January 2013
Via West
1953 - 2013...Volkswagen commemorates 60 years in Australia
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January 2013
Via West
CONTACT US VOLKSWAGEN CLUB OF WA (Inc)
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YOUR COMMITTEE (cont’d) EDITOR:
0407 347 340
PO Box 175
Ray Willis
viawest@vwclubwa.com
Victoria Park
CONCESSION LICENCE:
(08) 9332 6919
ABN:
Western Australia 6979 31 610 140 537
Rod McSwain CMC LIAISON OFFICER:
(08) 9342 8703
TELEPHONE:
(08) 9342 8703
Richard Hines
E-MAIL:
info@vwclubwa.com
PROPERTY OFFICER:
WEBSITE:
www.vwclubwa.com
Richard Hines
MAIL:
MERCHANDISE OFFICER: YOUR COMMITTEE
(08) 9342 8703 (08) 9332 6919
Rod McSwain
PRESIDENT:
0408 183 396
SOCIAL SECRETARY:
Jamie Barrett
executive@vwclubwa.com
Jamie Barrett
VICE PRESIDENT:
0415 165 175
SPORTS ORGANISER:
Graham Tibbs
As above
0408 183 396 Currently grouped under “Events Coordinator”
SECRETARY:
0407 347 340
PUBLICITY OFFICER:
Ray Willis
administration@vwclubwa.com
As above
MEMBERSHIPS:
0407 347 340
GENERAL COMMITTEE:
Ray Willis
administration@vwclubwa.com
Kim Muste (country liaison South West)
TREASURER:
0438 819 443
WEBMASTER:
Justin Bayley
finance@vwclubwa.com
Tina Moore
Patrick Spiteri, Dave Moore,
webmaster@vwclubwa.com
1953 - 2013...Volkswagen commemorates 60 years in Australia
January 2013
Via West
1953 - 2013...Volkswagen commemorates 60 years in Australia
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January 2013
Via West
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VIAWEST MAGAZINE
VOLKSWAGEN EVENTS
Advertising: Please send your ‘for sale’ or ‘wanted’ adverts by mail or email to the Editor before the publication deadline.
Please contact the Editor to find out about commercial advertising in the magazine, inserting flyers or advertising on the website.
Normally one event will be nominated as the club run each month. Some months will have more than one event. Not all events attended by the club will be club organised. Please note that non-members are welcome to come to the club organised events. If you have any friends you would like to accompany us, please bring them along. If you have any ideas or suggestions for club organised events give a Committee member a call or an e-mail and the committee so we can put it on our calendar. The VW Events Calendar lists the upcoming events and club runs for some months in advance in chronological order.
Publication Deadline: The ViaWest magazine’s deadline for articles for the next issue is . February 24
COMMITTEE MEETINGS
Fees: Members - 1/4 page adverts are free. Non-Members - 1/4 page adverts are $5.00
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Volkswagen Club of WA (Inc), its Committee or members.
Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at John Hughes Volkswagen in Victoria Park, starting at 6:30pm. Committee meetings are open to all members and invited guests.
Membership and Birthdays Baden Colella John Broekman Ian McCulloch Paul Kuah Peter Thomson Matthew Ngui
Welcome to the new members… Happy Birthday to our members JANUARY Christian Jones Emily Whitelaw Emma Faulkner Florence Blagg Helen Keillor Janet Avice Du Buisson
page
The Club.............................. p 2 The Club (contd).................. p 4 President’s Spot .................. p 5 Club Event Calendar .......... p 6 February Club Run .............. p 7 NSW 2013 Bug-In ............... p 8 VW Hilton Trip (part 3) ......... p 10
The club now has 157 active memberships
IN THIS ISSUE
Jessica Shepherd Karla Paget Lauren Storrs Patrick Lawrence Peter Richards Rose Van Son Scarlett Faulkner Stanley Guntrip
FEBRUARY Alison Van Corler Caylah Williams Donna Mathews Emelia McKenzie Erin Taylor Hannah Moore
Jasmin Summer
field Jessica Moore Joshua Hallsworth Kelli Summerfield Kerry Muste Lachie Glasfurd Lara Rundle Lauren White Sheley Hallsworth Sue Waters Tania Spiteri Trish Summerfield
Volkswagen News Sustainability Award ...... p 14 Up! award...................... p 14 New SUV ...................... p 14 22.6% Sales Increase ... p 16 9,000,000 VWs ............. P 16 Kombi Road Trip ................. p 18 Volkswagen Motorsport WRC Monte Carlo Rally p 25 Playing a Round of Golf (part 3) ............................... p 29 BACK COVER: March Club Run FRONT COVER: See VW Kombi story part 3
1953 - 2013...Volkswagen commemorates 60 years in Australia
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Well the new year has started. My New Years resolution is to be more prepared and organised! - wish me luck, as this area is not one of my strengths! However the start to the year has proven to be a productive one in terms of the club. Events for 2013 are on the drawing board with February’s “RAAFA Museum Run” already planned and the March event about to be announced. We are actively working on improving Day of the Volkswagen for December . So get any ideas to us however grand they might be. The Council of Motoring Car Clubs “Classic Car Show” held annually at Whiteman Park is on Sunday 28th April. The event usually attracts over 1,000 vehicles, making it the largest classic car show in WA and one of the largest in Australia. We have applied for 34 vehicle passes. With overnight camping this is great show to get involved in - express your interest by email to me Jamie.barrett@iinet.net.au Some great news - Club membership level is as high as it has ever been! Thank you for joining the club and big Welcome to the new members. The monthly Alfreds Kitchen gathering is a great opportunity to meet other members and get that VW fix. Happy New Year
Jamie Barrett Club President
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January 2013
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This month...
February 2013 # indicates a club run
Wednesday 6th
ALFRED’S of GUILDFORD 7pm cnr of Meadow & James St Guildford
Sunday 10th
SOUTH WEST MONTHLY GATHERING BUSSELTON
Contact: Kim 0408 914 400 Contact: Mark 0449 947 782
Wednesday 13th
MONTHLY COMMITTEE MEETING 6:30pm @ John Hughes Volkswagen, Victoria Park
Contact: Ray Willis 0407 347 340
Saturday 16th #
RAAFA AVIATION HERITAGE MUSEUM
Contact: Ray Willis 0407 347 340
See page 9 for information Wednesday 27th
EVENTS COORDINATION MEETING 6:30pm @ John Hughes Volkswagen, Victoria Park
Contact: Jamie Barrett 0408 183 396
March 2013 Wednesday 6th
ALFRED’S of GUILDFORD 7pm cnr of Meadow & James St Guildford
Sunday 10th
SOUTH WEST MONTHLY GATHERING BUSSELTON
Contact: Kim 0408 914 400 Contact: Mark 0449 947 782
Wednesday 13th
MONTHLY COMMITTEE MEETING 6:30pm @ John Hughes Volkswagen, Victoria Park
Contact: Ray Willis 0407 347 340
Saturday 16th #
SCARBOROUGH TO MUNSTER COASTAL CRUISE See page 9 for information
Contact: Jamie Barrett 0408 183 396
Wednesday 27th
EVENTS COORDINATION MEETING 6:30pm @ John Hughes Volkswagen, Victoria Park
Contact: Jamie Barrett 0408 183 396
29th March 1st April 2013
2013 BUG-IN NEW SOUTH WALES
Contact: Ray Willis 0407 347 340
February Wednesday 3rd
February ALFRED’S of 2013 GUILDFORD 7pm cnr of Meadow & James St Guildford
February 2013
Wednesday 10th
MONTHLY COMMITTEE MEETING 6:30pm @ John Hughes Volkswagen, Victoria Park
Contact: Ray Willis 0407 347 340
Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th
OLD COAST ROAD BREWERY & SOUTH WEST MONTHLY GATHERING BUSSELTON
Contact: Kim 0408 914 400 Contact: Mark 0449 947 782
Wednesday 24th
EVENTS COORDINATION MEETING 6:30pm @ John Hughes Volkswagen, Victoria Park
Contact: Jamie Barrett 0408 183 396
Sunday 28th #
WHITEMAN PARK CLASSIC CAR SHOW
Contact: Jamie Barrett 0408 183 396
April 2013 See page 9 for information
Details to follow in next magazine.
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RAAFA Aviation Heritage Museum ...the Club Run for February 2013
Event details...
Location: The RAAFA Aviation Heritage Museum, Bull Creek Road, Bull Creek is on the corner of Bull Creek Road and Leach Highway, just to the east of the Kwinana Freeway.
Date:
Club Run Entry:
Features: There is a shop that sells, drinks, ice-creams, books, models and other souvenirs.
Adults $6 Children* $4 Club Member Children* FREE
There are two planes for children to * children ages 4 - 16 years play in. Note: Normal entry fees are Adults Inspections of the Lancaster are $10; Children $5; Family (2 adults & 2children under 16) $25; Students & $100 with no concession and a maximum of 4 people at any giv- Pensioners $7.50 en time to stop overcrowding. It takes about 4 hours to get a good look at the whole museum.
Because it will be a Saturday the Armstrong Siddley, Cheetah 9 engine will be run by our VW Club and Committee Member Richard Hines at 1:00 pm It is a 13 litre radial engine, with a big
Saturday propeller, which makes all the right 16th February noises and which is quite impressive.
Opening Hours: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Special Event:
For ease of entry into the museum we will collect the entry money before we enter to eliminate a long queue.
Richard would like someone with a good video to film the whole process and then put it on the website and/or the net.
BBQ: If there is enough interest, the VW Club will consider putting on a sausage sizzle at the museum’s BBQ. Tables and chairs are available.
Meeting time at Museum: To be there by 10:30am for a GROUP entry at 11:00am into the museum. Monies will be collected in the car park from 10:30am onwards.
Cruising there… Freestyle… To take you own route to the museum. To arrive at Museum by 10:30am.
North of the River… To assemble in Kings Park, DNA Tower, coordinator will be Dave Moore for a 10:00am departure and run down the Freeway. Exit at Leach Highway (left hand turn) for the first turn on the right (at lights) into Bull Creek Drive. To arrive at Museum by 10:30am.
South of the River… To assemble in Bull Creek Shopping Centre, coordinator will be Rod McSwain for a 10:00am departure and short lap around the suburbs. To arrive at Museum by 10:30am.
1953 - 2013...Volkswagen commemorates 60 years in Australia
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New South Wales Bug-In 2013
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The “OLD Buggers “ of NSW have pleasure in announcing & inviting you to what may be the last ever Bug In in NSW, in the Beautiful Blue Mountains, just outside Sydney from 29th March to 1st April 2013. Accommodation is available from “Blackheath Caravan Park” Prince Edward St, Blackheath NSW Telephone: 0247 878101
Website: www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au
They are currently installing 8 brand new cabins, prices & reservations are not available for a few weeks. But you should make an inquiry. Mention the Bug In but unfortunately it will not get you a discount. 4 nights are required @ Easter. Next door is Lakeview Holiday Park who also have cabins Telephone: 0247 878534 for prices & availability. Please Note: Easter is a busy time so you should not delay in booking accommodation. Alternative accommodation try Googling caravan parks Katoomba Blue Mountains or if you want to go a little upmarket try Blue Mountains accommodation for Hotels, Motels, Cottages, B&B’s etc. etc. DON’T WAIT, BOOK NOW.
Bug In Events Friday Night Bar B Que will be held @ Blackheath Caravan Park - $10 per head Saturday Morning Car Display @ Wentworth Falls lake 8:00am to 12 noon. Peoples Choice gold coin donation. Saturday Afternoon and Night are free, we will have a suggested itinerary for you to follow, that should be interesting. Sunday we will be holding a Driver Education Day @ Hampton, about 45 mins run away. drivers. So the more that enter the cheaper it will be. Hot dogs for lunch.
Sunday alternative is a trip to Jenolan Caves and well worth the visit. Travel 64 km - 1hr. Over 10 lime stone caves to explore between 30 to 40 dollars per tour with packages available, look at www.jenolancaves for more info.
Sunday Night is at Nineteen 23 rest @ Wentworth Falls $75 per head includes 5 courses & matching wines. Not to be missed.
Monday we will convoy to the Zig Zag railway & possibly The Mt Tomah Botanical gardens - unless you are departing for home.
Post Bug-In Events Tuesday* will be a run to the Mudgee Wine Region. Wednesday* will be a visit to Mt Panorama race circuit in Bathurst and the Australian Motor Racing Museum. Returning each night to Blackheath. There are a coupla nice Pubs in Blackheath for evening meals.
Updated WITH LATEST NEWS !
Thursday* we will depart, but anyone wanting to Visit Sydney & its world famous Harbour today & Friday would be the days. There is a fantastic Hop on Hop off double decker bus tour that includes city highlights & Bondi. A ferry ride to manly is always enjoyable. The possibilities are endless. I will be more that happy to be the guide if required. * These and other tours will be dependant on the number of people remaining after the BugBug-In that wish to do them. We should have a Bug In shirt, cap & other souvenirs available but will be limited to prepaid orders only!
Looking forward to seeing your smiling faces @ Easter, Regards Christopher Harper P.S. If you could drop me an email with your intentions it would be of great help to assist with planning, bookings & catering.
1953 - 2013...Volkswagen commemorates 60 years in Australia chrish47@bigpond.net.au
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1953 - 2013...Volkswagen commemorates 60 years in Australia
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January 2013
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VW Hilton’s “Kimberley Trip 2012”
Page 10 departure we had installed ‘Go Westy’ lift springs that gave us a bit more ground clearance.
Overall impressions of the area are the space and feeling of wilderness. Many of the cattle stations are more than 1 million acres in area with roughly one head of cattle per 100 acres, which adds up to 10,000 head of by Dave Beckley cattle on a big station! The cattle industry is a tough one that does not generate much profit these days and consequently most of the stations have opened their The fully sealed Great Northern doors to tourism by providing Highway runs along the southern camping facilities for the many and eastern sides of the Kimber- through one of these dust clouds. We saw the aftermath of an acci- people from all over Australia and ley and the Gibb River Road is a Overseas who flock to this area in dent where an idiot in a Toyota short cut from Derby to WyndLandcruiser had run into the back the dry season. Some of the Staham that runs through the heart tions have been purchased by the of the Kimberley. The road is 650 of an off road caravan that had slowed right down to negotiate a Government for National Parks, km long but with all our detours for conservation or to give to the we travelled over 1700 km along dry river crossing. The front end local Aborigines. Other stations this road. In the 1970’s the GRR of his Toyota was destroyed, forsuch as Mornington have been was little more than a single lane tunately no one was seriously purchased by private organisatrack built to get cattle out of the hurt but that was the end of his tions for conservation. area to market. Today the GRR is holiday! a two lane road that sometimes The landscape can be best deThere are numerous river and sees a road grader; much of the scribed as rugged with ancient creek crossings along the GRR road is badly corrugated, rocky weathered ranges a major feature and we timed our trip quite well and very dusty. The dust is quite in regard to water depth, earlier of the land and with deep gorges a problem as each vehicle gener- in the season the rivers would cut by the rivers when they flood ates a dust cloud that makes it in the wet season; these gorges have been too deep for the VW difficult to see the road when a and any later the waterfalls would being a major tourist drawcard. vehicle travelling in the other di- have less water flowing. The In the southern area there is a rection passes. It also makes it massive exposed reef from a time deepest river crossing we went very dangerous for anyone who is through was about 450mm. We when the sea levels were much silly enough to try and overtake higher than today. In the north, were very glad that prior to our the sandstone is apparently so old that it pre-dates any complex life form and consequently there are no fossils to be found in these sedimentary rocks. Many of the hillsides are strewn with exposed rocks, which we assume are exposed by the torrential rain in the Wet. The vegetation varies quite a lot from open savannah grass lands to quite dense forest. In most areas the strange bulbous Boab trees are to be found.
(part 3)
The Gibb River Road
Our trip into this area started from Fitzroy Crossing on the Great Northern Highway, where we went to see Giekie Gorge. From Fitzroy Crossing we backtracked a bit towards Derby and Windjana Gorge
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then took the Leopold Downs Road, a dirt road that connects with the GRR. Along this road we stopped at Tunnel Creek where there is a 700m long walk through a cave system. There are no lights in the tunnel so you need a good torch to find the way through, in some places we were knee deep in water. This was an interesting experience but I did not take my camera with me as I was concerned about dropping it in the creek. There would be some great photo opportunities in this cave for anyone with a good camera, a waterproof bag, a tripod and a strong light. After Tunnel Creek we headed for Windjana Gorge National Park where we stayed for a couple of nights. Windjana is another massive gorge cut through the Devonian Reef; in this case, by the Lennard River and it also has many freshwater crocs, which seem to have got quite used to tourists allowing one to approach quite close to them. The campground is close to the Gorge and so we made several trips in to see the cliffs in different light. While at Windjana we met a couple from Sydney who also had an old T3 Syncro like ours. We new this couple were in the Kimberley as we had been exchanging emails but it was by pure luck that we actually met.
Boab tree at dusk Mornington Station Twenty km from Windjana the Leopold Downs road joins the GRR and after a short distance along the GRR we detoured 50 km off the road to Mt Hart Station. Mt Hart is now owned by the WA Government and is run as a tourist/conservation area. There was not a lot to see on this station that apparently had never made much money for its past owners and probably won’t in the future. After a couple of nights at Mt Hart it was back to the GRR and then to a campground at Silent Grove. Silent Grove is located 10 km from Bell Gorge, which has a very attractive waterfall. After a night at Silent Grove we
went to Imintji, an aboriginal community with a very small general store and a motor mechanic called Neville, who gets to fix lots of tyres etc. We had hoped to buy some LP gas for our fridge and stove at Imintji but to our despair the store no longer provides this service. We then went on to Mt Barnett Roadhouse, the only place along the whole length of the GRR that sells petrol! Mt Barnett also has a small store that gets its supplies once a week on a Wednesday, so by the following Tuesday there is not much left to buy in the fresh food line. This roadhouse is also the gateway to Manning Falls and has a camping ground 7 km off the GRR. We stayed the night at this campground where most people had massive fires that produced a smog like effect in the damp evening air. We have noticed that people from Victoria in particular love to have big camp fires the smoke from which does not agree with Louise so we decided to move on and not go to the Falls. The following morning the VW decided not to start! We got some guys to give us a push start and we then headed back down the GRR to the Mornington Wilderness Camp 85km off the GRR.
Bells Falls
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VW Hilton Crossing the Pentecost River the VW would not go we had to get the good folks at Mornington Mornington is owned by the Aus- to drive us to the Gorge in their tralian Wildlife Conservancy, a OKA. After this all day trip on our private organisation that makes own we were both quite tired and some money from tourists allow- so took advantage of the bar and ing a maximum of 50 people per restaurant that evening. The day to stay on the property. next day I gave the VW a bit of a Apart from the campground they service, putting in new spark have a bar and restaurant and to plugs and generally cleaning dust our relief they also offered gas or water out of anything that cylinder refills. The VW Hilton looked important. This seemed to was not overly happy that day help the starting problem but the and after we arrived at Morningmotor was still not happy and ton she decided not to start again seemed to be getting too hot and so she was left in the again refused to start, although campground in disgrace while we the starter motor was turning ok. went on an all day hike and canoe Mornington have a landline so I trip up the Sir John Gorge. As spoke to my VW mechanic Patrick Hugi in Perth who gave me a few tips on what to check and I also spoke to Neville the mechanic at Imintji who suggested disconnecting the battery to see if the on board computer that controls the automatic fuel injection system would reset its self. (Continued from page 11)
An old Kombi that did not make it ‌ or Is it just waiting for a restoration ď Š
again. We also did a second canoe trip at Mornington paddling through the Dimond Gorge, which is named after the chief engineer that carried out a 1950’s feasibility study to dam the Fitzroy River at this gorge to provide water for Perth.
We damaged a wheel rim and tyre on a rock at Mornington so after we hit the GRR again we backtracked to Imintji to see Neville the friendly mechanic. Neville managed to straighten the rim and found an old tyre that he fitted to our rim so we still had two spares, one good one and one very worn one. We then headed in the right direction again detouring another 40 km to Charnley River Station where we stayed for three nights, visiting the Grevillea Falls, a multi-tiered waterfall with several swimming holes which is accessed via a very rough track. From CRS it was back to the GRR stopping to look at Galvans Gorge, a very pretty waterfall and swimming hole just a 15 minute walk from the GRR. Then on to Mt Barnett Roadhouse for fuel and a few supplies before This last tip seemed heading to Mt Elizabeth Station to help and all ap(Continued on page 13) peared to be well
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where we stayed for four nights. At Mt Elizabeth Station we went on a very interesting station tour that included information about life on a working cattle station and several stops to look at aboriginal art sites. We also did some bush walking and bird watching while on this Station. Although camping at Mt Elizabeth was very pleasant, organised camping can be a bit regimented and we decided that a bush camp would make a pleasant change. We found a pleasant spot a few hundred metres off the road on the banks of the Hann River. We so enjoyed the peace and solitude that this location provided that we ended up spending three nights there. I had great fun trying to get a decent photo of the beautiful Rainbow Bee-eaters that frequented the river bank.
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not offer much to do so it was on our way again to Home Valley, a cattle station that the Government had purchased for the local aboriginals. This station has had a bucket of taxpayer’s money spent on it to turn it hopefully into a profitable tourist venue and working cattle station but unfortunately not too many aboriginals were seen working there. The camp ground by the tidal Pentecost River was a beautiful spot. At this stage in our GRR travels we were now in Salt Water Croc country and these beasts need to be respected.
Typical Station tracks quite a lot of time watching birds that were catching fish in the river including a Jabiru. While at El Questro we went on an evening boat trip up the Chamberlain Gorge and a visit to the very popular Zebedee Thermal Springs, but at 7.30 on a cold morning there was no way I was going to strip off to sit in some warm water with a load of other people. We also did a fairly long walk up Emma Gorge to a beautiful waterfall and swimming hole.
After our relaxing stop at Hann River we went to Ellenbrae, yet another station offering basic camping and of all things fresh scones with jam and cream for the hungry tourists. Ellenbrae did
Emma Gorge
Rainbow Bee-eater
Emma Gorge was our last stop on the GRR and in spite of the VW From Home Valley we crossed the playing up on the odd occasion Pentecost River and headed to she handled the conditions well the well known El Questro resort with only a small amount of dust complex that provides a range of getting in and the one flat tyre. accommodation options including; The weather was just great; the Homestead for the rich and warm days with cool and somefamous at $1800 per night for a time cold nights, particularly at Mt couple! down to camping on the Elizabeth Station, which is 600m Pentecost River. There is a big above sea level. caravan/camp ground but we deAfter 41/2 weeks travelling along cided to pay a little extra and the GRR we still had close to five took what they called ‘private weeks left on this journey and camp sites’ that are roughly 1km had some great places still to visit apart on the river bank but that that I will cover in the final have no facilities; so that meant instalment. digging a big hole once more! It was a beautiful campsite with a good view of the river. I spent
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VW Wins International Sustainability Award Award by World Forum for Ethics in Business for responsible action in the environmental and social fields The Volkswagen Group has once again received an award for its exten- the World Youth Forum and sees itself sive activities in the field of sustainabil- as a platform for global dialog on cority and corporate social responsibility. porate governance. The World Forum for Ethics in Business honoured the achievements of the Group with the Ethics in Business Award 2012 in the category “Outstanding Corporation”. The Board of Directors of the Forum honoured the sustained efforts of Volkswagen in the fields of environmental management and corporate social responsibility. The Board also took into account the inclusion of Volkswagen in the renowned Dow Jones Sustainability World index and its third place in the Sustainalytics DAX 30 rating. The World Forum for Ethics said that the reason for the award was the leadership of Volkswagen in the assumption of corporate social responsibility and the implementation of outstanding and innovative projects. The Forum also underlined that the Group made a positive contribution to society in many areas and set an example of universal values such as integrity, responsibility and respect for people and the environment through its various environmental and health projects.
Volkswagen up! Wins Again
Volkswagen up! Wins Again at UK’s What Car? Magazine Awards Volkswagen’s much-lauded compact city car, the up!, has retained its small car crown at the UK‘s What Car? awards. The accolade was presented at a prestigious event held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. The up! has already proved a big hit, receiving numerous local and overseas industry accolades, including Drive’s safety innovation award, and even the prestigious title of World Car Of The Year.
$13,990 for the up! three-door. Volkswagen up! owners also enjoy the peace of mind with low capped-priced servicing for the vehicle’s first six years or 90,000km (whichever comes first). All up! models feature a refined and economical three-cylinder 1.0-litre engine producing 55kW. Standard equipment on the up! includes ABS, four airbags, ESP and the award-winning City Emergency Braking system, which at speeds between 5km/h to 30km/h, detects the risk of an impending collision and can reduce accident severity, or even avoiding a crash entirely, by initiating automatic brake interventions. So far, the up! is the only vehicle in the segment to offer this innovative technology, more commonly found in cars more than double the up!’s price.
New Volkswagen SUV Concept Makes Global Debut at Detroit Show
Commenting on the award, Chas Hallett, What Car? editor-in-chief, said: “The Volkswagen up! was last year’s Car of the Year because it offers classleading ride and refinement and is great to drive. Low running costs and The Ethics in Business Award is prestrong residuals make it sensational to sented by the World Forum for Ethics own.” Since arriving, the up! has faced in Business every two years to honour stiff competition from a number of ripeople and companies who represent vals, however, according to What Car? values and ethics in business. “none could match the up!’s sheer tal- Six-seat SUV concept designed specifically for North America ent.” The award was made for the first time Innovative diesel-electric plug-in hybrid in 2006. The World Forum for Ethics in As well as high quality, high levels of Business organizes regular events equipment and class-leading ride and powertrain offers fuel economy of 2.1 l/100 km (134.5 mpg) (NEDC for plugsuch as the International Leadership refinement, the up! also offers excel(Continued on page 15) Symposium on Ethics in Business and lent value for money, with pricing from
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in hybrid vehicles) Concept is built using the MQB Modular Transverse Matrix components set Range in all-electric mode is 20 miles (NEDC) 306 PS; 700 Nm (516 lbs ft); 0 to 60 mph estimated at 7.0 seconds Volkswagen has unveiled a new SUV concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Called the CrossBlue, it has been developed specifically for the U.S. and Canada, and if it goes into production would sit above ple, too, with 947 mm in the middle row and 917 mm in the back. Convenient the Tiguan and below the Touareg in access to the rear seats is assured by the Volkswagen SUV line-up. sliding second-row seats that can be The CrossBlue features a plug-in hymanaged with a single hand movebrid powertrain that combines a TDI ment. engine with two electric motors, a DSG transmission, and an electric all-wheel- Behind the third seating row is a cargo area of 335 litres (length 600 drive system dubbed ‘propshaft by wire’, and offers economy of 2.1 litres mm). With the third row folded, cargo capacity grows to 815 litres and load per 100 kilometres. length to 1,387 mm, figures that inThe CrossBlue was designed in Gercrease to nearly 2,000 litres and 2,230 many under the leadership of Walter mm with the middle row stowed. A de Silva (Head of Design, Volkswagen forward-folding front passenger seat Group) and Klaus Bischoff (Head of makes for a maximum 3,110 mm load Design, Volkswagen Brand), in close length. co-operation with Volkswagen of America. Painted in ‘CrossBlue Glass As soon as the driver starts the Flake’, the concept is 4,987 mm long, CrossBlue, controls for the lights, climate control and four-wheel-drive sys2,015 mm wide, and 1,733 mm high. A wide track of 1,686 mm (front) tem emerge from their flush resting and 1,696 mm (rear) give it a confident positions. The controls have aluministance on the road, as do 21-inch alloy um surrounds: aluminium is one of the predominant interior materials, along wheels shod with 235/45 tyres, and with leather and dark-stained banana flared wheelarches. Contrasting with the body colour is a stainless-steel trim tree wood accents. In the centre console is a 10.2-inch touchscreen, while that runs all around the SUV’s lower there is an Apple iPad Mini in the back section. of each front head-restraint. The CrossBlue has two ‘fuel doors’: one for the diesel tank on the passen- As well as excellent fuel economy, the ger side, and one covering two electri- CrossBlue has impressive performance from a powertrain that produccal sockets on the driver’s side. The first socket is to charge the lithium-ion es up to 224 kW and 700 Nm: 0 to battery and the second can be used to 100km/h is estimated to take 7.0 seconds, while the top speed is 204km/h, connect electrical devices. or 121km/h in electric mode. The While the CrossBlue concept car is CrossBlue runs in zero emissions equipped with six individual seats in mode at the press of a button or autothree rows, in a production version, the matically. With a fully charged battery, second row would have the option of the CrossBlue can travel up to 23km in three seats to make it a full sevenelectric mode in the US test cycle, or seater. Headroom is excellent 33 km using the European driving cythroughout the vehicle: 1,077 mm up cle. It has a potential range of 1064km front, 1,020 mm in the middle row, and from a combination of the 70-litre fuel 954 mm in the rear. Legroom is amtank and battery power.
The CrossBlue is based on Volkswagen’s new Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) components set. Its 140 kW TDI diesel engine is from the new EA288 family, matched to a six-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission. The 9.8 kWh lithium-ion battery lies in the vehicle’s centre tunnel, and powers 40 kW front and 85 kW rear electric motors. The Cross Coupé concept first shown in 2011, and also on display in Detroit, uses a similar powertrain concept, showing the possibilities of the MQB platform. The TDI engine produces 400 Nm from just 1,750 rpm, while the electric motors produce their torque – 180 Nm at the front and 270 Nm at the rear – immediately. Combined, the system can produce up to 700 Nm. Powered by its battery, the CrossBlue can cover up to 33 km (NEDC) or 14 miles/23km (US test cycle) as an EV. In E-mode, only the rear electric motor propels the vehicle and the TDI engine is shut off and decoupled. At up to 120km/h, the engine is not engaged as long as the battery has sufficient charge. As soon as there is a need for TDI power, it is coupled to the drivetrain again, within fractions of a second. The battery can be charged by external power sources or by the engine while the vehicle is moving. The driver can switch to a charging mode by pressing another button on the centre console. The TDI engine charges the battery while driving to store enough electrical energy for EV operation later in the journey, for instance in an urban area. There are
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Volkswagen Passenger Vehicles increased sales across almost all its range during 2012 with total sales of (Continued from page 15) 42,785 units. The Golf range (including also a number of other modes, as de- Golf Cabriolet) accounted for 42.3% of tailed below. the total sale figure with 18,112 units sold for the year. Jetta and Touareg Coasting: When the driver releases the showed remarkable strong perforaccelerator pedal, the engine and elecmance in 2012 with the Jetta posting tric motors are decoupled from the strong gains from last year (58.2% drivetrain, provided there is sufficient year-on-year increase) selling 2,637 battery charge. units, whilst the luxurious Volkswagen Battery regeneration: When the accel- Touareg achieved a new record of 1,737 units sold resulting in an 80.4% erator is released or the brakes applied, the electric motors act as gener- year-on-year increase. The Polo saw a ators and feed energy recovered from 36.0% increase with a record 5,925 units sold along with Tiguan and Eos the brakes into the battery. In this selling 6,871 units and 765 units recase, the TDI is also shut off and despectively. Passat increased it sales coupled from the drivetrain. with 27.5% with 4,362 units sold and Boosting: When more performance is the eye-catching five-door coupe, the required, the electric motors form an Volkswagen CC, sold 848 units in alliance with the TDI engine known as 2012.Volkswagen Commercial Vehi‘boosting’. In this mode, all four cles had Crafter and Amarok customwheels are driven. ers to thank for its 2012 success. Volkswagen’s entry into the ute segOff-road(‘propshaft by wire’): All four ment has proven successful, with local wheels are driven. In this case the front electric motor (supplied with ener- sales of the Amarok demonstrating a strong appeal in the market with 6,742 gy by the TDI engine) operates as a units sold in 2012 (39.2% year-on-year generator and a power source for the increase). The Volkswagen Crafter electric motor at the rear. proved particularly successful with TDI only: In this mode, the CrossBlue sales up almost 78.7% for the year is a pure front-wheel-drive vehicle. with 838 units sold.
Volkswagen VW Group Reports 22.6% Delivers Over Increase in Nine Million 2012 Sales Vehicles for Volkswagen Group Australia has continued its growth in 2012 achieving a First Time 22.6% increase with total sales of
54,835 vehicles. Commercial Vehicles Full year 2012: 11.2 percent* increase set an all-time record with 12,050 units in deliveries sold, resulting in a 52% increase. December was strong month: 784,300 vehicles delivered / 20.7 present rise* “2012 has been our 8th year of consecutive growth for Volkswagen in Board of Management Chairman Prof. Australia,” said Volkswagen Group Dr. Martin Winterkorn: “Group develAustralia’s Managing Director, Anke oped extremely well in difficult condiKoeckler. tions and recorded best sales year “The brand delivered another important step in our long-term plan, thanks to our growing dealer network and dedicated staff. With the arrival of the iconic new Beetle and classleading new Golf, we are looking forward to another strong year for Volkswagen”.
Page 16 The Volkswagen Group recorded a further strong increase in worldwide deliveries for the full year 2012 and exceeded the prior-year delivery record. The Company delivered 9.07 (2011: 8.16; +11.2 percent)* million vehicles for the first time in a twelvemonth period. The Group also finished the month of December with a 20.7 percent increase, delivering 784,300 (December 2011: 649,700)* units. The Chairman of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft’s Board of Management, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, commented: “The Volkswagen Group developed extremely well in difficult conditions. 2012 was the best sales year ever. This is another big step forward in our Strategy 2018. Tough challenges lie ahead. The Volkswagen Group has everything it takes to face these challenges and to play a leading role on world markets.” Group Board Member for Sales, Christian Klingler, added: “All the brands in our Group contributed to this very good delivery performance in 2012. This is an excellent team achievement. We are still keeping a vigilant eye on the future, because the present uncertainties will intensify this year, particularly in Western Europe. The markets are challenging and competition is also getting tougher.” Full-year deliveries developed especially well on the American continent, with the number of vehicles handed over in the North America region in the period to December growing 26.2 percent to 841,500 (666,800) units, of which 596,100 (444,200; +34.2 percent) were delivered in the United States. “The United States is one of the Volkswagen Group’s key markets for implementing our Strategy 2018. Volkswagen Group of America will continue to grow and, together with Porsche Cars North America, will deliver well in excess of 600,000 vehicles to customers this year”, Winterkorn said on the eve of this year’s motor show in Detroit.
The Volkswagen Group handed over 1.01 (0.93; +8.2 percent) million vehiGroup Board Member for Sales Chris- cles to customers in the South America tian Klingler: “Present uncertainties will region during the same period, of intensify in 2013. Markets remain chal- which 780,200 (704,700; +10.7 perlenging, competition is getting toughcent) were delivered in Brazil. er.” The Group also recorded very satisfacever.”
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The end is coming... About 10 years ago the club came up with the concept of having its own identifying club plates. Since then the club has sold a number of plates to members and they are proudly displayed on their cars.
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Unfortunately one of the reasons for falling sales is the continual price hikes by the department. Last year they were priced at $315 per set of plates...now they are $327 per set.
However, the VW Club committee has decided that when the Department of Transport retire our plates, that will be end of the series. It could be as early as January 2013.
Last year the club gained an extension of time to be able to give you, our club members at least one more chance to buy our club plates...the deadline was December 2011.
Once more, in an effort to make it easier for the club members to afford our club plates, the club has decided to
Now…The VW Club committee has Last year we received a letter from the now been able to negotiate, what apDepartment of Transport (Government pears to be a FINAL EXTENSION, of WA) that they intended to retire our until 2nd January 2013. club plates because of falling sales. Extension past this date is solely at the DPI has introduced a minimum sales discretion of the Department of requirement of ten (10) sets of plates Transport, primarily if enough plates per annum. are sold.
cent) million vehicles to customers worldwide in the full year 2012. The tory figures in the Asia-Pacific region, brand developed particularly well in where deliveries topped the three mil- the Central and Eastern Europe relion mark for the first time in a twelve- gion, delivering 267,100 (218,100; month period, with 3.17 (2.57; +23.3 +22.4 percent) there. Volkswagen percent) million vehicles handed over Passenger Cars handed over 623,300 to customers, of which 2.81 (2.26; (496,700; +25.5 percent) vehicles in +24.5 percent) million units were deliv- the North America region and 2.37 ered in China, the region’s largest sin- (1.93; +23.2 percent) million units in gle market. In India, deliveries inthe Asia-Pacific region. Audi delivered creased by 2.1 percent to 114,100 1.46 (1.30; +11.7 percent) million vehi(111,700) units. cles worldwide in the period to December 2012. The premium brand from Deliveries by the Volkswagen Group Ingolstadt developed particularly well on the overall European market rein North America, where 168,800 mained stable in spite of the continu(142,500; +18.5 percent) units were ing difficult situation on markets in handed over to customers, and in the Southern Europe, and ran at 3.67 Asia-Pacific region, where deliveries (3.68; -0.3 percent) million vehicles. In for the same period ran at 478,900 Western Europe (excluding Germany), (373,700), an increase of 28.1 percent. Europe’s largest automaker delivered 1.85 (1.98; -6.5 percent) million units. The sports car manufacturer Porsche, The Company grew deliveries in the which became a Volkswagen Group home market of Germany to 1.18 brand on August 1, 2012, delivered a (1.15; +1.9 percent) vehicles. The total of 59,500 vehicles from August to Volkswagen Group continued to enjoy December. Demand for models built strong growth in Central and Eastern by the Stuttgart-based carmaker was Europe, where 644,300 (547,800; particularly strong in the Asia-Pacific +17.6 percent) vehicles were handed region, where 17,800 vehicles were over to customers, of which 317,700 handed over. In the North America (229,000; +38.8 percent) were delivregion, 17,400 units were delivered as ered in Russia, the region’s largest a result of continued high demand. single market The ŠKODA brand delivered a total of The Volkswagen Passenger Cars 939,200 (879,200; +6.8 percent) vehibrand delivered 5.74 (5.09; +12.7 per- cles in 2012. The Czech automaker
keep the discount price of $300 per set…yes now you save $27 per set. If you are interested, you can contact the club at any time for an application form and information sheet or just to discuss your ideas. You can purchase these and put them into storage if you do not have a vehicle for them yet. developed particularly well in Central and Eastern Europe, where 261,100 (231,600; +12.7 percent) units were delivered, and in the Asia-Pacific region, where 276,800 (256,100; +8.1 percent) vehicles were handed over. As a result of the difficult market situation in Western Europe, SEAT delivered 321,000 (350,000; -8.3 percent) vehicles worldwide in the period to December. In contrast, the Spanish brand recorded a strong increase in Germany, where 63,700 (52,000, +22.5 percent) vehicles were delivered. Deliveries in the UK rose to 39,000 (36,100; +8.2 percent), and in Mexico 21,100 (18,100; +16.5 percent) vehicles were handed over. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles grew full-year deliveries 4.1 percent to 550,400 (528,900) units. Deliveries on the overall European market were maintained at the high prior-year level in spite of the difficult market conditions, and 326,000 (326,300; -0.1 percent) vehicles were handed over to customers. The brand recorded strong growth in the Asia-Pacific region, where 19,000 (11,700; +61.9 percent) vehicles were delivered. * including deliveries by the Porsche brand from August 1, 2012; excluding MAN and Scani
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Our Kombi Road Trip from
The start of our story is the difficult decision to sell our Splitscreen camper 66Split in order to raise funds for new projects but only under the condition that we had to have something else to camp in.
started looking to see what he could find. He found one in Tassie but it was an old post so he posted to see if it was still available, there was no response re the Tassie van but someone else did post that one was for sale in Sydney. Meanwhile we sold our splitty so We initially looked at camper now the pressure was on to get a trailers we could use with the T3 replacement for the summer for VW camping trips and with the camping. Pajero if we wanted to get a bit more off road. Dave as usual was So Dave gave Mikki a call about surfing the net when he spotted a the Sydney bus, Mikki sent over bay window Kombi that was some photos, some discussions jacked up with big chunky wheels were had and with an offer from which he liked the look of, he Mikki to drop the bus off in Melthought a double door panel van bourne at his friends Ricks place would make a good camper so the Friday before Christmas the
deal was done. So now how to get the bus the rest of the way home!! After discussing the option of transporting it or driving it back ourselves we decided we would like to do the drive if we could get the timing right to be back for the New Year and work. So after searching flights the best price was on the red eye on Christmas day. We confirmed Rick would be available for us to collect the bus on Boxing day then booked the flights. With only 10 days to go I had to start planning and preparing for the trip, what could we take and what would have to buy over there so numerous lists were started! We managed to take all our small camping equipment and some spare parts and small tools so we just had to buy the heavy tools, food, drink, chairs cooker etc. in Melbourne. After checking out some forums I did route planners for each day to give us a schedule as we only had 5 full days of driving and whatever we could squeeze in on Boxing day after the shopping and Dave giving the Kombi a once over. Christmas Day After spending Christmas day with friends we headed off to the airport. By the way the airports are not quiet on Christmas day, we had to queue just to get to the drop off point!! The terminal was (Continued on page 19)
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Melbourne to Perth by Tina & Dave Moore
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really busy we couldn't believe how many people where travelling. We checked in to our first Tiger airways flight with no dramas. The seats are very close together and even a shorty like me found it cramped, as soon as the seat in front came back it was on my knees! Boxing Day The flight was over quickly and we landed ahead of time, we were then told there was a delay at the gate and we had to remain seated and could not access the overhead lockers, we were trying work out what the delay could be
when two police officers walk down the aisle and take some guy away a few rows ahead of us. He had stolen a wallet and a handbag from other passengers!! Excitement over, time to get going and collect our Kombi. Rick collected us from the train station, he took us to his workshop first so Dave could have a look. It made Dave's shed look like a garden shed!! Dave was in his element wandering around and getting photos. We then headed over to Ricks place and there it was, well it has to be said it doesn't quite have the same impact as the splitty but with a bit of TLC and refit should work well for
what we need. Whilst Rick searched for the receipt and rego papers I started unpacking to get organised and Dave started checking over the bus. At 9.30 we headed off to start getting the shopping which was easier said than done! We knew the stereo didn't have an iPod connection so we had bought an FM transmitter so we could listen to the iPod we managed to get music but it was not the best. There were a couple of cushions on the bed base but they didn't look very comfy or very big, we tested them out and nope even us shorties were not going to fit, airbed and pump added to shopping list! Gradually we collected everything we wanted but couldn't find the Esky or Jerry cans Dave wanted! We just got a cheap Esky from BCF as we already have enough Esky's at home! We could now get the food and start heading to the Great Ocean Road. Dave remembered the light check so we pulled over to check them, no brake lights, dipped beam didn't work stuck on main beam something to look at later. It was now well into the afternoon we hoped to be in Lorne tonight. As we passed through Geelong we spotted another Bunnings and managed to get their last Jerry can, they sent us down the road (Continued on page 20)
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to their new super centre and we managed to get the other Jerry can another thing off the list. We stopped off at Torquay and got our first picture of the Kombi by the Ocean. Dave wanted to carry on as he didn't want to fall behind the route plan. We were starting to lose light so we pulled over and Dave changed some wires in fuse box so that we only had dipped beam. We arrived in Lorne and tried the caravan park, they wanted $55 for one night unpowered so we headed off looking for the free campsite at the other end of town, we drove out of town and didn't see any campsite, we saw a T3 parked up in a lay by that looked like it was there for the night so we pulled in behind it was now 22.15. Distance 145 goes the stereo. We stopped at miles(233km). Apollo bay Dave removed the drivers mudflap as it was catching Thursday 27th December on the wheel when turning right, After a cold sleepless night for me we didn't make it out of the car we got up early and headed back park and there was an awful into Lorne, we parked up on the buzzing noise, Dave stopped beach to use the facilities have quickly but the noise didn't!! I breakfast and for Dave to try and saw the light bulb go on as Dave fix the brake lights, it was the realised it was the horn switch so still no brake lights. We (knackered and earthing out) so left Lorne at 7.45, our destination he jumped out and disconnected today was Keith. I connected the it. Shortly after I had my first dash cam up which caused inter- drive on the windiest bit of road ference on the FM transmitter and so far, driving the bus was easier we had a constant whistle, off than our splitty as I could reach
the handbrake with the clutch down yay. I was apprehensive that the brake lights didn't work as I was constantly slowing down for bends people seem to like driving very close! We arrived safely at the 12 Apostles, photo time off we trot with all the other tourists to get a few pictures. We also stopped at Loch Ard Gorge, The Arch, London Bridge and the Bay of Islands. We realised we hadn't travelled very far and time was getting on so no more tourist stops and straight to Warrnambool. We stopped to pick up an aerial, wiper blades and some seat covers, we had a look at stereo's and decided to get a new one, what we wanted was not in stock. We went somewhere else where Dave thought we should look at the one in the sale for $100. Didn't look the best but if it gave us music without hissing or whistling that’s all we needed. We had no luck getting the brake light switch so tried one more auto store but no luck there either. Dave decided to fit the stereo, which he did in record time even if it was a quick bodge it install. We head of down the road and I try and get music working, it accepts an iPod but doesn't recognise my iPhone!! Now we have a vibration noise coming from the (Continued on page 21)
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front panel area driver’s side. Here starts the undetectable noise story to be continued. We still have a long way to go and I suggest we stop at Mount Gambier instead but Dave wants to get as far as we can. We crossed over in SA so gained 30 minutes just what we need. We pulled over so I could cook tea and Dave fitted the new seat covers, he started with the driver’s seat then did the 2/3 seat except the cover wasn't 2/3 it was tiny so covers all had to be changed back. We headed off again after dinner and got just North of Millicent where we pulled off into a lay-by for the night, it was now 22.30. It was a long day with all the tourist and undetectable noise stops on the way. Distance 292 miles(470km). called in there and they had stock of the original stereo we were goFriday 28th December ing to get so we went straight We headed off towards Adelaide outside and fitted it in the car at 6.30. We stopped at Kingston, park. Finally we had music with photo opportunity with the big no hissing or whistling. We lobster. With all the pit stops and stocked up on supplies as I didn't undetectable noise stops it was think we would make Port Augusnearly lunchtime so we stopped ta before closing. The temperaat Handorf for a pit stop and a bit ture was starting to pick up now of lunch then continued towards but with the windows open and Adelaide. I did a search for auto sunshades on the windows to stores as we had decided to bite keep the direct sun off us it was the bullet and get another stereo still quite pleasant in the van. We as we still had a lot of driving to called in at a servo for more ice go. I found one on the road out of and there was an auto parts store Adelaide we would be on so we next door so Dave popped in on
the off chance of getting that brake light switch, finally they had one but we had to go up the road to their warehouse, so off we go again one switch collected and fitted and now we have brake lights. Just the noise to go now! So we keep heading north for Port Augusta. Time was getting on again with all these stops we had only reached Snowtown, it was here that Dave finally fixed the noise yippee. It was 6.15 but as Snowtown looked more like ghost town we decided to stick to our original plan and eat in Port Augusta. We arrived at Port Augusta and went to Macca's for food so I could use the wi-fi which was a waste of time as it so slow. We found the Big 4 caravan park so booked in there for $36 for an unpowered site and it was only 21.30 an early arrival for us. At last we get to have a shower just in time for the hot sticky part of the journey. Distance 439 miles (706km). The Undetectable Noise. A very loud vibration noise started just as we left Warrnambool. Only appears above 50 mph! Dave doesn't like any sort of rattles or noises that shouldn't be there so as soon as this noise started he had to stop it so here starts the process of elimination. (Continued on page 22)
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There wasn't really anything inside the van so we pulled over. Dave had a tap around the front and had a look underneath, he found some loose washer on bolts in the chassis so he tightened those and off we set we still had the noise, next stop the bumper was tightened still have the noise, the headlamp was removed no change. The badge on the front was loose so that had tape wrapped round it but no change next out came the grill still no change!! I thought maybe something was dislodged behind the stereo as the noise started after that was fitted so out it came no change, the drivers kick panel came off and we both tried laying in the drivers foot well to hear exactly where the noise was, not an easy feat whilst you’re driving along with handbrake and pedals in the way not mention feet. Dave thought maybe the noise was actually at the back but travelling down the heater tubes so he checked out the back of bus and found an exhaust clamp missing, he was quite positive at this point the he had located the source of his noise. So now how to fix it, getting hold of an exhaust clamp specific to a VW engine was going to mean trying to source it in an area we didn't know so instead off we went to
get an exhaust bandage and tyhave this awful noise so now the ing wire for a bodge it fix until we washer bottle is removed and the get home. indicator so Dave can get a good look down behind the front valDay 2 of the undetectable noise. ance but nothing was apparent. Dave made the bodge exhaust Next the front fan tubes where repair before we set off for the removed but still no change. day. He also removed the rear Dave had noticed that the repair heater tubes as the heat exto the front inner valance wasn't changer was also rattling. We set that great there was a gap beoff confident the noise would be tween some fibreglass and the gone but no it was false hope front panel and maybe the wind there it still was. So the speedo was getting in there so he started was disconnected and off we go ripping of some of the fibreglass, again and yep we're pulling over not that either! We did a pit stop again this time the loose throttle and Dave then decided he wanted pedal linkage is cable tied anothto wedge something in the repair er stop this time the loose handso I pulled a brochure out of the brake linkage is cable tied. So the bin for a wedge. Dave then noday is getting on and we still ticed a tiny crack in the number plate so he also wedged some paper behind that too and off we set. Hallelujah the noise has finally stopped 26 hours after it started. So a tiny crack in a number plate that doesn’t rattle when tapped, driving at over 50 mph with a crosswind equals a really loud annoying noise!! Saturday 29th December After replacing the cold water with ice we set off at 7.30 for the Eyre Highway and WA. No loud vibration noise and music to accompany us we can relax just enjoy the driving. Just outside of Port Augusta we see our first wild Emu but Dave was too slow to get the picture. I finally get a (Continued on page 23)
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chance to start typing this write up that would never happen if it waited until we got home so will have to play catch up. First pit stop Kimba, photo with the Big Galah. Next Wudinna, photo with the granite sculpture of an Australian farmer. At Poochera, we saw Peter's humpy that he built using kerosene cans in the 1920's. The highway wasn't very busy wether that was normal for a Saturday or because of Christmas we're not sure but it was great for us as it meant we didn't hold anyone up for long. It also made it easy to suddenly stop for photos of the bus with signs along the highway. I wanted to have lunch next to the ocean at Ceduna so we had some snacks to keep us going. We arrived in Ceduna at 13.30, found a car park on the beach and set about making lunch. I was determined to have a cup of tea as I hadn't had one since Christmas day. So table and cooker out, it was pretty windy but Dave managed to get the water hot whilst I made lunch. After lunch I went for a paddle, the water was lovely like walking into a warm bath. I would have loved a swim but we still had a long way to go so back in the bus we go. We passed through Penong taking photos as we drove past as we wanted to
see the Bight. We finally made to The Head of Bight at 18.20 only to find it closes at 16.30! We were very disappointed and surprised to find that it closed. We pushed on to the first lookout and managed to get a view of the cliffs. We decided to have a bite at the Bight so time cook dinner, it was blowing a gale so the cooker had to be supervised so the saucepan didn't fly off. Due to the wind we decided to eat inside the van then where on our way again, our destination the first rest stop past Border Village. By the time we got to the next view point of the Bight there was no light left so on we go. I emptied
the esky at Border Village ready for some more ice only for Dave to come out and say they didn't have any, note to self don't empty the ice cold water out of the esky until you have more ice!! We called in at Eucla and luckily they did have ice so we could keep everything cold, phew. We pulled into the rest stop with all the trucks and set the van up for the night, it was 21.20 I would say it was an early night but as we had just gone through a time zone it was really a late night! Distance 603 miles(970km). Sunday 30th December We woke very early as the sun was up very early!! Who keeps voting against daylight savings? We planned to fill up at Mundrabilla, which isn't 24hrs so we laid in until 5.15 then headed to the roadhouse to fill up and have breakfast hoping it would be open. It was and we were soon on our way again. We had our first Kangaroo cross the road up ahead not close enough to be a hazard, I wonder if the roo shoo's were working or if the Roo's were just staying off the road? I spotted a small group of Emu's so Dave reversed up and we managed to get photos this time. We stopped to get a photo of Madura pass then off we go again. We filled up at Caiguna, the lady that served Dave asked him how the (Continued on page 24)
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Kombi was going and it turned out she owns the Bay window limo that was at DOVW this year, it was currently off the road as it had blown the transmission again, hope its back on the road soon. It was my turn to drive and I got the longest stretch of straight road in Australia 90 miles of it. As we were making good time today we decided to head for Coolgardie tonight instead of Norseman. By mid-morning it was starting to warm up in the van and by lunch was hot, out came the spray bottle so I could mist myself down, Dave didn't need it as he is not effected so much by heat or cold, lucky him. We had the windows open but the wind was so hot it was like sitting in front of a hand dryer!! About 80km's east of Norseman we pulled into a rest stop with a salt lake, Dave spotted an area where he could get down so next thing we are parked up on the lake for more photo's, never would have got these photos in our splitty as it wouldn't have made the short trip off road. We made it to Norseman by 15.30 so we filled up then headed into town to stock up on supplies, we spotted the camel statues so I jumped out to get a photo. We found the IGA, it was closed, another note to self, remember what day of
Via West the week it is when planning to get supplies!! Off to Coolgardie it is. We stopped in at the pub for dinner which was delicious. We booked in at the caravan park, the mosi's were out, the first of the trip. I lit the burner and got the van ready for the night. Dave got back from his shower and jumped into bed and nearly jumped out again! The bed was so hot it was like an electric blanket had been left on it on full all day. I tried to sleep but the heat was so oppressive I knew I would be awake all night, I went to have a cold shower to try and cool myself down, think again! the cold water was hot so no cold shower. I got back to the van and Dave was willing to keep on going for home although he probably would have been able to sleep. We got about 40km's shy of Southern Cross when Dave pulled into a layby and parked behind a hedge. We didn't bother covering the windows Dave used the front seat and I made a space on the bed big enough to lie down. It was still pretty warm but had cooled off enough for us to get a couple of hours sleep. About 3am we continued on, now it was just head for home, with a quick stop off at Bakers Hill for breakfast we were home by 8.30. We headed straight for bed put the fan on full and slept til lunchtime. Now we
Page 24 had all the unpacking to do and this write up to finish. I put the aircon on and spent the rest of the afternoon in the house. Dave went out to the bus which had not had a clean for a long time and looked like it had been sitting under a tree for a while, and he set about washing the van and giving the roof a t-cut and wax. Wow what a difference. As we had got back earlier than planned we went round to Jamie's to bring the New Year in with friends (thanks BJ and GJ for a very pleasant evening and divine cocktails), we took the bus for its last trip for a few weeks as it is being stripped out and a few jobs done, hopefully will be on the road again soon. Distance 849 miles (1366km). The Verdict We could definitely had done with a few extra days, more time in Melbourne to get setup properly so we didn't have to stop at the shops so often along the way. Not knowing Melbourne didn't help as everything is so spread out. It would have been nice to have at least a couple of extra overnight stops along the way so we could have had more time to see some of the things we drove past and to have had time to just sit and relax and the end of the day instead of falling straight into bed. As I was due back at work on the 2nd we just couldn't do those extra days so we made the best of what we had. The Nullarbor wasn't quite what we expected, we thought it would be quite barren but in fact was quite green and there is lots of trees and scrub. I would be great to do the trip as part of a VW convoy it's just a case of time, maybe after I get that winning lotto ticket!! Would we do it again, yes if there was a reason to
ď Š
Total Distance: 2328 Miles (3746kms) Total Fuel: 410L Average Fuel Economy: 25.8 mpg (10.9 litres per/100km)
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Volkswagen Polo R WRC makes debut at the Rally Monte Carlo When the first World Rally Car sets out on the opening stage of the Rally Monte Carlo, from Moulinon to Antraigues, at 09:00 on Wednesday 16 January, it will mark the start of something rather special: Volkswagen’s first season in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). 20,000 kilometres of testing, 1,700 parts designed completely from scratch, 17 months of preparations – all for this one moment, the dawn of a new age. The appearance of the Polo R WRC in the FIA World Rally Championship heralds a new era in motorsport for Volkswagen – and where better to make your debut than the legendary Rally Monte Carlo. In Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila
(FIN/FIN) and Sébastien Ogier/ Julien Ingrassia (F/F), the works team from Wolfsburg lines up at the WRC season-opener with two young crews who nevertheless already possess a wealth of experience. From 15 to 20 January, Volkswagen will face strong opponents and a new technological challenge. The WRC is regarded as the biggest all-round test in international motorsport and,
alongside Formula One, it is the most iconic of the FIA’s world championships. “I cannot wait to finally getting going. The entire team at Volkswagen is looking forward to the WRC debut of the Polo WRC,” says Volkswagen Motorsport Director Jost Capito. “World Championship rallies in the top WRC class are new territory for the team. Furthermore, the Polo R WRC has been developed from scratch, features a lot of innovative ideas, and will be making its competitive debut. The ‘Monte’ will give us our first indication of how we compare with the opposition – our rivals already have two years’ experience of the regulations that came into force in 2011, and have been driving in the WRC for many years. Our goal for the Rally Monte Carlo is to gain as much experience as possible and to finish with both cars.” Debut time: Volkswagen, the World Rally Championship and (Continued on page 26)
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the Rally Monte Carlo The Rally Monte Carlo is a first for Volkswagen in many regards: the team is competing at a World Championship rally in the top category for World Rally Cars. At the same time, the Polo R WRC will
Via West gether with co-driver Ingrassia, Ogier, who was born in Gap (F), has already won his home rally on one occasion. In 2009 the French pair won the classic as guest starters in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC). Like Latvala and Anttila, Ogier and Ingrassia currently have seven WRC race wins to their name. Simply legendary: the “Monte” challenge in the snow and ice of the mountains The Volkswagen Motorsport team
Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila make its first competitive outing and the team will be working with a new driving duo for the first time under rally conditions. Finn Jari-Matti Latvala and his compatriot and co-driver Miikka Anttila officially joined the Volkswagen outfit at the start of the year. Prior to their appearance at the “Monte”, the duo with seven WRC wins to their name have completed a number of test drives.
Page 26 Jari-Matti Latvala, Polo R WRC #7 “I can hardly wait for the season to get started. I may already have five years as a works driver in the World Rally Championship under my belt, but both the Volkswagen Motorsport team and the Polo R WRC are new to me. As such, I will be making my debut in two regards. The tests up to now have shown that the Polo R WRC is very reliable. This is probably the most important finding so far – and a good basis for future technical developments over the course of the season. I
Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia
could hardly be facing a tougher challenge. After all, the “Monte” is the oldest rally in the world and the “mother of all rallies”, having been held for the first time in 1911. The majority of the Rally Monte Carlo is held on narrow tarmacked roads in the French Maritime Alps to the north of the principality of Monaco. While the lower roads close to the Mediterranean are regularly dry, the drivers are often faced with black ice and snow on the many Latvala and Anttila start the 2013 mountain passes they are reseason in the number 7 Polo R quired to negotiate. This makes it WRC. In the cockpit of the numessential to select the right tyre – ber 8 Polo will be Frenchmen and makes the “Monte” one of Sébastien Ogier and his co-driver the most difficult and complex Julien Ingrassia. They have been rallies on the World Championunder contract as Volkswagen ship calendar. works drivers since the end of 2011 and have played significant Thoughts ahead of the Rally Monroles in the development and te Carlo testing of the Polo R WRC. To-
have already developed a good feeling for the car on asphalt and snow, which is a good sign ahead of the Rally Monte Carlo. It is great fun driving the Polo R WRC. It is very stable and the driveability of the engine is also very good. I would like to get the season off to a good start at the ‘Monte’. The result is not the top priority yet, although I would obviously love to pick up some World Championship points.” Sébastien Ogier, Polo R WRC #8 “The ‘Monte’ is a very special rally. After all, it is my home rally. However, the season-opener near my home will be an extraordinary experience for the entire team, as it is the first rally with the new Polo R WRC. We have been working towards this moment with Volkswagen for over a year. We
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can hardly wait to finally get started. However, it is difficult to judge how we will compare to the opposition, as we have not yet raced against the other teams under competitive conditions. Making your debut in a world championship with a completely new car is a big challenge, particularly as the other manufacturers have several years more experience than we do. For this reason we must be patient and concentrate at first on reaching the finish without any problems. Experience shows that this is anything but simple at the Rally Monte Carlo, as anything can happen at this event.” Volkswagen in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) The start in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) sees Volkswagen continue its successful history in motorsport. Volkswagen claimed overall victory at the Rally Dakar in 2009, 2010 and 2011 with the Race Touareg to claim a hat-trick of titles at the toughest marathon rally in the world. The Polo R WRC is the first World Rally Car to come out of Wolfsburg, with the manufacturer now entering its own works team at the pinnacle of rallying for the first time. This presents Volkswagen with the opportunity to prove itself in direct sporting competition on a global stage. No model is more suited to the challenge than the Polo, which is one of Volkswagen’s most internationally manufactured and distributed cars. © Volkswagen Motorsport Communications
Strong debut: Volkswagen finishes “Monte” in second place Wolfsburg (19 January 2013). Absolutely “Monte”: Volkswagen showed an impressive debut in the FIA World Rally Championship. In one of the toughest editions of the Rally Monte Carlo in recent years, Sébastien Ogier/ Julien Ingrassia (F/F) managed to lead the Polo R WRC in its first competitive outing to second place. In difficult weather conditions with a mix of snow, ice, and wet asphalt next to bright sunshine, thick fog, and heavy rain Ogier/Ingrassa won two special stages on the classic through the French Maritime Alps. Behind the nine-time world champions Sébastien Loeb/Daniel Elena (F/ MC, Citroën), Ogier/Ingrassia achieved top times from the start, thus reaching the podium straightaway and on their own accord in the debut of the Polo R WRC. Their team colleagues Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN)
were among the top five almost until the end of the rally. Because of the extremely challenging weather conditions with slush and pieces of ice, they were, however, forced to retire after sliding off in the legendary special stage over the Col de Turini. Milestones: Fastest times for Ogier/Ingrassia First special stage, first fastest time – for Volkswagen the Rally Monte Carlo began with a milestone achievement. On “Le Moulinon”, with 37.1 kilometers the longest special stage of the rally, Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia achieved the best time. On the second day, the French duo also secured their position with the best time in the fifth special stage, “La Batie D'Andaure”, in their home rally “Monte”. With other top results Ogier/Ingrassia consolidated their second position in the overall ranking. In total, Volkswagen managed to record top-three results in 14 of 16 special stages. Extreme weather: premature end to the “Monte” for safety reasons Extreme weather conditions and safety concerns resulted in a premature end of the Rally Monte Carlo. The organizers of the rally called off the remaining two stag-
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to be ready for the WRC with the Polo R WRC technically but also in driving and logistically. The next round of the FIA World Rally Champion(Continued from page 27) ship (WRC) will take place in Sweden from es on Saturday evening, including February 07–10, 2013. the final round over the Col de Turini. Heavy rain and the resultQuotes, day four of the Rally ing unpredictable weather condiMonte Carlo tions in the night from Saturday to Sunday as well as traffic chaos Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motoraround the mythical special stage sport Director “Second place in the first rally of caused safety concerns. Shortly the new Polo R WRC is more than before the cancellation of special we could have expected. The stages 17 and 18, Jari-Matti Latteam did an exceptional job in the vala/Miikka Anttila had slipped last four rally days and prepared from the track into the barriers with their Polo R WRC. Slush and the cars perfectly. The Rally Monpieces of ice had made the open- te Carlo is the most complex event in the calendar and the ing stage of last day of the rally team has here shown that they unpredictable. Besides Latvala/ Anttila, other top drivers crashed are ready for the World Rally Championship. There was no misout in this special stage. take, not the slightest problem. Tyre gamble and driving skills One cannot value the performost crucial mance of Sébastien Ogier high Changing road textures and unenough. He drove the ‘Monte’ for predictable weather: The condiin a World Rally Car the first time. tions in the Rally Monte Carlo are There is no other rally in which unique in the WRC calendar. In no the driver’s impact on the result is other rally is the skill of the driver bigger. That is why we will not as important as in the “Monte”. see where we stand with the Polo An additional success factor: the R WRC until after the upcoming tyre choice. In the 2013 edition of events.” the classic rally spike tyres turned Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo out to be a rare commodity. No R WRC #8 more than 20 pieces per car are “I never was as happy about a permitted by the regulations. second place as I was today. To When which tyres are used, is a reach the podium in our debut decision that the teams decide with the Polo R WRC is just great. based on the information provided These were probably the most by weather crews along the stagdifficult conditions in a Rally Mones and precise weather forecasts. te Carlo I have ever experienced. Here, Volkswagen not only proved Especially today, during the first run to the Col de Turini, it was extremely slippery, so that speeds of more than 20 kph were not possible. It was just about keeping the car on the road. The entire team worked very hard during the last year, and I am happy to give something back to them. I am sorry for Jari-Matti but I am
sure that we will celebrate further victories together for Volkswagen in the future.” Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #7 “I am very disappointed. There was more wet snow in the first run through the Col de Turini stage than I expected. I was too fast right in the beginning, the car did not turn as expected, and I crashed heavily. Another car had slipped there before I did and I hit the same lane. There was nothing I could do. It was my goal to gather lots of experience with the Polo R WRC. It is bitter to end the rally this way. I am sorry for the guys because they prepared the cars brilliantly. I really wanted to give them a points result.” And then there was … ... the Volkswagen Group brand Audi, which got on board the World Rally Championship at the “Monte” in 1981 with the Quattro, winning, just like Volkswagen with the Polo R WRC, the very first special stage in its debut as a manufacturer. At the time, it was Hannu Mikkola who had a dream start; in 2013, it was Sébastien Ogier who started in a similarly spectacular way in the very first and longest special stage. The Quattro was revolutionary within the World Rally Championship in the early eighties and helped start the triumphant march of the fourwheel drive. This kind of transmission technology is indispensable in World Rally Cars today. © Volkswagen Motorsport Communications
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PART TWO
Playing a Round of Golf VI 2011 Golf 77TDI "Team" Driven 2011-04-28 to 2011-06-26 by Bernd Felsche ...continued from the September October November 2012 Via West Sunday, the First of May It's a special day in Germany. A day when all the motorbikes seem to come out to play in the spring air. After a good night's sleep and a light breakfast, I headed West towards Belgium, with heaps of time on my hands to get where I wanted. Although the TomTom Navigation system running on the old Treo phone knew most of the roads as they had been in Germany in 2007, by 2011 there'd been small changes. And the the maps for Belgium had only the main roads. Lucky for me, the Hotel in on a main road. Well, a minor main road.
and to try to fix the video camera I had mounted in the car. It was rubbish. The camera being far too sensitive to any vibrations, the recordings turned out to be almost completely useless. So much for "solid state".
Speedometers are Compulsive Liars Belgian motorways have Destination was Tombeek, part of speed limits; usually 120 km/h so the city of Overijse in the Flemish the importance of the navigation part of Belgium. The training system increased as it indicated courses were to take place in a the real speed of the car, unlike Francophone part of Belgium, the speedometer which has been which began just on the other programmed to exaggerate the side of the creek near the Hotel. measured speed by about 7%. It My planned commute was about is legally required to lie so that half an hour each way. the car can be licenced for road use. The compulsive lying behavThe run to the border was at iour can be confirmed by plugging most uneventful. I was a little in a diagnostic tool and getting a disappointed that the fuel conreadout of the speed measured sumption remained relatively by the car's own sensors; which high, despite the flat landscape agrees with the GPS figure within and smooth Autobahn surface. But it was still a new TDI. Proper- 2 km/h at a steady speed. The result is that at an indicated 100 ly run in; which can take 40,000 km/h, the car is not even travelkm or more, both oil and fuel ling at 95. consumption can be expected to fall. In combination with strict speed I made a brief stop off the Autobahn just before Aachen, just over half an hour into the trip to take off my jacket, have a drink
km/h and failing to stay out of the passing lanes. This reduction in lane discipline compared to (derestricted) Autobahn traffic in Germany raises the apparent congestion, even on a Sunday, and probably the stress experienced by drivers. After about 150 km of Belgian motorways, I took a near-enough exit at Wavre and noted that the speed limit around most of town is posted as 70; at least on the main roads. Both the age and the lack of map detail in the navigation system become apparent as I hit roadworks, incorporating new road, intersections and roundabouts. But I can read signs, and they seem to point in the right direction. Ooohhh look: A new Audi showroom. There are other small businesses settled either side of the road.
After a little while I was back on the unchanged road. It becomes semi-rural, with some treelines and a ridge. I blinked but didn't miss the small sign greeting those limit enforcement, one gets the who enter Vlaams-Brabant. Just a same motorway behaviour in Bel- minute from the hotel on Waversgium as one endures in Australia: esteenweg at the entrance of the (Continued on page 30) All lanes are occupied by everybody driving at their idea of 120
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village of Tombeek, part of the greater community of Overijse. Radio reception ought to be good because there's a huge mast over the ridge, behind the hotel. Time to check in; though there didn't appear to be any staff out-
Via West side of the trenches. Front door was locked, but that door also served the restaurant which wasn't open at the time. A staff member arrives by car and sees that I'm checked in and have a room. They showed me the guests' entrance at the back of the hotel and tell me where I can park the car for easy access. The suitcase which I was carrying wasn't easy to wrangle up the stairs. A bit of unpacking to do; hang the shirts and trousers so that they're not too wrinkly in the morning. And oh dear; noticed that the hem on one trouser leg has come undone. That was when I applied my Army training, got out the sewing kit and figured out how to do some blind stiching. Fixed in under half an hour. (I hadn't brought any duct tape. A dismal oversight.) Still daylight, my feet are still itchy and I headed back out onto the road for a quick squiz at the neighbourhood. Along Waversesteenweg towards Brussels, what looks like Overijse's old town centre invites a pause at a war memorial in Overijse. For a moment, I consider that it wasn't only the World Wars which ravaged that region, but wars over several centuries between rival tribes and nations. For example, Waterloo is within spitting distance. But there were many earlier, deadly struggles, for much less.
Page 30 Brussels, the newer-looking parts of town stretch out along the main drag. With a speed limit of 70. There are restaurants, fastfood and other shops, as well as service centres for large corporations. I made a mental note of the locations and approaches to service stations and did a short run along the motorway back to the Wavre exit, and a circuit around that town, completing the evening's orientation. Back at the hotel, I found that the Wi-Fi Internet didn't quite extend to the inside of my room. I'd disabled "data" on my mobile phone the night before because roaming data charges were astronomical. And that sort of thing could wait until the following day, where the training facility provided sufficient access capacity. Commuter Duty I was ready for breakfast too early for the staff. No big deal as there was about half an hour's drive and the scheduled start was 9 a.m.. Two cups of coffee, some bread and fixings and I was fit to tackle rush hour; Belgian style. It was chilly. Quite cold. Below 5째 C. Brrr... This was supposed to be the middle of spring. Like all diesels, the 77TDI rattled when cold; nearly as badly as my teeth chattered. I kept my jacket on because I knew that it'd take quite a while for the little diesel engine to produce enough warmth to make the car cosy. Screen demist was on, as were the rear window's and the ones in the side mirrors. At least those electric heaters were "instantaneous". No wonder that heated seats and auxiliary heaters are popular in Northern Europe. Through planning and with blue extremities, I was heading the opposite way to most of the traffic almost all the way. The route chosen by the navigation system however took me through too
Carrying on towards
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many villages where the traffic was frequently slow or stopping. Nevertheless, my OpenERP training destination in Grand-Rosiere was reached with minutes to spare. The converted farm had a large gravel area for parking. It took a minute of me looking around to find an entrance before somebody popped out to point me the right way for "class". Yep. Back to school. But I had brought an apple. Not that there was much need as there were croissants, jam, coffee, fruit juice, etc dished up for the students.
Via West There were many foreign students in the class; including another Australian. Most of the other foreigners weren't quite as foreign, being from e.g. the Netherlands and commuting daily. English was the language for training. Most seemed quite comfortable with it. Although we remained on the premises most days for lunch, Friday were special with students and staff taking lunch at a local restaurant. We piled into a few vehicles and made a convoy. The negative was that the driver couldn't enjoy more than a sip of beer or wine with their lunch. It is probably obvious that Friday afternoon's training wasn't quite as
Page 31 productive as it had been on other days. The end of training at about 5 p.m. wasn't the end of a day by a long stretch. It didn't begin to get dark until after 9 p.m., giving plenty of time to scout around for places to eat, buy some special munchies or simply to see a bit more of the country. That said; I was usually too tired to stay out much after 8 p.m.. "Routine" settled, the rest of the week flew past. One evening, I dropped into a supermarket and found some Australian Pink Lady apples; for about â‚Ź1 per kg. Madness! So I bought a few to munch while watching incomprehensible TV shows until it got dark enough to get some sleep. The second morning was even colder than the first. Frost on the windscreen. Just enough to have me make sure that I'd park wipers off the glass that evening. Which was fortuitous as I had to use the ice scraper to free up the glass the next morning, while the engine was running, working on defrosting. That wasn't in the plan, but only delayed me by a few minutes. A Golf feature with which few Aussies will need to be familiar, is that of wiper parking options. The first is the service position where the wipers swing up to the vertical position so that the blades can be cleaned, inspected and changed. The second is the offglass position where the blades are lifted off the glass so that they don't freeze into position. Blades that are frozen into position can either have the rubber ripped off them or cause the wiper motor to overload. Neither of those is a desirable option. So RTFM (Read The Fine Manual) if you're expecting frosty/freezing weather. Le Weekend That's French, you know!
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frayed.
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It was a chance for a big tour around Belgium with pleasant weather. After waiting for Aldi to open its door in Overijse to fetch some fresh provisions for the road. The objective wasn't to "fill a dance card", but to see where I'd be spending most of my Sunday. To have some depth in my sightseeing. Brussels was immediately out of the mix. The wide avenues seemed to have no merit and the millions of tons of concrete and glass edifices were devoid of inspiring or inspiration. Their grey pouring cold water onto any cheer that the clear blue skies might provide.
I gave the video camera another chance to display some merit on the leg to Spa, but could salvage only a few stills from a half hour of recording. Belgium is not all flat, as you can see from the few pictures. In some areas, it even approximates "mountainous". Following more than 350 km of driving in about 8 hours, I went back to the "traditional", Belgian burger joint I'd seen earlier in Waterloo.
just to make sure that payment wasn't due on a Sunday, I donatIn terms of driving, the biggest ed 20 Euro cents and got a ticket challenge proved to be some of to confirm that I could remain the local roads for which the Golf there until 1 a.m. on the Monday. has evidently grown too fat. Cars Sunday in Leuven In case of memory loss, I kept parked on both sides of a lane the tear-off portion of the ticket Breakfast was late on Sunday. No leaving less than 2 metres for in my wallet. traffic... and the width across the big deal as I'd decided that Leuven was most worthy of a closer side-mirrors for a Golf VI is just Finding the centre of town was look and it was only half an hour then easy; follow Fonteinstraat to over 2 metres. So I ended up slowing down and having the mir- from where I was staying. Well, Brusselsestraat and turn left. Folrors "kiss" those of some parked anywhere in Belgium was less low that street into the cars; at one stage, simultaneous- than two hours from where I was Grotemarkt in front of the town staying. ly on both sides. The paintwork hall. The bridge over the Dijle had wasn't marked. My nerves were (re)construction works with a Starting at about 10 in the mornhuge placard detailing millions in ing meant that I didn't EU spending. When I got to the have to deal with frost square, I realized that I could on the windscreen. have taken Brouwerstraat inTraffic was light and the stead; as a more direct route. navigation system guided me to the edge of The Town Hall was immediately Leuven; after which it recognizable. It was the most opwas fairly useless due pulently-decorated building in the to its ignorance of misquare. The cathedral opposite nor roads. It was a only had size to give it any prommatter of watching inence. From a placard on the what little traffic there bank building on another side of was and avoiding anthe square, I learnt that Leuven other lane of mirrors as had been almost totally devastatexperienced on the yes- ed during World War I, which reterday. inforced my nagging impression that I was seeing a Disneyfication I found a small carpark of the past. The square wasn't in Fonteinstraat at exactly over-run with tourists. Brouwerstraat which was ticket parking. My When I follow a road off the Leffe is an excellent beverage Dutch is about 30% square to Oude Markt, I see a that has its traditional home in correct when reading so Then to the old centre of Overijse. To snap some pictures and to sit down for a cool glass of Leffe Brun.
Overijse.
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long square, with restaurants lined alng both sides; on terraces to the left. There are hundreds of tables and thousands of chairs. And a dozen tourists. Or so I thought. It's lunch time. What's eaten Leuven? As I walked past, one of those sitting in a group of two occupied tables asked me to take his picture. He (let's call him "Sam") must've "guessed" that I was a tourist. In a brief conversation, Sam told me that most of the people in his group are locals; not even students; and that the students almost all abandon town on the weekend for e.g. mums' cooking. The fed and freshly washed students then return on Sunday evening.
Via West With my feet wearing thin at about 3 p.m., I headed back to the car, keeping the general direction but snooping down different lanes. Some parts of town are genuinely old; others are definitely faux traditional. I can't really see the point in the latter. It devalues the genuine. It chooses only a few elements and often omits the nuances.
I packed my gear into the car and set off back to the hotel. But off to the side of the road, I saw the Stella Artois brewery. I made a detour down to the surrounding industrial area, much of it wasteland. A few new office blocks, mostly vacant, were just off the canal. One old, multi-storey factory fascade is supported by a steel frame; perhaps trying to honour the industry of the past or Sam wrote his email address onto to shame the indolent of the prea beer coaster so that I could sent. send him the picture. I carried on, further inspecting the desolation Even the Golf's diesel's exhaust wrought by mums' cooking. note found little resonance in this territory. A gentle cruise along I was almost prepared when I the canal reminded me that nasaw the vast plaza in front of the ture will erase the successes and University Library. One could failures of man's industry without have shot a post-apocalypse discrimination if efforts to immovie. If the Belgians weren't so prove do not persist. That wasn't tidy, then they'd have plastic a sullen tune for which I was "tumble weeds" like the commerlooking when I took the detour. I cial part of London has on Bank had hoped to see signs of innovaHoliday Mondays. tion and industry, building on the
Page 33 past. That wasn't to be. I get back to the hotel and work out that it must be the maid's day off. A nearby eatery comes to mind but when I get there, my appetite has abandoned me. I sat in the car in the shade, enjoyed the breeze and tried not to think of how good things could be if we weren't so obsessed with solving imaginary problems. Training Week 2 This was a new course, a different instructor and a change of some students (more geeks). Otherwise, is was largely a replay of the previous week. One morning, I slept through my alarms and had to skip breakfast so that I wouldn't be very late. Traffic conditions were kind. Adrenalin is not a good substitute for caffeine. It was not a matter of enduring the week as trying to get as much done as possible during that week. On Friday morning, I packed most of my stuff into the car early, before my last breakfast. After essential ablutions, I grabbed what was left in the room, checked out and settled the bill. Good bye to Tombeek. The final day of training was only approximately a replay of the previous week's. I had it in front-ofmind to leave before 6 p.m. so that I could get back to Herne in Germany before dark. continues ... Copyright Š 2012 Bernd Felsche, Perth, Western Australia PART THREE TO FOLLOW...
The VW Club Committee is pleased to announce this series of articles as the...
Member Story of the Month for November 2012. For this Bernd wins a $50 fuel voucher‌. 1953 - 2013...Volkswagen commemorates 60 years in Australia
January 2013
Via West
V-neck Polo - design for the ladies & girls $30.00 each A name can be added for another $5.00
Polo Shirt - for the men and boys $30.00 each A pocket is an extra $5.00 A name can be added for another $5.00
T-shirt - unique design with the club 3D logo on front and back $25.00 each Stand out in the crowd.
VW Club stickers $2.00 each Official club logo 3D club logo “I’M A VW CLUB MEMBER”
VW Club Cloth badge $5.00 each
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Day of the Volkswagen collectors cloth badge and annual stickers (limited numbers) $2.00 each VW Club Peak Cap with the traditional club logo - adjustable velcro band at the rear $15.00 each 2011 Toodyay Bug-In - 42nd National Bug-In Metal car badge (limited number) $25.00 each
If you have any ideas for merchandise, please let the club know.
Merchandise Officer: Rod McSwain Phone: (08) 9332 6919 Email: info@vwclubwa.com Purchases can be made by cash, cheque or credit card (Visa or MasterCard) - postage charges may be extra.
1953 - 2013...Volkswagen commemorates 60 years in Australia
January 2013
Via West
1953 - 2013...Volkswagen commemorates 60 years in Australia
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We would love an early response so we can book the catering fairly accurately!
January 2013
Via West
1953 - 2013...Volkswagen commemorates 60 years in Australia
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