1995 Ford Falcon wagon hauls two Freo fans across the Nullarbor
A 1995 Ford Falcon wagon is carrying two West Australians 3000-odd kilometres to the MCG for Fremantle's grand final – brakes permittingThe News
Two Fremantle supporters set out from Perth this week bound for the MCG in a 1995 Ford Falcon wagon, and made it as far as Balladonia before the brakes gave them their first scare.
The Key Details
- Best mates Marcus Pike and Jared DeCamp are driving a '95 Falcon wagon from Perth to the MCG
- About 900km covered on day one, reaching Balladonia on the Eyre Highway
- A brake issue emerged, with repairs planned back down the road at Norseman
- Roughly 2482km and 26 hours of driving remained at the time of the interview
- Neither man attempted to book a flight
The Finer Details
The pair told a television crew by patchy video link from Balladonia that the run east had been largely uneventful, with close to 900km knocked over on the first day before the Falcon started showing its age.
"It runs, drives and goes beautifully, mate," one of the pair said. "It's just stopping that's just become a little bit of an issue."
Pressed on whether the wagon had any brakes at all, the response was measured.
"We've got some brakes. I wouldn't say we've got no brakes. That would be dramatic."
The plan, as described on air, was to double back to Norseman – about 190km west of Balladonia – for what were characterised as a few minor adjustments before pushing on toward Melbourne.
The Falcon in question is older than either of its occupants, a fact they conceded on air. Wagons of that vintage were EF-series cars, near-universally powered by Ford's 4.0-litre petrol inline six and built in Broadmeadows, which makes the Falcon a reasonably poetic choice of transport for a pilgrimage to Punt Road, if not an especially prudent one.
Flights were never seriously considered. Asked whether airfares had been priced up, the answer was no – they hadn't bothered looking.
The interview ended abruptly when the connection dropped out somewhere in the middle of the Nullarbor, which is roughly what happens out there.
The Road Ahead
Fremantle meets Brisbane at the MCG at 2.30pm AEST on Saturday, September 26, in the Dockers' second grand final appearance in 32 seasons and their first shot at a premiership.
Assuming the brakes come good at Norseman and the old six keeps turning, Pike and DeCamp will have covered the better part of 3400km to be there. Whether the Falcon makes the return trip is a problem for Sunday.
*Generated AI lead image.
Related: From The Classifieds: 1955 Studebaker Commander
Related: From The Classifieds: 1964 Jaguar E-Type
Related: From The Classifieds: 1952 Austin Champ
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
