New Life on the Road has a free Competition that went live on Thursday. Here is our first entry to our new “Road Trip Home” series…Thanks sent to Jody Cambers from Wicked Road Trips Australia for getting your story in so fast – gosh you really have a way with words!
Road Trip Home Pemberton WA
Australians love camping, and I am no exception. There is nothing better than getting out there and roughing it, getting all medieval, being at one with nature blah blah blah. One of my favourite parts of camping is the trip there, trying to find somewhere out the way and away from everyone else, and the Road Trip Home Pemberton WA sure is out there! To do this I often take obscure, treacherous tracks…which leads to the next problem…getting out and getting home.
Pemberton WA
We had just enjoyed a few days down the coast off Pemberton WA. It had been awesome weather and we had our bag of salmon and herring and were all packed up and ready to roll. The drive in down sleepers track had been hard. The diffs were dragging through the potholes and the sand was dry and bottomless. We had used half a tank of juice getting in so we should be right getting out. We knew Callcup hill was going to be a challenge. Paul my offside wanted to take the easy track out through Yeagarup but that meant going an extra 10km, and I really wanted to experience a Road Trip Home Pemberton WA adventure.
Myself, I love the challenge..a 30 degree incline sand hill that is soft, rough and 800m long sounds awesome…and I was driving so it’s not hard to work out which way we went.
Off The Beaten Track
The track off the beach is slow , and at 15km an hour it takes along time to get anywhere! This type of driving requiring plenty of drinks. Its a good idea to keep your fluids up in the hot arid Australian conditions so as not to become dehydrated, or sober…whatever. Luckily we had plenty of stocks…but the ice had all gone…bugger…for the fish that is, the beers were fine. Still we were on a time limit otherwise the salmon would all spoil! Here is another Road Trip Home Pemberton WA brave traveller trying to get up that very same hill!!
Road Trip Home Or Was This Our Last Road Trip Ever?
We sat at the base of the monster hill, weighing up our chances…I was confident…Paul not so much. Nell, my 9yr old daughter wasn’t phased as we had done many Road Trip Home Pemberton WA tracks before…and she trust me, poor girl.
Ten pound in the tyres, 3rd Low 4 wd and 3000rpm we attacked the hill…climbing, climbing climbing….stop.
We had only made it about half way. Not to worry, drag the brakes backwards to smooth out the track and pack the sand for the next run. Take two….pushing pushing pushing….400m…500m…6…stop. God damn it!
I Think I Can At Least I Think I Will!
Paul was laughing his guts out out by now…”Told you so” He cried. Ha. It wont beat me.
Take three…the ol’ smoke-wagon was starting to heat up but she was keen for it. 500m…600m…700m..I think I can I think I can…nearly there…stop, 20m from the top.
Back down the bottom to try again. Fuel was getting low and it was getting close to decision time. Keep at this demon and possibly run out of fuel and never get out, or turn around in shame and take the Nana track.
Oh Bugger.
And then it happened, someone else made the decision for me. Three other utes decided they would roar up ahead of us at full speed and chop the track up to buggery, making it impossible to climb.
They never made it up (silly buggers!)..and nor did we.
With my tale between my legs I had to resort to back tracking down to the beach again and taking an easier track out…Callcup hill had beaten me for the first time ever. Just as a foot note, I have seen someone take 13 attempts to climb that hill, and I would have stayed and fought on if it wasn’t for the fuel situation.
Love Road Trips Home
I love my 4 wheel driving and I love fishing the West Australian beaches. Trips like this are the good time stories you get to tell your grand-kids…maybe a slightly poetically exaggerated version but still basically true. Sure makes for a great Road Trip Home Pemberton WA story!
Hope you enjoyed my journey as much as I did.
Jody Chambers from Wicked Road Trips Australia.
——- Thanks Jody Chambers for being the first guest writer here at New Life on the Road with your “Road Trip Home Pemberton WA story. Do you have a story to share? Find out here how to enter the free competition!
Cheers
Lisa 🙂
New Life on the Road
Hi Jody,
Nice sand hill. Can relate to this from travels in a suzuki vitara 95 model. They were good times and fun memories.
John Davis recently posted..The Law of Reversed Effort
John – Jody Chambers sure sounds like a guy that will try any adventure hills!
Cheers
Lisa
We absolutely loved Pemberton WA. There is so many pretty spots over that side of the world. Good thing you never ran out of fuel, but sounds like you had a lot of fun.
Jackie Stenhouse recently posted..Adword Advertising
They sound like they are real boys – having too much fun with trying a track that sure is a challenge. Gotta love hills like that one 🙂
Cheers
Lisa
Sounds like a fun adventure, I would have worried about getting bogged. Never been to WA but must organise a trip one day.
Kerry Lea recently posted..Having a Good Attitude
Sure does sound like fun Kerry!! We have WA on our list of places to visit 😉
Cheers
Lisa
The advantage with camping, is that you can go to a few, out of the way, places, enjoying the bush and it’s unique sounds.
We’ve been bogged a couple of times, but we always go in convoy to help pull the other one out… more fun when a few go together as well.
Sounds like you had great fun.
Carolyn recently posted..How To Make A Fun Hat Out Of Cardboard
Hello Carolyn,
Sounds like a great plan – traveling in a group to help each other out when bogged! We have a 4wd Pajero but have not really taken it off the beaten track – sure we will once New Life On The Road gets going!
Cheers
Lisa
Hey Lisa, thanks for featuring my story home from Pemberteon, Paul, Nell and I had a blast…we ended up with a heap of fish that morning. Just as a side note, we get bogged all the time but we ‘almost’ always get ourselves out 🙂
Jody Chambers recently posted..Camping WA – Crazy Beach Fishing Adventure
Hello Jody,
So glad that you shared your story here at New Life on the Road – everyone loves reading your Road Trip Home adventure story!!!
Cheers
Lisa