We all dream of an escape, an escape from reality and from the daily grind of life – our jobs, our commitments, and our responsibilities. An escape with no time limit, to be free to travel this great brown land of ours experiencing a wonderful adventure of the sights and sounds with a focus on doing something we all love – hunting for old cars, and meeting the amazing people that own them. 

And what better way to do this once in a lifetime journey than in an old car – enter Junker GT, a tired old poverty pack big tag Falcon XA GT with four door handles packing a thirsty 351cid big port 4V Cleveland V8 with three pedals, a sticky hot black vinyl cabin, model 4WD100 air-conditioning (the old fashion four windows down at 100 kp/h model) and three burly blokes with a wild adventure on their mind, and a permission slip gripped firmly in hand from the Minister of War, Finance and Recreation (our partners and wives). Welcome to the great Aussie road trip. 

It was once common to see all sorts of chrome bumper Aussie cars like Falcon 500s, Kingswoods and Valiant Regals charging up and down our highways and country roads but these days, almost all of us fly when going interstate as its quicker, easier and cheaper. Whilst seeing old cars travelling about is now a rarity, there are still many families and grey nomads fulfilling their bucket lists, enjoying the experience in campers, caravans, four wheel drives and even pushbikes. We thought we’d try something a little different… 

Hey, here’s an idea… 

Junker GT had sat in the corner of a disused warehouse gathering dust for 12 years, and before that, was found under a carport interstate, unloved and forgotten. The plan was to recommission the old girl, and make her safe and reliable to undertake the journey of the great Aussie road trip ahead. Luke from Rusty Ford Wreckers accepted the challenge and waved his magic wand over her. Junker GT breathed a new life, albeit with the original old school engine and drivetrain components hitched to a tradies trailer full of stuff we thought we might need.

At sparrow’s fart one crisp September morn, the Cleveland symphony orchestra roared to life with a rendition of Wham’s ‘Wake me up before you go-go’. Needless to say, our neighbours didn’t come out to wish us well on our travels or wave us goodbye with their farewells. The plan was simple, just drive to wherever the wind takes us. 

Born on the wind

Our first stop on the outskirts of Melbourne was unplanned, the radio had stopped working but the drivers’ weather-shield was still dancing a little too freely to its own tune. A new fuse and some 100mp/h race tape fixed the problem. We were soon back on the road and finding our groove towards the border town of Mildura, with a quick stop in Charlton to meet Walshie, the guy we’re voting for Mayor, to get a few more leads of where to look for old cars.

Old Junker GT seemed to be running fine, and although we chose the less travelled back roads we were getting plenty of looks and thumbs up from passersby. We figured we’d see more of the old Australia on back roads rather than the dual lane super highways, besides there are more old cars to be found on back roads. After a night’s stay in Mildura, we crossed the border into South Australia at ‘Checkpoint Charlie’ where Junker GT was checked for carrying fruit into the Riverland. 

Social media is a fascinating thing, in the past we’d stop off at a place – grab a postcard from the local souvenir shop, write about our journey, find a post office, buy a stamp and post it. Often the postcard would arrive after our return. But with social media, everything is instant. We initially posted just one photo of Junker GT on the Survivor Car Australia Facebook page mentioning the great Aussie road trip, we didn’t expect the impact this journey would have on thousands of our followers, and their interest in living the dream through every update along the way. Such was the response, we started getting messages from people all over Australia inviting us to visit their town. One such example was from Greg ‘Squizzy’ Taylor, a car guy who invited us down to the town of Loxton. At the time, we were in Waikerie chasing a lead on a rare Survivor when we decided, what the hell – so we doubled back and drove the 75kms to meet Squizzy. ‘How will we find you?’ we asked, he replied, ‘You won’t miss us.’ 

As Junker GT rumbled into Loxton, there to greet us were half a dozen classics parked along the road way. After introductions we asked, ‘Are you guys having a car club event?’ Squizzy replied, ‘When you said you were coming, I decided to rustle up some of the locals to bring their cars out to meet you.’ We never expected that! It was nice to share the kinship. 

A different kind of Falcon 

Adelaide is a bustling city, with lots of major roadworks going on. Junker GT behaved quite well stuck in bumper to bumper traffic thanks to the big four core radiator keeping everything cool. Paul Willcock, formerly of Adelaide Car City, the muscle car and prestige car yard of the ’90s, invited us to his home as a safe haven for Junker GT. An experienced falconer, Paul showcased the flying abilities of his Peregrine Falcon which can be seen perched on the roof racks of our Falcon GT. 

Before snaking our way towards Whyalla via the York Peninsula, we took a quick detour to the National Motor Museum in Birdwood. If you’ve never been, the visit to the museum is well worth it with a vast variety of classic cars on display, each with their own unique story. Expect to spend hours and hours ogling the hundreds of cars they have on display.

We started to notice that the further we were from the bigger towns, the worse the quality of fuel became. Old Junker was starting to ping, and lose some of its mojo but with some octane boost and on-the-spot tuning she kept on going. Fuel economy was unspeakable at worse than 28 litres per 100, or about 10mg per gallon in the old language! Basically, we needed a service station attached to Junker GT. 

In contrast to the weather we were expecting, the steel city of Whyalla was colder than a mother-in-law’s kiss. The wind chill saw us rugged up like Eskimos, but thanks to the generosity of Mick Swenson and Ken Galloway (loyal readers of the mag) we stayed in a warm shack near the lighthouse of Port Bonython. The days were spent hunting cars and meeting local folk, as well as a spot of fishing which saw us catch nothing but colds. 

Port Lincoln is the home of tuna fishing, so a four hour drive there was definitely in order to see the tuna boats. Once again Facebook came into play, with an invitation along the way to visit car guy Steve Trezise in Tumby Bay, the owner of a Candy Apple Red XW GT. Steve introduced us to John and Margaret, owners of a one owner Survivor P5 Ford LTD which you’ll read more about in a future issue. Whilst in Port Lincoln, the man who should be Mayor, Hagen Zerk greeted us with his brand new Mustang, and took us around to see an incredible low mile Falcon XR GT Survivor. The plan was to head north to warmer weather, but once again we detoured a few hours away to Yeelanna to a must-see one family owned Holden HQ Monaro GTS coupe, driving Junker GT on long stretches of unsealed roads to get there. 

Welcome to the Outback

The Outback is the vast, remote interior of Australia covering an area of some six million acres (bigger than some European countries) made up predominantly of our four deserts. The flat horizon is endless, in fact you can see the curve of the earth. At the crack of dawn, the Cleveland V8 roars to life idling to the beat of its own drum, whilst our stereo plays the best of Cold Chisel with songs like ‘Flame Trees’ and ‘Bow River’ as we settle in for the long haul, five to seven hour long driving stints between roadhouses and fuel stops. 

In the bush, every car and truck we cross paths with gives a wave as a friendly gesture amongst motorists – a stark contrast to the city where the ‘bird’ is more common. Avoiding the night’s roadkill of kangaroos and wild pigs, we carefully calculate the distance we could travel for the amount of fuel we had on board. On more than one occasion, the fuel gauge read dead empty as we rolled into the next roadhouse. 

Thanks again to social media and our 50,000-plus followers, Junker GT was now starting to become quite famous. We’d have people jumping out of their cars running over to us saying, ‘We love your road trip, we’re following you on Facebook – can we have a photo with Junker GT?’ 

Along the way, stopping in the middle of nowhere with the engine turned off, we experienced an eerie silence similar to what you’d expect if one was on the moon. Standing on the white line of the national highway the road disappeared in both directions to a needle point in the horizon, without a whisper of wind – not a bird or tree in sight, there wasn’t another car to be seen for as far as the eye could see. An unbroken silence that truly humbled us. 

Crossing the border into the Northern Territory we enjoyed an increased speed limit with old Junker GT cruising at a buck thirty, about 80mph in the old money overtaking the road-trains until we blew a top radiator hose. Stopping at the Erldunda roadhouse for a rest, we met some of the locals and others from different countries who shared their culture and backgrounds with us, whilst we enjoyed playing a few games of billiards and a quiet brew with them. 

The Red Centre

At sunrise we headed for the rock; Uluru as it is known today but once known as Ayers Rock. Amongst hundreds of other tourists, we secured a parking spot for Junker GT and stood in awe of this giant 550 million year old sandstone monolith in the heart of the arid ‘Red Centre’. The Olgas and Kings Canyon were equally a spectacular experience, as were the sunsets. 

Snapping us back to reality was the two bucks per litre for the fuel we needed to get us to our next destination, Alice Springs. Up until this point we were travelling well, although inside the cabin was getting a little warmer thanks to the harsh Aussie sun. Thankfully the old school weather-shields allowed some excellent ventilation without the wind noise. 

Rolling into Alice Springs, we noticed two things. Firstly the engine was a little more tappety than usual and secondly the brake pedal had gone completely hard, barely stopping us with the trailer in tow. No sooner had we stopped to assess the problem, and before lifting the bonnet, a ‘Dickie-Knee’ head popped up from what I thought was under my armpit – ‘What’s wrong with it mate, can you fix it?’ Startled, we looked to see a scruffy blond haired bloke standing next to us. ‘I’ve been following you on Facey (Facebook), what’s wrong with ya car mate?’ he said. ‘I don’t know mate,’ we replied in unison perhaps with a tinge of annoyance, ‘we haven’t even lifted the bonnet yet.’ 

Popping the bonnet we instantly saw the check valve for the brake booster had collapsed and the engine was covered in more Penrite engine oil than was in the sump. ‘I’ll be back in five’, said the Dickie-Knee head as he rushed off returning a few minutes later with a check valve. ‘I’ve had one of these in me shed for 20 years, I was beginning to wonder when I was gonna use it,’ said Dickie-Knee who introduced himself as Ricey, a train driver of The Ghan. 

Fixing the brake problem, we started diagnosing the oil leak which became apparent was coming from a front timing cover seal. ‘I know a bloke who might have one of those,’ said Ricey as he started to make some phone calls. Not long after, Cliff Glover visits us at the local caravan park with a complete gasket set and timing cover seal to fix the leaky old Cleveland V8, he mentioned an ex-Ford ‘works’ race car we might be interested in... Ricey had even arranged the use of a hoist for us at the local Kia dealership the next morning where the Dealer Principal and drag racer, Andrew Sutton gave Junker GT a special tune. 

With sightseeing of Anzac Hill and the National Transport Museum out of the way it was time to hunt for old cars. We’d heard rumours of BloBak – a Holden WB ute (Street Machine magazine Car of the Year 1988) sitting parked and forgotten, we made it our mission to find it thanks to the help of David ‘Boxhead’ Rawnsley another loyal Survivor Car reader, and find it we did. It’s hard to believe that this car was once the most highly awarded Street Machine in the country! 

With a diet so far of barbeques for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Alice Springs offered an alternative variety of cuisine. On this day, after a craving for McDonalds we gave the drive-thru attendant a big ‘McThank You’ and headed to Cliff Glover’s place to see the ex-Ford racer he had spoken of. Lo and behold, this ex-racer was KAG-003 the original XT GT London-Sydney Marathon car that had been stored away for decades. Cliff was most kind in allowing us to photograph the ex-Marathon XT GT, and even put on a little show rallying the car at full noise through the mud on his property. 

By now we were starting to notice that just about everyone we met was known by their nickname; Walshie, Spook, Bucky, Ricey, Boxhead to name a few. Boxhead was kind enough to take us on an off-road tour in his 4WD searching for outback wrecks. Finally, before leaving Alice Springs one of the locals in a souped up Chrysler GLX gave Junker GT a run for her money (within the speed limit of course – Ed). Ricey then invited us to meet him in Coober Pedy, to show us his mate, Swampy’s cars. 

Rusty Gold 

Coober Pedy is the opal capital of the world, but we found more treasures in rusty gold – old cars. It turned out Ricey’s mate Swampy lived in a ‘dug-out’ which are houses built underground to escape the scorching daytime heat. Swampy gave us a tour of his home complete with a garage, which extends so far underground that it crosses beneath the road! Outback wrecks were a plenty in Coober Pedy. 

It’s amazing how much the Australian landscape can change within a few hours, and it wasn’t long before we were travelling along lush green fields headed towards Broken Hill. Along the way though we stopped at Mundi-Mundi Lookout which is where the Outback begins, and where the opening scene of Mad Max 2 was filmed. What is a visit to the small township of Silverton with its population of just 89 people, without going to the Mad Max Museum? Adrian Bennett operator of the museum started it back in 2010 – and if you’re into Mad Max then this is a must see.

WTF!?

We were driving up the highway in the 100kp/h zone between Silverton and Broken Hill when coming the opposite way was a bloke wearing a hi-vis jumper riding his electric scooter who lifted his jug of beer in salute, and smiled as we passed. Pulling the handbrake at 100 clicks with the trailer swinging in tow like a pendulum, we had to go back and meet this bloke. Shaking his hand, he introduced himself as Steve who told us that his missus was giving him grief, and so he set off on his own little road trip into town with a jug of stress relief in his hand and his faithful dog by his side. What made this all the funnier was that it was only 9:30am! 

It’s often the people you meet along the way that are the most memorable, the larrikins with funny jokes, and a great attitude. Bless you Steve, you’re a true Aussie larrikin – keep on rolling! 

Heading Home 

Just like in the movie Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks, it was time to go home so we headed south towards the Victorian border. By this stage we had done more than 7,000 kilometres, and passed many Police cars along the way that either nodded or waved to us, except in NSW. We knew right away from the look of the driver’s face we were about to be pulled over. The Falcon XR6 Police car swung into action like a scene from Mad Max, sirens and lights blazing. Thankfully after a routine check, Junker GT was given the thumbs up with a warning to fix the inherent brake lights which worked on a part-time basis when they felt like it. 

Covered in bugs, mud, outback dust and dirt, Junker GT was showing a few more battle scars adding to her patina. A few more stone-chips and scuffs than she had left with, which are trophies from the great Aussie road trip. Pulling up in front of Junker GT’s ancestral home – the Ford Motor Company of Australia in Broadmeadows, we all looked at each with pride and satisfaction that we had successfully completed the adventure of the great Aussie road trip. Along the way, we made many treasured lifelong friends and discovered lots of rare finds (go to the gallery of pics on page 99) that not even the locals knew about. We hope you’ve enjoyed our journey and that it has inspired you to do your own road trip. We’re already planning our next road trip, so be sure to join us once again soon. 

Special thanks

Rakis, Andy Reid, Rusty Ford Wreckers, Kosta Bouras, Walshie, Rod Heritage, Tim Rodgers, Greg and Loxton boys, Paul Willcock, Mike Richter, Ken Galloway, Mick Swenson, Kev, Spook, Bucky, Steve Trezise, John & Margaret, Hagen Zerk, Stewart Woods, Tony Robins, David ‘Boxhead’ Rawnsley, Ricey, Andrew Sutton, Cliff & Andrea Glover, Tony White, Swampy, Russell & Helen, and our lovely wives and partners for letting us go.