that I had to camp in the bush near Caiguna until I got paid so I could afford more fuel at some exorbitant price - about double Melbourne prices.
When the gearbox eventually packed up I got a SIIa - comparative luxury but it drank even more fuel...[bigsmile1]

[JDNSW]

I first became acquainted with landrovers while in a vacation job at the BMR in the summer of 1959-60. We had a mix of orange and yellow ones, all Series 1 swb hardtops. These had a long range fuel tank on one side on the rear wheel box, and a water tank on the other side. My duties included driving one of these, as well as daily checks and refuelling etc.

In 1962, working on a geophysical field crew in the middle of Queensland, I decided that my VW was not suitable for the conditions after the motor succumbed to the dust. Next field break I bought a 1956 Series 1 swb hardtop, ex SMHEA.

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This served me for two years, not without a few minor problems 177613
During this period I overhauled the engine, and did quite a few miles, before trading it on a slightly newer Series 2, also ex SMHEA in 1964, to get a bit better comfort and performance on road.

[BradC]

My first Land Rover is my current D3.

I spent years as a kid going to Monkey Mia in one of Dads mates Range Rovers (he'd take Dads Alfa GTV and we'd take the Rangie to tow the dinghy and carry the tent), then I learned to drive in Mums 79 Range Rover 2 door. She traded up for the first diesel Disco that made it into WA and we had Barbagellos Sales Managers V8 Disco while we waited for that. I drove that a lot and managed Perth->Margaret River->Lots of driving around->Perth with 4 guys & 4 sets of clubs in the back on a single tank. That was a revelation for me.

Personally I've always had Volvos. After 30+ years of competent and persistently reliable vehicles I needed something quieter, more comfortable, but with less room in the boot, and far less reliable. So I bought the Antichrist. Got a decent deal on it because it was a manual and the previous owners wife decided she didn't like having to think and steer at the same time. Win!

[scarry]

My introduction into LR's came as the first vehicle i was ever was transported in.[bighmmm][bigrolf]

The rest is history.[biggrin]

Oh,there is a pic around somewhere,but it will never appear on here[bigwhistle]

That same vehicle is in my sig and Avatar.

As for myself,i had Holdens and nothing else,then the LR's started with one of the very first D2's,and ended with 10yrs of a D4.

[DieselDan]

My first Land Rover was/is my 1975 S3 Lightweight, bought by me and my dad when I was 16.

I learnt to drive in it, learnt how to repair it, learnt how to use a stick welder to patch up the never ending Swiss cheese holes in the chassis (there must have been a reason it ended up in civilian life in 1980 after only 5 years service...!) and learnt the joys of chasing leaks - rain in and oil out!

I packed up all my worldly belongings in it when I went to uni and enjoyed the odd green lane trip through the countryside and camping trips to France.

It sat in a barn covered by a tarp when I first moved to Oz in 2000 until I returned to the UK a few years later and finished a rebuild on a new galvanised chassis. It then got used on a semi regular basis until I moved back to Oz permanently and it sat unused again in a lock-up for the next 10years.

A few years ago I finally had the time, space, the ok from the wife, (and the money!), to finally import it to Oz! A bit of work was needed to get it up and running and road legal but it now lives a life of luxury in my garage and trundling around the Surf Coast!
Still leaks rain in and oil out though....https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220314/f7d2f0ff23f6b491e63463f20ea88aaf.jpg

[windsock]

Was in and out of land rovers as a baby apparently as that is what my grandparents had for many years. A series I 80". No idea of year of it other than it was one of the first in our region. My grandfather bought one for use on the farm he was breaking in. Story is told in the family how he got the salesman to drive it to his farm for a demo. All the neighbours turned up for the sales pitch apparently. Poppa wanted to test drive it so the salesman told him to take it around the hill and back. Pops drove it up the hill and down the other side and got stuck in the swamp. Apparently the salesman thought he'd lost any prospect of a sale. Pops bought the land rover as he didn't think it was going to get as far as he got it. I have memories of it when I was old enough to gain memories. It was at my great grandfathers house by then at the beach. I remember the smell of what I now know was hot gearbox oils leaking, petrol, garlic and pipe tobacco smoke from then and the hard edges in the back of the 80". I have an old photo somewhere of my mum when she got her licence in it all smiling.

I got my first Land Rover in the late 80s. A 1974 series III shorty pick up with a holden 202 already in it. I remember clearly my dad was impressed as he said in a huff "At least it is all one colour!".

I was a fence contractor and that would carry my gear up and down the job site all day. I made a front bull bar that I could fold the middle section in front of the radiator down horizontal. I would load this with posts and load the back with posts and then that thing would climb and keep climbing. I laid it on it's side a few times but never completely rolled it. The biggest damage done to it was when i was fencing in a large hilltop paddock and unknown to me at the time, I was sharing it with half a dozen bulls. I had a border collie at the time and he would sleep under the truck on the hot days. The bulls being curious of this thing parked in their patch were sniffing around it. Old dog was leaping out from under at each one as it got closer to the truck and each lunge the bulls would get more agitated. Some making contact with the truck trying to get the dog I guess. The bull bar and posts served it's purpose but the tail end got shunted a few times as did the passenger side. I needed a new tail gate and a new passenger door. I no longer had a land rover all one colour.

I remember my first axle breakage and still have the broken splines of the axle on my desk today as a paperweight. I was camped out working in some rough country and the springboks were going to be playing the All Blacks that afternoon and I still had a couple of chain of post hole digging to do to finish the posts for the job. I was running late by the time I finished so was flying down the gravel track to get to the road to the pub to watch on TV. I was roaring around a bend when I remembered there was a ford to cross just around there... I slammed it down a gear and heard and felt the axle go to mush and grind. I eventually stopped in the middle of the ford and had to get out and lock the front hubs and drive to the pub in front wheel drive. I missed the first half of the game. I don't actually remember what happened to that motor but I needed a replacement one day and needed it quickly and a mate had a 161 handy so we quickly swapped that in. I kept that old truck a few years. I've had a couple of other land rovers come and go over the years since that one and since 2008, have had the pleasure of owning a 1984 110 HCPU single cab.

[gusthedog]

94 110 Ute. Loved that car. It was a bit beat up as it was a farming rig. But had ultra low 79k when I picked it up in the late 90's.

Rolled it half way between the Eyre bird observatory and Madura on the fun track. Was gutted. Took me 10 hours to get it back on its wheels. Buried the spare and used my old turfor on it. Finally got it right side up. Stayed in Madura that night. Then into Ceduna.

Drove home to Albury from Ceduna in one sitting. Took the insurance company 6 months to write it off.

Started my love for Landy's! Bought my 95 D1 soon after.

[Slunnie]

My first Landy is my Disco2.

Bought new, it really has been the basis of an incredible amount of fun in my life. The Disco2 has genuinely been such a good times vehicle to me, its a part of me that I don't think I could ever sell.

Engineering of it for its modifications has been a point of what has really interested me about it, and a lot of this was in the early days when everyone was really trying to work these things out. I like to think of it as a bit of a test bed and there are still developments in the pipeline. Development was happening in so many areas of these vehicles away from the mainstream suppliers - it was all in the suspension with spring, shock and ACE development, working out what tyres fitted and how/when, driveline like CDL, propshafts and transmissions, body armour like rock sliders and rear bars, there was engine development with chips and then later intercoolers, speedo correction, ETC control and ACE controllers. These days there are still so many new areas of development such as power trains, brakes, axles and so on, it is still a really exciting time although a lot of this seem to get developed in isolation these days.

Community and teamwork of like minded folk, groups such as D2Au and DiscoOwners very early on, AULRO was just a baby at the time. Overlander forums was going crazy, ExploreOz was trying its best and 4WDMonthly forum had a crack also. Outerlimits4x4 was going off and had loads of hilarus conversations and great tech, particularly when the offroad racing scene was big in Aus. Loads and loads of discussions, I think even back in the early 2000's D2Au / AussieDiscoveryII group chat might have been getting hundreds, maybe close to a thousand emails per month. 20+ years on, and Aulro is probably the only one of that lot still standing, its a credit to Dave! I've made so many friends, some really good friends too through the 4WD, LandRover and Disco2 worlds.

Trips have been a source of fun also, loads of them out with MaxP and LROC Sydney on a regular "recce" to drive those gnarly and renowned tracks that should be driven if you like to be challenged. Some crazy trips there and sometimes all of us paid the price. Sadly some of those places we can only reminisce about these days like Cabbage Tree Lane, Porters Rd, Winchbreak Pass, Sawpit Gully and Menai, but fortunately many of these places people can still having fun on, particularly around the Watagans and Lithgow areas. Stockton beach was always fun for a play and to maybe to throw a line in. This picture is an oldie, but a favourite with the Disco2 and my Souldog Simba.

Touring and camping, we are just the luckiest here in Australia with so much to see and do, and this D2 has taken me to so many really cool places in Australia with friends, east to west and north to south in the Desert, Central Australia, Flinders Ranges, all up and down the NSW coast, inland NSW too, Cape York, a million trips to Fraser Island, Victoria from High Country to Toolangi.

They Disco2 isn't always cheap to run, especially if you play hard, but jeez they are the ultimate lifestyle vehicle and can bring so many good times and fond memories! Of course I still have the Disco2 and many other Landies I've added to the collection, but this will always be my favourite.

http://www.slunnie.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10001/P1010060.jpg

[1950landy]

I bought Landy from a fellow AULRO member & now good friend Keith Cree back in 1987 , when my wife & went to look at her & 1st saw her my wife said lets not stop , this is her 1st day home 177643 This photo dose her justice . After 3 years work & a complete strip down which entailed making / replacing booth X members under the gearbox , bottom of front X member , all out riggers, chassis under all four bump stops & bottom of booth main chassis rails each side of the gear box , I also bought a new rear X member for a S2 7 modified it to same as a S1 . 177644 37 years on she is still looking good177645 Landy & I have had lots of adventures over the years , with trips to North West Really 177646 ( Inverell , Moree & Narrabri ) , displays at Brisbane International Motor Show, All British Day, heading a committee of Rover Car Club & Land Rover Club members to organizing the LR 50th in Brisbane & last but not least , taking Arthur Goddard to his 100th birthday lunch last year. My 1s introduction to LR's was when I worked for Wedmaiers who were Rover dealers in Brisbane & my father bought a new S3 from them & later a new RR 4 door for going up to Double Island Point & Fraser Island fishing .

[1984V8110]

I mentioned that the 80 inch mentioned above was retired briefly and Peter had a 88 inch Series 1. This photo, taken in 1995 ish shows that 88 inch Series 1 vehicle (which is still registered and used as it was designed) stuck on the exit of the Jeannie River North of Cooktown with my Game (still with me and registered) snatching him up via a pulley around a tree.

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We still travel light in our newer LRs (although we still use these for fun), but it's worth noting that we had 4 adults and 3 kids under the age of 5 in those 2 SWB LRs and we were away for a week! This was a memorable trip - I broke a half shaft 50km North of this photo (we had spares) and the grass was head high and made the track (and the associated washouts) invisible so we kept getting stuck - great fun.

I'm biased, but I don't think you can beat the look of a SWB Series vehicle (especially soft-tops), and for tooling around in the bush a Series LR with the door tops off is cool in both senses of the word!

Thanks for listening!


Michael

[scarry]

We still travel light in our newer LRs (although we still use these for fun), but it's worth noting that we had 4 adults and 3 kids under the age of 5 in those 2 SWB LRs and we were away for a week

Great write up and pics.

Its amazing what we did years ago.
There was 4 of us kids,two parents in the SWB S1,wooden tailer in tow,used to travel all over the place.
Fraser island trips went for months,although on occasions we did get food and parts flown in.
Also long trips up to Cairns and Daintree areas are in my memory as well.
Huge canvas tents,no fridges,tinned food,dried meals at times,powdered milk,fresh fish(if we caught any,which we usually did),etc,etc.
No complaints either,three of us kids, spent weeks, in the back of the S1,sitting on pillows,or towels.The youngest always sat in the middle in the front.
Not much ventilation,we always had a paper bag ready if we didnt feel well[bigsad][biggrin]

Kids these days wouldnt last 2Km without a winge or three[biggrin][wink11]
Any of that and we got a good clip around the ear[bighmmm][biggrin]

Pics of those days for us are hard to come by,but i will have a search.

[numpty]

I always wanted a Land Rover, so after graduating from a VW Kombi I bought my first 4wd, a Datsun 720 Dual Cab in 1983. Yes, go figure.

My first Land Rover we bought in 1987, a Stage 1 V8 Stn Wgn. We owned that vehicle for 21 years and it took us lots of places, including our first crossing of the Simpson in '89 and to Cape York solo in '94, Fraser Island and many, many weekends camping and weeks of touring.

[Saitch]

This is 'Alfred'.

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A child of the '70s, which we adopted in '79, in the Isa. Helen and I had many adventures and one or two misadventures with him, over the years. I remember on leaving the Isa, there was a fair bit of water over the road in several places, so we hooked Alfred up to the Kingswood that Helen was driving and I'd tow her through the different patches. Probably frowned upon today! I traded him on a 244 Volvo sedan after returning to S.E. Qld in the late 80's. The Volvo was a great car, but not the character that Alfred was. [bigsad]

Helen and I still talk about him.[bigsmile1]

[VladTepes]

My first was a 200Tdi Defender 110 trayback.

Mate named it Doris which i thought was a stupid name and had never heard of a car called that before.,
But I see that @Tins also has a trayback ute named Doris. What are the odds...

[Tote]

My first Land Rover was a 300TDI Disco 1. It was at the time that they were using the "starts below 40" theme for their ads. I almost bought a second hand 3 door a couple of years earlier but ended up with a Daihatsu Rocky instead. I haven't been without a Land Rover since 1998 or so.
177808

Pictured in Tassie

Regards,
Tote

[JDNSW]

Great write up and pics.

Its amazing what we did years ago.
There was 4 of us kids,two parents in the SWB S1,wooden tailer in tow,used to travel all over the place.
Fraser island trips went for months,although on occasions we did get food and parts flown in.
Also long trips up to Cairns and Daintree areas are in my memory as well.
Huge canvas tents,no fridges,tinned food,dried meals at times,powdered milk,fresh fish(if we caught any,which we usually did),etc,etc.
No complaints either,three of us kids, spent weeks, in the back of the S1,sitting on pillows,or towels.The youngest always sat in the middle in the front.
Not much ventilation,we always had a paper bag ready if we didnt feel well[bigsad][biggrin]

Kids these days wouldnt last 2Km without a winge or three[biggrin][wink11]
Any of that and we got a good clip around the ear[bighmmm][biggrin]

Pics of those days for us are hard to come by,but i will have a search.

Not Landrover, but where us kids travelled in 1947. I am far right, my sister is the oldest one, the other three are cousins. By the clothes we are wearing it must have been my grandfather's 90th, held in the old hall at Mulgoa, where the fire station is now (I think). There were only two seats in the front for mum and dad, so the kids travelled in the back. The vehicle is a Ford T.

177809

[skidrov]

There were only two seats in the front for mum and dad, so the kids travelled in the back. The vehicle is a Ford T.


Huh very neat. Am guessing the engineering inspection of the anchor points for the additional child seats was a lot cheaper back then? 🙃

[bln]

My first LR was a second hand blue Disco 1 which I bought in 1996 and i thought it was the bees knees after having a holden jackaroo previously. It was a manual and a great car except I remember the dashboard cracked to the point that it was ugly. LR still replaced the dashboard even though it was out of warranty. Did lots of sand driving around Beachport back then. I think my favorite car of all time was my grey Disco Series II with auto and the 5 cylinder motor.

177810

[JDNSW]

Huh very neat. Am guessing the engineering inspection of the anchor points for the additional child seats was a lot cheaper back then? 🙃

Anchor points? child seats? seats?

Perhaps worth pointing out that the Ford T truck had a nominal maximum speed of 15mph, about 25kph. While speeds could get a little faster downhill or perhaps even on the level, they were certainly not fast. Those fitted with a two speed axle were faster (35kph). They had a nominal carrying capacity of one ton, a wheelbase 15% longer than the car, and a 7.25" diff ration compared to 3:1 for the car. But the same 20bhp motor and transmission.

The Ford T car, with much higher gearing, had a top speed of around 70kph.

[123rover50]

I bought my first Land Rover in 1967. It was an ex Ambulance from Woomera Rocket Range. Bought it from Carthy Motors in Melbourne for $1700 on condition he fitted a fuel tank on the LHS and free wheel hubs. Which he did. It was a 2a I think 63 and had a fold down tail gate that made a step. It came with a fold down back settee thing on the RHS that made a bed and a stretcher rack on the LHS . The folded stretcher was stored under the settee thing. Travelled all round OZ in that. Broke an axle near Ayres Rock. My fault as hubs were still locked out. Went on to Adelaide on front axle.
Camped under Ayres Rock and found the Leyland Brothers tree they blazed as the centre of OZ.
Took it to Mt Hagen in PNG when I got a job there in 1969. Sold it to a School Teacher when I transferred to New Ireland and by then I was driving a Series one SWB I squeezed a crate motor Rover 6 into.

Sorry about the pics. They were half frame slides I took on a Canon Demi and they got a bit of fungus in PNG



https://live.staticflickr.com/1796/28127443377_eec1afe763_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JRwuYi)Camping Ayres Rock in rain 1968 001 (https://flic.kr/p/JRwuYi) by Keith
Cree (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141809689@N05/), on Flickr


https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51970415988_ece7602e2c_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nbrY3Y)Leyland Bros. Tree centre 1968 001 (https://flic.kr/p/2nbrY3Y) by Keith Cree (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141809689@N05/), on Flickr

If you want to know more about the Leyland Brothers trip across the Simpson in their old Land Rovers, read their book "Where dead men Lie "
You will see a pic of the same tree.

Found another photo.
Something you cant do now. Drive up Mt Kosciuszko.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51974139938_cf870bf0e6_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nbM441)On the top of Mt Kosciusko 1967 001 (https://flic.kr/p/2nbM441) by Keith Cree (https://www.flickr.com/photos/141809689@N05/), on Flickr

[davros]

Some great old pics people, nice to see.
My first is my ‘73 Lightweight [ex] FFR winterised and deep wading. 12v now and big heater etc removed when I got it in about ‘94 in WA, from a guy who imported it but lost interest. He had a Land Rover repair business in Mallard Way, Welshpool. The Lightweight had been a radio vehicle with the Paras in Norway/NATO. It had about 7 coats of paint, winter camo, summer camo, winter camo - all peeling like psoriasis…
But it only had about 12,000 miles on the clock, likely having sat about idling with the radios on.
I drove it as an only car for many years, up teaching in Newman and in the wheatbelt.
The halfshafts are the original early type, 3” shorter that the standard ones… or so I found out!
Had the engine and gearbox rebuilt, and a modified transfer case with 12% ratio increase, great on the light vehicle on long Australian trips!
I have just finished a gearbox “touch up” - not a rebuild exactly but a few bearings.
Refurbishment of the brakes due this week, as oil on them has destroyed them over the last years it spent in the shed awaiting the gearbox refreshment!

[TimNZ]

Not the first one I owned, but the first one I loved:

My 88" Series 3 (https://www.aulro.com/afvb/series-iii/240801-my-88-series-3-a.html)

Cheers,

[RANDLOVER]

My 1st Land Rover was a toy Range Rover in a UK Police set of with a Ford Cortina (Mk 3 I think with the swoopy doors) and Helicopter in "jam sandwich" livery, then I'd occasionally drive a Series I in the Army, a couple of my mates had Discovery 1's so I bought a Disco II, and then realised what a technological leap the D3's were so bought one of those.

[drfish]

Well I was (and still am) a massive Pink Floyd fan, and in my late teens I was watching a film (Obscured by Clouds) that they did the soundtrack to. It was a pretty average movie, but the principle means of transportation for the main characters as they searched for "paradise" in the rugged New Guinea countryside was a 1969 (est.) Series 2a widelight 109 station wagon. I fell in love and began a hunt for one, and ended up with a 1967 Series 2a 109 instead. So many awesome memories in that car, and my wife tells me it is one of the principal reasons she was responsive to my "moves"...because I had such a cool jalopy. Unfortunately I sold it when our first kid came along, but three kids and 18 years of marriage later, we're back into Series Land Rovers again! It is a shame that during this intervening period that George and Brian from Land Vehicle Spares got out of the business - many great conversations and anecdotes with the staff there as a young bloke learning the joys of Land Rover ownership...
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