Homeward Bound

 After leaving the Tullebudgera Creek Tourist Park, we continued north along the M1 before turning onto the Logan Motorway that would take us further west towards Toowoomba.

Mr Google took us onto the Toowoomba Connection Road rather than the more accessible and newer A2 or Warrego Highway section. This connection road would be the steepest road we have ever towed our van up and over, but thankfully, the Chevy took it all in its stride.

We could have driven straight home from the Gold Coast in just a day, but we wanted to experience the changes the new Elka shock absorbers had made on some of the worst back roads we had previously driven over six months ago.

Our first night was spent camping beside the Dumaresq River in Texas, near the Queensland and New South Wales border. 

We spent just one night here before again taking more back roads through Yetman, Warialda and Bingara, where we camped for three days beside the Gwydir River.

Even though we only made minor changes to the shock absorbers' high and low compression rates, we were totally blown away by the difference between the new and the old.

We packed up in pouring rain as we headed east, passing through Delungra, Inverell and Glen Innes. The rain continued as we descended through Gibraltar Range National Park, where we experienced heavy fog with limited visibility.

We planned to camp at Cangai Bridge, one of our favourite campsites beside the Mann River, but with the rain and the dirt road access to the campsite, we continued on home.

We departed on June 3rd and returned on November 20th, having travelled 15,236 km with an average fuel consumption of 20.93 L/100 km.

Bushtracker Visit and American Car Company

 It was simply a short journey from Gootchie Creek to the RV stop at Cooroy. The only facilities available are water and a dump point; all water must be retained, and sites cost twelve dollars per night.

Our van was booked for a service that included examining the bearings and brakes and applying grease to the hitch. We always camp outside the factory gates on Enterprise Street the night before, making sure our van is the first cab of the rank.

After our service, we returned to Cooroy for a few days before heading to the Gold Coast. We were there to have new adjustable shocks fitted to our Chev Silverado. The current shock absorbers were not fit for purpose, especially when driving over the poor, undulating Queensland-sealed roads. 

We installed Canadian-made Elka shock absorbers. They are 2.5-inch reservoir shocks that can be independently adjusted for high and low compression.

After returning to the Tallebudgera Creek caravan park along the M1 Gold Coast Highway, we could immediately feel the difference.

The real test took place over the next few days as we travelled along some of the inland roads we had previously driven several months ago. These shock absorbers were very expensive, but they were a world apart from the old ones, with the proposing effect nearly gone, and this was only with minor adjustments to the compression ratios. More changes will be made over time. The rear shock absorbers, fitted with protective boot covers, shield the shafts from potential damage by rocks.

.

The black knob controls high-compression changes, and the red knob controls low-compression.