Oclife 20180524 yw

wheels

1966 Ford Mustang This red beauty, or should we say ‘Candy Apple Red’ belongs to Orange local, Dave Shearing. The car is a two-door left hand drive, V8 289 Mustang C4 Auto.

Purchased in Sydney the beast has clocked up 82,000 miles to date.

If you would like to see your pride and joy on the front cover of wheels contact us at reception@oclife.com.au

5 MINUTES WITH.... weather handling but sacrifice mileage. Then some people go for more the mileage tyre and sacrifice handling, so we really size the driver up to what they want out of the tyre.

Paul Newman Store Manager Bob Jane T-Mart What is the most important thing for people to consider when they selecting new tyres for their vehicle?

We base it on the way they drive... A performanceoriented tyre will give you fantastic wet weather and cold

Should price be a consideration when picking a tyre? Do some people pay too much?

A lot of people walk in and shop purely on price, but when you explain the benefits of a different tyre to them price does become a secondary consideration for most people, What should people do to get the most life out of their tyres?

Pressure is the big thing, a lot of people just fit tyres

and forget. Another is tyre rotation. Part of the service we offer with the purchase of new tyres is a free 5000km rotation and balance and then continue every 5000 at a reduced cost, which does prolong tyre life dramatically.

Why should people come see you for their next set of new tyres?

We are very big on customer service, running people to work, dropping them off, picking them up after hours, and we have very competitive pricing, a great range of services, wheels, tyres and batteries.

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wheels

ROADTRIP

WORDS BY TANEIL THORNBERRY

One family’s way of getting

FREE OF THE GRIND Imagine living on the road for 6months, travelling around Australia with nowhere to be, the sun as your only time and days full of adventure. Well that’s just what a family from Canowindra are doing, so we caught up with them to chat about why they decided to do this and what they are loving about the freedom of an open road.

“We are the Stanbury’s, Dean, Melanie, Nate, Haylee, and Cyclone Scarlet. We are predominately traveling through SA, NT, and WA. “The last few years we have felt bogged down. Stuck in the daily grind of bills, feeling rushed all the time, Dean working long hours just ‘to have more stuff’. We weren’t spending much quality time as a family and we decided we wanted to reconnect as a family and do it while travelling again.

“Back in 1999, well before we had kids, Dean and I had travelled around in a camper van and we loved it. I remember way back then we had discussed whenever we have kids, we would have to do a trip like this.

“Once we made the decision to do it everything kind of fell into place. We spent 12 months planning and saving our backsides off. We upgraded our van from a 1985 poptop to a 2007 triple bunk. We also sold a lot of gear. The whole process of minimising our possessions was quite liberating and we also rented our house out,” said Mel. The Stanbury’s left Canowindra on April 16 and they have now been on the road for four weeks.

“We headed South West, free camped along the Murrumbidgee and Murray Rivers, across to Waikerie 50

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in SA then made our way to Port Augusta to head North up the middle of Australia. We are currently at Daly Waters, a characteristic outback pub,” Mel said.

The Stanbury’s have just about loved every place they have been and here are some things they are all looking forward to.

“To be honest the only place we were semi-disappointed with was Coober Pedy, everywhere else has been great. We have had farm and station stays, free camps and caravan parks. It is great to be Australian and meeting friendly likeminded people wherever we go.

“Dean and I have been to Uluru before, but to see the kids’ faces when they see this huge rock for the first time was priceless.

“I’m mostly just looking forward to spending quality time as a family, no rushing to be anywhere. We needed to reconnect as our lives were so busy. This kind of trip is the perfect antidote, we have nowhere to be at any time. I know it is working already because we are constantly asking, ‘What day is it today?’.

“Dean and Nate can’t wait to catch some Barramundi, but mostly we are looking forward to spending time in the top end of the Northern Territory; ditching the caravan for a few weeks while we explore the Gibb River Road

and all throughout the Kimberley in WA; and camping right on the beach at Ningaloo Reef near Exmouth - I could go on forever!” grinned Mel. Part of being on the road is taking the good with the bad and the Stanbury’s have certainly had a few hiccups, but nothing is holding them back.

“We have had a few tummy bugs in our 4 weeks which is not great in a caravan. We have also had major car issues which has put a big dint in our finances. We pretty much limped into Alice Springs and found we needed a new turbo in the car $4000 later—ouch!

“Schooling has also been a fairly big challenge. Trying to keep on top of the school work whilst travelling isn’t easy but we are managing,” said Mel. Travelling brings out this newfound freedom in many and Mel emphasises not to wait for a rainy day, there is no time like the present.

“Life is too short and way too precious. We know of a few couples who have waited until retirement only for health issues to pull them up. Don’t get caught up in having possessions, making memories is way more important. We like the slogan, ‘the kids won’t remember their best day of watching television’,” she laughed.

Having a family of 6 in such a close proximity might worry some but Mel

says the kids are doing quite well.

“The kids are fantastic, so adaptable and they have done all the big walks without a complaint. We try and limit our car time to 4hrs maximum to reduce the kids’ complaints. I think we are just about over that ‘adjustment’ period,” she said.

Every day is a new day, a new adventure and the Stanbury family never quite know where they might end up next, and they can’t recommend it enough.

“We have no set itinerary, so not having plans or somewhere to be is so great. If we like a place, we stop - if our gut doesn’t like a place we simply move on.

“The most exciting thing about

travelling is being free of the ‘grind’ to do what we want, when we want to do it.

“If anyone out there is thinking about this kind of thing, do yourself a favour and jump in with both feet, you won’t regret it. We are proof that you don’t need a brand new $80,000 caravan with all the bells and whistles.

We have seen families travelling like this in anything from tents, camper trailers up to $500,000 motorhomes.

Work out your budget then make it happen!” she said.

What an amazing adventure for the Stanbury family. We wish you the best of luck for the rest of your travels, we are slightly jealous!

Happy travelling.

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