In this Part 2 of Forty Plus Years on the Wildside, Land Rovers change the life of Terence and Ina. Terence writes about that first Land Rover and the trips that they did from 1974 – 1984. To read about how they discovered overlanding in the 1960’s check out part 1,
THE FIRST LAND ROVER
In October 1973 we purchased a Land Rover Series II LWB 6 cylinder PUP through a friend at a discount price. We had it converted to a hardtop and had all the accessories fitted. A roof carrier with ladder, an extra fuel tank and free wheeling hubs, which we did not keep for very long. Total cost R3877.
It should be noted that I was earning a good salary of about R700/m. as the Technical Manager of National Chemical Products at the time. We rigged the vehicle out with packing space in the well at the back covered with removable boards and mattresses on which we slept.
Overland Setup
A stretcher was suspended from the roof for Alan while Brian slept across the front seat. We had a gas fridge inside together with “The Silver Box” made by Ina from aluminium. In this box, we had all our eating utensils and pots and essential provisions such as coffee, tea, milk powder, salt, oil and some tinned foods, sufficient for about 5 days. The box could be hung on the outside of the vehicle.
We had a roof carrier on which we packed bulky things such as chairs and side canopy and if necessary additional fuel which was essential in those days due the lack of petrol stations in far off places. Ina fitted two cupboards accessible from the outside of the vehicle for additional provisions. Two gas bottles and two 20-litre aluminium bottles for water were fitted on the outside of the vehicle.
Incidentally we could carry 140 litres of petrol in tanks, which cost us all of R9,80 to fill up at 7c/l. It was just as well that petrol was as cheap as the Series Land Rovers were guzzlers. Normal consumption of petrol for the 6 cylinder is 17 to 18 l/100kms.
We did many trips in this vehicle over the next 10 years to Mozambique, Botswana and Rhodesia. Within South Africa we had long holidays on the Transkei coast.
Reliable Land Rovers
We had a few problems over the years with the vehicle.
On one occasion, the fuel pump stopped working. We solved the problem by putting the carburettor on a drip fed from a boat’s fuel tank on the roof carrier.
On the second occasion, going to Savuti from Moremi, the vehicle stopped and refused to start. It took Frank, the Simpson brothers and me a long time to find the problem, which was a torn diaphragm in the carburettor. The nearest spares were in Maun 150km away. We eventually replaced the diaphragm with a double piece of plastic cut from a bag. This lasted for the rest of the trip. A lot to be said for the simplicity of these engines.
Mozambique
Our first long trip in our new Land Rover was in February 1974 to Chemucane on the Mozambique coast, south of the then Lourenco Marques. We were fully loaded and had a trailer as Ina’s parents accompanied us on the 4-week trip. We over-nighted at Ina’s parent’s house, which was situated against the Kruger Park fence overlooking the Crocodile River near Hectorspruit. Our route was to take us through the Maputo Elephant Park to the coast. This was not far for a day. Land Rovers owners club members had given us instructions of how to get to Chemucane but had warned us of the Big Bog.
The Big Bog
We found our way into the Park and paid our R10 entrance fee, but after 2 hours of travelling realised that we had missed the turnoff to the coast. When we backtracked we found the track, which was not very distinct. We came to a long depression with a faint track across it and could see the well-defined track on the other side. No problem and off we went at a good speed. Suddenly without warning, we were up to our axles in mud and very firmly stuck in the Big Bog.
What a job to extricate ourselves. It took us three hours. We backtracked to the start of the depression and found the route around the Big Bog. There was no way we could get to the coast before sunset and finally set up camp just before nightfall.
As it got dark, the wind dropped and mosquitoes attacked us without mercy. We managed to pitch a tent for Ina’s parents before retreating into the Land Rover to have soup that Ina made in the Land Rover as it was not possible be go outside. Once this was consumed, we retired to our respective sleeping bags for an early night. The reason for so many mossies was quite apparent the next morning; we had stopped right next to a lake. Fortunately, there were none in the morning.
Pogos Road Works
Our woes were not over. A couple of kilometres later we came to the lake which is just behind the coastal dunes and which we had to skirt to get to the beach. The track ran into deep impassable mud. We were debating how to proceed when we noticed a piece of paper on a pole on the edge of the water. The sign headed POGO’S ROAD WORKS stated that we should drive on the edge of the lake in the water. We followed the instructions and after a 100 or so metres came to a ramp of hefty tree branches which took us out of the water back onto the track. If Pogo happens to read this article, thank you very much.
Our next problem was on the beach where our trailer got stuck. We had to unhook and proceed some way to the campsite where we offloaded everything in the vehicle and went back to collect the contents of the trailer. When the trailer was empty we were able to pull it to the campsite. We had the same exercise when we left.
Beach Camping
This was the start of one of best relaxing holidays we ever had. We lived off the sea catching plenty of fish and collecting shellfish off the rocks. Water was scooped out of a shallow depression behind the dunes. It was clear and clean. Incidentally in all our travels we always used ground water and never bothered to boil it. We were completely alone except for the odd local who came wandering past.
In the four weeks we were there the only other white faces were saw were three Portuguese men who had come fishing for the weekend. Unfortunately, for them it rained all the time. I had gone for a walk behind the dunes, as it was unpleasant on the beach when I found them stuck in the mud on the side of the lake. They had read Pogo’s sign but did not understand English. We pulled them out of the mud and explained the sign. The ice they left behind when they left on the Sunday intrigued our camp attendant. He was amazed to see that it was solid water.
We followed a different route out of the Park, only to have a dune, which we could not get up with the trailer. We were just starting to offload the trailer and carry everything up the dune when a local appeared and showed us an alternative route.
This was to be our last holiday in Mozambique for 19 years as the Portuguese left Mozambique and the civil war started later that year.
We were now confined to holidaying in South Africa, Botswana and South West Africa and for a short while Rhodesia.
Rhodesia
In November 1974 we took a short trip to the Gonareshou Game Reserve on the Lundi/Save Rivers in the south of Rhodesia. The park, which was to be formally declared the next year, had in fact been closed for the summer when we got there. However, a friendly guard allowed us in and accompanied us to the campsite. I did a lot of fishing for bream and tiger fish while Ina swam in the shallows of the river with the children. This was until we realised that a short way away on the opposite side of the river there were a dozen or so crocodiles basking in the sun. On one occasion I had even waded through the river to the other side to fish.
We had two other trips through Rhodesia in Land Rovers.
One was in 1975 with the Hush family via the Victoria Falls to Chobe, Savuti and the Moremi. Iain had a lot of mechanical problems. The first was a blown head gasket as he was crossing Beit Bridge. A head brought up by a fellow Club member the next day after frantic phone calls proved to be for the wrong engine. Iain and I had to go back to Messina to have the head skimmed. His next problem was dirt in the fuel tank. He then broke a side shaft a few days later after crossing into Botswana at Kasani.
Our next trip was with Travis and Pat Bailey again to Botswana. This time we went via Motopos, where we camped for a few days, and Francistown on our way to Maun.
During this, our last trip through Rhodesia, terrorists shot several South African motorcycle tourists near Kyle Dam. This marked the end of travel in Rhodesia for a long time.
Botswana
In the 70’s the camping fees in Botswana were not much. Five days in Moremi cost R60 for the family. I do not think we even paid in Chobe or Savuti. None of the camps had facilities of any sort. One could camp anywhere although there were recognized areas. The Savuti Channel in those years had plenty of water with excellent fishing. In Savuti a camper who had run out of petrol approached us. As we had an excess to get us to Maun we sold him 20 litres. This proved to be a mistake as on the way to Moremi we took a wrong track realising our mistake after a couple of hours. When we reached Maun we had about 10 litres of fuel between the two vehicles.
Whenever we went to the Okavango we camped on the banks of the Boro River on Darryl Dandridge’s property 20kms outside Maun. Darryl is the oldest son of Frank and Aileen. Invariable we would meet them there for trips. The Boro is one of the rivers that flow out of the Okavango Delta.
Lake Nagami and Botletle
When we went with the Baileys we took boats with us and spent many pleasant hours catching fish on lures. From here we went on to Lake Ngami. Fishing was ridiculously easy. There were so many fish that we regularly hit them with the propellers of the boats. We were very fortunate in having seen and fished on this vast lake as it was drying up. A few years later when we were in the area again we could not even find where it had been. ( The Lake again exists following an influx of water since January 2007).
On the way home, we always spent a few days on the Botletle River where once again we had excellent fishing. We had great fun throwing fish we had just caught to the fish eagles. How magnificent it was to have them giving that marvellous call as they picked up a fish close to the boat.
Travis had many problems towing his boat through Botswana as none of the roads were tarred. Stones from the Land Rover wheels ricochet off the boat onto the back of the vehicle breaking all the back windows and lights. The rubbex axles also gave problems. One axle collapsed completely. On our way home we would stop every 100kms or so to cut a stout branch from a mopani tree. We fitted the branch under the axle and tied it to the trailer body on both ends to support the axle. We were fortunate on the N1 outside Pretoria when a traffic officer stopped us and waved Travis on.
Moremi
We had a number of trips to Botswana in the 109 that always included a week or so by boat into the delta. Our boat went with us on the roof carrier. We would either travel up the Boro to Chief’s island or take the boats into Moremi and launch them from Mboma Island. We would hide our Land Rovers in the bushes. Fortunately, very few people went into this part of Moremi. The advantage of leaving from here was that we could get into the heart of the Delta where we set up camp on an island.
Fishing for tiger fish in the lagoons deep in the Delta was incredible. Aileen Dandridge and I were the keenest anglers and every late afternoon would go out alone. Aileen was fighting a fair sized fish one afternoon when suddenly there was a tremendous pull on her line. Then the line went slack but with a dead weight on the end. She eventually reeled in the remains of a 1 to 1.5kg tiger which had been bitten in half. One evening I hooked into a 5,3kg tiger. It was almost dark when it was eventually brought into the boat. The fish had pulled us all over the place and it took some time to get our bearings and find the right channel home. It was already dark before we got back to the camp. Ina and Frank had made a huge fire to guide us home fortunately, as we were in fact in the wrong channel.
Hippo Encounters
The trips up the Boro were very slow as our boat was always fully laden and we had to travel against the strong current. We would travel for three or four days up stream and only take two days to return. We spent the nights on different islands. At first, these islands were pristine but later became over-used mainly by the fishermen who had previously harvested the fish of Lake Ngami.
We had had a few scares on these trips. On one occasion a hippo decided to run under water in front of us. The waves he made nearly caused our heavily laden boat to sink. On another occasion when looking for crocodiles at night we stopped over several hippos under the water. We beat a hasty retreat. It was some time before our hearts returned to their normal rhythms.
Okavango after the Rains
Our trips on the way to the Okavango were often very interesting. In April 1978 Iain Simpson and his brother Joel accompanied us. The rainfall had been heavy that year and the Magadigadi saltpans were flooded making the main road from Francistown to Gweta impassable. An alternative road had been bulldozed through the bush about 90kms to the north. This road was very sandy with branches and broken off tree and bush stumps making it very difficult for driving.
The roads in Moremi and to Savuti were also flooded. We had difficulty in travelling in Moremi. Fortunately, Darryl Dandridge, who knew this part of the world extremely well found us in a particularly tight spot and was able to direct us onto lesser-known tracks that were dry. Colin, Frank’s youngest son, was the first person that year to get through to Savuti in Land Rovers. We got there shortly after him and had a lot of thick mud to negotiate. It was marvellous as there were no other visitors in either Moremi or Savuti.
Wildebeest Migration
The saddest experience we had in Botswana was in the late 1970’s. We were on our way alone to meet up with the Dandridges in Maun. It was always a nightmare travelling to Maun via Nata, as the condition of the roads was not good. There were very few tarred roads in Botswana those days. They were extremely dusty in particular when the roads were being graded. This consisted of dragging a large bush behind a tractor making overtaking very dangerous. We thus decided to travel along the southern route via Lake Xau and Rakops.
The Botswana Government had erected game fences to control the movement of game and the spread of foot and mouth. As a result, the wildebeest migrating from the south to the delta at the end of summer were cut off from water. There were thousands of them dead under every bush and tree where they had tried to get away from the scorching sun. It was estimated of 60 000 wildebeest in Botswana only 10 000 survived because of this action.
Transkei
As Mozambique was closed to South Africans because of the civil war, they were now flocking the St. Lucia, Sodwana and other places on the north coast. We had one or two trips to Mapalene with Land Rovers but found it too crowded for our liking for the long holidays that we did not spend in Botswana and only used this venue for long weekends.
We now started to explore the Transkei Coast. Over the years, we must have visited every out of way the place on the coast that Ina could find. We had a 1:250000 map of the South African coast. Ina would peruse this map for a spot that was the furthest away from a shop and showed low concentrations of local populace.
Getting Stuck
Probably the most memorable trip we did was over Christmas and the New Year 1981/82. The Dandridges and their sons Darryl and Colin accompanied us to Kilroe Beach in Land Rovers. On New Years Eve, we all piled into Colin’s Forward Control bakkie and headed for Waterfall Bluff 15km down the beach. There was no problem getting there along the coastal tracks.
However shortly after leaving the bluff at 14.00 on our return trip, we had a puncture. The wheel was quickly changed and we were soon on our way. Going up an incline Colin chose the wrong track and the vehicle stuck in the mud. It took us an hour to extricate ourselves. With these delays, we found that our first river crossing at Lupatana was impassable due to the rising tide.
I found an alternative crossing a few kilometres upstream but found a group of young female hikers washing in the river. With girlish squeals they submerged themselves under the water. When I told Colin about the crossing, he insisted seeing it himself. Once again, the young ladies were disturbed in their ablutions. They submerged for the third time when we came with the vehicle.
There was an island midstream, which we went down to find Frank. Having found him, we again went back to the crossing. This time the ladies threw up their arms in disgust. It was approaching dusk so they did not bother to submerge.
A New Year’s Eve to Remember in 1981
We had to wait at the next river for about four hours for the tide to change, It was cold and started to drizzle. We huddled around a small fire sharing a half bottle of whiskey Colin kept for emergencies in his toolbox. About four hours later the tide had receded and we could be on our way. This was not to be; going down the ramp into the river the vehicle fell into a hole dug by vehicles climbing up the ramp. The vehicle had a canopy frame, which hooked horribly into an overhanging branch. Fortunately, Colin had a saw amongst his equipment. It still took us another half an hour to extricate ourselves. This proved to be our last obstacle and we eventually arrived back at our camp at 23:45, the return trip taking 10h instead of 2h.
More Memorable Momemnts
Another memorable experience was the occasion when we were camping with Frank and Aileen and Boy (Casper) and Lizette Walker. We were again camped at Kilroe Beach and decided to take a drive down the coast. The river crossing at Port Grosvenor was a problem. Heavy rains and high seas had washed all the sand from the rocks leaving a very jaggered ramp into the river mouth. No problem, with careful steering and placement of the wheels we were able to get all three vehicles down.
There were a couple of fishermen, with their backs to us, who told Boy that we would not be able to cross the river because of the impassable slope. They were amazed when they turned around to see our vehicles parked behind them. When we returned a few hours later, all the occupants of the holiday cottages came out to watch us ascending the slope.
Oil Crisis of 1970’s
The oil crises in the 1970’s had a major impact on our travelling and outings. We could only fill one tank (400kms) and could not get petrol at night or over the weekends. We had to obtain special permission to carry petrol for boats. The Land Rovers Owner’s Club had to get special permission to hold its driving events. Weekends away were thus restricted to nearby dams.
Jericho and Mogenstond dams in the Eastern Transvaal were very popular for LROC outings over long weekends particularly for our large fishing fraternity’s love for bass fishing. We could camp anywhere along the edges of the dams and there was no charge. Unfortunately as with all good things, these outings came to an end. Camping was restricted to a small area because of the threat of terrorist attacks on the dam walls. The authorities also decided that they would no longer stock the dams with bass.
For shorter holidays we would camp on the Zululand coast at Mapelane or on the beach north of Richards Bay. We could of course drive freely on the beaches until a few years ago.
The Club visited other places; a favourite was Jessievale in the Eastern Transvaal. These outings were organised by Hennie Botha, a Club member who worked at a saw mill in the area.
After 10 years of overlanding in our first Land Rover little did we know that many more Land Rovers were to come.
Watch the full video of how we got into Land Rovers The Overland Legend on Youtube
