Preface

The trip around Australia took a  little over 5 months. Departure was in August, 2004 when I left in my un-restored 1951, MM model, side valve, Morris Minor. Apart from an engine change a few days before I left, very few preparations were made prior to departure. I just woke up one morning and something told me that it was time to hit the road in old Hewie. I packed a bag with a couple of changes of clothes, a tent and my tool box and I was on my way.

              In the following story I talk about life on the road, people I met, hotels and camp grounds I stayed at. And of course the breakdowns and pit stops. I thought there'd be more problems. Either I was just lucky or Morris Minors really are the great little cars all their owners, including me, constant tell the world.

               Enjoy the story and I hope it gives you the encouragement to do the same. The story begins in Sydney Australia back in 1971 when I bought my first Moggy. Enjoy the trip! 

Good Reading,

Kerry Whitfield

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List of Images

Click on any image to enlarge
Byron Bay, New South Wales   The big mandarine at Biloela, Queensland.
 
Loading hay onto the railway by hand at Monto, Queensland, Australia, September 2004. Outback pub in the Queensland town of Mingela between Rockhampton and Mt Morgan
Quiet street scene in Mt Morgan, Queensland The Leichhardt Hotel, Mt. Morgan, Queensland
The Mt Morgan railway station, Mt Morgan, Queensland Hunslett locomotive, Mt Morgan, Qld, Australia.
The Hunslett loco with her single carriage at Mt Morgan station, Queensland Firing the Hunslett, Mt Morgan Qld, Australia.
 
Click to enlarge An acid pool - the old gold mine at Mt Morgan, Qld, Australia Drumming up a crowd for the boxing tent at the annual Mount Morgan Agricultural Show, August 2004.
A young pugilist waits for his chance in the boxing tent. Mount Morgan Annual Show 2004 Boxing tent at the Mount Morgan show, Queensland Australia 2004
 
A right hook at the Bell's boxing tent at the Mount Morgan show With John the walker at Belyando Crossing, Queensland, Australia
Balyando Crossing service station. Queensland, Australia
 		 Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia, 2004.
 
The 1948 model FX Holden Sugar cane tram in Ingham Queensland, Australia.
 
Repairs in Malanda, Queensland.
 		 Tapping out a new thread for the exhaust stud.
Mission Beach, North Queensland A blown radiator hose just before Prairie, Queensland.
The hotel at Prairie, Queensland, Australia Prairie, Queensland, Australia
Bob replacing the old radiator hose at Prairie while Hazel looks on. Bob and Hazel with their Ford Prefect. Prairie, Queensland, Australia
 
The Grand Hotel in Hughendon, Queensland. Hughendon, Queensland, Australia 2004
The F.J Holden Cafe in Hughendon, Queensland. Frank J Holden, the proprietor of the F.J Holden cafe in Hughendon, Queensland.
 
Richmond, Queensland, Australia. The one locust that Hewie caught during a locust plague near Julia Creek, Queensland, Australia.
 
View from the top verandah at the Julia Creek Hotel. Welcome to Cloncurry, Queensland.
Welcome to Mount Isa


The Barkly Highway through Camooweal, Queensland, Australia. 2004.
Roadside stop to check the water and oil. The water is free.
 		 The Barkly Highway.
 
Goodbye Bertha (the car) heads for the junk yard. Blown motor. Three-ways, where the Barkly highway from Queensland meets the
Stuart highway in the Northern Territory, Australia.
Junction Hotel at Newcastle Waters, Northern Territory, Australia.
 		 Daly Waters, Northern Territory, Australia
The bar at the Daly Waters Hotel in the Northern Territory, Australia The remains of the Larrimah Railway Station in 2004.
Larrimah Hotel, Larrimah, Northern Territory, Australia. Picture taken in September 2004. The quad and members of the Friends of The Northern Territory Railway. Larrimah, Northern Territory 2004
Lunch with the railway enthusiasts and Northern Territory historians at the Larrimah Hotel, NT Changing the points the points the hard way, Larrimah, Northern Territory, Australia
Larrimah N.T. yard, or what's left of it.
 		 Uncle Fester
 
All there is left of a town once known as Birdum in the Northern Territory,
Picture taken in September 2004.		 Water tank at Birdum, Northern Territory, Australia.
Remains of Birdum station
 		 A Northern Territory sunset
 
The Adelaide River Railway station at Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia. John, the cyclist at Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia.
 
Darwin City Darwin City, Northern Territory, Australia. Darwin City Cafe scene in Darwin, N.T.
Darwin Radiator Services Darwin Radiator Services Jason and his Holden
Carby problems in Darwin Bob, on holidays in Australia from Nottingham, England.
A giant ant hill between Darwin and Katherine in the Northern Territory, Australia.
 		 On the road in Western Australia
The Western Australia and Northern Territory border. The giant crocodile in Wyndham, Western Australia.
 
Boab tree Old shops and a few houses at Wyndham Port, Western Australia.
Tank locomotive in Wyndham port, Western Australia The single cylinder diesel locomotive at Wyndham port, Western Australia.
 
Single cylinder diesel locomotive in Wyndham port. Wyndham, Western Australia. The trains at meatworks info sign in Wyndham. WA
A three "carriage" road train at Wyndham after unloading cattle for export. Wyndham, Western Australia. Overlooking Wyndham port. Wyndham, Western Australia
Street scene, Wyndham, Western Australia.
 		 On the road in Western Australia.
 
Derby Pictures, Derby, Western Australia. Another Morris Minor owner in Derby Western Australia.
 
Darwin City Contrasting colours in Broome, Western Australia. Darwin City Broome, Western Australia
Streeters Jetty, Broome, W.A. Streeters jetty, Broome, Western Australia. Darwin City Sun Pictures - cinema in Broome, Western Australia
Restaurant and cafe at Cable beach, Broome, Western Australia Cable beach, Broome. Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia
Cable beach, Broome. 4x4s' are allowed on the northern section
of Cable beach. Skinnydippers are also welcome.		 Sydney bus on Cable beach, Broome. An old Sydney bus on the beach, Cable Beach, Broome, Western Australia.
Port Hedland, Western Australia Iron ore loader in Port Hedland, Western Australia BHP loco Port Hedland, Western Australia Port Hedland, Western Australia.
Port Hedland, Western Australia Street scene in Port Hedland, Western Australia.
 		 Port Hedland, Western Australia Sunset in port Hedland, Western Australia.
 
Port Hedland, Western Australia Loco that hauls iron ore from Mt Newman to Port Hedland, Western Australia. Adrian Adrian, sound asleep in Hewie. Cue, Western Australia
Main street of Cue, western Australia Cue, Western Australia
 		 Darwin City Cue, Western Australia.
Cue Paynes Find, Western Australia.
 		 Wildflowers in Western Australia Wildflowers beside the road in Western Australia
The Fremantle Hotel The Fremantle Hotel in Fremantle, Western Australia. Fremantle restaurant Capri Restaurant, Fremantle, Western Australia
 
Fremantle Fish Market Fish Market in Fremantle, Western Australia.
 		 Street scene, Fremantle, Western Australia.
Fremantle cafe scene.
 		 A pearling lugger on display at the old maritime museum in Fremantle, Western Australia.
 
Bridgetown W.A. Bridgetown Blues festival, Western Australia Bridgetown W.A. Bridgetown, Western Australia during the Blues Festival
Bridgetown W.A. Camped at Ravensthorpe, W.A. Beach at Esperance W.A. Beautiful beach near Esperance in Western Australia
Bridgetown W.A. Salt flat near Esperance, Western Australia. Norseman W.A. Norseman, Western Australia.
Horse trough in Norseman W.A. Horse trough, Norseman, Western Australia.

 		 Norseman hotel W.A. Norseman Hotel, Norseman W.A.
Norseman hotel W.A. Old Ford? This was parked in a front yard in Norseman, Western Australia.
 		 Norseman W.A. What to do with a pile of old bike parts? Design a new bike of course. Noseman, Western Australia.
Norseman W.A. The signpost at Norseman, looking east. Balladonia service station W.A. The service station at Balladonia on the Nullabor, Western Australia.
Balladonia service station W.A. Rest stop at the Balladonia service station on the Nullabor, Western Australia. Balladonia service station W.A. Cocklebiddy
Nullabor W.A. The Nullabor Cocklebiddy service station W.A. The roadhouse at Mundrabilla on the Nullabor W.A
Eucla W.A. The remains of the telegraph station at Eucla W.A Eucla W.A. Nullarbor National Park
Nullarbor coast W.A. The coast alongside the road on the Nullarbor, Western Australia. 90 mile straight, W.A. 90 mile straight.
Nullarbor truck stop, road trains W.A. Trucks at a Nullarbor truck stop, W.A. SA, WA border station. The Western Australia, South Australian border.
 
Cactus beach turnoff. The turn off to Cactus Beach. Cactus beach campground. The camp ground at Cactus Beach, South Australia.
 
Cactus beach turnoff. Pink salt pond near Cactus beach, South Australia.
 		 Port le Hunt. Port le Hunte, South Australia.
Shark attack memorial at Port le Hunt. Memorial to an 11 year old, attacked by a shark in Port le Hunt bay in 1979. Windmills at Penong. Windmills at Penong. South Australia.
Eyre Peninsular Eyre Peninsular, South Australia Old church on the Eyre Peninsular Church on the Eyre Peninsular, South Australia.
Camped in Port Lincoln S.A Before the storm. Camped in Port Lincoln, South Australia. Camped in Port Lincoln S.A Tuna boats in Port Lincoln, South Australia.
 
Whyalla steelworks S.A Whyalla steel works, South Australia Whyalla steelworks S.A Whyalla steelworks, South Australia.
 
Whyalla steelworks S.A Parked outside the Whyalla Visitor Centre and Maritime Museum, Whyalla, South Australia. Bedford camper Camper body on a 1948 Bedford truck.
Port Germein S.A Port Germein, South Australia
 		 Proud Morris Oxford owners in Adelaide Tim Nicholson and Joanne Bowlit, Morris Oxford owners.
Glenelg tram S.A Glenelg tram, Glenelg, South Australia.
 		 Tailem Bend S.A Tailem Bend railway station and museum. Tailem Bend, South Australia.
Beachport historical building Beachport, South Australia. Tailem Bend S.A Down town, Beachport, S.A.
The Blue Lake The Blue Lake, Mount Gambier, South Australia.
 		 Woodchip pile in Portland, Vic, Image of the port and woodchip pile in Portland, Victoria, Australia.
 
Sailboat Port Fairy, Vic, Port Fairy, Victoria, Australia.
 		 Sailboat Port Fairy, Vic, Port Fairy, Victoria, Australia.
Victoria, Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia. Couta boat Port Fairy, Vic, Port Fairy, Victoria, Australia.
 
Citroen at Campbell, Vic,
A Citroen in Port Campbell, Victoria, Australia.

 Citroen at Campbell, Vic, The light house keepers residence, Cape Ottway, Victoria, Australia.
 
Victoria, Great Ocean road, Victoria, Australia. View of Melbourne from the Gunn Island Hotel in Middle Park Gunn Island Hotel, Middle Park, Melbourne.

 
Brown coal mine
 		 Open cut brown coal mine, Victoria, Australia. Electric locomotive An electric locomotive once used in the mining of brown coal in Victoria
Open cut brown coal mine Open cut brown coal mine near Traralgon, Victoria, Australia. Home on the Snowy River. Home on the banks of the Snowy River at Orbost, Victoria, Australia.
 
Camped at Mallacoota Camped at Mallacoota. Bermagui fishermen Amateur fishermen cleaning their mornings catch at Bermagui, New South Wales, Australia.