Skip to playerSkip to main content
NovaStream
  • 5 hours ago
Transcript
00:00This time on Outback Truckers.
00:03I just want to get out and I can't go with that.
00:09Even if it was dry now, we couldn't go anywhere.
00:14And now I'll just go up like a Bob's uncle.
00:19It's pissing out freaking a little.
00:23Well, here we go, Brodie boy.
00:26Oh, there's some holes down there.
00:30The wind's blowing hard.
00:32The thing with lightning is make one mistake with it and it'll kill you.
00:36Brodie!
00:40Because we're oversized, we've got to have two pilots.
00:45Are you warning trucks or am I warning trucks?
00:48Are you supposed to be behind you, you dumbass?
00:51Please don't talk on the CV to me.
00:55Oh, Mr. Rilford.
00:57Right-o, Wallace.
01:00I've got to get out of here, eh?
01:06I've got to go.
01:12I just want to get out and I can't go quicker.
01:15I've got a job I've got to do tomorrow, so I've got to get this done today.
01:22Oh!
01:22It is just sliding, eh?
01:26We don't want to slide off the edge.
01:30If the truck starts off, we're gone, eh?
01:33I can't stop it.
01:34No, I'm not going anywhere, eh?
01:42This is...
01:42On a treacherous, muddy mountain track, log trucking specialist Mel Michelson has a vital 28-tonne load to deliver.
01:53Yeah, we've got an urgent order just came in down in New South Wales.
01:58They need some boards.
02:03So that's black salt and you just slide on it.
02:06The truck's doing this.
02:09Can't stop it, eh?
02:10My job's on the line and this is my name and I need as much work as I can get.
02:19If she can get out of the logging site at Knapp Creek, Mel must wind her way through the Queensland highlands to a mill 323km away in Kogan,
02:32where the logs will be cut into floorboards for a brewery.
02:36This load is the second of two 28-tonne loads, which she was hoping to deliver today.
02:45I might as well turn the truck off and stuff down anyway.
02:49This is really bad.
03:02I'm wondering why I can't get traction.
03:07I don't want to take that off now.
03:12I don't want to change it in the mud.
03:13I'm going to have to come back, get it off, run into town in a ute, fix it.
03:18I'll put it back on.
03:20For f***ing sake!
03:23Even if it was dry now, we couldn't go anywhere because of the tyre.
03:27Those are better getting shit out of the truck then.
03:30It could be stuck here for a day or two, but it depends on how long it takes to dry out.
03:34Mel's only option is to wait out the bad weather, returning to her newly purchased dream home, which she's trying to pay off by hauling timber.
03:46I've fallen in love with this beautiful old, grand Queenslander.
03:51She's a hundred-dead years old.
03:54It's going to cost a lot of money to renovate.
03:57I pulled off the boards and discovered this beautiful pine, so I'm going to bring all this
04:03back to life and sand it and polish it all and stain it.
04:08It's every load of logs I do now, like I still want this place.
04:12Looks like I've got to keep trucking on to get these red eyes done.
04:16So I just need to do as much work as I can when it's not raining.
04:29Thanks for picking me up.
04:30Not a problem.
04:32Too far to walk pushing the toll out.
04:37I hope I can get this truck out.
04:39Mel's truck is blocking the access road to the logging site run by her friend, Gary Orton.
04:45He's come to help her get moving again, before more bad weather sets in.
04:51I just want to get this truck out.
04:52Like, days waiting on this load, it's pretty urgent.
04:56He can't cuddle up if he hasn't got it.
05:00Got that jack.
05:02There's a week's rain coming.
05:04I'm a bit worried.
05:05I've got to get it out.
05:08Not much rain.
05:10Where to get my fat guts under there?
05:11It's not a friendly jack.
05:17I want to use the air of the truck to use the air jack.
05:24Wrong air.
05:25You've got the wrong fittings.
05:27That means I can't use the air jack at all, so I've got to have to manually do it.
05:31I've got the wrong hose for my air jack, so I'll just have to change it the old school way.
05:38Bloody trucks.
05:39These things happen.
05:41We didn't have air jacks in the old days, so as long as we get it done before this weather
05:45comes in.
05:46That's our main concern.
05:55Oh, God.
05:56Come on.
05:59Got a fair way to go, Mel.
06:00Oh.
06:01That's a positive sign.
06:10It must be getting off the ground now.
06:13Give it a go.
06:15Nothing to lose.
06:16It's just a bottle of air.
06:24Go.
06:25For f***s sake.
06:30Oh, shit.
06:33The inside tyre is rooted.
06:35So, delaying this job for after Christmas, did that cost you all the client money?
06:53Our customer had some people who were going to be in the yard in Alice Springs.
06:57Oh, you bugger, look at that.
07:00Another friggin' rock through my windscreen.
07:05The delay over Christmas means I've got a rock through my windscreen, which I didn't get
07:10last bloody time I went through here.
07:12Yep.
07:12And because we didn't get the freight through, I haven't been paid for the job.
07:18Over a month after having to abandon a trucking job because of road closures in the Central
07:24Desert, Steve Graham and his grandson Brodie have returned to Laverton to collect the load
07:31they left with Steve's mate, Rex Riles.
07:35Hi, mate.
07:36How are you, Rex?
07:37Have a good Christmas.
07:38Yeah, mate.
07:38Very good to see you, mate.
07:39You?
07:39I hope you had a good one.
07:42Last year, we had to park the gear up.
07:45Now we've come back to get it.
07:46This is round two.
07:48Now we've got 1,600 kilometres to go to get it to Alice Springs.
07:53From Laverton, Steve and Brodie will take on the infamous Great Central Road, over 1,000
08:00kilometres of brutal dirt, which has only just been reopened after being savaged by summer
08:05storms, before hitting the bitumen to finish their delivery in Alice Springs.
08:11You all good, Brodie boy?
08:12Yep.
08:13Let's go.
08:18What we've got is structural steel on this trailer, and the other two trailers are the frames and
08:24the trusses and all the bits that make up the framework of the house.
08:30Well, here we go, Brodie boy.
08:34Now the truth will come out.
08:36The road hasn't been too rough, but it's keeping me on my toes.
08:49The bog holes where people got bogged just before Christmas, I can see quite clearly where they
08:58were bogged.
08:59So I've got to treat every one of those spots with real care.
09:03We're going to pull up here, just have a little break, Brodie.
09:10Yeah?
09:11Just have a quick walk around and check it, and I mean check everything.
09:16Brodie gets paid for the trip when he comes with me, and it's all part of learning about
09:20life.
09:21How did you go with the check, mate?
09:23Oh, they all look good.
09:25I'm good to go for a walk.
09:26Keep me in sight.
09:27Yeah.
09:28Just looking around for reptilians and whatnot.
09:33Brodie is a dead keen naturalist, and he just loves reptiles.
09:38Oh, look, there's a bearded.
09:39He's sitting on the spinifex.
09:40That's a painted bearded, that one.
09:42So that'd be his home just there.
09:44So he's going to make a run for it.
09:46Probably going straight across, or not.
09:51So yeah, look, he's...
09:53And there's he goes.
09:54The one thing I'd want Brodie to learn on a trip like this is when he tells me he's
09:58checked, he's mind as he's checked them.
10:00Constantly forget how to talk to the modern young people.
10:05You've got to be very literal.
10:06They've been brought up all their life looking at an area this big.
10:10So this big place out here, it's not quite so much in their awareness.
10:15But coming on a trip with Grandad might expand the horizons from a little screen like that
10:20to the great big panorama through which we're travelling.
10:25Brodie?
10:26Yeah.
10:27Are we ready?
10:28Yep.
10:36Rain, Brodie, rain.
10:41We don't need rain this early, mate.
10:43This is bloody scary.
10:46You can see out there, either side, big falls.
10:50Big, big amounts of rain falling.
10:53There's some big holes in the road that have got water in them already, I know that.
11:00And if they get any more rain on them, we aren't getting around them.
11:07Oh, which puddle, which puddle, mate?
11:10Which puddle?
11:11I think I might go in this one.
11:13Looks like it's a straighter approach.
11:16That one's on a big angle.
11:17Oh, shit, this looks like slop, boy.
11:23Are they going to get through it or are they going to get up here, boy?
11:31Oh, there's some holes down there, Brodie, mate.
11:40We've got our first bridge coming up.
11:43Paul's going to shut it for us to go across.
11:45We've got a 3.8 metre wide.
11:48Can we transport her on the tow bridge?
11:50Call her up there, please.
11:54All right, mate.
11:55Bridge is clear.
11:56I'm all right.
11:59Get her down to 4E.
12:02And, um,
12:03Idle across.
12:08Ah!
12:09Stop!
12:11Stop!
12:12What's on the crew?
12:13What's that say?
12:17Stop!
12:19Get out of the way!
12:26Clear the bridge.
12:28That lady got my blood pressure up, sludge, I tell you.
12:31Why's that?
12:32Well, I had the car stopped and this woman drove straight towards me and I was on her lane with a stop paddle up and she went to drive around me to go on the bridge.
12:42And I says, what has stopped me?
12:44It must be her f***ing Kiwis, eh?
12:46I think she had an Aussie accent.
12:49Ha, ha, ha, ha.
12:50He did.
12:51Good one.
12:54Legendary outback trucker Sludge has come back to the land of his birth, New Zealand, working as an oversized load driver.
13:02Doing a few jobs for Paul Clark, a mate of mine from Dunedin.
13:05We're taking up a 43-tonne Tyrex dozer up to Wanaka for the wheels of Wanaka.
13:13The vintage bulldozer is the first of two that Sludge has to deliver.
13:18He left Dunedin over an hour ago and is headed for the mountainous country roads and narrow bridges that lead to Wanaka, on the edge of New Zealand's southern alps.
13:28Sludge's mate Paul will exhibit both of his restored vintage bulldozers at the wheels of Wanaka's show.
13:36It's a big machinery show and everyone in New Zealand comes and people from all around the world are coming.
13:43It's a passion more than a money-making venture.
13:46I don't think there's any others that are restored anywhere that I know of.
13:49Probably this side of Australia, New Zealand.
13:53I've come out here just because I haven't worked for so long to try and financially help Wendy a little bit.
13:58Two years ago, Sludge had a motorcycle accident near his home in Western Australia.
14:06Unable to work, he has relied on his wife Wendy to support him during his recovery.
14:12Since I had the accident, Wendy still had to live and feed me.
14:16And when you're not working, it slowly gobbles everything you've got in the bank.
14:21I want to drive a little bit and earn a few bucks.
14:27But the big thing for me is now the grandkids.
14:30Sludge's two eldest children and their families live in New Zealand.
14:35I'd like to make sure they remember me, that I'm still here and spend a bit of time with them as well as working.
14:40This is my father's gravestone.
14:47He died on the 13th of April, 1984.
14:52And this is my brother's one.
14:55When did he die?
14:571981.
14:57So every time I come to New Zealand, I normally come up here and say hello and make sure they're all clean and tidy.
15:07My father died in a truck accident.
15:10They were backing a truck into a ramp and the brakes failed, rolled back and crushed him and squashed him.
15:15That's what killed him.
15:16My brother had an early end of life as well.
15:18He was coming home to the farm and Dad found him.
15:22He had run off the road and banged his head in his car and that's what killed him.
15:27I was only young when he died.
15:29It's one of those curveballs in life where that could have been me laying there as well.
15:35I thought I'd live forever but I've had a big scare and I don't want the kids growing up without me like I did without my father.
15:46Another bridge just around the corner.
15:48Roger.
15:48I've got to start watching what I'm doing and just be careful.
15:53With an oversize, you've got to be right on the money.
15:58Oh, oh.
16:04Oh.
16:06Holy shit.
16:11Now that's narrow.
16:13Holy shit.
16:14The trailer was rubbing the edge right on it.
16:18We're just coming into Wanaka and we're going to pull up here at the wheels of Wanaka.
16:29Transport, toys, helicopters, planes, my kind of place.
16:35So that's one done.
16:46So tomorrow will be the real test.
16:48Plan is now we'll head back to Dunedin and then we can load the big one.
16:53It's almost 300 kilometres back to Paul's yard in Dunedin where Sludge will take on the second dozer, a bona fide heavyweight.
17:02So that's how much heavier?
17:03That's about another 15 ton heavier.
17:04Jesus.
17:05Yeah, right.
17:06So you're up around about 90 ton.
17:07The dozer blade is pretty much, you know, that's the bit that'll cut somebody open if it hits someone.
17:15We have to get it in the right place to make sure that, you know, the trailer doesn't go overweight on the axle of all the trucks.
17:22Yep.
17:24She's all on and tied up.
17:25We're ready to go.
17:26Bit nervous.
17:27It's going to be a hard day.
17:28Toughest one I've done.
17:29This thing's pretty serious.
17:30Hey, we might have a bit of a problem.
17:31I've just seen this email come through.
17:32You know where we went for that road work?
17:33They've got to shut the road to do that new bit of seal.
17:34So they're saying they're going to try and shut this off at 12.30 today.
17:36So how long are they shutting that for?
17:37Well, two to four hours.
17:38We've got to try and do our best to get it.
17:39We've got to try and shut this off at 12.30 today.
17:40How long are they shutting that for?
17:41Well, two to four hours.
17:42We've got to try and do our best to get there, otherwise we're going to be parked on the side of the road until they've finished the job.
17:49And I don't know if we'll get there in time before they close it.
17:53It just adds to the pressure for the day.
17:56It just adds to the pressure for the day.
17:59Oh, there's some holes down there, bro.
18:21Oh, there's some holes down there, bro.
18:25Right, now you see why they say four-wheel drive only, eh?
18:38Yeah.
18:39After failing to cross the notorious Great Central Road one month ago, Steve and his grandson Brodie have returned, desperate to get a paying load through to Alice Springs.
18:52Still got 700 plus k of dirt to go.
18:57These storms are rolling in on us.
19:01Any serious rain out here and we're bugging.
19:04Yeah.
19:09It's just about dark, so I'll be pulling up shortly.
19:13Brodie?
19:14Yeah?
19:15Have a look at all the tyres up, please.
19:20And then you're free, Brodie, and I'll start getting tea organised and stuff.
19:25Yeah.
19:26The wind's blowing hard.
19:30I just hope it doesn't blow one of these storms into me.
19:34This is a good spot to camp.
19:37We're up on the hill.
19:38We've got the breeze here.
19:39And we can roll off from here in the morning if there's big rain during the night.
19:43This will be dry up here.
19:44We can roll away.
19:45I've got my little gas stove cooking for Brodie and myself to keep our energy up.
19:52Brodie, don't be walking around with that aluminium pole in your hand with this lightning around.
19:58Maybe we should be down on the low ground if the lightning gets going.
20:05The thing with the lightning is make one mistake with it and it'll kill you.
20:10That rain is going to happen at any minute.
20:13Seriously.
20:15Where's Brodie?
20:18Brodie!
20:21You know what I'd be doing?
20:31Yeah.
20:32I've been ringing the tyre service to bring out another tyre and a jack.
20:36I know it's an extra cost but they won't get hung.
20:42Already two days behind on an urgent 28-ton timber delivery,
20:47a second blown drive tyre has pushed log truck driver Mel Michelson to her limit.
20:54Hey Joe, Gary Orton here.
20:57Oh, we've got a real problem here mate.
21:00Had a flat tyre, got it one spare but on the rear drive the inside tyre is rooted.
21:08You're the only one that can do it and you can't leave the shop because no one else is there.
21:13There's only two places in Burnham that will do it.
21:18They can't come out to do it out here on site so we've got to take it in there.
21:22He might have a second hand one in there.
21:26That's what he wants.
21:27Yep.
21:28Two things that cost you most money, rubber tyres and women.
21:32Yep.
21:33Tits and tyres.
21:35I've got to get out of here.
21:40It's delaying everything.
21:42Still got a beautiful old property.
21:45I need to turn them wheels to get that coin in to do my renovations.
21:50Back safe Mellie.
22:03Put that into the jack.
22:04We didn't try that one before.
22:05No.
22:06No way.
22:07Me and Gary tried one hose but we didn't try the other connection on the other side.
22:19We didn't try hard enough.
22:21And now it'll just go up like f***ing Bob's uncle and we'll be out of here.
22:37It's not going anywhere.
22:42It's pissing out frickin' oil.
22:47Why has it decided to leak out oil today?
22:50Mmm.
22:51I've had it for four years and haven't had no drama with it.
22:57You've only gone up that mark.
22:59Harder moving there.
23:05Can't take a trick.
23:12Brody!
23:13The thing with the lightning is make one mistake with it and it'll kill you.
23:22Brody!
23:24There he is.
23:25You found him.
23:26You're a good girl.
23:27You're a good girl.
23:28Thanks for finding Brody for me, Bill.
23:36Well, there you go, Brody.
23:37There's your teammate.
23:38You're out of the rain.
23:40I'm going to go and eat mine.
23:42Can you fit any more potato in your mouth, Brody?
23:44Boy, you hungry or what?
23:45Starving.
23:46This is a good meal to have at the end of the day.
23:56Well, think about going, Brody.
23:57If you're good, we'll go.
24:01So what was your tally last night?
24:03The ugly spider I got.
24:07Here's the little mouse.
24:08A mouse?
24:09Yeah.
24:10A mouse or a duna?
24:11Mouse.
24:12Steve is on a mission to get a long-delayed load across the red centre of Australia, while
24:18simultaneously catching up on some much-needed family time.
24:22I like to think I'm quite close to my grandkids.
24:25They're all good kids.
24:27I'm determined to spend the time with them that I didn't spend with my kids, but I'm struggling
24:31to find that time still.
24:33There's a little bit drop a little bit more.
24:34I know.
24:35I want to keep going on a little bit too.
24:37I want to take over here.
24:38There's the border, mate.
24:39I will stop up here, check our gear.
24:42Checker gear.
24:52How is everything? Good.
24:54Right, now let's go back and start again, mate.
24:56We've got to talk to you about your eyes.
24:58See the broken strap?
25:00Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
25:02You've got...
25:04You young blokes, you've got to learn to see.
25:08It appears I missed this broken strap.
25:12I don't know how I missed that too.
25:14It comes with experience,
25:16that ability to just notice things that aren't right.
25:20That's it, Brodie.
25:22I'll go around and tie it off.
25:26That rain that's coming up behind us,
25:28I do know if that rain gets out here on this road in front of me,
25:33we won't do it.
25:36Now, I have to check my fuel.
25:38There's not much fuel in that tank.
25:41It's not good.
25:43I've got diesel in the valley tank under the front trailer.
25:47To enable long-distance hauls through the harsh Australian wilderness,
25:51Steve has set up a 1,000-litre fuel storage tank under his first trailer.
25:57He can pump fuel from there to the main tanks using a hose,
26:03as long as the truck's motor is running.
26:05But the process can take over an hour.
26:09I don't want to have to stop and run it and have the rain beat me.
26:15Brodie boy, we've got about 30 k's to go to the camp,
26:19and we're really low on fuel.
26:22I should fuel up here, but I'm going to take a punt.
26:26I'll give it a crack, 30 kilometres.
26:30I need 40 litres.
26:32This might be the worst mistake I've made in a long time.
26:36I've got to keep my wits about me today and pedal a bit.
26:45If we're running late, it's going to be a real pain in the arse.
26:49Sludge is racing the clock.
26:51He has a bigger, wider and 20-ton heavier bulldozer to haul
26:56almost 300 kilometres to Wanaka,
26:59before the road is scheduled to be closed in four hours' time.
27:03If we don't make the time to get there before they shut it,
27:07we're going to be stuck with, you know, 90 tonnes sitting on the road
27:10at four and a half metres wide, blocking the whole road up.
27:15We've got enough pressure with the wider and 20-ton heavier,
27:18so the extra pressure's just giving me the shits, really.
27:22We've got Paul out the front today,
27:25and Sarah, Paul's partner, she's coming today as well.
27:29I've been driving trucks for about six or seven years.
27:32I'm going to be driving the second pilot vehicle.
27:35To provide extra support to Sludge on this massive job,
27:39his wife Wendy has flown in from Australia.
27:42It's pretty big for him, especially, you know, getting back into it again.
27:46I'm going to jump in with the pilot, which is exciting,
27:50because I've never been in a pilot vehicle before.
28:00This is the worst bit is getting out of this bloody town,
28:03because we've got to be on the wrong side of the road.
28:05You've got to be around the road.
28:06You've got to be around the road.
28:07Go!
28:08Go!
28:09Go!
28:10Go!
28:11Go, go!
28:12Go!
28:13Go, go, go!
28:14Go, go!
28:18Go, go!
28:19Go, go!
28:20Go, go, go!
28:22Let's keep going
28:30Paul you're supposed to be in front of me. I've got to get around to the sheep bridge this
28:38Like
28:40You the law
28:42Who's supposed to be behind you you dumbass?
28:46This is what passes me off with them as he always says our rules
28:50Ah, it's like everything's got to be by the book and then he it all up
28:59Here we go on the motorway
29:05You can tell we're 20 tonne heavier
29:09So like this old girl work today
29:13I'm just gonna pop around on the left
29:20Probably did that a bit early actually
29:22You should have waited to the bottom of the hill but never mind
29:26Yeah righto, I'd rather do it early than too late
29:29No, but the rules are you gotta wait to get to the bottom of the line
29:34Ah, Mr Rulebook who was behind me before and he was supposed to go ahead of me
29:40Righto Wallace
29:42Little bit of tension there with Paul and Sarah
29:50Trouble in paradise
29:52It's probably just settling in and getting the distances right
29:54And um
29:56You know everyone has a different idea where they should be and what they're doing
30:00And after this black car you're all clear to come over to the right hand lane
30:04So he just sits in the middle now?
30:06Ah, no, he's gotta be open to the line
30:08Oh, cause he's turning
30:10He's gotta go under this bridge
30:12And um, it comes down on the angle
30:18But if he went in there he literally would have hit it
30:20Shit, yeah, wow
30:22Yeah, you're all clear
30:24You're all clear
30:31It's not even warning trucks
30:33Are you warning trucks or are my warning trucks?
30:384.3 guys, I couldn't get on the CBs here
30:46So this next bridge is at 10km an hour and central
30:50Roger that
30:54You need the pilots to shut the bridge off
30:56You've gotta have
30:58Two pilots
31:00One's gotta be further up to shut the road
31:02And the other one guides us across
31:10Oh, f***ing go
31:12I'm right behind you
31:24Once I get there you need to
31:27Move forwards
31:31Please don't talk on the CB to me like that
31:37It's always hard when you're a couple working together
31:41Cause you probably say more than you should
31:43If we learn to shut up it'll probably be a lot easier
31:45Could be a round of a go Mel
31:46I'm just only going up that mark
31:47It's hardly moving now isn't it?
31:48Mel Michelson is racing the fading afternoon light
31:50She needs to replace two drive tyres with a faulty jack
31:51And get her 28 tonne load over 300km to a timber mill
31:55To finally get paid for the job
31:57Can you jack up a little bit by hand?
31:59We really need this loading
32:01We just want to get out of here
32:02Before the frickin rain gets here
32:06I don't even know if it's going up do we
32:08The only thing is going up
32:09No it's not going up
32:10Is that a little bit easier
32:11Why is it going up?
32:12I don't even know if it's going up
32:13Cause I'm having some trouble
32:14Afternoon light
32:15She needs to replace two drive tyres with a faulty jack
32:16And get her 28 tonne load over 300km to a timber mill
32:18To finally get paid for the job
32:20Can you jack up a little bit by hand?
32:21We really need this loading
32:23Just want to get out of here
32:25Before the frickin rain gets here
32:26I don't even know if it's going up
32:30know if it's going up though. Yeah it is. Yep, it's high enough Mallie. Right.
32:51God, it's just stuck here eh? Look that is completely off the ground.
33:00Finally. Now I've got to get it over that. Oops. Good girl. Now, this tire can go itself.
33:21Get on, bitch. Oh yeah.
33:22Whew. All good to go. Thank you for all your help. Not a problem. I better get out the
33:36heaven clouds over there. They're coming in quite fast so. I just want to get out of here
33:43and down the mountain. I'm worried about this part the most. It's still quite wet. It's
33:50first gear material. The ground feels okay. Like it's still a bit slippery but it's okay.
33:57Yee-haw. Finally made it to the gate and I'm just going to get out of here and down the
34:04mountain. I'm worried about this part the most. It's still quite wet. It's first gear material.
34:12The ground feels okay. The ground feels okay. Like it's still a bit slippery but it's okay.
34:19Yee-haw. Finally made it to the gate and I'm just pulled out on the road so I'm pretty happy.
34:29Clouds are pretty black. That's raining over there definitely. Looks like it just got out
34:38of there in time. Being down, down and out for three or four days. Like I've missed two
34:45jobs that have come in. There's missed money and letting people down. Like I don't like that.
34:51But they understood so that's looking for you. Now I've got to get back to the mill and get
34:58this unloaded. Just hit the Warrego Highway. I've got some pretty good roads until I get
35:07near Dalby. Then head off into the night. The load from hell. I've got to get back to
35:28the farm. When these logs come off, I'll have a happy customer who luckily understands why
35:40I'm late. But we can't help the weather so that makes me happy when they're happy. Yes.
35:50Oh my God. I'm so proud to say I'm plumbly unloaded. So after this I'll go back to the farm and
35:57have a rest and then tomorrow go and get a beat of a load of firewoods. I've got to keep
36:02them wheels turning. Because I haven't been earning.
36:11I reckon I've got about 30k to go there. I need 40 litres. I've got diesel into the front
36:18trailer. I don't want to have to stop and have the rain beat me. This might be the worst mistake
36:22I've made in a long time. Maybe I'm being a stupid old fool taking a punch on it. But that's
36:29the gamble I'm about to take. We might do it Brodie. We've got about a size
36:40k to go. I made it Brodie. We made it boy. We made it Brodie.
36:56This is it. We're going to camp here tonight. We've made it to the bitumen. Touch wood.
37:05We're laughing. Can you do a quick walk around please mate. Because I'm going to run fuel
37:09from the belly tank into the front tank right. And that will give us enough fuel to get into
37:14Alice Springs tomorrow. Sounds good.
37:25We're on the bitumen now. We've got 468km to go from here. I'm on a tight time schedule.
37:34We've got people who will be starting work. I have to be on time. Or it costs big money.
37:42Well Brodie boy here we go. There's the yard over there. We've just about pulled it up.
37:51Here we are mate. Here we are. We'll go and see Matt and find out what's going on.
38:01Alright. How are you mate? You're joking. Alright. It's the whole story in this business. Once again we've gone hard to get here. And we're not going to unload today. We're going to unload tomorrow.
38:20It does frustrate you in that if I had have known this earlier maybe I would have gone a little bit slower.
38:30It kept the truck a little bit cooler. So nothing's going to happen today. Finally it's in the yard. After five weeks it's all here. And we're not unloading until tomorrow.
38:42Hi. Hello. Come through this way if you want. Brodie you go. This is yours. Alright. This is yours.
38:54In some ways I'm sort of happy that we're not unloading until tomorrow. Now I can relax a bit and take Brodie in to see a surprise.
39:01Did you guys want to have a hold of a snake? Brodie is a dead keen naturalist. He just loves reptiles.
39:07She's going to come over your shoulders. Well I'm taking him into the reptile centre. You can't feel that weight. It's a lot heavier than most little pythons.
39:17And now comes a bit where she strangles her.
39:21Reptiles. Always a cool thing to see. Oh look at him. He's a beauty. This is Frank. He's a Spencer's goanna.
39:29Oh wow they do get big. Well Brodie I hope you enjoyed that. Yeah that was awesome.
39:36Coming into Milton. And Milton's where they've got all the main street of Milton ripped up.
39:45I'm going to move these cones around this Milton Tanger here because you ain't going to get past.
39:53Oh my god he's actually moving clones. I can't believe it. Normally he would just be like
40:02Oh it's going to get the things over. Don't even worry about it.
40:05Yeah he should get round there now.
40:10Hauling an oversized combined mass of almost 90 tons in a 30 year old truck he's only driven once before.
40:19Sludge is relying on his problematic pilots Paul and Sarah.
40:24When you've got your partner with you they have different ideas. It's not a bed of roses.
40:33Have you heard any more about these roadworks and fruitlands Paul?
40:37I've just heard that they're closing the road at one o'clock.
40:42We're going to be really really pushing it hard to get there.
40:46Look at that.
40:49The team have less than two hours to get through a scheduled road closure ahead or risk being forced to stop overnight.
40:57After six o'clock we're not allowed to drive oversize.
41:00So if they hold us up too long we're not going to make Wanaka tonight.
41:04Here we go. It's into the hills and the windy stuff and this is where I've got to be super vigilant.
41:12We're coming into the gorge now and I've got to be central in the middle of the road so they've got to stop all the cars.
41:18Well I don't know if you can hear me but there's two cars after the petrol tanker.
41:24After that the road is closed.
41:26Pull over.
41:33Is he stop?
41:37Pull right over. Just pull in as far as you can go. Yep.
41:43We've got to put the power dividers in now because the road's wet.
41:47So that locks the arse end up giving us more drive.
41:51hell.
41:53It's just starting to skid a little bit and light the tyres up.
42:00I'm just fighting trying to keep out on the dry bits of the road just to keep the traction.
42:07Otherwise we wouldn't have made it over that.
42:11Coming up to where the road closure isn't. It's touch and go. I don't know if we're going to get this.
42:23Hi.
42:24You guys have started sailing haven't you?
42:26Yeah.
42:27So it'd be fine if he could get through okay?
42:29Just ask.
42:31We've got a large transporter at 4.3 coming through. It's about 90 tonne. We'll just go along quietly. Is that okay? Copy.
42:42Yeah, that's all right.
42:43Yeah, copy sludge. Yep.
42:48Give us the okay to come through. Better get authority. Just in time. No cutting off here in 4 minutes time.
42:55Beautiful. Thank you.
42:57It's a pretty straight run home now.
43:12Well guys, it's a big thank you. Mission completed.
43:19Good job done.
43:22To see him back here, pretty much close to his old self, it's fantastic. I'm wrapped actually for him.
43:30I was struggling after the accident. Am I good enough to drive trucks again? And to have done what I've done is huge.
43:39I'm probably lucky enough to have a second chance of life. My father, he wasn't lucky enough, but I think he'd be proud of what I've done over the years.
43:48Sludge is back. This time we've crossed the threshold and we're going to do it again.
Be the first to comment
Add your comment