Wee Jasper Camping trip

[Rally]

Just returned from a great Australia Day long Weekend at Wee Jasper held by the Jackaroo 4WD Club. A bit hot, but a nice weekend away. How's this- on the way down I got 39mpg! Incredible- I had to check the figures a few times just to make sure. The Forrie excelled where others succumbed to punctures (Prado), overheating (Jackaroo, X-Trail). The X-Trail was weird- he had his foot flat to the floor and it was going nowhere. After we removed over 300 odd kg's (2 passengers!) and time for it to cool down, it made it up with just the driver. The Forrie- with a similar load made it up without effort. Pics to come

 

[NachaLuva]

The Forrie excelled where others succumbed

But of course lol

 

[mr turbo]

The Forrie excelled where others succumbed

Was there ever any doubt

Looking forward to hearing & seeing all about your trip away, when you get a chance

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[taza]

Sounds great mate, can't wait to see the pics!!

 

[Rally]

Here's one- and since it was Australia Day, we all flew our flags proudly. More to come as i have much to do regards unpacking.

 

[Rally]

The weather forecasters got it mostly wrong- but you expect that. It was hotter than forecast and for camping that is not good. Nor could we have a camp fire. But apart from that it was a really nice weekend away. Met some new people in this club and I am getting to know others better. Cruised down Thursday morning and set up camp. Lots of Aussie flags flying as you would expect.

Friday we headed out past Tumut and the Forrie was never challenged. The X-Trail seems like a bit of a dud car to me. While it was warm that day it was not as though it was mid 40's- or even close. It just gave up until the ECU was happy. The lead Jackaroo overheated further up the track. Not sure what the story is there as it made it home. I was checking to see if it was the viscous fans- they do not use electric ones. So I went to check it against another Jackaroo. I lifted the bonnet and then discovered that the cap for the brake master cylinder was missing! We taped a plastic bag over it and returned to camp. I was well and truly buggered and so was everyone else. But we stayed up and my mate Dan who owns the Jackaroo had his some look for a black plastic cap in a black engine bay at night- and he found it! It was obvious the mechanic who checked the car out a few days previously never put it back on it, as it was found behind the headlight. It looks like it had been resting on the battery.

Dan, his family and myself decided to have a rest day while the others went out. His two sons aged 10 and 13 joined an adult cricket team- although they were using tennis balls and not cricket balls. It was the locals vs the tourists- and the locals won. A very Australian way for our national holiday weekend I reckon. There was a creek running nearby and that created a very pretty scene. We spent the night star gazing, counting numerous satellites and a few shooting stars. Very pleasant but as always we had to come home.


Here are some more pictures:

 

[mr turbo]

There are some really good pics there Rally :ebiggrin:
The scenery with all the rolling hills look absolutely magic I must say
Great to hear that you had a fantastic time :biggrin:

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[carljwnc]

Looks and sounds like a fantastic weekend Rally!!!:ebiggrin:

Love the pic of the lizard on the fence post, took me a moment to spot the lizard.:ebiggrin:

 

[NachaLuva]

Great pics Rally.

How unbelievable the mechanic left of the cap to the brake master cylinder! I reckon someone is gonna be getting a heated phone call Monday morning

I bet the X-trail owner must be checking out Foresters now haha :lol:

Not a fan of Jackaroos, my bro had one & he had never-ending probs with it. Then again what do you expect from a Holden lol

I love the pic of the Eastern Bearded Dragon on the post. I've gone chasing them in the past & its amazing how easy it is to walk right by one without even noticing...until it moves.

Glad you saw some shooting stars...I havent seen one for ages!

Yeah, what a better way to celebrate Aussie day than with a game of cricket :biggrin:

Sounds like a great time was had by all (almost, lol)

 

[Rally]

The lizard was literally at our camping spot. On the last night a possum kept me awake with it's not so friendly noises. For our overseas friends, the sound of an angry possum is quite loud. And if you did not know the sound was from a possum, it would scare the hell out of you

 

[Kevin]

The X-Trail was weird- he had his foot flat to the floor and it was going nowhere.

This is normal for an X-Trail.

Looks like a great weekend was had by all!

 

[NachaLuva]

Our friends in the US are unfortunately aware of our possums...our Brushies emigrated there

Apparently they reach a bigger size over there than they do here...

Rally, most likely what you heard was a brushy, like a fierce snarling hissing kinda sound when they're defending their territory against others, or battling other males for mating rights with the local hot mamas lol

Ringtails sound a bit like a bird chirping...

The X-Trail was weird- he had his foot flat to the floor and it was going nowhere.

This is normal for an X-Trail.

Hahaha :rotfl:

 

[mr turbo]

How unbelievable the mechanic left of the cap to the brake master cylinder! I reckon someone is gonna be getting a heated phone call Monday morning

You're not wrong. If it was me, I'd be steaming to say the least & there would be heads rolling for sure

On the last night a possum kept me awake with it's not so friendly noises. For our overseas friends, the sound of an angry possum is quite loud. And if you did not know the sound was from a possum, it would scare the hell out of you

Yes I know what you mean by the lovely possum noises at night :lol:
They can be quite disconcerting when you don't know what they are

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[Species]

Our friends in the US are unfortunately aware of our possums...our Brushies emigrated there

Apparently they reach a bigger size over there than they do here...

I'm not sure if I saw the ones you are talking about... I lived in Florida (mainly) for 4 years and the possums I saw were like massive rats, ugly things. I tried to explain how "pretty" our possums here were in comparison. I even used the example of you could call your girlfriend or daughter, 'possum' as a term of endearment.
I'll never forget the hatred my Brazilian friend had for them, the possums were killing his chickens and this guy made a trap out of a shopping trolley! He caught the bugger and when I asked him what he was going to do he explained(sounds better with an accent):
Well, I was going to starve him to death... but I left too much food in the trap and well it just keeps raining, so he has water... I think, I'm just going to have to burn him.

Anyway that's my nature story. I'm aware of the tricks your mind plays on you when you hear things at night

 

[dirtyRU]

Thanks for sharing those pictures Rally, sure was some beautiful country you guys got to trek through.
Oh yes, we are well aware of possums out here & the noises they make. I actually chased one just last night in the subaru down a fence line until he disappeared to the other side! I'm not sure if there's an area of the US that they don't live. During my highschool days while workin in the outside garden centers at Lowe's, we would find them nesting between pallets of top soil, then chase them 'til they either got away or we caught them by the tail & flipped 'em over the fence :lol:

Haha, like Species said above - they do look like nasty big rats! I just google'd an australian possum, and yes those are much prettier! Careful now, i hear they are a comoon carrier of tuberculosis. Don't wanna end up a lunger!

Nice side....

Nasty Side!

 

[NachaLuva]

Careful now, i hear they are a comoon carrier of tuberculosis. Don't wanna end up a lunger!

haha no thats a myth. I work with (Aussie) possums all the time. Their sharp claws & teeth are the only thing to worry about lol

Despite all the paranoid media hype about fruit bats (I hate the name "flying fox") only 1 person has died from lyssavirus in recent DECADES, She was a wildlife volunteer who was bitten by one & refused to get her shots despite repeated warnings. So she died more from her own stupidity than anything else! But of course the bats were made to suffer!

Cute in an ugly kinda way :biggrin:

This funny looking guy is actually an opossum, like Heidi:

This is a more unusual possum...an Eastern Pygmy Possum, that was rescued after the Black Saturday Bushfires that amazingly was not mistaken for a mouse: