1966 - Karachi to London by Kombi

Frank Arnold & Noel Cantrill

Overland travel in 1966 was very different to current 2014 journeys yet the essence of overland travel remains the same... to explore new countries.
Historical overland journeys often fade into the memories of the travelers and rarely get published.

One trip that has recently reappeared is the 1966 overland travels of Frank Arnold and Noel Cantrill.  The two overlanders traveled from Karachi to London and have recently published an eBook which is currently available via Apple iTunes (as an iBook).

I spotted the article in our local Australian newspaper and was intrigued by the write up and stories of the authors, Frank Arnold and Noel Cantrill.  The iBook highlights the overland journey from Karachi to London in a VW Kombi.  The iBook features photos and a selection of video clips.

Apple iBook: Highly Inflamably

Highly Inflamably

Spotted: Land Rover Series III Ambulance

Ready for your next overland vehicle?  How about something totally different from the usual modern 4x4?

Spotted on eBay UK:  a neatly converted Land Rover Series III Ambulance fully kitted for overland travel.

Shoutout: Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meetings

Looking for some overland inspiration?  Be sure to check out the many events that Horizons Unlimited (@horizonsUnlimit) will be hosting throughout the year, including a four new events for 2014.

Google Image Search: Horizons Unlimited Travellers Meeting

Link to the website: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/events

HU Events

I was hoping to be able to attend the inaugural Australian NSW event taking place in November but unfortunately I will be exploring Fraser Island for the first time.  Perhaps next year!

The Commercial GPS turns 25 years old!

Twenty-five years ago, the first Magellan GPS unit were shipped to retailers for the average consumer to purchase.  The release of this military grade equipment quickly gained adoption as navigation devices in light aircraft, vehicles and adventure travel.  This single technology, coupled with mobile technology, has impacted overland travel more than any other device.

Mashable highlights a few memorable moments throughout Commercial GPS history:

While GPS proved invaluable to the coalition forces, it could prove equally valuable for the enemy. So the government introduced "selective availability" (SA) — errors added to reduce accuracy in civilian GPS receivers.

President Clinton turned off SA on May 1, 2000, which improved consumer device accuracy to 15 meters, coincidentally around the same time the first handheld units with included city street maps became available, such as the first full-color GPS handheld, the Magellan Meridian Color Handheld GPS Navigator, in 2002.

After the success of the [Magellan] NAV 1000 and the publicity generated by the Gulf War, the GPS floodgates opened. A variety of GPS devices from other companies such as Garmin (1989), TomTom (1991) and Mio (2002), hit the market using maps and navigation software from a variety of suppliers such as Navteq (1987), Navigon (1991), SiRF (1995) and TeleNav (1999).

Africa Overland: The Solo Scooterist (Michael Strauss)

Why take a heavy overland prepped motorcycle when you can complete a Trans-Africa overland adventure on a Vespa!  Introducing Michael Strauss and his Vespa named Victoria.

Michael Strauss - Solo Scooterist

Michael departed Johannesburg on the 1st May 2014 and is heading North.  His website is active with a good mix of content and photos.

Box It: a recommendation for Wolf Boxes

Box it, pack it, store it - how do you pack your overland prepared vehicle to ensure the items are accessible, secure and dust/water proof.   Recently FunRover uploaded a video comparing the Wolf Box vs the Really Useful Box.  The video takes a light-hearted approach to the topic of expedition boxes, durability and capacity but gets the point across on purchasing the right storage solution for overland travel.

I have used Wolf Boxes for over a decade of independent travel, in various types of overland prepped vehicles, and find them very practical, with the right balance of internal storage capacity vs physical dimensions.  The option to use a high-lid or standard-lid enable right-sizing of the packing solution.  They do have limitations, as the FunRover video highlighted: dust and water ingress plus the lid retaining clips have a very bad habit of snapping!

Google Image Sarch: Wolf Box 

The Outback - Home Stretch - Day 8

Traffic all day long. The previous five days we had spotted probably 30 vehicles including those in towns and the parked at the various roadhouses.
As we descended on Sydney we merged with traffic and become just another city 4x4!

Whilst stopping for a quick coffee in Bourke, we spotted the Bermach truck of Atte and Marijke.  Unfortunately we did not get to say hello as they were departing town shortly after we arrived.

Atte & Marijke - Bermach Truck

The Outback - 1000km - Day 7

The Outback 2014 trip was coming to an end, which meant that we had two days to travel 2000km from Birdsville to Sydney. A 1000km of empty roads were ahead....

Sunrise on the road to Windorah

The Outback - Poeppel Corner to Birdsville - Day 6

My tent leaked last night!  Dark clouds started rolling in around 7pm and by 11pm, lightening and thunder boomed across the dark desert sky.

Rain pelted down, soaking the red sand and giving the two 4x4s a very good clean.  Our restless minds were buzzing with anxious thoughts on the track condition and especially crossing Lake Poeppel.

Breakfast was rushed as we packed our gear and discussed the option for the day as Doug and Ruth were continuing West across the Simpson Desert whilst Neil and I were doing a u-Turn and heading back to Birdsville.

The Outback - Birdsville to Poeppel Corner - Day 5

Map names were becoming real places and waking up in Birdsville was one of those moments overland travel is all about.

Simpson Desert - on top of sand dune known as 'Big Red'

An outback town with a population of 100 people (+/- 7000, as the sign says) is a town used to an influx of city 4wd owners and tourists yet the local town folk do not have this 'harassed by tourists' mentality. I loved the fact that everyone we spoke to had a smile and a willingness to talk and share information on the road conditions and the Simpson Desert.

A special shoutout to Kelly Theobald, author and journalist. In 2012 Kelly and her partner completed a crossing of the Simpson Desest in a VW Beetle.  I managed to spend time with Kelly and hear her story on how she arrived in Birdsville and what life is like in the Australian Outback. Kelly bubbles with enthusiasm causing all around her to smile and dream big. Kelly recently published a childrens book titled "Onslo" named after her Beetle.  

Kelly Theobald & Onslo