Touring Tassie in a lowered split bus

[067DUB]

Who said it can't be done? Most likely the ones who have never tried..

We have just wrapped up a week and a half buzzing around the Apple isle in style, and the old bus was fantastic. I lived on the NW coast most of my life and I wanted to show my better half what all the fuss is about.
On the first night I met 3 split bus owners , one sitting next to us in a Chinese restaurant and the other two were randoms in the street, it's funny how this happeneds and I even got a contact for an oval bug coming up for sale... Bonus! .

So from one end to the other , we spent two days bouncing along the dirt roads of Bruny island, what a spectacular place, some good photos there. After cleaning out the airfilters we headed to Cradle mt for another two days of walking and relaxing.. Cradle is my fave place in Tas.

I did discover that even boosted 4wd brakes get smoking hot with a loaded bus down mountain passes!

While sitting having a break (beer) , a German couple pulled over and started chatting about their Splitty they owned for 40 years, yes they drove it for 40 years and now own their second car, a Syncro.. nice.

Road trips really are about the cool people you meet as well as places you see. These really are bloody fun cars to own and drive. I'll post some pics when I get near a real computer.

[warb]

nice one mate! , looking forward to the pics, will do that trip in the bus one day for sure ..

[067DUB]

Simple camping..

[067DUB]

I must have upset the local grunter.... seems he wasn't a VW fan..



Having fun on the gravel roads of Bruny, and yes, it was filmed with a potato
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WTt_3_aHDw

[LM]

Plod don't like anything remotely modified
What did he pull ya for?

[067DUB]

Long story, short version is, he wanted to get past and reckons i wouldn't let him. This photo was the first straight bit of road where it was safe to stop, Tassie country roads don't have hard shoulders.. anyhoo , It's going to court. I still had a wicked time in the home land, shame the place has gone to the dogs as unemployment is shocking.. another story.

[68BUS]

If he could not overtake without speeding then there was no need to overtake.
Besides which, unless they have there lights on I was unaware of any laws that state you have to let peopl ebehind pass unless there is a designated slow vehicle lane.

Especially in Tassie which is a small area that relies on tourism as a major part of its economy. Get used to people driving slower to have a look or move to the mainland!

[KombiMadness]

While sitting having a break (beer) , a German couple pulled over and started chatting about their Splitty they owned for 40 years, yes they drove it for 40 years and now own their second car, a Syncro.. nice.

Road trips really are about the cool people you meet as well as places you see. These really are bloody fun cars to own and drive. I'll post some pics when I get near a real computer.

I love it when you meet cool people just randomly travelling about like that. 40 years of Split ownership and now a Synchro...... very cool.

Nice photos and take the Highway copper on!

[martinigreenbus]

Long story, short version is, he wanted to get past and reckons i wouldn't let him. This photo was the first straight bit of road where it was safe to stop, Tassie country roads don't have hard shoulders.. anyhoo , It's going to court. I still had a wicked time in the home land, shame the place has gone to the dogs as unemployment is shocking.. another story.

Make sure you take a blown up version of that photo to court.

He has stopped you on a straight stretch of road, parked almost entirely in the trafficable lane and at the exact spot where the unbroken line prevents anyone from passing both him, and therefore you.

If the plod at the back of the cop car is using the boot to write your ticket out, and at the same time is coming to your vehicle to converse with you, there is nobody stationed at the rear of the police vehicle to control traffic; ie- either prevent other motorists from crossing an unbroken line, or to safely direct those other motorists around the stationary vehicles under a lawful police direction.

The only way you can lose is if you were doing 120mph and trucking down the white line

[067DUB]

I just got a letter withdrawing the Infringement notice, helps having a Lawyer and a senior Detective in the family.
Stupid cop , i told him at the time he would be working hard to get this through, frikkin Tourist hunter.
There is a saying in the Force.. "Only Dogs chase cars" .

[martinigreenbus]

[silverbullet]

Tassie roads are built for lowered vw's just make sure you watch out for the wildlife dead or alive. Did you come up the east coast at all?

[067DUB]

Tassie roads are built for lowered vw's just make sure you watch out for the wildlife dead or alive. Did you come up the east coast at all?

Nah mate , not this time, just the NW and down to Hobart. You're right about the East coast , the roads are wicked. It was fun to fly through the back roads to Cradle MT , big motors are handy on the mountain passes! I cooked my brakes a bit , who said bay discs don't go off ....

[KombiKarmaDel]

Awesome Piks Cradle MT is is a pretty spectacular part of Tas..

[067DUB]

Cheers Del , yeh Cradle is my fave place in the country. When i was young my family would have our winter holidays there with other family friends. I clearly remember hand feeding Devils at the Waldheim huts which are deep in the national park. In those days dad had a 74 Microbus .Anyhoo , it was nice to take Gemma and show her one of the most beautiful parts of Australia where time has truely stood still..