Dato!


The Datsun 120y.
Ferried us round the east coast of Aus for a couple of winters and did us proud. Apart from the freaky rattle it made when firing her up (later found out we were putting the wrong fuel in) and a bust radiator she just kept on going, even as the rust spots turned her from white to orange.
Apparently it was something of a cult car over there in the seventies, the preserve of c-list celebs and wannabe rich folk, confirmed by the thumbs up I'd get nailing it along the highway and hearing one guy in the carpark at Cabarita exclaim, 'Sentastional! It's a 120y!'
Got some very funny memories of this car, including a 120 mile round day trip on the hunt for a decent wave, knowing deep down there wasn't going to be one. It got out of hand, the driver wouldn't stop, we were all whinging cronically, bearing in mind the car has less room than a mini and had 5 of us in it, 3 broad chaps over 6ft, 5 longboards on the ropey $40 roof racks, can't sit up straight in the back, mid summer with no air con., sweaty, uncomfortable, but very funny.
It all started just going to check the surf at Burleigh, nah, might be better further down, just check Palmy, nah, might as well have a look at the Alley, nah, Tugun? Let's have a look at Green Mount, Snapper, D-bah, Fingal, Salt. Ok can we go home now, this is getting silly? Driver stern....'NO STOPPING', piled in, quick stop at the pie shop, onward. Byron, finally Ballina, unsurprising it was no good, why hadn't we just given up at the start? Quick hello to Ed our mate from Woolacombe lifeguarding in the ass end of nowhere, then shoehorn back in, nearly dying of cramp and heat exhaustion in the back, and where did we end up? Mermaid, 2 miles in the opposite direction from where we started.
Good times.

5 comments:

  1. Nothing like a sweaty roadtrip to make you appreciate the sea more though hey!!

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  2. "We're going to Ballina. NO STOPPING!"

    What a trip. LOVING that you have the legendary Dato on the blog!

    "When you feel like a tool cos you've run out of fuel thats the dato...when you're shrouded in dust and you're choking on rust thats the dato..."

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  3. Ed who from woolacombe? I live there... hilarious! feel free to stop by!
    xx

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  4. thanks for the comment back! I got hold of a load of blogs from surfgirl magazine, and depending on work, this is all likely to head in a more surf/snow/chill direction from now on (as soon as I get to leave big city life! much as I love it!)
    hope you get to catch some good waves- woolie was RUBBISH last time I went home!
    xx
    p.s. DEFINITELY on the mutual friends thing... this world is too small sometimes!

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