Well-known motoring, caravan/camper and outback travel writer Michael Browning and his wife Wendy are back on the road again.
After doing the Gibb River Road, the Oodnadatta and Tanami Tracks and crossing the Nullarbor on the Eyre Highway over the past 18 months in the comfort of fully-equipped caravans, they are now heading to Far North Queensland and the tip of Cape York.
But rather than following the relatively easy Development Road that snakes along the high ground to avoid the many difficult river crossings, they are maintaining their comfort zone by taking a new Topaz Series II pop-top to the very tip of the Continent by the most direct and scenic route – the daunting, roller-coaster Telegraph Track.
Michael Browning driving the G60 during the recent Simpson Anniversary crossing.
Leaving Melbourne in mid-September, they’ll be fast-tracking north via the Kidman Way to Townsville, heading up the coast via Port Douglas and the Daintree to Cooktown and then working their way through Lakefield National Park to the Cape proper for the final lunge at the top.
Towing the Topaz ion the 10,000km return trip will be a latest model top-of-the-range Nissan Navara STX-500, with which its 550Nm 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine and seven-speed automatic transmission will be an excellent match for the 1650kg (tare weight) Topaz SII.
ARB, Hella Lights, Trimcast Spacecases, Hema Maps, Redarc (12v battery charger) and General Grabber AT2 tyres are helping to make the trip even better with their top quality equipment.
Michael and Wendy plan to keep us fully informed on how the new Series II Topaz performs in an environment that few pop-top caravans dare to travel.
Keeping watching for their progress reports.
