For Phase One and the Australian odyssey, we are treating the Australian continent as one giant shakedown track on the newly restored Land Rover, whilst we still have roadside recovery and full car insurance.

Departing Brisbane, we will head inland and cross into New South Wales via Moree, before taking a slight detour to explore the opal fields of Lightning Ridge. From there, we will navigate down through NSW into Victoria, targeting the historic goldfields of Bendigo and Ballarat, whilst intentionally steering completely clear of Melbourne in mid-winter. (I never really understood why people like Melbourne. Each to their own though!).

Next, we turn northwest into South Australia, passing through Port Augusta before hanging a sharp left to cross the vast, isolated expanse of the Nullarbor Plain and in search of some warmer weather. Once across, we will reward ourselves by navigating through Western Australia's beautiful beaches and premium wine areas, which marks the perfect milestone to drop the oil and give the Landy its very first comprehensive field service, with the aim of not causing an Environmental 'spillage'.

From the vineyards, we will crawl all the way up the spectacular coast of Western Australia, ultimately tracking northeast across the Kimberley into the Northern Territory. The targeted aim is to hit Darwin right in the middle of the tropical dry season (August). This timing gives us the vital buffer window needed to finalize our international shipping logistics and sort through the critical Carnet de Passages paperwork required to secure a container spot and send the Landy across the water to Dili, Timor-Leste. Plus, another oil change to celebrate the end of Phase 1 of our Journey and nearly 9000KM travelled.

Will the Landy make it? Absolutely.
Will she break down in some slightly awkward locations? Absolutely.

But this old girl, (Army Registration Number 111-387), was forged in the 1960s and built exactly for this kind of nonsense. Afterall, she has already survived the Vietnam war followed by working on a farm and 15+ years sitting under a tree.