Oh, the Places We've Seen: The Rock Truck

So the trust steed for the trip will be the Rock Truck so I thought I better introduce it as it will be practically be our second home (we'll be spending enough time in it) and our Tug Boat for the Big Green Lizard.

For those interested in specifics, The Rock Truck is a 2015 RG LTZ Colorado.

Some think it's named the Rock Truck as it likes bouncing off rocks. But the kids actually named it early on in it's life as it constantly plays rock music inside and none of "Mum's music". Whilst I'm sure that's been the case for most of it's life, I think once we all pile into it for 9 months, I might have to concede it will play some more variety...

We've had her for 2 years now, after finally calling last drinks on our first 4WD (a NM Pajero). This trip was always a focus for buying the Colorado as we wanted something that was affordable, reliable (hopefully), and widely supported across the country both in servicing and modifying.

When we picked her up she looked like this:

And I don't believe it's ever been as shiny.

Since then we've added quite a bit in preparation including:

ARB Ascent Canopy
ARB Deluxe bar
Driving lights
Snorkel
EFS Suspension upgrade
Roo System exhaust upgrade
Speedliner tubliner
UHF radio
Brake controller
Wiring for Thumper battery (our 2nd battery)
Ezi Reach Cargo Tray
HPD Catch Can

She now looks a lot like this:

There's still a few things to come before we leave, most notably a new pair of shoes and possibly roof rack. Overall though, she's just about ready to roll. She's been proven to be a reliable and capable vehicle, if a little agricultural in refinement. It's no 200 series Landcruiser nor F150 (my dream 4WD) but she's a ripper and teams up well with The Big Green Lizard.

And as you can see below, she's already been on some ripper adventures. She'll be a integral part of our trip and hopefully will allow us to enjoy it as much as we can.

Bathurst 1000 - twice