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LJ70 Build Thread!
- Thread starter Ben
- Start date
Like it Ben! [emoji4]
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
- Messages
- 6,058
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LJ's Last High Country Trip (for a while)
Friday I took LJ to work and got the batteries charged.
The batteries seem to hold charge for a week or 2 then they go flat.
I'm going to fit 2 x 12" yellow top Optimas when I get back from our holiday, while I can still get them at cost.
Anyway..........................................
I charged the batteries until 3pm when I finished work, came home and picked Bec up and off we went.
Traffic was pretty chaotic with it being rush hour and the start of a long weekend.
Thankfully we were soon out of the city and heading for the mountains.
We were soon on dirt roads.
We soon reached our turn off for our first track.
The tracks had only opened the day before so the tracks wouldn't have been driven all winter.
We stopped to take the mudflaps off.
And air down the tyres.
Stunning mountain views.
We traveled on into the evening looking for a camp spot. We passed many camp sites but they all had people at them and as we like to camp on our own, we kept going.
Found an abandoned and almost stripped pick up truck.
Wheels, rear diff, prop shafts and even gearbox had all been taken!
On closer inspection it was a trusty Hi-lux.
We eventually made camp and setup in the dark.
I woke at 5am to the sound of thunder and flashes of lightening. It wasnt raining but dark clouds were rolling in.
We got up and quickly got the tent taken down so that we could pack it away dry.
It was starting to rain so I cooked us breakfast under the awning.
I was keen to see if I could find us some gold!
So we walked down to the river for some panning.
Sadly I didn't find any but I will keep the pan in LJ for future prospecting on 4wd trips.
By 7.20am we were on the tracks.
There was a lot of cloud and mist hanging in the valleys between the mountains.
We stopped to look at a hut.
There were lots of fallen trees but fortunately they were all passable.
This one was marked on the map as "The under or around tree".
There were lots of creek crossings on this track and technical sections that required the rear difflock.
The next track was very overgrown and didn't look like it had been driven for a long time. It helped me convince Bec we need to buy a decent chainsaw.
The next track had some really steep rocky sections and I had to get out a number of times to walk ahead and pick my line carefully.
The last thing I wanted was an accident, with us being so remote and on our own without a sat phone.
I'm continuely impressed with how well the KM2's work in rocky terrain. Aired down to 20psi they mold themselves beautifully over the terrain.
Near the bottom of our decent we came across a group of guys whos trucks were parked in the middle of the track. A little walk down reveleaded the last truck in their convoy was stuck and needed to winch up.
We pulled over and let them all past.
The next track was even tighter and overgrown than the earlier ones and reminded me more of a British Greenlane!
Stunning views at times though.
More river crossings as we headed for another hut.
I really liked this old hut.
We decided as more rain and thunderstorms were forecast and as we still had heaps to do at home before our big holiday in Queensland that wed head for home.
The track out, although steep in places, was a big wide logging track with multiple hairpin bends as it wound its way down from the mountains.
Back on bitumen.
We got home at 6.30pm, just in time to sit outside with a cold one and watch the sun go down.
It was a great little High Country getaway and LJ performed faultlessly!
The twin fuel tanks worked great and having the extra range was great!
One thing I did find though was fully loaded up with 180 litres of fuel on board + 20 litres of water and all our camping gear that the back was sat a little lower than I'd have liked. So I will contact Dobinsons and get them to make me some slightly stiffer rear springs.
I also want to get a 2m long x 2.5m out, awning for the side of LJ and Bec wants us to get an OZTent.
So thats probably it for 4wding in Victoria for a few years now!
Were very much looking forward to exploring Fraser and Moreton islands when were living up in Queensland, as well as the Glass House mountains and a big trip up the Cape.
Anyway..................................
Weve got a busy afternoon ahead sorting paperwork out for potential jobs and houses, which were going to look into this week while on holiday.
Friday I took LJ to work and got the batteries charged.
The batteries seem to hold charge for a week or 2 then they go flat.
I'm going to fit 2 x 12" yellow top Optimas when I get back from our holiday, while I can still get them at cost.
Anyway..........................................
I charged the batteries until 3pm when I finished work, came home and picked Bec up and off we went.
Traffic was pretty chaotic with it being rush hour and the start of a long weekend.
Thankfully we were soon out of the city and heading for the mountains.
We were soon on dirt roads.
We soon reached our turn off for our first track.
The tracks had only opened the day before so the tracks wouldn't have been driven all winter.
We stopped to take the mudflaps off.
And air down the tyres.
Stunning mountain views.
We traveled on into the evening looking for a camp spot. We passed many camp sites but they all had people at them and as we like to camp on our own, we kept going.
Found an abandoned and almost stripped pick up truck.
Wheels, rear diff, prop shafts and even gearbox had all been taken!
On closer inspection it was a trusty Hi-lux.
We eventually made camp and setup in the dark.
I woke at 5am to the sound of thunder and flashes of lightening. It wasnt raining but dark clouds were rolling in.
We got up and quickly got the tent taken down so that we could pack it away dry.
It was starting to rain so I cooked us breakfast under the awning.
I was keen to see if I could find us some gold!
So we walked down to the river for some panning.
Sadly I didn't find any but I will keep the pan in LJ for future prospecting on 4wd trips.
By 7.20am we were on the tracks.
There was a lot of cloud and mist hanging in the valleys between the mountains.
We stopped to look at a hut.
There were lots of fallen trees but fortunately they were all passable.
This one was marked on the map as "The under or around tree".
There were lots of creek crossings on this track and technical sections that required the rear difflock.
The next track was very overgrown and didn't look like it had been driven for a long time. It helped me convince Bec we need to buy a decent chainsaw.
The next track had some really steep rocky sections and I had to get out a number of times to walk ahead and pick my line carefully.
The last thing I wanted was an accident, with us being so remote and on our own without a sat phone.
I'm continuely impressed with how well the KM2's work in rocky terrain. Aired down to 20psi they mold themselves beautifully over the terrain.
Near the bottom of our decent we came across a group of guys whos trucks were parked in the middle of the track. A little walk down reveleaded the last truck in their convoy was stuck and needed to winch up.
We pulled over and let them all past.
The next track was even tighter and overgrown than the earlier ones and reminded me more of a British Greenlane!
Stunning views at times though.
More river crossings as we headed for another hut.
I really liked this old hut.
We decided as more rain and thunderstorms were forecast and as we still had heaps to do at home before our big holiday in Queensland that wed head for home.
The track out, although steep in places, was a big wide logging track with multiple hairpin bends as it wound its way down from the mountains.
Back on bitumen.
We got home at 6.30pm, just in time to sit outside with a cold one and watch the sun go down.
It was a great little High Country getaway and LJ performed faultlessly!
The twin fuel tanks worked great and having the extra range was great!
One thing I did find though was fully loaded up with 180 litres of fuel on board + 20 litres of water and all our camping gear that the back was sat a little lower than I'd have liked. So I will contact Dobinsons and get them to make me some slightly stiffer rear springs.
I also want to get a 2m long x 2.5m out, awning for the side of LJ and Bec wants us to get an OZTent.
So thats probably it for 4wding in Victoria for a few years now!
Were very much looking forward to exploring Fraser and Moreton islands when were living up in Queensland, as well as the Glass House mountains and a big trip up the Cape.
Anyway..................................
Weve got a busy afternoon ahead sorting paperwork out for potential jobs and houses, which were going to look into this week while on holiday.
AndyCook
Well-Known Member
A nice break on the trails, shame the weather turned after the first night. Some trails looked like they were in a rain forest with all the ferns,
Can you stay in those huts in really bad weather ?
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Can you stay in those huts in really bad weather ?
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
- Messages
- 6,058
- Country Flag
Thanks mate. [emoji106]
In places it was like subtropical rain forest. [emoji41]
Yes you can, in fact you can stay in them anytime technically and some people do. Some of them are 100+ years old but sadly many get lost during bush fires. The first one we visited was a new one put up to replace one lost in bush fires a few years ago.
The second one was much earlier.
I liked that secret one you found in Scotland, that was cool! [emoji106]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
In places it was like subtropical rain forest. [emoji41]
Yes you can, in fact you can stay in them anytime technically and some people do. Some of them are 100+ years old but sadly many get lost during bush fires. The first one we visited was a new one put up to replace one lost in bush fires a few years ago.
The second one was much earlier.
I liked that secret one you found in Scotland, that was cool! [emoji106]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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jeepmadmike
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2011
- Messages
- 229
Panning for gold- best of luck! in a couple of years i'll be taking my boy to the same spot on Dartmoor my father and grandfather took me panning when i was a kid.
Not telling where before anyone asks!
Not telling where before anyone asks!
Great trip as usual Ben, and photos to suit, thanks for posting!!
I'm thrilled for you and Becs, the move and your longer term plans.
Good luck with all the projects mate...
I'm thrilled for you and Becs, the move and your longer term plans.
Good luck with all the projects mate...
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
- Messages
- 6,058
- Country Flag
Thanks guys. [emoji106]
Having an amazing holiday up here in Byron and Queensland! [emoji560][emoji574]️[emoji569]️
Last day tomorrow then it's just 5.5 weeks of working at Piranha left before the big move. [emoji41]
Will do an update in a few days hopefully and get some pics up. [emoji106]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Having an amazing holiday up here in Byron and Queensland! [emoji560][emoji574]️[emoji569]️
Last day tomorrow then it's just 5.5 weeks of working at Piranha left before the big move. [emoji41]
Will do an update in a few days hopefully and get some pics up. [emoji106]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
- Messages
- 6,058
- Country Flag
Holiday!!!!
So............................
We flew into Ballina on the Monday after the 4WD trip.
Upon leaving the airport I was suitably unimpressed with the colour of our hire car!
But that didn't matter as we were soon back in my beloved Byron!
We were soon checked into my favorite camp site right in the heart of Byron!
This park has a limit of 2 people per pitch which means theres never any families with screaming kids running round or groups of people having wild parties. So its the perfect place to relax and enjoy the serenity!
The following morning I work Bec up at 3.40am and after persuading her to put on her workout clothes we set off on a 4k hike up to the lighthouse.
I had told her I just wanted to watch the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean, after all where better to see a sunrise than on the East Coast. I did have an ulterior motive in that I was going to pop the big question!
We eventually made it safely up to the lighthouse.
And positioned ourselves in the perfect spot to watch the sunrise.
As we stood and waited the sky slowly got lighter.
However...............................
The peace was soon broken when a bus load of tourists arrived to completely ruin my plans!
I had it all worked out, what I was going to say how it was all going to pan out, but as we were now surrounded by 20+ people complete with kids running round I had to cancel it.
Bec was wondering why I was so pissed off that all these people had turned up and ruined the moment!
As it turned out the sunrise was a bit of a disappointment anyway as the cloud hanging low over the ocean obstructed the first rays of sun.
We walked round the headland and back down towards Byron. As we walked I pondered what best to do! I thought maybe I should just keep hold of the ring and maybe a perfect moment would present itself. But then I thought what if it doesn't! I also just wanted to get it over and done with, but then I wanted it to be perfect.
Soon we arrived at Wategos beach which at the time was completely empty, as it was still only 6.15am! I suggested we should go down and walk along it.
It looked like a perfect spot so I bloody went for it!
And she said YES!!!
I was completely stoked she said yes and she was ecstatic I asked her!
We left the beach and continued our walk back to Byron.
View of our beach as we walked back around the next headland.
We walked back along the main Byron beach after stopping for an amazing breakfast at one of my favorite cafes.
Some random street art on the way back to camp.
As our camp site is surrounded by bush and swamp on 3 sides the wildlife is plentiful.
Our neighbor was a hippy with an 80 series!
He had an interesting setup! I doubt any 80 owners on here can say they take a hammock, tight rope, unicycle and juggling clubs with them when they camp!
We had a great few days in Byron relaxing and eating amazing food!
Bec fell in love with Byron and said it wasnt what she was expecting and she absolutely loves the laid back vibe of the place!
We left Byron and headed 1.5 hours North to the Gold Coast.
On the way we would pass lots of these amazing trees!
And even a house being moved on a huge truck.
We arrived on the Gold Coast and checked into another park and got the tent setup.
We had come to the Gold Coast to find jobs and a house!
The original plan was to move further North to the Sunshine Coast, however the hospital there doesnt have the specialist unit that Bec is used to working in and wont have for another year or 2 until the big new hospital is built. So for now atleast we had decided to move to the Gold Coast.
A bit of background about the Gold Coast for those not familiar with Australia. The Gold Coast is the biggest holiday area on the continent and is where the majority of the theme parks are. There are gorgeous beaches and more canals than Venice and Amsterdam!
When I first visited back in 2009 I hated it! I thought it was an ugly concrete over developed urban sprawl in an otherwise perfect tropical paradise!
In recent years I've learnt to see it and respect it for what it is! A great place to holiday for a few days with lots of cool stuff to do.
Anyway..............................
We had been looking at rental properties online and had short listed a few to go look at and a few had open inspections on some of the days we would be there.
While looking through newly listed properties one afternoon in McDonalds I spotted a 4 bedroom house that looked perfect from the 2 photos it had of the outside of the house and the short description and I had a feeling this one could be the one. The fact the date the house would be available from is the exact date we will be leaving Melbourne and moving up also felt like a good omen.
So off we went for a drive-by.
I was immediately blown away when we reached the area the house was in! As we were now getting into the hinterland it was surrounded on all sides by lush green hills and was incredibly peaceful. They call it "The Green Behind The Gold"!
The house looked great from the outside but there were no viewings scheduled so we called the agent to inquire if a viewing would be possible.
No sooner had we hung up than the front door to the house opened and a lady came out and beckoned us over.
She was really friendly and invited us in to have a look around!
The inside couldn't have been more perfect! We both fell in love with it instantly!
We then drove straight to the real estate agent and picked up an application form. The next 2 days were extremely stressful for us both, as we had to apply online we needed all the paper documents we had with us, scanning and uploading to the real estate agents website. After 2 trips to the bank trying to get copies of bank statements and 6 trips to Office Works to get documents printed and scanned we had the application submitted!
Now under the real estate agents rules you cant apply for a house unless you have viewed it in person, so by the lady showing us around we skipped the que and were able to lodge an application!
All we could do was wait and remain hopeful!
Bec had an interview at the hospital and its looking like shes landed herself an awesome job at the new Gold Coast hospital.
We enjoyed all the facilities of the camp site and on walking back to our tent after an hour in the Jacuzzi I spotted this cool as Uni Mog!
We headed back to Byron for the last few days of our holiday.
After a tense few phone calls on the way with the real estate agent regarding the fact that neither of us had jobs confirmed we arrived at the camp site and got the phone call we had been waiting for...........................
We had got the house!!!!!!
We got the same spot as we had previously, complete with hippy 80 owner.
We were both by this point over the moon! We'd got engaged, got the house, Bec had virtually got a job and we were having a great holiday in Byron!
We went on a nice long walk along the beach.
Spotted some working 70's.
Past our beach.
And a funky looking lizard.
Up to the lighthouse.
View back down towards Byron.
And heading the other way, South towards Ballina.
Spotted this nice blue 40 series in the center of Byron.
And apart from getting caught out running one morning in the most spectacular tropical storm I've ever seen, with 80mm of rain coming down in less than an hour and a ridiculous amount of thunder and lightening that ended with us running through the center of Byron which was in complete chaos with the streets flooded and us wading through water almost 3ft deep!
Our amazing holiday was over!
So now we just need to get everything packed up and in just over 4 weeks time we can set off on the 20 hour drive to our new home and new lives in the sun!
So............................
We flew into Ballina on the Monday after the 4WD trip.
Upon leaving the airport I was suitably unimpressed with the colour of our hire car!
But that didn't matter as we were soon back in my beloved Byron!
We were soon checked into my favorite camp site right in the heart of Byron!
This park has a limit of 2 people per pitch which means theres never any families with screaming kids running round or groups of people having wild parties. So its the perfect place to relax and enjoy the serenity!
The following morning I work Bec up at 3.40am and after persuading her to put on her workout clothes we set off on a 4k hike up to the lighthouse.
I had told her I just wanted to watch the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean, after all where better to see a sunrise than on the East Coast. I did have an ulterior motive in that I was going to pop the big question!
We eventually made it safely up to the lighthouse.
And positioned ourselves in the perfect spot to watch the sunrise.
As we stood and waited the sky slowly got lighter.
However...............................
The peace was soon broken when a bus load of tourists arrived to completely ruin my plans!
I had it all worked out, what I was going to say how it was all going to pan out, but as we were now surrounded by 20+ people complete with kids running round I had to cancel it.
Bec was wondering why I was so pissed off that all these people had turned up and ruined the moment!
As it turned out the sunrise was a bit of a disappointment anyway as the cloud hanging low over the ocean obstructed the first rays of sun.
We walked round the headland and back down towards Byron. As we walked I pondered what best to do! I thought maybe I should just keep hold of the ring and maybe a perfect moment would present itself. But then I thought what if it doesn't! I also just wanted to get it over and done with, but then I wanted it to be perfect.
Soon we arrived at Wategos beach which at the time was completely empty, as it was still only 6.15am! I suggested we should go down and walk along it.
It looked like a perfect spot so I bloody went for it!
And she said YES!!!
I was completely stoked she said yes and she was ecstatic I asked her!
We left the beach and continued our walk back to Byron.
View of our beach as we walked back around the next headland.
We walked back along the main Byron beach after stopping for an amazing breakfast at one of my favorite cafes.
Some random street art on the way back to camp.
As our camp site is surrounded by bush and swamp on 3 sides the wildlife is plentiful.
Our neighbor was a hippy with an 80 series!
He had an interesting setup! I doubt any 80 owners on here can say they take a hammock, tight rope, unicycle and juggling clubs with them when they camp!
We had a great few days in Byron relaxing and eating amazing food!
Bec fell in love with Byron and said it wasnt what she was expecting and she absolutely loves the laid back vibe of the place!
We left Byron and headed 1.5 hours North to the Gold Coast.
On the way we would pass lots of these amazing trees!
And even a house being moved on a huge truck.
We arrived on the Gold Coast and checked into another park and got the tent setup.
We had come to the Gold Coast to find jobs and a house!
The original plan was to move further North to the Sunshine Coast, however the hospital there doesnt have the specialist unit that Bec is used to working in and wont have for another year or 2 until the big new hospital is built. So for now atleast we had decided to move to the Gold Coast.
A bit of background about the Gold Coast for those not familiar with Australia. The Gold Coast is the biggest holiday area on the continent and is where the majority of the theme parks are. There are gorgeous beaches and more canals than Venice and Amsterdam!
When I first visited back in 2009 I hated it! I thought it was an ugly concrete over developed urban sprawl in an otherwise perfect tropical paradise!
In recent years I've learnt to see it and respect it for what it is! A great place to holiday for a few days with lots of cool stuff to do.
Anyway..............................
We had been looking at rental properties online and had short listed a few to go look at and a few had open inspections on some of the days we would be there.
While looking through newly listed properties one afternoon in McDonalds I spotted a 4 bedroom house that looked perfect from the 2 photos it had of the outside of the house and the short description and I had a feeling this one could be the one. The fact the date the house would be available from is the exact date we will be leaving Melbourne and moving up also felt like a good omen.
So off we went for a drive-by.
I was immediately blown away when we reached the area the house was in! As we were now getting into the hinterland it was surrounded on all sides by lush green hills and was incredibly peaceful. They call it "The Green Behind The Gold"!
The house looked great from the outside but there were no viewings scheduled so we called the agent to inquire if a viewing would be possible.
No sooner had we hung up than the front door to the house opened and a lady came out and beckoned us over.
She was really friendly and invited us in to have a look around!
The inside couldn't have been more perfect! We both fell in love with it instantly!
We then drove straight to the real estate agent and picked up an application form. The next 2 days were extremely stressful for us both, as we had to apply online we needed all the paper documents we had with us, scanning and uploading to the real estate agents website. After 2 trips to the bank trying to get copies of bank statements and 6 trips to Office Works to get documents printed and scanned we had the application submitted!
Now under the real estate agents rules you cant apply for a house unless you have viewed it in person, so by the lady showing us around we skipped the que and were able to lodge an application!
All we could do was wait and remain hopeful!
Bec had an interview at the hospital and its looking like shes landed herself an awesome job at the new Gold Coast hospital.
We enjoyed all the facilities of the camp site and on walking back to our tent after an hour in the Jacuzzi I spotted this cool as Uni Mog!
We headed back to Byron for the last few days of our holiday.
After a tense few phone calls on the way with the real estate agent regarding the fact that neither of us had jobs confirmed we arrived at the camp site and got the phone call we had been waiting for...........................
We had got the house!!!!!!
We got the same spot as we had previously, complete with hippy 80 owner.
We were both by this point over the moon! We'd got engaged, got the house, Bec had virtually got a job and we were having a great holiday in Byron!
We went on a nice long walk along the beach.
Spotted some working 70's.
Past our beach.
And a funky looking lizard.
Up to the lighthouse.
View back down towards Byron.
And heading the other way, South towards Ballina.
Spotted this nice blue 40 series in the center of Byron.
And apart from getting caught out running one morning in the most spectacular tropical storm I've ever seen, with 80mm of rain coming down in less than an hour and a ridiculous amount of thunder and lightening that ended with us running through the center of Byron which was in complete chaos with the streets flooded and us wading through water almost 3ft deep!
Our amazing holiday was over!
So now we just need to get everything packed up and in just over 4 weeks time we can set off on the 20 hour drive to our new home and new lives in the sun!
Last edited:
Congrats on all your changes!!
Your tree with the purple flowers looks like a Jacaranda of which there are thousands - maybe millions - in South Africa and Zim.
Originally from south America....
Your tree with the purple flowers looks like a Jacaranda of which there are thousands - maybe millions - in South Africa and Zim.
Originally from south America....
Well done Ben, congratulatiins to you both, and well done Bec for not letting on that you knew all along why Ben was hauling you out of bed at 3:40 in the morning...
ModelMakerMan
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2011
- Messages
- 599
- Country Flag
Congratilations Ben and Bec. Looking farward to seeing what the next chapter of your life has in store. Wishing you all the best for the future. 
AndyCook
Well-Known Member
Great that everything is working out ok, amazing looking place and house looks really smart, and nice big garage
Can't believe those tourists turned up like that, what bad luck, but the Beach looks fantastic where you popped the question - congrats
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Can't believe those tourists turned up like that, what bad luck, but the Beach looks fantastic where you popped the question - congrats
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
