Hello!

[Rach*]

Hi everyone, Rach here from Overland to Oz.

In July myself and a group of equally nutty adventurers are driving from the UK to Australia.
My team mate and I are taking a 1976 Baja Beetle, it's almost running just a bit more tweaking and I'm sure it'll be fine :driving:

We're raising money for No More Landmines, an excellent charity who are doing some incredible work around the world. They are organising the clearing of mine fields to enable communities to sustain themselves, educate people (especially children) about the dangers of mines and they also run Survivor Assistance programmes.
I had no idea that just £50 was enough to provide a prosthetic limb for a mine victim enabling them to lead a fulfilling life.

We're currently busy planning, gathering equipment and fundraising, its just over 4 months until the grand launch and the panic is beginning to set in.

If you can help in anyway or give advice or even just point and laugh, please get in touch.

Thanks Harsh and The Team for putting us up :)

Hopefully we will see some of you around and certainly in July to wave us off :seeya:

www.rachiesbigadventure.com
www.ozrally.co.uk

[jumplead]

Hey Rach, Good to see you over here, best of luck for your trip

[Fiona]

Hello, Fiona here, driving to Oz in a 1966 Baja Beetle named Pedro.

If you haven't seen a Baja before imagine the mutant lovechild of a VW Beetle and a Landrover.

Our route takes us over 21,000 miles across Europe, through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India to Mount Everest on the Nepal/Tibet border. Then we turn south through China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia where we encounter our first water hazzard, a ferry across the busiest pirating waters in the world, the Melaka straits. Continueing on local ferries through the Indonesian islands we will eventually arrive in East Timor where the cars have to be steam cleaned before shipping to Darwin and the final leg of our journey through the Australian Northern Territories to Ayers rock then to Adelaide and around the coast to Brisbane.

As Rachael said we are supporting charity No More Landmines by fundraising for their projects. In Kosovo we have arranged to visit a minefield thats currently being cleared and in Laos we will visit a rehabilitation centre providing prosthetic limbs for landmine victims, many of whom are young children who don't understand these hidden dangers.
I will also be filming these projects which I hope will help No More Landmines promote the good work they're involved with.

I'll be filming the rest of the trip too of course and producing a documentary of this. I don't have a commission yet so if anyone has any broadcast contacts please get in touch :) I've been a Camera Operator for 18 years so we're not talking home movies. I'm working for Sky at the moment who are wonderfully supportive over giving me the time off and are donating hundreds to No More Landmines in my name however I don't seem to have found the right person to speak to about a commission yet.

I met some of you at the wild and rainy Ace cafe meet the other night. Look forward to meeting more of you over the coming months. I'm only in surrey to should be able to make it up to a few more.

www.ozrally.org

[Ben-san]

Hello Rach and Fiona,

Welcome to our little corner of the interweb highway thinga-ma-bob. :)

I'm humbled by your determination to make a difference, for those that would otherwise not benefit from a moment's thought in people's daily lives. Congratulations and all the best on your journey. This will be an amazing story and I for one will be following your progress with interest.

Ben

[Harsh]

Hiya!

we've put some details on our partners page for you as well,
http://www.petrolheadnirvana.com/partners/charitable/o2oz.php

let me know what you think.

see you at the next Ace meet if not before.

looking forward to the updates between now and the time you leave :)

[Rach*]

Thanks guys, its all very exciting I just want to go now!

Can't wait to get the Baja running properly and bring it down to show off to you all (hopefully without breaking down) :driving:

[Harsh]

so do I :)

yearning for some better weather so i can get the cars out to play.

you got any more pics of the baja yet?

[Rach*]

I should have taken one today when I saw it was full of water, but I wasn't too happy lol. Hopefully I'll be having a road trip up to Northumberland at the weekend to collect some parts.

I bought some filler in Halfrauds today, he could do with a bit of pimping and preening, then I'll take some new ones (preferably with the folks' motorhome out of the way)

The MR2 needs an new engine, driving the 106 is so boring!

[Seedy]

Hello, Fiona here, driving to Oz in a 1966 Baja Beetle named Pedro.

If you haven't seen a Baja before imagine the mutant lovechild of a VW Beetle and a Landrover.

Our route takes us over 21,000 miles across Europe, through Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and India to Mount Everest on the Nepal/Tibet border. Then we turn south through China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia where we encounter our first water hazzard, a ferry across the busiest pirating waters in the world, the Melaka straits. Continueing on local ferries through the Indonesian islands we will eventually arrive in East Timor where the cars have to be steam cleaned before shipping to Darwin and the final leg of our journey through the Australian Northern Territories to Ayers rock then to Adelaide and around the coast to Brisbane.

As Rachael said we are supporting charity No More Landmines by fundraising for their projects. In Kosovo we have arranged to visit a minefield thats currently being cleared and in Laos we will visit a rehabilitation centre providing prosthetic limbs for landmine victims, many of whom are young children who don't understand these hidden dangers.
I will also be filming these projects which I hope will help No More Landmines promote the good work they're involved with.

I'll be filming the rest of the trip too of course and producing a documentary of this. I don't have a commission yet so if anyone has any broadcast contacts please get in touch :) I've been a Camera Operator for 18 years so we're not talking home movies. I'm working for Sky at the moment who are wonderfully supportive over giving me the time off and are donating hundreds to No More Landmines in my name however I don't seem to have found the right person to speak to about a commission yet.

I met some of you at the wild and rainy Ace cafe meet the other night. Look forward to meeting more of you over the coming months. I'm only in surrey to should be able to make it up to a few more.

www.ozrally.org

Hi Fiona

This sounds amazing, but one question about your route that concerns me? How are you going to cross from Pakistan into India? I ask because we're part of a group trying to re-run the London-to-Sydney Marathon rally of 1968 and we have been unable to arrange a crossing of the border? We're working with www.pekingparis.com so the other parts of your route are passable.

Also are you aware that Australian authorities will not allow foreign (imported) cars straight onto the mainland, they need to go into quarantine for cleaning and gassing etc and we've yet to hear of a successful clean that meets their standards other than at their main importation facility at Perth.

I'd love to have some more details?

Regards
Clive:lurk5:

[Rach*]

Hi seedy, I've never heard of people have trouble crossing from Pakistan into India , have a look through www.horizonsunlimited.com there are people crossing the border reguarly. I'd post you some blogs but I'm at work and they are saved on my favorites in my laptop. www.overland-underwater.com rings a bell.... or something along those lines.
Also the Lonely Planet Pakistan book gives details about the border crossing and the nightly ceremonial of the border closing. (which is a big tourist attraction)

I have been speaking to a shipping agent in Dili who arrange the steam cleaning and necessary documentation for import to Oz. They only charge about $200 per car for this.

Again there are many blogs about of people successfully importing cars to Oz.

Good luck!

[Seedy]

Hi seedy, I've never heard of people have trouble crossing from Pakistan into India , have a look through www.horizonsunlimited.com there are people crossing the border reguarly. I'd post you some blogs but I'm at work and they are saved on my favorites in my laptop. www.overland-underwater.com rings a bell.... or something along those lines.
Also the Lonely Planet Pakistan book gives details about the border crossing and the nightly ceremonial of the border closing. (which is a big tourist attraction)

I have been speaking to a shipping agent in Dili who arrange the steam cleaning and necessary documentation for import to Oz. They only charge about $200 per car for this.

Again there are many blogs about of people successfully importing cars to Oz.

Good luck!

Hi Rach

Thanks for the links I'll take a look!

Regards and Good Luck!
CD

[Rach*]

i just saw this guy in The Metro, I haven't had a chance to ead his blog but it might be useful

http://www.freshwaterfilter.blogspot.com/

:)

[Fiona]

Well this is Pedro:

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff144/flossie007/PICT0664.jpg

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff144/flossie007/engine2.jpg

http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff144/flossie007/SFbaja1.jpg