Home About The Driver Car Background Car Specifications First drives GACR 2004 First Race
“CLEMMIE” DOES 4 STATES, A TERRITORY
AND GOES O/S ALL IN 3 WEEKS
(THAT’S THE PLAN ANYWAY)
(Article written for ClubbiesSA Newsletter)
PART 1
When I became involved in the group build of my Clemente` Clubman a friend from Canberra suggested that I should drive over and spend a few days in our National Capital over Easter 2004. Of course not being aware at that stage of the futility of time estimates involved in Clubman building I thought the car would be ready with 12 months to spare so readily agreed. Ahh! The benefits of hindsight. I finally managed to get “Clemmie” registered on the 18th of February 2004 so made the time limit with only about 6 weeks to spare. As I was going to have a fair drive to Canberra and back I thought I might as well continue up to the Queensland Sunshine Coast and MacLeay Island where I have some relatives and then do a bit of a tour back through Central Queensland and down through Broken Hill and catch up with more relatives in the mid north of South Australia.
The main preparation was to get the car finished and put a few Kms on it to make sure nothing was likely to break. That has proved worthwhile as the drivers side mudguard support has fractured twice and one of the rubberised exhaust clamps pulled itself apart. Everything else seems to be quite strong and firm so far. (Fingers crossed - Touch wood etc!!).
The next area of preparation was to cater for some overnight camping stops, make sure I had enough clothing and sort out food and medication to look after my insulin dependent diabetes to make sure I kept my sugar levels under control.
At another time and in a different life I had spent a considerable period of time living in Armoured Personnel Carriers and Tanks and this combined with some messing about in boats had given me a fair idea of how to make maximum use of space and also how to make best use of the equipment available so I wasn’t too worried about organising the logistics of the trip.
The camping aspects were taken care of by a folding two-person tent, folding chair, a sleeping bag and a Trangia stove and cook set, all of which took up very little space. Food was looked after with one-serve sachets of various types including long life milk, plenty of biscuits and Muesli bars and water to prepare a thermos of coffee each day. Again this didn’t take up too much space.
Trying to err on the side of caution I packed only enough tools to completely field strip and reassemble the car. These took up a bit more space than I had hoped but seemed to be an essential insurance policy. Clothing comprised the normal stuff but trying to keep it to a minimum plus a cold weather coat and the obligatory Biggles gear. This consisted of a cloth helmet (Dutch army - from Aussie disposals) or a leather flying helmet (from Concept Aviation, Bankstown Airport, NSW) and a pair of Red Baron aviator goggles (from Peter Stevens Motor Cycles). You feel like a complete Pratt dolled up in this gear but if you are travelling any distance it is virtually essential. Of course a decent set of side curtains might just alleviate the need for these. Unfortunately these are still part of “work in progress”. I spoke to Pat Umlauf (whose Kestrel has the best side curtains I have seen) at the Clipsal 500 and told her of the proposed trip and when I said I didn’t have side curtains she just shook her head.
Came the week before the off and all of a sudden all of these individual little loads became just a bit too much for the carrying capacity of a clubbie. Back to the drawing board. How much do you really need? Throw out a bit of this and a bit of that, hopefully not stuff that I will later wish I had taken. Think long and hard about Murphies law. Disregard anyway.
Being the eternal optimist and anticipating 3 weeks without rain, hail, snow, flood, locust plagues or other vagaries of nature we (the car and me) launched off on the Tuesday before Easter. The plan was to take a couple of days to get to Canberra travelling via Lameroo, Pinaroo and across the north of Victoria, staying overnight at a caravan park in Echuca and then getting to Canberra on Wednesday afternoon. I had allowed plenty of time for the trip so could afford to be flexible when the need arose or when I felt like it………………………….………Next edition. …….. How far did we get???
“CLEMMIES” BIG ADVENTURE
PART 2
Well, at about 8am, there I was, complete with Biggles gear turning onto the South Eastern Freeway ready for goodness knows what. It didn’t take long for the value of the helmet and goggles to become evident. Once I had turned onto the Mallee Highway heading for North Eastern Victoria and cruising at 110 – 120 the combination of the sun and wind would have roasted and buffeted me alive.
The Highway passes through a series of railway whistlestops where grain silos are the main sign of life. On one of my coffee stops, 4 large motorcycles with passengers and trailers went past with a toot and a wave. They were obviously off on their own adventure. One of the small towns just inside Victoria was Cowangie that boasted a large sign saying it was the birthplace and one time home of Larry Perkins.
I cruised into Echuca late in the afternoon passing the National Holden Museum on the way in. I spent the night at a Caravan Park in Moama just over the River Murray in NSW. Moama and Echuca are twin towns on each side of the river. It was very pleasant sitting down alongside the tent and car sipping a Chardonnay and
watching a steamboat navigating the River in front of me.
A noisy flock of Corellas acted as an alarm clock at 6.15 the next morning so I was able to make an early start. I headed off North to Deniliquin and across to Wagga Wagga. The country roads in south and southwestern NSW were shockingly rough and travelling was most uncomfortable. At the cross roads where I joined the road coming from Mildura in the west I virtually ran into a friend from the SA MX5 Club who was on his way to the MX5 National Meeting at Leura in the Blue Mountains. We cruised in company to Wagga where we had lunch.
As I stopped at the lunch point I could hear a bad exhaust leak from under the bonnet. A quick inspection revealed a substantial crack in the headers just below the oxygen sensor. I wasn’t going anywhere for a while until this was fixed. Have you ever tried to get an emergency repair done the day before most people start their Easter break? I visited about 6 different exhaust repair shops and the best I could do was “bring it around at 8.30 tomorrow morning and we’ll see what we can do”. By the time I had got to this stage it was obvious that there were other leaks in the system as well and I had no choice but to stay the night.
After a fairly ordinary night, I rocked up at the exhaust place at about 7.50 just as the gates were being opened. I took the bonnet off, offloaded all my luggage from the passenger's side, left the keys in it and wandered off to get some breakfast. After twiddling my thumbs for most of the morning it was all set to go at 11.30. The job was first class (and the price was much less than I expected) and everything seemed so much tighter than it had.
After a spot of lunch it was off to Wakefield Park, a racetrack about an hour north of Canberra near Goulburn. Paul, the friend I was staying with in Canberra, was officiating at the MX5 Club track day prior to the official start of their national meeting. On the way, a couple of hot rods went past in the opposite direction followed by a yellow GT40. A strange combination I thought.
I arrived at Wakefield Park around mid afternoon and parked the car in the pits in the middle of about fifty MX5s. I should be used to it by now but for most of the afternoon there were a half a dozen or more people hovering all over the car. Once it was known that “Clemmie” was virtually an MX5 in drag, there was even more interest.
After a spirited drive to Canberra that evening I had a good sleep in a real bed for a change. The next morning a group of 10 cars from the local MX5 club who were not attending the national meeting met me for a run out to
the Tidbinbilla deep space tracking station. These people were a great bunch and made me feel very welcome. The run was excellent. There are some fabulous roads around the ACT and the car clubs certainly make use of them. Unfortunately during this run the rear suspension settled a bit more than it ought to and I was given reports of a smell of burning fibreglass and puffs of blue smoke coming from under the guards as the suspension bottomed on some of the bumps.
Back at Paul’s place, the rear end was dismantled and the springs and shockers removed. One of the MX5 guys from the morning run offered to open his engineering workshop and fabricate some spacers for the springs to lift the back end to where it should be. What an effort for a stranger on Good Friday.
In his workshop I noticed a Formula Vee and a Locost Clubbie under construction. If you’re ever in Canberra and need any engineering work, look up “Carco Exhaust and Automotive” at Belconnen, ask for Dave Battison and tell him I sent you. After about an hour and a bit working on a lathe on a public holiday it cost me a carton of beer. This was definitely service above and beyond the call of duty but seems to be part of how real enthusiasts treat each other. Once reconstructed the car sat much better and felt much better.
The next day we went and had a look at the
BMW Club’s Show and Shine, the highlight of which to me were 2 Isetta bubble
cars. We then went to Manuka Oval to have a look at the Jaguar Club’s display.
The best parking spot was in the most public area that turned out to be the main
street of Manuka. This is a bit like Gouger Street or Norwood Parade – the home
of the “Café Latte`” set. 
I must admit the Jaguars impressed me much more than the BM’s. There were some beautiful XK 120s, 140s and 150s as well as some delectable E Types. There was also one of only 2 genuine D Types in Australia and a genuine C Type as well. When you consider that the D Type is now 50 years old they must have been like a space ship when they first hit the road.
After an all too short stay in Canberra It was time to head north to sunny Queensland. …………PART 3 coming up. ……. ACT to QLD …. Will we get there?………….stay tuned.
“CLEMMIES” BIG ADVENTURE
PART 3
Everything was packed on the Sunday morning ready to go. One last inspection just in case and sure enough the drivers’ side mudguard support had cracked fairly severely. Having watched a few episodes of Bush Mechanics on TV repairing this held no fear for me. Duct tape, cable ties and an 8-inch bolt with the head cut off were all that was needed. The bolt was used as a splint, held around the affected parts by duct tape and then double secured with cable ties. A bit of a hard shake and the repair was judged to be of top quality and we were ready to go. Paul and his wife Margaret led me to the highway in their MX5. Margaret doing the driving duties and Paul wielding the video camera taking shots of “Clemmie” and me as we passed and repassed each other. After final farewells it was off up the Hume Highway to the Western Bypass around Sydney.
During The Vietnam War the government set up a special Officer Training Unit at Scheyville near Windsor to the north west of Sydney. Being a graduate of that establishment I wanted to go back after 35 years and relive some old memories. The place is now a National Park. Some of the buildings remain and I managed to identify a concrete slab where my room used to be.
As an early 21st birthday present I purchased a Triumph TR4 just before I graduated and its first decent trip was along the Colo Putty Road to Singleton. After walking amongst the remains of the camp I was off along the Colo Putty Road again. This road is best described as being like the Gorge Road only it’s 160 Kms long. I had a good drive along here and as I came into Singleton I remembered all those years ago crossing a railway line and an E Type coming the other way gave me a wave. No such luck this time as the railway line has an overpass over it and there were no E Types to be seen. Who said nostalgia isn’t what it used to be?
After camping overnight at a place called Murrurundi it was back on the road bright and early to head up the New England Highway to Brisbane. I encountered my first Locusts at Tamworth but was told that the main plague was to the west. They were never severe enough to have to put the mesh in the grille that I had packed just in case.
I turned off at Tenterfield and headed East for 100 Kms or so and then headed North up the Mount Lindsay Highway to come into Brisbane from the south-south-west. This was a fairly rough road and the going was a bit slower than I had anticipated but I made it through to the south of Brisbane without any worries. Part of this trip was through rain forest like country and the coolness and the different smells were nice and refreshing. Clubbie heaven!!
More by good luck than good management, I found myself on the main Highway heading north that goes over the Gateway Bridge. This is a toll bridge and of course I had my wallet in my pocket. As every Clubbie driver knows there is just no way you can get your hand in your pocket to remove a wallet while you are driving (or stopped for that matter). Luckily I found an emergency stopping area and was able to extricate some money for the toll. Once over the Bridge It was a nice cruise, at 120 Kmh, up to Woombye near Nambour where I was to spend a week at my cousin Rosemary’s place. The mudguard support was still as good as when it was put on so I was well pleased with my repair efforts. A good rest was in order………..Can these good runs continue?………..Lets hope so. It’s been great so far.
“CLEMMIES” BIG ADVENTURE
PART 4
The first thing that needed attention was the mudguard support. I took it off and headed into the local garage at Woombye. They didn’t have a Mig welder but were able to direct me to a crash repair place just behind them. The guy there was only too happy to help and did a good job including repainting for $30 which I thought was pretty reasonable. I also adjusted the rear springs again as they were sagging a bit although not bottoming this time.
My nose looked like I’d been hitting the bottle for years. I reckon I’d lost about 4 layers of skin and it shone like a beacon. My lips weren’t any better with a couple of dried up cracks in them. A local Motor Bike shop came to the rescue with a Face Mask. The Biggles outfit now looks more like a “which bank am I going to rob now?” outfit. However, once again practicality needed to outweigh aesthetics and this gear proved to be essential wear for travelling any decent distances. This mask fitted over the nose then around the face and was secured with Velcro at the back.
Local trips included driving to Montville, a touristy town nearby and into Nambour for fuel. As I was filling up a 1935 MG NA Magnette pulled up alongside. We held the other patrons up for a while as we compared notes on our cars. The MG was smaller and had even less room than a clubbie if that’s possible. It must have been quite a car in its day. 6 Cylinders, SOHC.
I also went for a trip to an area of rainforest near the Glasshouse Mountains and went for a 2.5Km walk through the forest that was interesting and educational. I also took Mike, my cousin’s husband, to a Lions Club BBQ in “Clemmie” and of course our arrival caused the usual rubber necking and comments and questions.
One of my uncles lives on Macleay Island,
one of the Moreton Bay Islands just off the coast from Brisbane. I hadn’t seen
him for about 30 years so was looking forward to taking “Clemmie” O/S to visit
him. 
The trip on the car ferry took about 45 minutes and was quite efficient and hassle free. Macleay Island is about 7 Km long and 2 Km wide with a population of about 2,500. Most people commute back and forth by waterbus and have a car on the mainland.
The next day I was back down to Brisbane again to meet with Bill Waller, one of our group build participants, who has since moved to the Gold Coast and taken his Clemente` with him. We met at White Pointer Fibreglass, a firm that makes fibreglass panels for Locost Clubbies. Unfortunately there was no one there that day that was involved in the clubbie scene. Bill and I found a place where we could have a coffee and a bite to eat and had a chat for a while. Bill was thoroughly enjoying his car and has friends in the local MG and MX5 car clubs. I was able to give Bill some badges for his car that weren’t available when he left Adelaide. His was the only other
Clubbie I saw on the entire trip. After a week or so of good old Queensland weather it was time to hit the road and head back home. What’s outback NSW going to be like? … Where are the Locusts hiding? …. All will be revealed!!
CLEMMIES BIG ADVENTURE
PART 5
Well, I was getting used to this by now. Everything was packed and ready to go. Final check and everything was just fine. Oil level was still the same as the day I left. Coolant was OK. Time to go. Used a few back roads to Toowoomba and then down to Goodiwindi. This was a scenic part of the trip, hilly and wooded with windy roads
to Toowoomba and then on the way to Goondiwindi I saw my first cotton crop. From here on the roads were excellent and most of the time was spent cruising around 120 or so.
After doing a top speed run (results on application) I decided to try and make it to Walgett for the night, even though I knew I would arrive at least a quarter of an hour after sunset. I was mindful of Barry Edson’s meeting with a kangaroo on his way back from Perth and didn’t want a repeat of that. Driving into the setting sun without sunvisors etc is no fun and I ended up shielding my eyes with one hand. Time came to switch on the headlights and as if on cue a big roo decided to test the brakes. He must have been at least 2 metres high and he seemed to go so slowly across in front of me. Mind you I was closing at around 120. By the time we just missed each other I could see that he was at least twice as high as my head. I’d hate to imagine the damage he would cause. Anyway with a healthy burst of adrenalin keeping me awake I spent the next 20 minutes with my eyes out on stalks and kept the speed at about 80. I didn’t see another roo for the rest of the trip.
The next day heading out for Brewarrina and Bourke I saw what appeared to be a lot of white lines painted on the road ahead. As I arrived at these “lines” I discovered that they were really a flock of about 100 Sulphur Crested Cockatoos. Plunging right into the middle of this gaggle there were birds going left, right and centre. Miraculously apart from a few loose feathers fluttering in the wind there were no casualties on either side. This part of the trip was notable because of the bird life along the route. There were plenty of Wedge Tailed Eagles, Emus, Black Cockatoos, Major Mitchell Cockatoos as well as the more common Crows, Magpies and Galahs. Again the roads out here were fantastic. Apart from in towns (2) I had seen only 2 other vehicles travelling in my direction in 400 Km. Its great driving out here!
After refuelling at Brewarrina the lady from the servo came out and took a couple of photos of me with the car.
Next stop was Bourke. I was really in the outback now. The countryside up to here had been reasonably hospitable. There was decent ground coverage and plenty of scrub. When I turned south to head for Cobar I
was immediately in the red dirt country of the real outback. It looked a bit drier but there was still plenty of ground cover and scrub. By the time I arrived at Broken Hill at 5pm I had covered 860 Km. It was a good day’s run. The car ran faultlessly and I felt quite fit and comfortable. There had been no sign of locusts. I had bypassed them to the west this time. (How lucky can you get?)
During the overnight stop in Broken Hill it became very windy and quite cold. I headed off for Peterborough and then to Orroroo to drop in on some relatives. The road between these places is quite strange. Every time I checked the speedo it seemed to be sitting on 150 or so. I couldn’t work it out ( I think a strong tail wind might have been the divine intervention) so decided not to fight it and left it go for a while. Brilliant drive. It was good to catch up with my relatives but I was disappointed to see that the local council still hasn’t erected an obelisk in the main street to celebrate the fact that I was born there many moons ago! After a nice lunch it was off to Jamestown to visit more relatives and then back home via Hallett and Burra. Was a bit of a disappointment to be back amongst the traffic again but all good things must come to an end I guess. 5 km from home I got my first rain of the trip and it lasted for all of 2 minutes.
As I pulled into the driveway I checked the speedo to find that I had covered 5981 km in the 2½ weeks that I had been away. The car had well and truly proved itself and the only problems had been minor and easily fixed. The fuel consumption, considering that ¾ of the distance was covered at well over 100 kmh, was good at 8.24l / 100km (34 mpg). Fuel costs varied from 79.7c to 116.9c per litre. The roads, apart from those in southwest NSW were generally very good. The only time during the whole trip that a policeman showed any interest was when one who was passing in the opposite direction gave me a wave.
So, what next? Hmm!! (thinks !!!) I have some long service leave due next year. Maybe a lap around the block? (Oz, that is). Sounds like the start of a plan to me!!
Kym Ninnes
28 April 2004