RETURN HOME.

Both vehicles returned to the bitumen and the 4WD was hitched to The Bus.  Kim Epton was behind the wheel for the first section of the long haul to Perth.  On checking the rear vision for the first 100 metres he noticed that the 4WD seemed to be tracking strangely.  A check revealed that the wheels of the 4WD had turned full lock when the vehicle moved from the gravel to the bitumen and had then dragged/scruffed/rolled along the black top, leaving a trail of rubber and removing the lugs from the front tyres.
 

In the past, when ‘A Framing’ a vehicle behind The Bus, the steering wheel had been securely lashed through the windows of the vehicle so it could not move at all.  This caused scuffing when corners were turned.  On this trip it was not tied at all.  The optimum arrangement is for the steering wheel to be moderately restrained by an ocky strap or similar.

During the trip home there was already talk of a future trip to the Kalbarri Gorges, perhaps a hike on foot to investigate the rapids between Hardabut and The Loop.

The mobile phone repeater at Geraldton was placed under great pressure as The Bus passed through the service zone.

Headwinds at Greenough (as per usual) slowed The Bus to what seemed like walking pace.

Near Eneabba a rumbling noise was heard coming from the rear axle area on The Bus.
 

“It’s the diff.” - prophet of doom, Adrian Bock.

“I think it’s the diff.”  - another prophet of doom, Cameron Wilkie.

“I hope it’s not the diff.”  -  Kim Epton (owner of  The Bus)

Checks at the Eneabba Roadhouse failed to find anything wrong.  After continuing a few kilometres the smell of burning rubber was noticed.  The Bus was quickly stopped.

To the amazement of many the inside rim, made from 8mm thick steel, had shattered - a victim of the rough bush tracks The Bus had travelled and wheel studs that had worn unevenly.  Investigation at Kenwick Motors after the Expedition showed that all five studs were badly worn.  They were replaced with a different type of stud that more positively located the inner rim.  The studs on the right were also changed as a preventative measure.

Back on the road near Eneabba, the shattered wheel was replaced and the trip continued.  The Team arrived in Perth well after midnight, sixteen and a half hours after leaving Kalbarri.

David Whitney still had another three and a half hour drive to Eaton.  Fortunately for Shane, he had arranged a place to stay in Perth, avoiding the drive back to Gillingarra.

There remained only the clean up on the following Saturday.