Overland Adventure - UK, Central Asia, SE Asia, Oz, South America

[My Overland Adventure]

Hi All,

We have finally left Indonesia after 5 months, (our latest update) we're currently in Dili, Timor Leste preparing the vehicle for shipping to Oz, where we will spend 6-9 months touring,

We plan on meeting up with quite a few clubs in oz to spend more time off road.

We are not too sure whether to keep our thread updated while in Australia, so far there seems to be little interest on our trip through Asia on this forum. So please let us know if you would like to see a bit of Australia on this thread.

Given the cost of things in Australia, it looks like we will be trying to work as we go round to keeps costs to a bare minimum, and allow us to ship to South America next year,

We have managed to get a couple of Sponsors GT Radial (Komodo MT Tyres) and MaxTrax,

however we are still looking for some other bits and pieces especially a front bumper....

Some more photos from Indonesia,

Flores

 

[Streakerfreak]

We are not too sure whether to keep our thread updated while in Australia, so far there seems to be little interest on our trip through Asia on this forum. So please let us know if you would like to see a bit of Australia on this thread.

Please do keep updating this thread. Many people read trip reports, but do not post up. You have my interest that's for sure.

 

[stevec]

Please do keep updating this thread. Many people read trip reports, but do not post up. You have my interest that's for sure.

X2. Your thread has nearly 3,000 views, so people are definitely reading it!

 

[deadly99]

Enjoying the pics and write ups, thanks for sharing

 

[syke]

X2. Your thread has nearly 3,000 views, so people are definitely reading it!

x3!

Please do keep posting. Like others have said, many people read your trip report but few post messages.

 

[My Overland Adventure]

Thanks for the comments, good to know people are reading

Will get some photos from Timor Leste up in a few days

Martin & Nicole

 

[HumphreyBear]

Hey Martin,

Now subscribed. For me responding to someone's posts can be a balancing act - if too many people post random "love your work" comments then great updates and blogs can get drowned out, if no-one does you won't realise the avid audience you have. But with that in mind: great photos and love your work! :0)

Feel free to drop me a line when you are approaching Sydney - there are many Australians on here who would probably like to buy you dinner or a beer (or two dozen) and hear a tale or two (dozen)...

Humphrey

 

[MP@HOME]

Keep posting ,for some of Us is the only way to see other countries.
Thank You and safe travels.

 

[My Overland Adventure]

it's a little unnerving seeing our car being stripped down for Australian Quarantine and Inspection,

 

[Dgurley2000]

That's what anyone shipping their vehicle to Australia has to look forward to? Seems like for some of these custom rigs it would be near impossible for them to put it back together satisfactorily

 

[Beowulf]

Agreed. Australia was on my list to ship my vehicle to, but after seeing this type of destruction, I would never trust that it would be put back together again properly....at least not in a timely manner. I guess it is better to just hire out a kitted vehicle over there.

 

[bobDog]

I have never heard of this happening before???????? I have never been there but my cousin lives there....I'll have to ask him....weird:Wow1:

 

[My Overland Adventure]

Hi All, it's all done to satisfy the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service, that it's clean and free of all quarantine risk material (QRM), including live insects, seeds, soil, mud, clay, animal faeces, animal material, plant material such as straw, twigs, leaves, roots, bark, food refuse and other debris prior to arrival in Australia.

Some people get through without going to such an extent, but we have heard several vehicles have been deported back to the country of origin if they fail the inspection, which we want to avoid.

The car should be back together in a couple of days. We're also worried about it being put back together the the way it was. Most of the work is putting back the trim and upholstery, dash etc which should be straight forward.

We have a lot of plastic on the vehicle which had to be removed and cleaned in addition to removing the radiator to fully clean it on both sides. The underneath of the car needs to be thoroughly cleaned, also the inside of the chassis needs to be clear of any mud i.e if you run water through the holes they need to run clear.

an extract from the AQIS web site:

Importing Motor Vehicles

All vehicles must be thoroughly cleaned, both internally and externally before arrival in Australia. It is the importer's responsibility to ensure each consignment is clean and free of all quarantine risk material (QRM), including live insects, seeds, soil, mud, clay, animal faeces, animal material, plant material such as straw, twigs, leaves, roots, bark, food refuse and other debris prior to arrival in Australia.


AQIS inspects motor vehicles for cleanliness on arrival in Australia. In the case of break-bulk shipments, the inspection must occur within the wharf precinct. For containerised cargo, the inspection must occur at a Quarantine Approved Premises (QAP). Your customs broker/freight forwarder will have a list of AQIS approved premises. Either yourself or your agent must inform AQIS of your chosen QAP. Please note charges may apply for unpacking and storage at the QAP. Please contact the QAP to establish the exact cost of this function.


An AQIS officer will inspect all areas of the vehicle. If the vehicle is found to be contaminated, AQIS will direct it for cleaning at the importer's expense. The vehicle will then be re-inspected by AQIS. If the vehicle is found to be heavily contaminated it may be exported from Australia at the importer's expense.


You will need to contact the AQIS regional office in the port at which the vehicle is arriving to arrange an inspection. They can also provide you with more detailed information as they will be carrying out the inspection.


Please contact the relevant AQIS regional office for the current costs of quarantine services.

Be aware of the following points when importing used motor vehicles:

1. Your vehicle must be thoroughly clean from soil and road grime, plant matter and seeds. Important points to check are:

• wheels, wheel guards, mud guards
• spare tyre and boot
• engine bay—remove water from windshield reservoir and ensure your radiator is clean and free of debris in the cooling fins
• the underside of the vehicle must be clean
• above and around fuel tank
• inside chassis rails
• under seats

A few more pics:

 

[rideglobally]

we just found this thread great posting, we also have been looking at your website and we will continue to follow it.

 

[HumphreyBear]

Hi Martin,
Are you having this done in Indonesia (by the look of the workers..). Yes the rules with AQIS are strict, yes they are a pain in the proverbial and yes they are for a good reason. What is happening to your vehicle is beyond what AQIS expect though, and I suspect you may be being fleeced. Have a look at this web site by a well-known overlander for his preparations: http://xor.org.uk/travel/oz2010/20091118a.htm . His preparations were thorough and intensive, but they didn't involve ripping the guts out they way your vehicle 'preparation' has. Also, if a vehicle fails inspection it can be spot cleaned (the bit that failed) by an authorised cleaner in Australia, it would only be if the owner refused to do this that it would be exported again.

Australian Army vehicles from Afghanistan are subject to the same rules as civilian vehicles and they don't go to anywhere near this extent. In fact this looks like they people doing it for you have watched too many reality TV shows about the American DEA stripping cars they know to have drugs in them.

Humphrey