On track for Well 33...
carsales with Mercedes-Benz on the Canning Stock Route: Day 5"Awesome" is how a bloke in a Toyota off-roader responds, when told over the UHF radio about the convoy of Benz military-spec and civilian G-Wagens speeding by in a cloud of red dust on the Canning Stock Route.
Another is highly impressed by our G-Professional ute, which runs up the back off the convoy, packed to the hilt and providing back-up in case of any breakdowns or recoveries.
So far, there's been none, although we've pulled into our campsite at Well 30 on Day Five with something hanging disturbingly off the undercarriage of 'Car 3', which also experienced another puncture today, its fourth. 'Sidewall' is living up to her name!
According to our Benz mechanic, Luke Pascoe, it's the AdBlue tank, which sprays urea through the exhaust, breaking down 80 per cent of nitrogen oxides, in order for the Merc's 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel BlueTec engine to be Euro 5 compliant.
He's hoping it's just a broken bracket, as without it functioning properly the car won't start.
The good news though, is that we're now well ahead of schedule, much to tour leader Geoff Becker's delight, after two solid days blasting over the soft sandy tracks and hundreds of sand dunes between Well 18 and Well 30.
After 194km on Day Four and another 179km today, we're now camped overnight at Well 30, instead of Well 27 as planned. That gives us an easier run in (and a sleep in!) tomorrow to Well 33, our half-way stop-off, where we pick up new people, wash our clothes and get ready for another week.
Highlights on Day Four included a small water crossing (some over-enthusiastic cars are now covered in crusted salt!), before passing Lake Disappointment, where explorer Hank Hugh Hann in 1897, expected some nice fresh water instead of a very salty lake. Hence the name...
We also stopped at the sign before Well 19 that indicated the Tropic of Capricorn, which momentarily gave us our bearings, as this line also crosses Rockhampton in North Queensland on the east coast.
We've seen more abandoned wrecks, including what looked like a very rusty early-'90s Mitsubishi Pajero on its lid and a similarly distressed Prado.
Lunch on Day Four was at Georgia Springs, a relatively busy campsite because of its one main attraction; a bore with excellent clean fresh water that was put in by a mining exploration company that was nice enough to install a hand pump before they left.
Speaking of water -- another precious commodity along the Canning Route -- we made a pitstop at Well 26, to top up our drinking water supply which was running very low.
The very impressive Well 26 is the only well that has been fully restored by enthusiasts to original specifications, although it's not completely authentic, with jarrah timber and pine used rather than native desert oaks.
Apart from plenty of cool refreshing water, there's also a memorial plaque for Alfred Wernham Canning, (1861-1936), the explorer and surveyor who lead the original well-sinking expedition from 1908-1910. On top is a neat, replica steel camel water tank similar to those used by early explorers.
While we haven't had the time to stop off at all the wells, due to our punishing schedule, it's interesting to see the contrast in condition, from the fully functioning Well 26 to Well 28, which was almost unrecognisable bar from a couple of rusty relics left over from the original well.
We also continue to see the occasional wildlife, including a few camels and a dingo at our Well 24 campsite.
Between Wells 25 and 26 are some of the biggest sand dunes on the track, and while not up to Simpson Desert standards, they still require plenty of revs and locked centre and rear diffs before blasting over the top.
The biggest one, at 13.9m, was named 'The Whopper', by Wally Dowling in 1949, because at 13.9m it's one of the biggest of around 1000 dunes on the track.
Apart from being the longest continuous media event for Mercedes-Benz, the Canning Stock Route drive could also go down in history for another record: the first 'live feed' of a Formula One Grand Prix race on the Canning Route, courtesy of our wi-fi internet satellite connection, a Mac Air and a German website.
Tomorrow we head for Well 33, where we can expect a nice shower (it will be my second!) and the chance to recharge and prepare for another hectic six days as we head further north to Halls Creek and the finish...
Tracking the Canning Stock Route:
Tags
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.
