For several years, we have discussed back and forth about where the "big trip" should go.
Should we go to South Africa, South America, Canada, the Silk Road or where should we go? The arguments were many and mixed, "there are internal disturbances", "there is an outbreak of disease", "do they like Danish tourists", etc. etc.
So we came up with "We go where we get the furthest away and it's the most difficult to get to" We are young and fresh, so if we take the "worst trip" first, then everything will just get easier the older we get . So the choice ended up being Australia and New Zealand.
We also quickly combed our hair. Australia has some strict quarantine rules and you can't just take your car with you. Sus started with the paper work and Johnny started taking the car apart so that it could be thoroughly cleaned. Out with the engine, out with the body, one thing brought the next with it.
You can also liiiige when you're getting started. An awful lot of hours have been spent getting rust fixed - treated and painted again. The big assembly work still remains. But fortunately there are still about 12 weeks until shipping.
And speaking of shipping, it is also a bit of a challenge to find the right one. A company wanted to pick up the car at our address and ship from Copenhagen. It couldn't be easier. But then it must not contain diesel and oil, as it was therefore dangerous goods. So that idea was scrapped.
A few other companies did not sail to Australia at all, but we found an opportunity in RO-RO (roll on-roll off ferry) from Bremerhaven in Germany. They specialize in sending cars to Australia. They disinfect the car before shipping, which must be both gassed and heated to kill European beetles - then you meet the requirements to get to Australia. Cool! We take that solution, so now we just wait to get a departure time. It was supposed to come in March.
We have chosen to ship to Perth, as it should be easier to get your car into the country there. In order to get the car with you, you must also have some kind of passport for your car. It is a carnet de passage, which is issued in Germany by ADAC. We must have that because Australia wants a guarantee that we can pay customs duties on the car if we sell it down there. Carnet de passage also contains a bank guarantee, which our bank here at home issues. Phew, it'll work.
But we are looking forward to driving out of the port of Perth…
UPDATE…Breaking News…After many preparations and temporary obstacles that were overcome, a problem suddenly appeared that cannot be solved with just preparation and stubbornness.
Due to Covid-19 or the Coronavirus, the whole world has almost shut down like a frightened oyster. This means no guarantee that we can ship our car, or what is almost worse – no guarantee that we will be allowed to fly to Australia when our car has arrived and thus incur a storage fee at the port of Freemantle (Perth).
Therefore, we have postponed the start of the trip by a year, so that we are now aiming for 2021 to Australia and 2022 to New Zealand. We are crossing our fingers…
Ridiculous viruses!!!
