16 April 2024

 Well, it's been a while between posts, with not a great deal happening between them, though that is the way of it sometimes. There are plans afoot for a road trip or two, I want to head out to Broken Hill soon for a look, and if nothing else it is time to start readying the car and planning for the 2025 Perth Morris Minor Nationals in April. At this time it appears we'll have company, with another Series II coming along as well, and no doubt there will be others driving over to Perth and back who we'll come across along the way too. 

So series of small jobs to be getting on with to get everything ready:

    - Replace the timing chain, it's just a bit rattly, so may as well.

    - Replace the rear brake slaves and pads, flush and bleed the system with new fluid.

    - Plenty of other jobs I am sure...

A small job that I have completed recently though was to strip and respray the steel wheels, not a pleasant task, though it does look a lot better for being done, finally. There were copious layers of badly cracking paint on them and on stripping back the original colours came through and the fact they all still had the original pinstripe around them under all the layers. I may have to find someone who can put the strip back on the wheels, I could do it though it would look rubbish, it would be better to find someone who knows what they are doing.

Wheels look quite shabby and even the wrong shade of green.

Looking a lot better and even the same colour 

20 Oct 2023

 Day Three - 20 Oct 2023

This morning was up with the sparrows, well no not really, though I was the first to leave the Motel, off to fill the tank again and then hit the road. I had hoped that there would be few trucks at that hour and that the road would be as sparsely used as yesterday driving into Horsham, though this wasn't to be. Actually, there weren't all that many cars; mainly it was just trucks, though not too bad I just pulled over for them to pass until I got to the turn-off to some quiet country roads. The roads were very country and I thought at one stage I may have been on someone's driveway, though it was just a small road. 

Anyway the first of the day was at Sheep Hills, just a small dot on the map in the middle of fields. The Silos are amazing, what a skill-full painting. It was then back on the road and a bit more backtracking as I nearly returned to Horsham to get to the next stop at Murtoa, then on to Rupanyup, St Arnaud and Avoca silos before heading on home to Melbourne.

Sheep Hills Silo Art - painted by Adnate, featuring a Wergaia Elder,Uncle Ron Marks, a Wotjobaluk Elder, Aunty Regina Hood and two, Savannah Marks and Curtly McDonald.

Murtoa Silo Art - painted by Sam Bates (Smug), was inspired by taxidermy in the local museum and  Murtoa born, Dr. John Cade, a psychiatrist who made significant contributions to the understanding and treatment of bipolar disorder. The image has thirty Birds and one is a ghost or glowing bird and represents the 1 in 30 people who suffer from bipolar disorder.

Rupanyup Silo Art - painted by Julia Volchkova, featuring Ebony Baker and Jordon Weidemann, who represent a youthful spirit of strength, hope and camaraderie.

St Arnaud Silo Art - painted by Kyle Torney, titled Hope, it represents the Hopes for a small family in the 1800s when St Arnaud was a gold mining town.

Avoca Silo Art - painted by Jimmi Buscombe , featuring the endangered Barking Owl.

19 Oct 2023

 Day Two - 19 Oct 2023

Started out relatively early today, again to beat the trucks along the highway that I had no choice about taking, though it was only for about 50 kilometres so it wasn't too great a problem. Started out sharing the distance with a very nice 1946 Ford Mercury Coupe, though it being an eight-cylinder and all it did leave me behind in no short amount of time. I did catch it up again though as it stopped to do the same thing I was heading for and that was to take a picture at the first Silo Art stop of the day at Walpeup.

Walpeup Silo Art - painted by Julian Clavijo and Camilo Delgado, featuring Harold Thomas Bell

The Walpeup Silo Art depicts Harold Thomas Bell, who in March 1917 at 16 years of age, lied to recruiters about his age and family history to sign up for active service in the First World War. He was attached to the Light Horse Regiment and he was killed in action in October 1917 and was eventually liad to rest in the Beersheba War Cemetery. LEST WE FORGET

Heading off again and now on to country backroads, which is just the greatest thing as the roads are usually in better condition than the roads in the west of Melbourne and there are virtually no trucks (again unlike the west of Melbourne!). So it was a comfortable cruise down to Patchewollock to the next silo and from there through Hopetoun to Rosebery and Brim for their two silos. A slight bit of mile retracement then back to Beulah to then head west for Rainbow, which is a nice little town with a few murals about, then on to Albacutya for more Silo Art. It's south then back through Rainbow Through Jeparit and Antwerp to the Arkona Silo Art and then head west young man, through Nhill (half way to Adelaide) and on to Kaniva. Leaving Kaniva and heading south for a while before back to the east and on to Goroke Silo Art and into Horsham for the night.

Patchewollock Silo Art - painted by Fintan Magee, featuring Nick "Noodle" Hulland

Rosebery Silo Art - painted by Kaff-eine

Brim Silo Art - painted by Guido van Helten

Albacutya Silo Art - painted by Kitt Bennett

Arkona Silo Art - painted by Sam Bates (Smug), featuring and invisible Roley Klinge

Kaniva Silo Art - painted by David Lee Pereira, featuring an Australian Hobby bird and Plains Sun Orchid

Goroke Silo Art - painted by Geoffrey Carran, featuring a Kookaburra, Magpie and a Galah

Horsham Silo Art - painted by Sam Bates (Smug), featuring Yanggendyinanyuk

There is a lot more information on all of these Silo Art pieces and in fact most of the current Silo Art and Water Tower Art and town murals on the Australia Silo Art Trail website.

18 Oct 2023

Well it's been a while between trips and posts so it's about time for a bit of a road trip. Over three days 18, 19, 20 Oct 2023 we'll be traveling around Western Victoria to see all of the Silo Art. I have planned a route for the best fit for me using the Australia Silo Art Trail site, though it does seem to be not entirely up to date it is the best source of data for the run. I am not using the suggested starting point as I think I have a better plan in mind, though to be honest, just because it makes sense to me does not mean it is sensible. Anyway...

Day One - 18 Oct 2023.

Started out relatively early, 5:30am, as I wanted to get underway and hopefully try to minimise the amount of traffic and trucks that I might encounter (only to minimise the disruption to them by my travelling at only 80km/h). This of course only worked well while I was on the dual-lane roads, once it was back on the two-way highway roads the trucks were a concern. The emergency lane sides of these highway stretches are quite wide though so it was easy enough to pull over into the lane and let the trucks go by. It is certainly much more relaxing driving on the quiet country roads off the highways though.

Anyway as stated I had made up a route plan for my trip and then suitably left the written version at home and the mobile didn't connect when I felt that I may have gone astray, oh well no matter. I did go the wrong way but that was okay as I saw more of the area and it was only about another 50-80 kilometres anyway, so no great concern at all.

The route today took in Charlton, Wycheproof (and at this stage, I went the wrong way), Nullawil, Sea Lake and then backtrack along an awesome back country road to Birchip, Woomelang, Lascelles, through Speed and to the day stop at Ouyen.

Nullawil Silo Art Featuring Jimmy the Kelpie, painted by Sam Bates (Smug)

Sea Lake Silo Art, Titled the Space in Between, painted by The Zookeeper and DRAPL

Birchip's Big Mallee Bull

There  are a few murals to be seen around the small town, though no Silo Art in town 

Woomelang has 7 painted mini Silos around town, unfortunately, I only saw two.

Lascelles Silo Art - painted by Rone, featuring Geoff Horman

Lascelles Silo Art - painted by Rone, featuring Merrilyn Horman 

Hotel Victoria at Ouyen

2 Apr 2023

Pushed on home this morning, started at 4am, though didn't get to leave until about 4:30am as had a bit of an issue trying to be quiet at the motel and not wake everyone starting the car so early, which caused a slight problem or two, but all good and away. Decided to stop by the Ettamogah pub site as haven't been there for years, seems like it is a popular camping area out the back, so it is good to see they have managed to reinvent themselves and stay open for business.

Arrived home at around lunch time, so the early morning start certainly helped with that.

Early morning starts and empty highways! Get any better?

 

Ettamogah Pub

All up did a total of 3958.7 kilometres (actual driving days was 5 and a half days) and used 248.48 Litres of fuel. So the fuel usage calculator says that works out to be 15.932Km/L, 6.277L/100Km, 37.474MPG (US), 45.004 MPG (Imperial). Not too shabby for a  68 year old car with a 948cc engine, travelling at 80 kilometres an hour.

1 Apr 2023

Early start today and mainly driving through, so it will really just be fuel stops and not a lot of much else. Hopefully there will be no problems travelling through Sydney and the new(ish) city western bypass. it is dual lane most of the way so hopefully there will be no problems with people being able to get past and overtake the slow old car!

Great start to the day, cool and misty, perfect Morris weather

Another Big Thing, the Big Merino at Goulburn, New South Wales

The day started well, clear sky, bit of a chill to the air and some low mist as well, just the sort of weather a Morris Minor enjoys. No problems at all getting through Sydney and not a single angry driver or horn blast from anyone, most surprising. Oh and stopped in at Goulburn, haven't been through there since the highway bypass was put through in 1992. Other than the Big Merino having be scaled down and moved, not a huge amount seems to have changed.

Starting to get late so travelling on.

Traffic report yet again

Nearly at Gundagai, quite a long day driving 

So calling it a night at Gundagai, 890 kilometres done today (553 miles), bit better than yesterdays effort.

31 Mar 2023

Heading back home to Melbourne this morning and there has been no set plan of route or of planned stops, so we'll see what happens and how long it takes...

Didn't do a leave at o'stupid hours so a relaxed start to the morning. Decided that the coast rout will have to do as technically it is the quickest route and it is actually the only route, out of the three main "Highways", Newell highway, New England highway and the Pacific highway, north and south that the Count has not yet been on through New South Wales. That said though the Count has been of part of the Pacific highway before as the New England highway ends at part of the Pacific near (relatively) to Sydney.

Along the way are some of Australia's "Big Things", so will drop by some of these and other places along the way and see how far we get...

The Big Pineapple, Nambour Queensland.

The Big Banana, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.

Had a brief stop along the way at Grafton to visit with some very good friends and overnighted at Grafton, so not too many kilometres done today in total, only 503.7 kilometres (312 miles), though a lot of roadworks along the way...