Chesters Big Lap The WA Boom is No Bull S##T

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: Chesters Big Lap Made it to the middle

Good one Trent. We werer up at the Flinders probably a simillar time to you but I'm guessing a few days later. When we left the Flinders to return to Adelaide we saw the two tipper buckets belonging to those big arsed dump trucks. They were huge! I wonder what the capacity of each was. I'd be guessing at around 400 tonnes of rock.

[jarrah7rally Member Find all posts View Profile Close jarrah7rally]

Re: Chesters Big Lap Made it to the middle

Those pictures remind me of my trip up north.
Yes UHF around town is a pain but out bush its a very useful thing to have esp when approaching oversize loads.

Think you'll find they are 200 tonne capacity - I could be wrong, that what they use up at Newman Mt whaleback (plus smaller 100 tonne) and they look the same but you can only really tell by looking at the model number on the traction unit.

Largest I dealt with was 2 x 8.5m dumper units just east of Tom Price - when they that big you have to pull over into the ditch

Great pics to chester - very envious

[caspianjvc Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close caspianjvc]

Re: Chesters Big Lap Made it to the middle

Great pics and very detailed write up. Can't wait to do a similar trip.

[D4D Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close D4D]

Re: Chesters Big Lap Stage 4 Shakedown Trips

• A pole holder is an essential not an option (one fitted the day after I got back) but remember to de bur the edge my hands looked like I had been in a pikey bare knuckle boxing match after that weekend

Any more pics of the pole holder? Did you fit it yourself?

[chester Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester]

Re: Chesters Big Lap Stage 4 Shakedown Trips

• A pole holder is an essential not an option (one fitted the day after I got back) but remember to de bur the edge my hands looked like I had been in a pikey bare knuckle boxing match after that weekend

Any more pics of the pole holder? Did you fit it yourself?

yes fitted myself and you have a PM

[chester Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester]

Re: Chesters Big Lap Made it to the middle

Well just a quick update to let you all know i am alive pics to follow when we sort through 500 odd

From Alice we went to Wycliff Well, Daly Waters, Mataranka, and finally Darwin where we stayed out of town at Berry springs have done litchfield and am currently sitting at Jabaru in Kakadu.

Got held up a bit in Darwin as we are waiting to hear back about some work but it seems to be on island time up here so i am just keeping on going if it is meant to be it will work out. Unfortunatly the budget has been blown this month as a oil and filter change at Toyota in Darwin got a bit more serious to the tune of a loose battery tray, a broken head light a new airconditioner belt and a gasket replaced as oil was coming out of the throttle body. I am not happy as they can only tell me that they think they found the culprit andi should drop into Kunnunurra toyota if it keeps leaking (gee thanks) however i have never cleaned under there so it ould have been just 5 years of crap. But the point was the bill was not good so we are ow hiding in Kakadu trying to save money.

Oh and apparently they had a late wet season so it is hot as hell up here ATM

Photos to follow still having fun will post again soon

[chester Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester]

Re: Chesters Big Lap Top of the world more pics

Hello and welcome again to Gen & Trent on Tour Highlights!

We last left you in Alice Springs and have since travelled far north!

Not long after leaving Alice we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn – what a change in temperature! We’ve gone from days of 16 to 18 degrees max to 36 degree days! All that seems to vary is the humidity. We’ve gotten so used to it now that if it gets down to 20 overnight we consider it cold!

From Alice we did an overnighter at Wyecliffe Well the UFO Capitol of Australia which is run by a Chinese family! (think the Cineese Foooood scene out of dude where is my car) We called into the Devils Marbles on the way to Daly Waters – we’re guessing we lost some of their majesty as it was so green! .Moved on however as it was 3/4 full at 10am could not believe it We then overnighted at Daly Waters where we chose the Hiway Inn Roadhouse as our destination not the iconic Daly Waters pub which was just as well as the only thing that is iconic about the Daly Waters pub is the smell!.It makes the William creek hotel look like a 5 star resort.
We then did a couple of days floating in Bitter Springs and the Mataranka Thermal Pool – home of the Never Never! We considered swimming at a place called Stevie’s waterhole but once we saw there wasn’t enough other people to be eaten before us by croc’s we decided against – the odds just weren’t stacked in our favour!

Then onto Katherine where we did a 4 hour cruise on 3 gorge’s and a swim in the 4th! The boat almost saw me walk on water when we were swimming with another family – the father yelled snake and sure enough there was a snake swimming around with us – so that as enough for me - time to get out! Once we exited I checked his boardies to make sure I didn’t have the unwelcome guest tag along! (hey its a guy thing Katherine’s Gorges are absolutely stunning – there are 13 in total and because a pesky Saltie decided to swim into the 1st gorge while we were in town the only place deemed safe to swim was the 4th!

From Katherine we headed into Litchfield National Park where our favourite waterfall was down a 4WD track – Tjaynera Falls – it was the longest 1.7km walk in over uneven terrain but when you got to the fall you forgot all about how hot, dusty and uneven the trek was! We got so absorbed by the falls with swimming that 2 hours passed in a blink! As we were trekking back to the car we came across a flowing part of the creek that leaves the falls and we were so very tempted to jump in to cool off but the fear of being snacked on was greater!

We then stayed 40k’s out of Darwin at Berry Springs and day tripped into Darwin from there! Berry Springs tho crowded was great for a swim not too hot compared to Mataranka. We also found the best out door pub which we could happily call home on the opposite point to Darwin city called Mandorah Beach They were selling Coronas in a bucket at 4 for 20 bucks and we won a pair of thongs each so the day paid for itself as far as i am concerned. We were also treated to deckchair cinema at Tumbling Waters Resort (on the Blackmore River) where we stayed on Wednesday & Saturday nights. We also did some sight seeing and cycling around Darwin which was interesting to see how poor Darwin was blown to pieces in WWII!. The van park was nice except were were camped next to George Constansas parents (think of the episode where Kramer convices Frank to start cooking again and you will get the idea)

Darwin is a beautiful destination the water so clear and inviting but not clear enough cause there is a high possibility of being chewed on by a croc or stung by a box jellyfish – all this gorgeous water ocean and rivers and the high percent of being fish food! A really torturous place considering we love to swim!

We then ventured into Kakadu where we saw the best Aboriginal Rock Art and we fell in love with a waterfall accessible only by 4WD – Twin Falls! Again an oasis in the dry of so called winter (36 degrees) the water was so clear you could see the fish swimming! Another most inviting place to swim but hey if you do a $5500 fine for you and the possibility of getting munched on by yes you guessed it a croc! We couldn’t work out why the tourism brochure advised a 2 hour trip, one way, on the 4WD track well once we blitzed the first 50k into the main campsite it then took us another hour to 4WD into Twin falls – cross the Jim Jim Creek filled with crocs, across “A little Sand” as the ranger put it and that was the last 15km! But what fun it was! We were also treated to a ranger guided boat trip to walk to the bottom of Twin Falls. Then to add to the degree of difficulty of the day from the boat we had to rock scramble for only 400m (Hah!) then we had to cross the Indiana Jones’ bridge to get to the base of the most beautiful falls you couldn’t swim in! But it was just Glorious!



We have now come back to Katherine to get ready for our next leg into WA! Car is going good so far the only mod i am considering is getting a bracket made up under the rear of the camper so i can get the second spare for the prado off the roof of the car as i think it is smashing my economy to pieces, according to the i phone app i am using (road trip) i am averaging 17l per 100. Budget wise we are to plan except for fuel as i have underestimated the number of side trips we would do to put it in perspective from Melbourne to Darwin and back to Katherine has taken us 10,000k. Only damage so far is that the second battery cradle came loose, one headlight globe had to be replaced and one UHF arial. Darwin toyota did find some oil around the throttle body that i am keeping an eye on however i have not cleaned under there since i bought the thing so it could just be 5 years of crap we will see.

I ave captioned the photos below with some of the more memorable quotes of the trip so far

"Ahh you stay one night no cooking you eat my chinese fooood" (Owner Wycliff well roadhouse)


"We need a croc management plan" Genevieve Bryon Lichfield)


"Please god tell me we can swim in it after that walk" (Trent Bryon Litchfield)


"A moderate 1km walked on a marked track my Arse" (Trent Bryon Kakadu)


"If you get bogged in here dont get out" (Brain of Trent Bryon Kakadu)




"Why is the Indiana Jones theme in my head" Genevieve Bryon Kakadu)


"Should we Air down and tape up the vents?.... nah it says it is a well formed dirt road shouldnt be to much dust" (Gen and Trent Bryon Kakadu)



"I thought those guys who broke their arials at last years GTG were full of shit" (Genevieve Bryon Kakadu)


"A well formed track with stairs for the steeper bits" (Nitmaluk aka Katherine gorge advisory sign)


"This view had better be bloody worth it" (Trent Bryon after the stairs of death) It was

[HGMonaro Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close HGMonaro]

Re: Chesters Big Lap Top of the world more pics

"This view had better be bloody worth it" (Trent Bryon after the stairs of death) It was

lol! that was a hike up there! good view though!

sounds like you're having fun!

Cheers, Nige

[chester Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester]

Re: Chesters Big Lap Gibbs off Sympathy is on

Well guys we have hit a slight snag Gen decided to do a header down a ramp and has now bruised a knee cap and there is a crap load of fluid sitting on the knee as well at least no breaks. Considering all the walking to all the Gorges along the Gibb we are probably just going to do elquestro and then go straight to Broome for some convelessing, will keep you all posted with some photos soon. It is pretty ironic that Gen fell down the ramp of a disabled toilet and i am the one with a disability actually a fall is not the word the way she went down i though there was an air raid coming or something.

More photos soon

Quote of the week "why the #### would anyone pick these idiots up" Genevieve Bryon after seeing two backpackers hitchhicking with two backpacks, two bikes and what looked like an esky

[chester Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester]

Re: Chesters Big Lap Gibbs off Sympathy is on

Hello and welcome again to the Gen & Trent on Tour chronicles…we last left you heading for the border of NT/WA….lets just say things haven’t fared quiet as planned…..

Firstly let me say travelling the Victoria Highway from Katherine to Kununurra was stunning, in particular Gregory National Park. The landscape was pretty and the Victoria River absolutely beautiful - talk about lose your senses and let’s go swimming – and then reality strikes - croc country!

After a great trip to the border we hit the first hiccup of the trip – after clearing the border quarantine Gen was busting, so off to the Loo she proceeded, after finding relief Gen then took all leave of her senses and decided to defy gravity and for an instant while walking down the ramp from the Loo let’s just say, she got airborne. I thought Gen was trying to be Superman (and consequently horrified when I realized she wasn’t). The result was Gen had winded herself (never have I ever winded myself in my life & sure as hell don’t want to ever again) all she then wanted to do was lie down cause Gen was going to pass out and all i could say was ‘Get in the car, its 37C!’ and Gen was saying “I can’t I don’t feel good just let me lie down!”. So after half an hour of trying to decide whether she was going to throw up or pass out we continued onto Lake Argyle. Then the second phase of the fall kicked in – Gen then managed to land square on both knees which then made them both swell & bruise like I’ve never seen before…wasn’t walking anywhere too fast or having any fun getting into or otta the van – YAY! The ironic thing ut of all of this was that Gen tripped on the ramp of a disabled toilet and i am the one with a disability go figure.

On the up side Lake Argyle was one of the prettiest places to begin her recuperation it has a really amazing landscape and the lake itself was stunning. Considering it’s the East Kimberley we can’t wait to see what the West Kimblerley has is stall! The pool at the caravan park was one that you would see in the Mediterranean, it was designed to feel like it melded into the Lake – very pretty! Kununurra had great fresh produce and one of the best Mango Smoothies

Unfortunately with the Gibb River Road being gorges and walks to get to them, we had to bypass them and leave to another time when Gen could walk & enjoy!

So off to Broome we headed, however on the way to Broome Gen decided to finish herself off well & truely and took another dive at the Turkey Creek (yes the irony is not lost on me) Roadhouse and this time removed skin and made sure the right knee wasn’t moving freely anytime soon…so that left our adventures in Broome simple – swimming and reading. Broome was stunning – very pretty and of course the sunsets on Cable Beach were the best!

From Broome we drove to a little place called Point Samson near Karratha – it was a unique place to stay, full of tourists or mine workers. The real estate – ouch many of the places where $1 Million or more to own and it was a fishing shack town. Karratha looked nice with it’s new estates and ok facilities – though I struck some people in the shopping centre who didn’t seem to happy in life – must be the overall isolation?? Dampier was unusual, many mining houses but a pretty harbour where clearly boating is the main recreational activity between shifts!

Exmouth was our next destination where we watched humpback whales from Ningaloo Lighthouse and snorkeled & swam on Ningaloo Reef in the Cape Range National Park – pretty hard to take, turquoise waters and white sandy or coral beaches very nice. Our favourite place turned out to be Coral Bay also on Ningaloo Reef, we were only calling in for 2 nights but discovered even better reefs to snorkel that were accessible by 4WD so off we drove and enjoyed the uncrowded pristine reefs – really great fun!

Our next destination was Shark Bay where we again were going to stay for only 2 nights until Gen was given the opportunity of a life time – she worked as a volunteer feeding the Dolphins of Monkey Mia! Gen thought it was such an honour working with these amazing female dolphins and their calves – truely beautiful! For those of you who don’t know, dolphins have been a passion of Gens since she was 8. The Monkey Mia Dolphins were her very first project as a primary school student, so to be able to work with them for 5 days was the BEST! Words just can’t describe what it has meant to her!

We also did a wildlife cruise in Shark Bay and we watched Dugongs breach – now what a gentle creature they are! Coming into Shark Bay you wonder why it’s heritage listed until you do a cruise and see dolphins, dugongs, whales, rays and sea snakes – then you can understand why it is so unique! The water is so clear that from a place called Eagle Bluff you can see sharks and rays swimming by!

So as you can imagine our WA adventures have only just begun (OOOHHH)… we have decided to base ourselves in Perth to gain more Denero to resume our Oz tour and complete WA including the side trips we missed such as Gibb River & Karrijini National Park (in the Pilbara) due to the knee (kneeling and I still aren’t friends & stairs are still tricky…).


Couple of stats for the trip for those that are interested
K's travelled 17,872 (start melb finish perth so far)
Avg fuel consumption 17.7 litres per 100k
2931 litres of fuel used
Average price 1.42
Total fuel spend $4461.00
Breackages 1x UHF arial, 1x Aux battery bracket, 1x aircon drive belt, oil leacking from the throttle body (gasket needs replacing) and i think the aircon pully thrust bearing has gone as no matter how much i tension the belt it makes ahorrible noise when i turn the air on

Total spend for the trip was 14,600 approx we overspent by approx 2 grand this came about because while we had accuratly calculated fuel consumption and price we way underestimated the total of number of ks we would do for example i estimated 15,000k to get all the way back to melbourne and we have done more than that just to get to Perth. Also a service in Darwin blew the price out as well as it came in at approx $500 over estimate.

Some photos below

Made it to Broome


Weird but amazing to see the sun set over a beach


You too can look this good after 3 months of sun and fun


Some people never learn it was me towing him out 10 minutes later after he got bogged again on cable beach


Thar she blows whales at exmouth


New Prado add what do you think


5 Fingers coral bay some of the best snorkelling i have ever done


Oyster stacks coral bay we nearly got bogged to the axels getting here but some simple praying and a lot of right boot got us through



Shark bay amazing what a few PSI out of the tyres and 4wd can find you a beach to yourself


Gen gets her dream Job




Out on Shotover a 60 foot racing cat as i have a bit of siling experience they threw me on a winch man this thing flys

[Schaffer Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Schaffer]

Re: Chesters Big Lap Gibbs off Sympathy is on

The gnomes by the water is funny. When we crossed the desert last year there was a couple that carried a gnome with them that they called Gerome. They took photos with Gerome everywhere. On top of Eyres rock, at Lambert Centre, in every bar, at Lone Gun and Big Red.

[chester Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close chester]

Re: Chesters Big Lap The WA Boom is No Bull S##T

Well I hve landed on my feet big time in Perth i have been here for 1 week and have got a job I am now working for BIS logistics as the safety and training manager at the xmas creek mine. Baiscally my company processes and hauls iron ore to the rail head then it goes on a slow boat to China. So i have 2 weeks training in Perth then initially i am on a 2 week on 1 week off roster then moving to 8 days on 6 days off after a couple of months

Oh yeah and the money is dammed good

Gen has also done well and is working at the UNI fr a while and then my company has indicated they would then like to take her up to the mine with me

[Daz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Daz]

Re: Chesters Big Lap The WA Boom is No Bull S##T

Welcome to WA Chester. Now you can see what everyone is talking about.

I just got back from a Coral Bay, Mt Augustus trip and the track to Oyster Bridge is still the same. But thats a typical beach track here. Its all about tyre pressures over here.
There are more nice places further South of Five Fingers at Waroora station. The diving is sensational

Pity you missed Karijini, and seeing a big Mine tour at Newman or Tom Price. Hopefully you still get the chance to see these places while you are here.

Enjoy your stay

[adam's prado Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close adam's prado]

Re: Chesters Big Lap The WA Boom is No Bull S##T

Hey chester Exactly what we have done now we are saying we should of done it a couple of years ago catch up soon see ya in Perth

[lc120_man Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close lc120_man]

Re: Chesters Big Lap The WA Boom is No Bull S##T

It's A very enterteining reading all this Trent - keep it coming! Have you cought up with WA PP's yet?