18 months around Australia with Dan Grec / The Road Chose Me

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Hey Everyone,

As some of you know I spent a couple of years driving a little 2 door Jeep Wrangler 40,000 miles on the Pan-American Highway
(I had a thread on Expo about it... I can't find it right now)

Then I drove a 4 door Wrangler 54,000 miles all the way around Africa over three years
(Expo Thread here: https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...0-000-miles-around-africa-for-2-years.158591/ )

It's been another long time in the making, and now my next major expedition is well underway
I'm exploring all the wild and remote corners of Australia in a Gladiator Rubicon I built out over here.
Shipping a vehicle would be INSANELY expensive thanks to covid, and because I'm a citizen of Australia, I can't temporarily import a foreign-registered vehicle anyway - so I had to buy a vehicle one here.

aussie-route-blank.jpg


(My route will have to be flexible because of the wet season in the North)

The plan is to explore all the wild and remote corners I've heard about all my life but I have never seen.
I'll cross the Simpson Desert, drive the old Tele Track up to Cape York, Drive the world's most remote road (The Canning Stock Route) explore Tasmania's wild west coast and a WHOLE lot more!

I've actually been on the road almost six months now, and I've been documenting my trip over this this thread in the Jeep section:
Jeep Gladiator Build Thread - 18 months around Australia with The Road Chose Me

In the past I've documented my travels in blog format, this time around I'm doing everything in video format on YouTube.

There are 35 videos documenting the build, in this YouTube playlist:

And now there are 24 adventure videos in this playlist:

New videos come out every Thursday (North American time) / Friday (Aussie time)

From now on I'll post the latest adventure video here each week.

-Dan
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Hi Everyone,

I have dreamed of crossing the Simpson Desert for most of my life, and after months of planning and preparation it absolutely did not disappoint!

We spent 7 days crossing more than 1,300 bright red sand dunes, and didn't see a soul the entire time.

Not everything went to plan, though of course the adventure begins when things go wrong!


-Dan
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Hi Everyone,

The final challenge crossing the Simpson Desert is "Big Red" - the largest (or at least most iconic) red sand dune of the seven day crossing.

There are multiple different lines to choose from, and of course I took the hardest (steepest) one.

In manual mode, low range, I approached with good speed and just bumped down a gear every time I felt the jeep slowing.
With the tires at 12psi the Jeep was unstoppable, and I actually backed off long before reaching the top.
I did multiple passes and it was always not a problem.

Part II of our Simpson Desert crossing is live now on YouTube!


-Dan
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
I was over there in 1979 and at the end of three months I was still entering the UTE from the wrong side. How much is a liter of petrol over there in Aussie bucks?
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
I was over there in 1979 and at the end of three months I was still entering the UTE from the wrong side. How much is a liter of petrol over there in Aussie bucks?

I saw $3.10 a liter the other day, which is $8.13 USD/gal.
Thankfully I didn't have to fill up, the long range tank is helping me avoid the most expensive!

-Dan
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Hi Everyone,

I came to Australia to spend time with my family on adventure, and that is exactly what I've been doing!
Katie and I drove clear across to the East Coast, and we've been hanging out with my uncles and aunties in beach paradise.

My Uncle Ron has had a huge influence on my life, and I'm so happy we just spent a couple of weeks together. Ron is an outdoorsy guy who loves fishing, hunting, camping and getting to wild and remote places, so it's safe to say he was always an inspiration for me, and some of my earliest memories of outdoor adventure include Uncle Ron.

He's been fishing right off the beach for shark since he was a teenager, and over the years he has become exceedingly good at it.
In the latest episode of The Road Chose Me I bring you along to show exactly what it's like to fish from the beach down under, and we pull in a toothy beast right off the sand where people were surfing!!

While Overlanding is often called "Vehicle Based Adventure Travel", I like to showcase the adventures we get up to outside the vehicle - after all, those are the very reason we drove to these remote places!

Jump over to YouTube to see all the action:

-Dan
 

Furaites

Member
Awesome adventures, here’s hoping you have many more.

P.S The cheap gas here just got down to 2.27$ a litre Canadian. (6.65$USD per Gallon)
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Hi All,

I always knew Fraser Island / K'Gari National Park would be a top 10 highlight of Australia, and it absolutely did not disappoint!

This is the world's largest sand island, and together with my uncle Ron we spent ten days exploring all over, taking in the sights.
We swam in the crystal clear water, had dingoes in camp, got Ron's Hilux stuck in the sand, raced the tides and a whole lot more!
We also tackled one of Australia's most iconic 4x4 obsticles - N'gala rocks and the steep soft sand climb it requires.

All the adventure is in the latest video:


-Dan
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Hi all,

For our latest adventure we set out to explore a remote island off the coast of Tropical Northern Australia.
This National Park wilderness is packed with stunning beaches, waterfalls, river crossings and we even had a tropical rain storm.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the crocodiles.

I'm no expert, and the only thing I really know about them is that I don't like them. Now we're in the far North of Australia, crocs will be a regular thing we have to deal with.


-Dan
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Hi Everyone,

A couple of weeks ago I asked for questions across social media, and now it's time to answer them all.

Join Katie and I as we run through your questions about the Australia expedition, the Jeep, ourselves, and a whole lot more!


-Dan
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Hi All,

As I move around Australia I'm seeing a TON of well-built Overland vehicles, but none come close to this one.
Ruth and Tony spent two years driving around Africa on the same route as me in their Defender 130.
We camped together in Egypt at what would be the final wild camp in all of Africa for us, and waved farewell.
They've been in Australia all this time earning money and saving pennies, and in two weeks they're shipping their Defender BACK to Africa for another two year adventure.
Yes, they loved it that much.

This vehicle is so iconic, and I just love the adventures that it enables, and Ruth and Tony's passion to get out there and have adventures on a massive scale.
In my latest video I tour this unreal Defender, and talk about the incredible adventures they have.


-Dan
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Hi Everyone,
Northern Australia is turning super tropical, and I have to take in as much as possible while I'm here.
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living organism on earth, and is UNESCO listed.
I had to get out SCUBA diving and have a look at this incredible underwater world for myself.

If you've ever wondered what the underwater world looks like, I show you in my latest YouTube video:

-Dan
 

Dan Grec

Expedition Leader
Hi All,

The CREB Track in Far North Queensland is infamous for extremely slick mud, deep water and remoteness. After road it's considered "extreme" and I've seen videos where it's impossible to walk up the slick inclines to attach a winch rope!

The jungle here still has living remnants of a world 50-130 million years old, and it feel exactly like exploring Jurassic Park.

Teaming up with a bunch of big Land Cruiser Troop Carriers made for a lot of fun, and it was great to compare the Jeep to these monster 4.5L V8 Diesel machines.

Katie also used the winch for the first time and did great!


-Dan
 

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