Trip Leader: Peter P
We arrived at Goolwa car park just after 9am to find many four wheel drives already there and deflating their tyres. By 9.30 we had 20 vehicles registered for the drive.
The mix of vehicles included:
Prado: 6
Jeep: 1
Navara: 2
Land Cruiser: 4
Colorado: 1
Hilux: 2
Trailblazer LTZ: 1
Grand Vitara: 1
Patrol: 1
Not Advised: 1
Just after 10am the first group of 10 vehicles, lead by Peter, headed off for the Murray Mouth closely followed by the second 10 vehicles, lead by Mark A. As the area had had some rain the day before the sand was quite firm until we neared the mouth. For the last kilometre, the sand was quite soft and required more use of the right foot.
Speaking to some of the first timers at the morning tea stop they reported a change of cabin noise coming from the navigators as the vehicles did their own thing in the softer sand.
There were many children and dogs with us on this trip. Children and dogs did not stand still long enough to be counted. I must report that we all got to the Murray Mouth without any one getting bogged, but there was some interesting coaching over the radio.
After morning tea Peter decided, with the tide coming in, we would drive back along the beach, inflate our tyres and drive to the other side of the mouth on Hindmarsh Island.
We all arrived back in the carpark without any problems. Out with the compressors to reinflate our tyres and then onto the black stuff and off to Hindmarsh Island for lunch stop. With 20 vehicles in convoy, it was quite a sight from the rear of the convoy.
At the mouth our next problem was to find parking for 20 vehicles. Lunch was enjoyed by all with people sharing their experiences of their first sand driving. The children and dogs enjoyed a play in the water.
After lunch everyone went their own ways except for three vehicles that went back on the sand to try their hand at cockling. Good thing I said ‘tried’ because after trying a number of different spots, we had about 30-40 keepers, but found a lot of very small cockles.
It was then back to the carpark in inflate the tyres again and all headed for home.
I know Peter said, at the meeting, that the weather would be crap on Sunday. Thankfully he was wrong; it turned out be a very nice day.
Thanks for the first timers for coming and thanks to the members who helped out on the day.
Les and Eileen
Thanks to all those who posted photos on-line and from whom I pinched photos! Ed.
