This post is intended to capture some statistics,
for those who appreciate them, and also to note some details of our vehicle,
where we stayed, the places we visited, and the stuff we took along for the
trip.
Initially however; a note of thanks and
recognition:
After 323 days and 47,626 Km we arrived home in Bogotá, having spent every moment of the trip enjoying, learning, and meeting many people. In particular we would like to thank all those who have helped, advised, or welcomed us:
During planning:
In Colombia: Americana de Colchones, Pasión 4x4 Aventura, Federación Colombiana de Automovilismo Deportivo, Automóvil Club de Colombia, Roberto Cano of Hatman, Jim Cliffin at Colless Young.
After 323 days and 47,626 Km we arrived home in Bogotá, having spent every moment of the trip enjoying, learning, and meeting many people. In particular we would like to thank all those who have helped, advised, or welcomed us:
During planning:
In Colombia: Americana de Colchones, Pasión 4x4 Aventura, Federación Colombiana de Automovilismo Deportivo, Automóvil Club de Colombia, Roberto Cano of Hatman, Jim Cliffin at Colless Young.
For Australia: Gaz and Emma, Ana and Dooley, Andrés
Botero,
On the journey:
We met too many people to record everyone, however we’d like to recall enjoyable conversations with:
·
David and Heather from Port Macquarie
·
Paul & Janine from Adelaide
·
Bill and Jason from Byron Bay
·
Suzanne & Loca from Amsterdam
·
Rob & Liz from Melbourne
·
Richard, Regina, and Riley in Perth
·
Brad from Sydney
·
Colin & Steve from Caboolture
Peter & Lilian from Sydney (in Eyre BO and Kununurra)
Peter & Lilian from Sydney (in Eyre BO and Kununurra)
·
Colin & Dianne from Sydney
·
Joan & Simon from Australia and the UK
·
Jurg & Chantal from Switzerland
·
Adrian & Mari in Darwin
·
Brett & Jackie from Parramatta
·
Barry from Sydney
·
Alan from South Australia
·
Arnaud y Daniel from Spain and Costa Rica
·
Barry & Caroline from Perth
·
Dino & Miranda from the Mornington
Peninsula
·
Mario & Maria from Adelaide
·
Paul St Leger, Julian, and Hugo in Canberra
It was also great to meet Brad & Jen and
Matty in Tasmania.
In particular, the warm hospitality of Beate and
Mark in Marlow, Emma and Gaz in Currumbin, Kirsty and Michael in Tarbuck Bay,
Dani and Sophie in Sydney, Ana and Dooley in Warriewood, Jess and Michael in
Hideaway Bay, Paul and Gwen in Denmark, Bruce and Nina in Logan Village, and of Paola and Juan Felipe in Melbourne, was highly appreciated.
The maps:
The plan:
Getting to Australia:
The final route:
The three “big trips” compared
(
in our car: 44,164 Km in 260 days - 169 Km/day)
139,249 Km in 862
days for the three trips - 162 Km/day average
26,000 photos (or thereabouts, after first screening).
26,000 photos (or thereabouts, after first screening).
The statistics:
Travelling:
In Australia –
281 nights / 282 days
Overall – 323
nights / 324 days (we spent 4 nights in the UK on the way to Australia, and on
the way back spent time in Singapore (3 nights), Cambodia (9 nights), Laos (11
nights), Singapore (3 nights), and the UK (7 nights)).
Kilometres driven:
Total distance
in our Montero: 44,164 Km in 260 days - Average 169 Km/day
Plus 605 Km in a
UK rental, 504 Km in a Brisbane rental, 384 Km in a Hobart rental, 1032 Km in a
second Brisbane rental (these three while awaiting delivery of our Montero),
252 Km in another Hobart rental (a short visit to Tasmania), 95 Km in a Port Lincoln rental (during windscreen replacement), and 590 Km
in a UK rental on the way home. A total of 3462 Km in rental vehicles, of which 2267 Km were in
rentals in Australia.
Total distance
driven in Australia (including rentals) 46,431 Km in 281 days
Total distance
driven on the trip 47,626 Km in 323 days
Fuel consumption:
Total fuel in the
Montero: 7382 L
Fuel consumption:
-
Average
16.71 L/100 Km
-
Lowest
10.01 L/100 Km (Nullarbor at 80 Km/h)
-
Highest
22.35 L/100 Km (Simpson Desert crossing) – 33% higher than average
Fuel cost
(estimated) AUD 12,180.00 (USD 8190.00)
Ferries: multiple ferries ranging from simple wire-guided river ferries
to the Spirit of Tasmania. Note that we also made a lot of river crossings in
the Montero.
Air travel: We travelled by air to Hobart and back from Brisbane and from
Adelaide, connecting four times in Melbourne. In addition we made flights from
Broome to Mitchell Plateau and back. Going to Australia we flew Bogotá-London,
and London-Singapore-Brisbane, and on the way back Brisbane-Singapore, then
Singapore-Phnom Penh, overland to Battambang then Siem Reap, by air Siem Reap-
Pakse, overland to Si Phan Don and back to Pakse, by air to Luang Prabang and
from there to Vientiane. We then flew Vientiane to Singapore, Singapore to
London, and lastly London to Bogotá.
Countries visited:
Accommodation:
Setting aside
staying in homes of friends and family, we camped 153 nights in 224 – 68% of
the time.
Campsites to
which we would return without hesitation (for a variety of reasons):
·
Flinders
Chase NP campground, Kangaroo Island
·
Fitzgerald
River NP
·
Porongurup
Range Tourist Park Campsite
·
Western
Flora Campsite
·
Karijini
NP Ecolodge campground
·
Karijini
NP Dales campground
·
Eighty
Mile Beach Caravan Park
·
Birdwood
Homestead campground
·
Windjana
Gorge campsite
·
Manning
Gorge Camp
·
Ellenbrae
Station camp
·
El
Questro campground
·
Hidden
Valley Tourist Park
·
Keep
River NP Jarnem Campsite
·
Katherine
Holiday Park campsite
·
Kakadu
NP Gunlom Camp
·
Litchfield
NP Tjaynera Falls campsite
·
Mataranka
Homestead Campground
·
Big 4
MacDonnell Ranges Campground
·
Palm
Valley Campground
·
King’s
Canyon Resort Campground
·
Pink
Roadhouse, Oodnadatta
·
Mount
Dare Hotel campground
·
Various
Simpson Desert campsites
·
Adels
Grove Campground
·
Normanton
Tourist Park campground
·
Cobbold
Gorge campsite
·
Feathers
n’ Friends Cottage Campsite
·
Daintree
Rainforest Village campsite
·
Palmer
River Roadhouse campground
·
Blencoe
Falls Campground
·
Mount
Larcom Tourist Park campground
·
Carnarvon
Gorge campground
·
Ballina
Headlands Holiday Park campsite
·
Wilson
Promontory NP Tidal River Campground
·
Mount
William NP Deep Creek Campsite
·
Eaglehawk
Dive Centre campground
·
Captain
Cook Holiday Park, Adventure Bay
·
Left
of Field campground
·
Derwent
Bridge Wilderness Hotel carpark
·
Corinna
Wilderness Experience campground
·
Cradle
Mountain NP Discovery Campground
·
Hat
Head Holiday Park campground
We visited only 93ere:
New South Wales:
|
||
Northern Territory:
|
||
Elsey National Park
|
||
Finke Gorge National Park
|
||
Judbarra / Gregory National Park
|
||
Kakadu National Park
|
||
Keep River National Park
|
||
Litchfield National Park
|
||
Mary River National Park
|
||
Nitmiluk National Park
|
||
Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
|
||
Watarrka National Park
|
||
West MacDonnell National Park
|
||
Queensland:
|
||
|
|
||
South Australia:
|
||
Coorong National Park
|
||
Flinders Chase National Park
|
||
Gawler Ranges National Park
|
||
Great Australian Bight Marine National Park
|
||
Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park
|
||
Lincoln National Park
|
||
Naracoorte Caves National Park
|
||
Nullarbor National Park
|
||
Witjira National Park
|
||
Tasmania:
|
||
|
|
||
Victoria: Burrowa-Pine Mountain National Park Grampians National Park Mornington Peninsula National Park Wilsons Promontory National Park Western Australia:
|
||
The car:
2016 Mitsubishi
Montero automatic 3.8 L V6 petrol.
Upgrades/modifications:
·
Dobinson’s
heavy duty suspension with 50 mm lift
·
Mile
Marker Scout 8000 winch
·
Safari
Snorkel
·
ARB
transmission breather
·
Custom-built
roof rack with sand flag mount and rear light
·
Sand
flag
·
UHF
radio with front-mounted aerial
·
Second
spare wheel & tyre (6 all-terrain tyres on 6 alloy rims – initially 5 x
Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S; finally 3 x Toyo A/T Open Country + 2 x Yokohama
Geolandar A/T-S and 1 x BF Goodrich A/T)
·
Extra
fuel tanks on roof rack (100 L capacity, temporarily 120 L for the Simpson
Desert)
·
Built-in
folding frame for bed with Americana de Colchones purpose-built mattress
·
Fire
extinguisher and mounting
·
Storage
system below bed and bedside storage
·
Dometic
35 L refrigerator/freezer
·
Custom-built
storage lockers on slides
·
44 L
Frontrunner potable water tank
·
Window
covers with ventilation adjustment
·
Mosquito
nets for all windows and rear opening
·
Leather
map pockets for both front seats
·
Camera
storage system
·
Side
and rear awnings (Dobinson’s and ARB)
·
Compressor (Primary - AC-PRO Air 150, Back-up AP Everyday C36A-54)
·
Second
(hydraulic) jack
·
Rescue
kit with tow slings, shackles
·
ARB
TredPro sand ladders (recovery tracks) and shovel
·
ARB
Airlocker folding chairs
· Redcamp folding table
The toys:
Navigation:
Garmin GPSmap64st with Garmin Australia loaded,
google maps, maps.me on iPhone, ITMB pdf maps on iPad, Silva compass
Photography:
Cameras: 2 x Canon 5D bodies, 1 x Canon SX620
HS
Lenses: Canon 24-70mm f 2.8 Ultrasonic, Canon
EF 70-200mm f 2.8 Ultrasonic, Canon EF 400mm f 5.6,
Tripod: Velbon FHD-52Q
Monopod: KEEP D’Classic
Camera bags: Sandstorm of Kenya.
Binoculars: Leica Trinovid 8 x 20
RCA, Nikon Sporter 1 10x36
Footwear:
1 pair Merrell Moab, 1 pair Courteney Patrol, 1
pair Tevas, 2 pairs flipflops
Music: iPod 120 Gb, Griffin FM
transmitter, CDs bought en route
Personal tools/knives: Leatherman Wave,
Leatherman Squirt Ps4, Swiss Army knives (various)
Outdoor clothing: Mountain Equipment Coop
Hydrofoil Jackets, Craghoppers, Lippi, & North Face light jackets
Backpacks :
Hatman convertible backpack x 2, Raidlight
Ultra Leger, Montagne Strake
Luggage: Eddie Bauer Expedition 21
and 26 roller kit bags (2 of each),
Medical kit: designed for the trip.
Maps: International Travel
Maps, Vancouver (pdfs); HEMA maps acquired en
route
Guide Books: Lonely Planet (pdfs)
Laptop: Apple Macbook Pro (primarily
for photographs, also used for email, etc.)
iPad: for maps, guidebooks,
also used for email and general internet access.
Kitchen: 1 folding cooking pan, 2 plates, 2 bowls, 2 cups, 2 x knife/fork/spoon, Coleman Powerpack single burner propane stove, large and small ceramic knives, cooking spoon and miscellaneous small items, obtained largely from Anaconda and BCF in Australia
Coffee: Aeropress and Handpresso
Ready to go
Home again
Abrazos
Alan and Marce
PS: watch this
space for the next “big trip” – 2021!
Photos may be used for non-commercial
purposes with credit to alanymarce@gmail.com
If
interested in our African “big trip”, look at
www.unochoenafrica.blogspot.com
If
interested in our South American “big trip”, look at www.suramericacontraelreloj.blogspot.com
If
interested in further travels, look at www.alanymarcemoreexploration.blogspot.com
