Nearly twelve months ago I got a new work Troopie.
The old one was tough. If the metal dash was rattling you tightened up a few of the hexagonal screw heads sticking out of the dash. Now it’s a lot more difficult.
You want a UHF radio? Where would you like it? And just screw it into the metal dash in the correct position.
And she would go and go and go and go. You can see how she handled compared to a Patrol in this post
The new one is nice.
And plastic.
It also handled like a dog until the suspension and track were sorted out.
It doesn’t have the bits that make this feel like it can take the punishment the old girl could. And there are a few things missing. In the picture above you can see next to the steering column a dirty little knob that was the hand throttle. In the rough you take your foot off the accelerator and use the hand throttle allowing for consistent power delivery over rough terrain rather than your foot bouncing on and off the the throttle. The new one only has a switch for a fast idle when starting it in the cold.
The panic bar has also gone in the new vehicle. As part of the softening up of the vehicle and to meet mining company OH&S requirements there are air bags. A panic handle on the outside of an air bag doesn’t work well. Out bush I don’t really want an air bag. But I would like my passenger to be able to be firm in their seat over rough terrain. The panic bar was also of great assistance for elderly patients to grab and pull themselves up into the high vehicle.
Eleven months on I am still more worried when I need to take it through the mud or sand and I am worried about the mechanicals (no way can I even begin to sort out the V8 turbo diesel should it die) it make up for it in comfort, ride and performance.
But I still have the old girl in the shed.
Tagged as:
4wd,
four wheel drive,
remote,
toyota,
troop carrier
Driving along the other day passing rocky country and then sand dune after sand dune there was one that stood out.
It was purple.
The dune’s slopes were covered in Parakeelya. And they don’t seem to be the common form of Parakeelya, Calandrinia balonensis, but the less common form, Calandrinia reticulata (formerly remota) which has the rounded cylindrical type leaves.
In amongst the purple there was also a variant. There was one plant with a white flower.
The leaves hold a lot of moisture and can be eaten raw. The whole plant including the roots can be eaten and is usually steamed. The taste isn’t that bad but I can understand it being a food of last resort. Apparently the seeds also used to be harvested and ground to a paste. I have yet to see them in seed but I can imagine a dune covered in flowers would provide a lot of seed.
Further information on these and other plants used in central Australia by Aboriginal people can be found in Bushfires & Bushtucker Aboriginal Plant Use in Central Australia by Peter Latz.
I hope you enjoy the pictures. Clicking on the pictures as always takes you to a larger version.
Have a Pleasant Sunday Afternoon.
Tagged as:
Aboriiginal plant use,
botany,
Calandrinia balonensis,
Calandrinia remota,
Calandrinia reticulata,
Parakeelya,
Peter Latz
About ten years ago when I started working in locum and “fixit” jobs around Australia, not always in pharmacy I wondered what sort of branding or business name I should use. One night a German tourist who became a good mate and myself brainstormed a few ideas and “Bite The Dust” was born. A trip to a great graphic designer at Three Little Words who didn’t “do bush stuff” but then got stuck into it with a vengeance le to the logo and business cards and a name I have used for ten years.
I have recently taken it one step further and BiteTheDust has become intellectual property having obtained a trademark in Class: 44 Provision of health care services.
You can find the trademark by doing a search here.
Have a Pleasant Sunday Afternoon.
Tagged as:
Bite The Dust,
BiteTheDust,
business name,
trademark
In my travels through rural and remote Australia I see quite a few big trucks. A scan of my photos shows I take few pictures of them. Welcome to the start of an occasional series.
These ore dump trucks were being transported westward on the Kalgoorlie Laverton Road. First comes the transport escort with a big sign and amber flashing lights. With the trucks still out of sight you call on the UHF radio and ask the size.
SEVEN metres wide.
You start slowing down and the next escort vehicle is the police escort four wheel drive. Despite them hearing your conversation on the radio and you slowing down and slowly moving off the road they drive directly at you headlights and red and blues flashing.
And then the trucks arrive. (click on the images for a much larger view)
Have a Pleasant Sunday Afternoon
Tagged as:
dump truck,
mining truck,
ore truck,
PSA - Pleasant Sunday Afternoon,
road train,
semi trailer,
tractor trailer,
truck
