Done and dusted

In the end it was a bit of an anti-climax: a short cruise past the official northern endpoint of the Canning Stock Route, then another 160m or so up the relatively smooth, two-lane, Tanami Track to Halls Creek. Mission accomplished.

But the Mercedes-Benz Canning Stock Route drive has never been short of drama, and so it was on the final Day 12.

G-Wagen ‘2’, started off with a flat tyre and then stopped for some makeshift repairs to a radiator hose, which had been rubbing against the radiator fan after an earlier accident (see Day 11).

With the successful completion of its Canning expedition, Benz achieved a number of ‘firsts’: the first manufacturer to complete the 2000km long Stock Route; the longest Benz media event, and possibly the first seven vehicle convoy to complete the journey in just 12 days.

But the relaxed final day was in stark contrast to what came before it; a ridiculously tight schedule requiring mostly long, action-packed days of brisk, high-concentration, two-hands-firmly-on-the-wheel off-road adventuring.

All on arguably Australia’s most punishing stretch of track, and requiring military-like planning and a good degree of luck to pull it off.

Altogether, the convoy of seven vehicles and up to 16 people at any one time, consumed 2051 litres of diesel (at an average of about $2.30 a litre), 30kg of spuds, 110 sausages, 100 eggs (about 10 broke!), 32 loaves of bread, 83 steaks, 120 bottles of wine, 12 cartons of beer, about 700 baby wipes, and more Uncle Toby muesli bars than you could count.

The trip started with 450 litres of drinking water, topped up along the way. And contrary to an earlier report, the ration of 40 toilet rolls and about the same number of soap bars didn’t come close to running out.

Mechanical-wise, Benz lost three tyres (from seven punctures), about 14 shock absorbers, and eight side mirrors were damaged.

Trip mechanic Luke Pascoe fixed four spare tyre brackets, two AdBlue tank brackets, and a clogged fuel pump, but couldn’t do much about the dented rear door or smashed headlight.

So it certainly wasn’t without incident, but no Canning attempt ever is, and that’s why usually less than 1000 vehicles try each year, and some fail, as evidenced by the various burnt and rusted wrecks littering the Route.??While the G 350 wagons weren’t bulletproof, they certainly fared as well or better than some others we passed en-route, including popular bush vehicles like Toyota Troopies and 200 Series ‘Cruisers crippled with suspension problems.

In fact G-Wagen ‘4’, driven by your motoring.com.au correspondent, was almost as reliable as the problem-free G-Professional wagon. It had only one, slightly leaking shock absorber replaced, and none of its Yokohama all-terrain tyres punctured.

You’d have to say the G-Wagens with their separate chassis, two live axles, three diff locks and boxy, rugged design were in their element along this unforgiving track. The fact that none got bogged, despite tackling almost 1000, slippery sand dunes, speaks volumes.

And you’d go far to find a more comfortable or civilized, bush basher. Such niceties as the G 350’s comfy, leather lined seats, climate control, multimedia display, and top-quality stereo made the most grueling, seven hour days behind the wheel a breeze.

The torquey yet refined turbodiesel V6, together with the smooth seven-speed auto, meant it was rarely caught short in any situation. Running high range 4WD with the centre diff locked for most of the soft, sandy route, it seemed to always have plenty in reserve.

G-Wagen quirks, like the diff lock buttons mounted conveniently within reach high on the dash, made perfect sense when some extra, immediate assistance was required, mid-dune.

And despite being treated like a tradie’s ute for two weeks, its tank-like build quality displayed little weakness apart from a small squeak from the driver’s door late in the trip.
?Dust sealing was excellent too, with just a light film of red dust on the dash the only evidence of a tough fortnight in the desert.

The old-school boxy design also proved beneficial, especially the extra headroom when hitting those big, body jarring bumps, and also when jamming every crevice of the rear load space with gear.

The G 350’s relatively narrow front track helped when negotiating the many tight, bushy sections, and its ceramic-coated, metallic paint appeared to provide good resistance to scratches despite copping a caning.

With its meaty steering and taut body control, it also proved surprisingly nimble and responsive along twistier sections, and even with up to 120kg on the roofracks never felt top heavy or unbalanced.

Ride comfort was another plus, the sturdy suspension doing a good job of soaking up some of the effects of Australia’s worst corrugated roads. In fact, at one stage our rear seat passenger fell asleep…

In the end, any shortcomings related to the G 350’s ‘city slicker’ features, like the road-biased AMG/Bilstein shocks, and easily cracked, plastic indicators on the side mirrors.

Of course, irrespective of how competent the G-Wagens were, the trip couldn’t have been completed in the time allocated without the logistical expertise of tour leader Geoff Becker, an old hand at pulling together major motoring events including the Australian Safari.

Combining thorough planning with quick thinking under pressure and constant communication with all participants, ensured no vehicle got lost, bogged or failed to finish.

“There were only really a couple of times I was stressed,” a relieved Becker said at the finish.
?“The first was the Capricorn House fuel drop off at Well 23, which considering what had happened last year, with fuel being stolen, was always a concern.

“The other one was (the shock absorber meltdown – see Day 7) just after Well 33. We had to quickly decide in two hours, and then basically had 24 hours to turn it around. But we did, and it all turned out fine in the end.”

Too true…

Tracking the Canning Stock Route: