"Rufant" (rufant2)
08/14/2019 at 18:25 • Filed to: None
17
24|
"Rufant" (rufant2)
08/14/2019 at 18:25 • Filed to: None | 17
| 24 |
Part 1.
The region known as the Mid-North of South Australia is one I always find myself driving through , on my way to some off-roady destination. However I’ve always fancied just having a little tour around this area, which is not a traditional tourist area, but is full of history.
So I left the Land Cruiser at home and took the Six Series out for some exercise.
First stop was Collingrove Hillclimb. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! but with some serious 4x4 adventures taking up my time the last few years its a while since I sat in a race car. I was just calling in to check on my mate, The Captain, who was campaigning the Mitsubishi Evo TME race car he’s been building for the last few years. Unfortunately by the time I got there the Evo was already back on the trailer with a slipping clutch. Despite all the work done to the Evo this year (cage, perspex, weight reduction, etc) the engine and gearbox whilst having been out of the car, haven’t been apart. I make a couple of suggestions that we can try to diagnose the issue, but the weather is foul and I think the lads are resigned to heading home.
Nice choice.
Collingrove is a foreboding place to race when it’s cold and wet and even just being there now, the knot in my stomach, reminds me of how tricky it is to tackle in these conditions. So stressful you wonder why you do it!
So, once the lads push the 6er out of the slick grassy field that is spectator parking, I tell them to keep me informed and let me know if they need a hand. We head our seperate ways.
I track north, soon trading the vineyards of the Barossa Valley for green and rugged farmland further north. Thankfully the rain eases and the ground starts to look less waterlogged. Up through the towns of Eudunda and Robertstown, the sun even shows itself intermittently, and I start to see the mixture of historical and derelict buildings that provide a lot of character of the region.
The roads are mostly straight, but with some sweeping curves thrown in for good measure.
A quick stop at Worlds End Gorge, named after !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I’ve stopped here plenty of times before, there are quite a few campers taking advantage of the free camping here. Despite the wet and wintry conditions we’ve been experiencing of late.
On through Burra and further north, the 6er reminding me what a great grand tourer it is. I’m now retracing the route !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . However this time I have time to stop along the way, and so I head into the historic pioneer town of Terowie. I don’t mind admitting this is partly morbid curiosity that has brought me back here. The town has been !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , that is in keeping with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .
I didn’t see the house being investigated, although I didn’t go looking for it either. What I did find was a great example of a town left behind by a simple change in technology ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ) and some fine photo opportunities.
There’s a couple of teenagers rallying their pick-up around the block, seeing how sideways they can get off the dirt onto the main street. It’s not like there is anyone to stop them. Boredom must be a big issue out here, you don’t see many young people...
Right, time was getting on. Time to think about somewhere to camp. Without the Land Cruiser’s go anywhere ability, I’m restricted to staying on the bitumen. Not that I’m precious about taking the BMW on the dirt, but with so much rain lately I’m not confident of not getting into a sticky situation with it off the highway.
Anyway, I fancy a few beers and a hot meal. So I head for the next decent size town, Peterborough.
I get to one of the two pubs left in business (out of at least four large hotels). Just me, and a few drunk locals to start with, trying to get stuff out of one of those slot machines full of soft toys... Boredom, like I said.
A group of about fifteen bikers from Tassie roll in, lifting the atmosphere considerably. Asking for accomodation, no they didn’t book. Here for the bike museum no doubt.
I order a camel schnitzel. I’m trying to cut down on intensively farmed products, and this is the third time I’ve eaten camel in the last month, all up this way. I’m glad someone up here is processing these feral beasts. It tastes fine, not too different to beef, just slightly earthier and gamier, as you would expect from a wild animal.
I cross through the period looking subway on the way back to camp. Put in after complaints from locals that it wasn’t safe to cross the railway tracks. At its height this town saw over a hundred trains a day stop here.
I turn in early, it’s bloody cold and I haven’t brought any wood for a fire. I have a good book for company, so I’m sorted.
More to follow.
Cheers.
Sovande
> Rufant
08/14/2019 at 18:58 |
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Great read! Can’t wait for the rest!
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Rufant
> Rufant
08/14/2019 at 18:58 |
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Whilst listening to the Chris Harris podcast , I was reminded that there is an actual Top Gear magazine. It has some good articles, if anyone’ s looking for slightly longer form stuff.
https://www.topgear.com/car-news/big-reads
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Rufant
> Sovande
08/14/2019 at 19:00 |
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Cheers !
SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> Rufant
08/14/2019 at 19:30 |
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We always liked the Mid North. Burra tended to be the town we gravitated to... primarily because it was our entry and exit point. But also quite an interesting history and many many old buildings. And an awesome Italian restaurant.
One thing we did realise early on about this part of the world....the roads. Running north/south they were fine, straight and fast... functional thoroughfares. East/west on the other hand, narrow, windy and with rapid elevation changes as you cross from one valley of the diminishing Flinders Ranges to another.
Liking the shape of this series already. The Six has been underrepresented here.
someassemblyrequired
> Rufant
08/14/2019 at 20:14 |
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Looking forward to the next installment, driving tour of Australia is something I’d really like to do at some point. Unfortunately the wife goes for work fairly frequently and I’m stuck at home with the kiddos as 3 tickets to Oz gets a bit spendy . Soon though....
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Rufant
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
08/14/2019 at 20:24 |
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Thanks. Yeah Burra is great, I often stop there as it is a useful distance to Adelaide, and a great town to show anyone who hasn’t been there. The intent this time was to go to places I hadn’t stopped at before. In all honesty I need to go back with something that can do some light dirt road/off-roading as there are many other places down those sorts of roads that I didn’t get to this time.
You are foretelling the next part with your summation of the roads...
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Rufant
> someassemblyrequired
08/14/2019 at 20:28 |
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Yeah somehow in the last twenty years this seems to have become one of the more expensive countries on earth to live in. So it’ s not just getting here that is spendy...
Don’t worry I’d like to tour America, but it ain’ t cheap getting there either!
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SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> Rufant
08/14/2019 at 20:31 |
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I love me a bit of foretelling. Builds expectations...
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someassemblyrequired
> Rufant
08/14/2019 at 20:31 |
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Eastern Canada is relatively inexpensive and similar geography to the northeast and mid-Atlantic states . It’s probably a bit more to get there, but Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland offer some spectacular roads. And potholes, but who cares in a rental.
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Rufant
> someassemblyrequired
08/14/2019 at 20:35 |
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Man I could spend forever in Canada. GF hates the cold though...
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someassemblyrequired
> Rufant
08/14/2019 at 20:37 |
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July/ August/September are pretty pleasant in that area. Though 25C is probably winter by Aussie standards.
HoustonRunner
> Rufant
08/14/2019 at 21:49 |
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Great looking E24! I’m only a few months into E28 ownership, but really enjoy it so far.
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Rufant
> HoustonRunner
08/15/2019 at 00:16 |
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Thanks. That’s a clean E28, those wheels really suit it too.
Once you get to like driving cars from this era, nothing else really hits the spot imo.
One of those Chris Harris podcasts I linked to, comes from inside his E28. That’s a video worth watching as well, but I’m sure you’ve seen it.
Future Heap Owner
> Rufant
08/15/2019 at 01:06 |
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I’m trying to cut down on intensively farmed products
Awesome!
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Rufant
> Future Heap Owner
08/15/2019 at 01:20 |
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pip bip - choose Corrour
> Rufant
08/15/2019 at 06:13 |
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didn’t go through Snowtown?
disappointed
TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
> Rufant
08/15/2019 at 10:41 |
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Not so fun fact, in New Jersey it’s illegal to sell wild caught game meat. There are 4000 deer strikes a year in the county I live in so we totally don’t have an deer
overpopulation problem /s.
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HoustonRunner
> Rufant
08/15/2019 at 11:58 |
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Nope, haven't seen that, will have to watch it after work today.
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Rufant
> pip bip - choose Corrour
08/15/2019 at 17:40 |
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Not this time. Been there plenty before.
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Rufant
> TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
08/15/2019 at 17:44 |
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No worries, just set Fenton on them.
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Rufant
> HoustonRunner
08/15/2019 at 17:47 |
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These guys are also worth knowing about if you don’t already, as parts are getting hard to source fo these old girls at times. Also the schematic parts diagrams on their site can be useful when you’re working on the car.
https://www.bmwmobiletradition-online.com
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HoustonRunner
> Rufant
08/15/2019 at 21:36 |
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Thanks, just recently found them. The mye28 forum is pretty good as well. Not super active, but the archives are extensive.
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TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
> Rufant
08/16/2019 at 16:30 |
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heh, lol. Surprised a herd of deer in my yard at 4:30am the one morning. Had to leave early to get to work, they scared the shit out of me as much as I scared them.
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Rufant
> TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
08/16/2019 at 18:13 |
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I bet!