THE PUCE GOOSE GOES TO
THE RED CENTRE
With the decision to spend more time sorting the Railton, that left one option and that was to get the Puce Goose out of retirement and head north to Alice Springs in June this year.
https://classicoutbacktrial.com.au/
The photos give a bit of an idea as to the
type of roads we competed on but the worst parts we did not photograph as we
were busy trying to get through.
In preparation, We fitted a sump guard, bolted on
the Halda ( distance measuring device ) and off we went to Alice.
We were the only team out of 54
cars without a service crew (until
Morgan members Mike & Maree Cary turned up, albeit on the last day of
competition) and one of only two cars driven to the rally on its own wheels –
and home again.
The Trial was due to start with a
Prologue on Saturday 18
th June.
On Friday the heavens opened and the most ferocious storm descended on
Alice. The
Todd River
was in full flood and huge hailstones could be seen lying on the ground 24
hours later. Locals said they hadn’t seen the like in over 30 years. The
Prologue was cancelled due to the washout and Sunday’s start was also cancelled
due to the flooding.
We competed in Regularity ( time
speed distance ) and our only competitor was a local duo of ladies in a rally
prepared Mitsubishi Magna. The driver
has been dirt rallying for many years.
They were new to regularity but their car was well prepared and able to
cover the course at required speeds whereas the Morgan was only capable of
walking speed at times over the rocky, sandy and boggy tracks.
They clearly won the class but at
least we were classified as finishers.
Many of the tracks were rocky
with deep culverts and creek crossings.
Other parts were smooth gravel but with boggy mud sections or loose
sand. The Morgan with only four inches
of ground clearance and little in the way of suspension did not cope very well.
Nevertheless we went where officials thought we wouldn’t get through.
Day one we bent a steering arm on
driver’s side stub axle and had an electrical issue.
For the steering issue which had
given us 30mm of toe out at the front wheels, we located a workshop and had the
tie rod shortened and a wheel alignment done.
The electrical issue was resolved when one of the local auto
electricians stayed back after 5.00pm and waited for us to arrive 45 mins
later, one flasher can and some fuses, they fixed the problem and only asked
for $20.00.
It was on this first stage that
we realised how bad the red dust was and from then on we wore ski goggles to
keep the dust from our eyes.. This was amusing enough but to see our dirty
dusty faces with the red dust stuck to our sun screened faces caused much
merriment.
Day two we broke a lower kingpin
diagonal strut and the indicator switch which would not stay in the central
“off” position. Fixed the indicator with
some bungy cord. After having a welding
attempt in the service park using a non performing MIG welder and generator, we
rang the previous day’s mechanic who I knew also worked from home. We headed out to his home in the dark and he
welded and strengthened the broken strut, also strengthened the other side
strut for good measure.
He wouldn’t take any money
Day three after a competitive
stage, the cross member behind the battery floorboard broke loose and carried
away the rear brake line. At least we
had twin circuit brakes so was able to get back to town on front discs
only. Back to the house of our new best
mate the mechanic where he repaired the brake line, welded the cross member and
we bled the brakes. Again did not want
anything for his efforts – however we persisted and gave him a sum of money for
his trouble.
Friday morning was the final day
of competition but we decided not to take part in completion that day, instead
booking out of the first control of the day and handing our time card in at the
finish. The organisers had advised us we would be classified as finishers if we
did that. Many cars failed to book in
and out each day under their own power due to damage including three rollovers,
several hitting fences and others having engines blow up or sustaining
driveline or suspension damage which was not able to be patched up in time. One
of the officials even hit a cow!
At the presentation dinner we
were brought up onto the stage for a couple of termite jokes to say a few words
about driving a Morgan over totally unsuitable roads and tracks.
Each day the afternoon routine
was to get to Control on time, and then go straight to the carwash to wash off
the red dust which got into every nook & cranny. The front foot wells
looked as if we had poured in a load of red topsoil ready for gardening. There
was even large amounts of grass. Despite the horrendous roads we had a great
time and the camaraderie amongst the teams was great fun. It was also a great
experience to drive on private roads on very large stations. The hospitality
and friendliness of the local people was simply amazing.
Wherever we went the Morgan
attracted a lot of attention. Coming through the Control on the second last day
there in the carpark were Mog members Mike & Maree Cary who were travelling
around northern Australia.
Great to see some faces from home. Pity they didn’t arrive earlier as they
would have made excellent service crew! Crossing the border into South Australia we met
several people who knew SA Mog owner John Moss. Then in Alice someone knew David Jenkins, and a rally
person knew the Longleys. It seems many people know someone who owns a Morgan
no matter how far & wide you travel.
Crossing into SA we were pulled
into a quarantine check. Any fruit & vegetables on board, we were asked?
Absolutely not, sir. Then the unbelievable question……any fridges or eskys on
board? At this stage we couldn’t contain our giggles as it was obvious we were
up to the gills with the luggage and no room for such items. The quarantine
officer was not amused at our laughter!
The highlight and finale in Alice was the Beanie
festival. Can you believe there were 6,200 beanies on display and for sale? All
colours, descriptions, fabrics, to suit every Morgan owner.
After this great adventure we
begin the drive home via Uluru and the Field of Lights, then Coober Pedy
(and put the Goose back into retirement).
