onetrack

I still don't understand how the Europeans, and especially the Danes, in the shape of Vestas, got the jump on everyone with the manufacture of wind turbines. Despite the fact that Vestas operates manufacturing facilities in about 12 countries, the fat profits are going straight back to Denmark. And they are fat profits. I'd like to see Australian companies benefiting from the surge in wind turbine demand, instead of us adding greatly to the Europeans wealth and social welfare taxes.

Gee, that must have been some bargain, to warrant going to Fremantle from Tassie to pick it up!! 😮 That's on a par with my recent effort. In the best classic fashion, where your plans go to Hell in a handbasket - In early March, I purchased 4.5 tonnes of Caterpillar parts and attachments for my little Cat track loader that I'm restoring, from an old contractor who was retiring - at Seville, East of Melbourne! He was doing a complete clean-up of his yard and workshop, and we did a deal for $4000 for me to take all his surplus parts and components, which parts/components all fit my tractor, and many of which, I'm sorely in need of. There was a fully reconditioned bucket, a canopy (the canopy on my tractor is missing, and I was quoted $2500 from a tractor wreckers to supply one - IF they had one, which they didn't!), a full set of tracks in good condition, many other undercarriage components, hardware, hydraulic cylinders, many miscellaneous new parts, and rock guards for the lower track frames. This was all organised just a few days before I got notice to vacate my factory unit/workshop. I estimated I could freight the Cat parts and components across to W.A. for around $1500-$2000 - but, in the finest Murphy fashion, things didn't actually take a turn for the worse, they immediately went to Hell in a rocket-powered sled! No sooner had I cut the deal, than the Eastern parts of W.A. endured flooding rains that exceeded all known records. Some parts of the Nullarbor received 250mm of rain. The Trans-Australian rail line went under deep water, and the line was closed - for THREE weeks!! The line has never been closed for more than about 2 days, even in the worst rail line disaster. Then the flooding reached the Eyre Hwy, and the Eyre Hwy went under water, West of the West Australian border for four days! All transport to the West was cut off. Shops in Perth started running low on supplies. Trucking companies were swamped with freight being transferred to trucks from rail - but they couldn't handle the massive levels of extra freight, anyway. Freight quotes went ballistic. I was getting quotes of $5300 to $6000 to transport my parts and components - it was ridiculous. So, I made an executive decision to go pick them up, and transport them myself. I reckoned I could pick up a cheap little truck to do the job, and sell it when I got back to W.A. As luck would have it, I found a 1979 model 5 tonne Fiat truck for sale at Pyalong, N of Melbourne - for $3000! It was unlicenced, but roadworthy and in good working order, and the owner even sent me a pile of short videos to show it running! It would cost me $60 for a unlicenced vehicle movement permit from VicRoads, to drive it from Pyalong, all the way to my destination in the wheatbelt of W.A.! I bought the truck in late March, and arranged to pick it up on the 6th May. I had a pile of Velocity Frequent Flyer points with Virgin Australia, and used them to get a one-way ticket to Melbourne. The flight cost was something like $199 or 20,000 FF points. The seller, who was a builder/house renovator on a few acres, was happy enough to hold the truck for me until that date. I was working on having finished my workshop move by 6th May - but as it turned out, I still had a month of cleaning up and moving to do, on that date! Regardless, I still went - telling my landlady I'd be back in a week, to finish moving out! The flight to Melbourne left just 5 mins late at 6:30AM on Monday 6th May, into beautiful weather, and a superb trip. I simply slept for the first 2 hours! I had a window seat on the port side, and enjoyed the last hour of the flight in beautiful clear conditions. We landed at Tullamarine just 5 mins late at 11:30AM, and a mate from Echuca was waiting to pick me up in his Landcruiser troop carrier. This mate was a godsend, I'd already arranged to transport the parts and components from Seville to my mates farm at Echuca, as the seller of the Cat parts had advised me his property handover date was April 26th, and everything had to be gone from the property by then! My mate Mike took me to Pyalong (it's on the way from Tullamarine to Echuca, anyway), where the truck was located just 500 metres off the highway. We checked the truck out, chatted to the owner, got a rundown on all the tricks and tips associated with the trucks operation, and cranked her up! Unfortunately, the batteries were toast on the truck, so we jump-started it and worked on acquiring new batteries in Echuca. We got to Mikes place around 4:30PM on the Monday, and we checked the truck out a little more thoroughly, and found that all the engine belts were looking the worse for wear, so it was decided to replace them, as well as the batteries. Mikes wife Anna put on a great meal on the Monday night and I retired to a neat and clean caravan in Mikes back yard that he used for visitors, and I slept well. Tuesday morning, I took the fanbelt set and air compressor belt off the truck, got the part numbers off them, called a few places in Echuca, and found an industrial supplier that had them all in stock! We drove into Echuca, Mike gave me a quick tour of the place (the Mighty Murray was looking decidedly like a big creek, rather than the massive river it had been in the earlier floods!) - then we called by a tyre and battery place, picked up two new batteries, stopped at the industrial supplier, picked up the belts and went back to Mikes place, about 15kms S of Echuca. I fitted the new batteries and belts, greased the truck - Mike loaded up the pallet boxes and bucket and canopy, and I strapped everything down. I had previously arranged to send 8 new ratchet straps directly to Mikes from a supplier in Melbourne, so they would be there when I arrived. Wednesday morning arrived, another fine day - and the best part, a gentle tailwind from the S.E.! I hit the road just after 9:00AM, after thanking Mike for his invaluable assistance and accommodation, and we were rolling coal! I went North-Westwards, through Echuca, Cohuna, Kerang, Lake Boga, and Swan Hill. Just N of Swan Hill, at Piangil, I turned West, heading to Ouyen and Pinnaroo. I was making good time and the truck was running well, but I was using more fuel than anticipated, I was running at 24L/100kms, whereas I was hoping the consumption would be more like 20L/100kms. The old Fiat engine wasn't in the best condition, and it was likely to be in need of a set of new fuel injectors. Regardless, it was going just fine, otherwise - apart from a few minor issues such the speedo and the fuel gauge not working! Mike had already clued me up about avoiding delays at quarantine checkpoints - you know, the ones where the inspectors hold you up in a line for half an hour or more, so they can check your lunchbox for fruit! I'd already grabbed a superb roast beef roll and cup of tea from the bakery in Ouyen for lunch, and I had no fruit on board - so I took Mikes advice, and turned N at Panitya, just before Pinnaroo and the S.A./VIC border, drove N for a few kms on the Panitya North Rd, then turned West to meet up with the Browns Well Hwy, where I turned N again to head to Loxton and Berri - thus avoiding the quarantine checkpoint! I got into Berri around 5:00PM and fuelled up and hit the road to Burra as it got dark. This wasn't a fun drive, it was straight into the setting sun, and I was worried about 'roos. But I saw no 'roos and the trip into Burra was uneventful. From Burra, the plan was to cut NW to Spalding and Gulnare, and then onto Crystal Brook, where I could join up with the Augusta Hwy, heading to Port Augusta and the West. Unfortunately, getting tired and in the dark, I missed the turnoff to Crystal Brook, went N to Georgetown - realised my mistake, and had to backtrack to the Crystal Brook road. I got into Crystal Brook just after 8:00PM and found the heritage Crystal Brook Hotel in the main street looking very inviting. Despite the dining room officially closing at 8:00PM, the bar and kitchen staff knocked up a feed of beef schnitzel and chips for me - and I then retired to a comfortable upper-storey single bedroom ($120) for the night! A hot shower was very welcome! I left the truck parked in the side street. 7:00AM the next morning saw me hit the road to Port Augusta, where I fuelled up again, grabbed a bite to eat for breakfast, and then started off on the long trek to the West! I made Ceduna by 2:30PM, where I fuelled up again (the truck was fitted with a 180 litre fuel tank, which was just great for distance work), grabbed a late-lunch burger from the local KFC (yes, KFC has made it to Ceduna!) and hit the road again. On through Penong and Yalata, and the Nullarbor roadhouse (no-one stops there if they can avoid it, it's the dearest fuel along the route!) - then the long stretch to the W.A. Border, and Border Village, and the dreaded W.A. Quarantine checkpoint - which I reached around 7:30PM W.A. time, having had the advantage of turning the clock back 1.5hrs, to gain extra hours in the day! I had previously made sure the parts and components were pretty clean, and I was lucky in that I got a cheery and friendly young bloke, all done up in hi-vis, doing the quarantine inspection. He was happy enough with what he saw, but he had to get his leaf blower out and blow the load down, just to make sure he got all the weeds and seeds! After making it through quarantine, it was time to find a bed. I pulled into Eucla, just a short distance up the road from the Border, and the Eucla Motel had just one room left - a family room - at $200!! Beggars couldn't be choosers, so I took it. I was out of luck on meal availability as the motel restaurant was shut, and I had to resort to scrounging a meal from the few food items I had with me. The weather up to now had been superb, 12° to 22°, mostly sunny with scattered clouds, and a tailwind all the way. But Friday morning saw a strong South Easterly wind blow a pile of moisture onshore, and I woke to a very foggy morning in Eucla! It took me about 20 mins to clean all the windows in the truck. Fortunately, the fog started to break up as soon as the sun rose, and I was on the road again by 8:30AM. A quick stop to refuel at Mundrabilla Roadhouse, then on to Madura and the Madura Pass! The Pass was bit of a grunt for the old Fiat, I was down to 2nd gear (5 speed gearbox) climbing that! I zipped through Cocklebiddy and stopped at Caiguna for a steak sandwich. Caiguna Roadhouse used to brag, years ago, about having the best burgers and steak sandwich across the Nullarbor, and despite the place changing hands to some Asians (perhaps Thai people), the steak sandwich was still excellent! I fuelled up with the minimum required to reach Norseman (where the fuel is much cheaper), and got going again. The sky started to blacken as the afternoon wore on, and the wind turned Northerly as a weak cold front approached, as I headed to Balladonia and the Fraser Range. I tried the windscreen wipers and found they weren't working, either! Bummer! I crossed my fingers and hoped any rain would dissipate before it reached me. As it turned out, that's exactly what happened! The cold front broke up and dissipated, and by the time I reached Norseman, there was only scattered clouds! I refuelled in Norseman, hit the highway again, and headed for Coolgardie, which I reached about 5:30PM. It was dark as I refuelled and I pulled out quickly to head to Southern Cross, 200kms away, where I had a cabin booked in the caravan park. The trip to Southern Cross wasn't enjoyable, the Great Eastern Hwy is undergoing a huge amount of road works, and I ran into 200 or 250 East-West road trains heading East, as they all left Perth on Friday afternoon! It was a relief to reach Southern Cross just after 8:00PM, where I enjoyed a good feed of fish and chips and salad at the BP Roadhouse, and retired to the cabin at the nearby caravan park. The cabin and the park (owned by the Shire Council) was delightful - clean, near new, and well run by a couple of ladies who were professional, to say the least. I enjoyed a good shower and a sound sleep here - all for $120. Saturday morning, I was on the road again to my block, after adding some more fuel to the truck for the last leg. At Southern Cross, I turned N and went through the Northern wheatbelt, via Bullfinch, Mukinbudin, Bencubbin, Koorda, Cadoux, Wongan Hills, and thence to my block in tiny Calingiri. I grabbed some lunch in Wongan Hills (pop. 1200), and arrived at my block around 1:00PM. The trek was over! - and it was highly successful! Nothing broke on the old Fiat, nothing fell off, and I never even had to top up the oil or coolant! I burnt up just under $1700 in fuel, and the total cost of my trip, including accommodation, food and spares, was under $3000! That was a huge saving on quoted freight costs - and I'm pretty sure I can get my money back on the old Fiat, by selling it to some truck collector! Plus, I got to see and stay with a bloke I've wanted to catch up with for some time - and I got a great tourist trip from East to West! The Nullarbor has never looked so green and verdant, thanks to all the recent flooding rains.

Well, I'm back - with some positives. Just over 3 months to the day, after being unceremoniously booted out of my factory/workshop by a greedy landlady, I have finally finished moving all my precious restoration items, tools, parts, components, vehicles, engines, forklifts, containers, steel and hardware, out of my factory unit/workshop, and transported 130kms away to my industrial/commercial block in the country. The total tally is 140 tonnes in all-up weight moved - 17 trips with the traytop Hilux and tandem car trailer - 9 trips with my 5 tonne Isuzu truck (6 pulling the tandem trailer as well), 4 trips by tilt-tray operators (they moved 4 dead forklifts and a 10 tonne 4WD front-end loader) - 6 vehicles moved - and 5 forklifts shifted as well. In that 3 months, I spent the first 2 months working around 12 to 14 hrs a day, 7 days a week, sorting, packing, loading, transporting and unloading - with the last month down to about 10 hours a day working on the moving. I only had assistance for 10 days in early April from a mate who came up from down South - the rest of the time, I worked at the massive shifting job alone. I'd been in this factory unit for nearly 25 years, buying and selling parts and equipment, and repairing and restoring equipment on a modest scale - and I have certainly accumulated way too many "projects". The eviction came about because my landlord died from a plethora of cancers in December 2023 - and as soon as his widow took over, she turned out to be the ultimate ruthless corporate animal, with only one aim in mind - to capitalise on every asset the family trust owned, and to turn it into cash. The landlord and landlady owned this piece of industrial land comprising 3.2Ha of prime industrial estate, which contained a large truck parking area, where around about 70 or 80 truck owners parked their trucks and semis each night, and where they could also park a sea container for their storage. Alongside the truck parking yard there were 12 factory units they owned as well. They sold bulk fuel and had a repair workshop and washdown facilities for the truckies, that they hired out to lessees, as well. She gave notice of lease termination to all the truckies and factory lessees unceremoniously on March 20th, with a deadline of April 30th. Of course, very few of us had the ability to find new premises (at a reasonable rent, as industrial rents have gone ballistic here in recent years - tied to ballistic land prices, of course), sort and pack and move all our collected items, within the specified time frame - and it all got quite stressful as May approached, and a lot of equipment was still yet to be packed up and moved. Fortunately, she relented and extended the termination date to June 5th, whereupon we were all given official notice of eviction. This was just a legal move, of course - those of us still moving, still kept at it, and the worst part was the sorting and packing of the small items, as the moving finalised. We all took sizeable amounts of usable materials, old vehicles (I didn't have any scrap vehicles), metals, and other items of value to the scrappers. I think I cleaned up about $2000 in scrap steel, copper, aluminium and lead - some of the other blokes pulled in a lot more for their scrap! I took 2 x 5 tonne truckloads of good used truck and industrial tyres and rims, surplus new ground engaging tools (cutting edges and teeth) and surplus industrial items to auction, and grossed $7000 for those two loads - tempered somewhat by the greedy auctioneers ripping me off for 30% commission! I shouldn't complain, they got good prices for everything that was sold, and the entire 2 truckloads probably cost me less than $1500 in total, to purchase at auctions previously. I tool 5 pallets of surplus new industrial and truck and machinery filters to another auction house, and was disappointed that they only grossed $250 - which ended up $200 in my hands after they took their 25% commission. I shouldn't complain there, either - the filters owed me virtually nothing, I previously brought hundreds of them, and sold substantial quantities at serious profit levels, and this was just the "leftovers". So, now I can report my final positives for this year - I have virtually every item I own, on my own property, and I no longer have to find rent every month! The only downsides are that I have more driving to do now, when I want to do something repair or sales-oriented - and I no longer have the protection of a large shed/workshop, as my block doesn't have any kind of building on it - so everything I own is stored under tarps, in crates, in boxes, in sea containers, or left out in the weather, if the weather doesn't substantially affect it! The next stage is the planning, purchase and construction of a shed of considerable size (the former factory unit was a 9M x 15M shed) - hopefully around 10M x 20M or even 12M x 24M in dimensions - which is going to occupy most of the rest of this year, I'm guessing! There's planning approval to be sought from the local Shire Council, levelling of the shed site, engineering plans to be submitted, approvals sought from probably half a dozen Govt and semi-Govt Authorities, addressing various laws applying to land development - not the least of which is Aboriginal Heritage laws. It's going to be an interesting year! I have found a shed builder in a nearby country town, whose products meet my requirements for a robust and very good design shed, and his pricing appears to be reasonable - all I have to do is find the $40K or $50K needed, to set myself up with a new shed! https://theshedfactorywa.com.au/gallery/

They'll change the date of the referendum, for sure.

That bloke with the fresh caught fish sure looks like he needs a good feed.

I've never even heard of Frank Gorshin, let alone recognise him from an ancient photo!!

I stopped watching TV many years ago - it is an utter waste of time, designed to keep moronic minds filled with crap. I have better things to do with what little time I have left on this Earth.

The Russian public needs to be fed a regular distraction, to divert their concerns away from the Ukraine 3 day special military operation.

One of Pootins henchman, obviously in a tearing hurry, must have dropped a flask of polonium tea.

And where did the American Indians immigrate from? And who did they displace?

I thought the 1980 drought year was bad - but at least we didn't have the relentless, endless heat that we've been getting this Spring, Summer and Autumn in 1980. But I do recall temperatures reaching 44° in the wheatbelt in February 1980. The main thing that is imprinted in my brain, is that 1980 was the year our family went all out on a big cropping programme, with wheat and oat plantings on our own farm, and on leased farmland. However, from the 2,500 acres of wheat we planted, we harvested just a single 8-tonne truckload of wheat! It was a shocker of a season, the worst in 80 years according to all the old-timers. In a normal year we would've harvested at least 1500 tonnes of wheat off that area. Then came the double whammy of fuel prices quadrupling in a period of 18 mths - followed by interest rates going from around 7% to at least 16% on average. We were paying 23% on leases and hire purchase in that era - and I recall being slugged 30% interest on one particular HP contract!! It was truly one of the most dreadful times to be in business, from 1980 to 1983.

It's official. It's forgotten to rain in W.A., full stop. The heat is relentless, it's going to be 33° tomorrow, and 35° on Sunday! - and not a skerrick of rain in sight for a fortnight, at least! https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/desperately-dry-in-southwest-wa/1889272

Nev - But the problem is, I don't want, or need, to go into central Melbourne. It's going the wrong way for me. I just want to head straight North from the airport.

I'm not impressed with the transport services in Victoria. It looks like I have to travel back into the city centre from Tullamarine, and then catch a bus to Pyalong. But I've booked a flight that arrives at 11:35AM on Mon 6th May, and the first bus leaves for Pyalong from Southern Cross at 18.30! So that's not much use to me. I'll have to examine other options. I wonder if an Airtasker would drive me out there for a reasonable figure?

Gee, NSW is pretty vicious on the truck size requirements, aren't they? I still wouldn't have to stop with my 8000kg GVM. I don't think Victoria and S.A. go as low as an 8000kg requirement, do they? - I was under the impression 12000kg was the start of the "heavy truck" rating, nationwide.

Q: Why was 10 afraid of 7? A: Because 7, 8, 9.

OME - It's only a little truck, a 3.5 tonner. Truck log books don't apply to anything under 12 tonnes gross as I understand. It has a GVW of 8000kgs. Nev, I'm pretty scared at the thought of seeing water falling from the sky again, it's going to be a real experience. Well, I'm all set. Just got a Virgin deal for Mon 6th May, a one-way fare for 26,700 Velocity points. The seat was $209 otherwise. I leave 6:00AM here and into Tulla at 11:35AM, God willing and trusting the creaky old Virgin B737 holds together.

I'm looking at a trip to Melbourne to pick up a truck in early May. It's at Pyalong. I'd be flying into Tullamarine on a Redeye, arriving in the morning. What are my options as regards travelling to Pyalong from Tullamarine?

There's going to be an official investigation into why there was no charge.

No, sorry Nev - I must be a bit slow this week, I didn't pick the subtle motorbike joke.

I recall a mate telling me how he watched an interesting exercise unfold at the boat ramp many years ago, it was probably the early 1980's. One boatie, who owned a Lancia Beta (which was FWD), used it to launch and retrieve his boat. The launching part went O.K. - but the retrieval part wasn't going so well, when my mate came along. The Lancia was spinning and slipping and scratching for traction on the ramp, as all the weight went rearwards with the weight on the towbar (and the ramp angle), and the weight was coming off the front wheels. So a few burly blokes strolled over, and one said to the driver, "We'll just sit on the front if you like, and that should help you out!". The Lancia driver agreed that that sounded like a good idea. So about 4 of these burly lads sat on the bonnet and bumper and the driver gunned the Lancia to haul the boat up the ramp. My mate said, all of a sudden, there was a almighty "BANG!!" from underneath the Lancia. The driver stopped in consternation, pulled on the handbrake, and got out - and he along with the blokes on the front, all peered under the Lancia, to see what had made the dreadful noise. To the drivers even greater consternation, oil was pouring out from under the car, literally in litres per second. What had happened was, when the driver gunned it, and the load really went on the drivetrain, one of the mounting brackets for the FWD suspension/axle setup, has broken right out of the transmission casting! - leaving a gaping hole in this main (alloy) casting, through which all the transmission oil was pouring out!! Needless to say, the burly lads all murmured sympathy with the distressed driver - and then they all quietly walked off! - leaving the Lancia owner to his horror development!!

I guess I was fortunate I was raised on a farm where the food was adequate, fresh and plentiful. As dairy farmers developing a bush block from scratch, money was tight, but I certainly don't recall any food problems. The major problem was not getting paid enough for dairy produce, but there's nothing new about that. As a mate once said, "My old man reckoned you've never experienced true poverty, until you've been a dairy farmer!"

Was the message from you to the seller? It's easy enough to get a screenshot of anything on the computer screen by using the snipping tool. Complain to eBay if you feel your security has been violated. As a long-time eBay seller (24 years), I can tell you, eBay always sides with the buyer, and the seller will be hammered. They should give you a 100% refund for such poor customer service. As a buyer I don't buy off any seller with less than 98% feedback. I've got 100% feedback and have never dropped below 100% all through my eBay dealings. One buyer in Mexico proved to be a right PIA scammer, complaining that both new Caterpillar solenoids I sent, were faulty and didn't work. One, I could believe, but not two. He was just a con-artist, so I refunded all his money and marked down Mexico as a place I won't sell to.

It's not the first time thieves have run out of fuel while being chased by cops.

Spacey, I'm curious as to how you could have seen "old friends", as a child who had left this life?