max*d Issue 02

max*d ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA

ISSUE 2

DESERT

Out of the Box:

Surfing killer waves in NZ’s remote Fiordland

Unsung Heroes: James Harrison, blood donor extraordinaire

Hook, Line ‘n’ Sinker:

Brett Wilson’s top five fishing spots

IN

Chasing floodplains in the Australian outback

BLOOM

Heritage. No Japanese auto brand has more. Almost 100 years of hard won experience, expertise, innovation and continuous improvement. From our first vehicle in 1922 to millions of Isuzu vehicles and diesel engines all over the world, we’ve learnt a lot.

Result: excellence, economy and a peerless reputation for reliability and performance. Now we’ve put all this knowledge into one ute.

The premium, advanced turbo-diesel D-MAX. Time perfects.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT ISUZUUTE.COM.AU OR CALL 1300 147 898

isuzuute.com.au

Spirit of Truck

flashback ■

1933: Isuzu Motors’ forebear launches the tx40, the first Japanese VEHICLE made exclusively from domestic materials and parts

The 1930s saw significant growth in demand for motor vehicles in Japan, and with it, the arrival of dynamic new car-makers eager to capitalise on the trend. Among them was the Automobile Industries Company, a joint venture between Dot Automobile Manufacturing Inc. and Ishikawa Automotive Works, maker of the first passenger car ever assembled in Japan.

In 1933, Automobile Industries Company launched two flatbed trucks made to standards established by the Japanese Ministry of Commerce and Industry: the TX35 – a 1.5-tonne general-purpose model for rural use – and the TX40 (pictured), designed for urban and suburban use.

The TX40 featured a ladder-type steel frame, leaf spring front and rear axles, and a watercooled 4.4-litre diesel engine. It was locally designed and used only Japanese-made parts, laying the foundation of the nation’s formidable automobile industry.

A year later, at a meeting with the Japanese Ministry of Trade and Industry, the TX40 was renamed Isuzu after the Isuzu River, the waterway that flows past Japan’s oldest temple, the Ise Grand Shine. Translated into English, it means ‘50 bells’.

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N O C S T N TE

â– contents

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ISSUE 2

04 News rld of What's happening in the Isuzu UTE Australia

07 tech head

wo

AX's

Trade secrets behind D-M 4x4 package

08 max tank

tow a oneHow far can a D-MAX of diesel? k tonne boat on one tan

11 wish list

wboards, check From soccer balls to sno e products out these four must-hav

12 out of the box

rld's largest On the hunt for the wo g legends swells with two surfin

16 passport t frontier' 'las Exploring Palawan: the Philippines the of el jew and prized

16 20 eat your dust

rney through A once-in-a-lifetime jou of NSW ck tba ou d the waterlogge

28 unsung heroes

o saved two The story of a man wh his blood ing nat do million lives by

port 32 International resed a stir cau How a lone D-MAX ute ad event -ro off at Spain's premier

36 Get stuffed

20 2

e shows us Sicilian chef Paolo Patan bonara car i how to make fettuccin

38 dealer list

dealers Where to find D-MAX across Australia

40 hook, line 'n' sinker five Brett Wilson shares his fishing hot spots

top

S

welcome ■ An eerie mist blankets Lake Mungo in the newly greened plains of outback NSW

Welcome to the second edition of max*d, Isuzu UTE Australia’s magazine for D-MAX owners and lessees.

There are now more than 5,000 of you in the ‘Australian D-MAX club’. And while the number might seem quite substantial, it represents but a small and exclusive proportion of ute owners in this country.

Australia itself is a member of another exclusive club – one of a select number of advanced nations that did not peer into the abyss during the global financial crisis. Yet, given the questionable financial health of the European Union, the continuing volatility of the Aussie dollar and the fact that many folk out there are still doing it tough, it’s prudent to recognise we’re still not out of the woods.

In times like these, you get genuine comfort in knowing you’re equipped with the essentials; that come what may, you have the tools to deal with any obstacle looming over the horizon. Your D-MAX is such a tool – an essential piece of hardware designed to help you take on whatever life throws in your direction.

To me, the D-MAX has a certain ageless, chunky appeal that forgoes none of its shine when covered with mud. It’s frugal yet highly functional: reliable, built to last and as comfortable as a ute has ever been.

In Japan, we say every D-MAX built carries the ‘Spirit of Truck’ – a century-old heritage born from the world’s leading manufacturer of small- and mid-sized commercial vehicles. Never has that spirit been more appropriate than in these ‘interesting’ times.

I trust you enjoy reading our magazine and continue to enjoy driving your D-MAX.

Hitoshi Kono Managing Director Isuzu UTE Australia

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■ news

ute of the year, again!

New look for top-selling D-MAX models The most popular D-MAX model – the top-spec LS-U 4x4 crew ute – and its 4x2 look-alike LS have toughened up their looks going into winter.

Each model now sports a new-design chrome grille dominated by a central crossbar with a ‘sabre-tooth’ finish to project a more aggressive look and new doublespoke alloy wheels over the flatter, broad six-spoke alloys that continue on the LS-M. The new LS, LS-M and LS-U models also feature subtle interior design changes, adopting a cosy black colour scheme instead of the dark grey of lower-spec models. The dash centre-stack fascia and side air-vent

surround panels now come in satin black with chrome trim rings instead of the silver finish of all previous LS models.

Lighting on the instrumentation panel and dash switchgear has been upgraded from blue to amber, while the silver bands around the main three dial-faces now sport a more upmarket gunmetal-grey finish.

And cabin headlining is now black instead of the dark grey that continues in the lower-spec models.

Or, for those seeking a feistier paint job, an attractive crimson mica exterior finish dubbed Tornade Red is now offered across the range at additional cost.

d-max proves a hit Electrician Dean O’Brien, 24, (left) from Bacchus Marsh in Victoria, became the proud owner of a silver LS-U automatic from Ballarat City Isuzu UTE’s Adrian Smith in May. Dean says he made the decision to purchase a D-MAX after 4WD Action magazine’s editorial team rated the vehicle as the best-performing ute in its class, outgunning the Toyota HiLux, Nissan D40 Navara and Mazda’s BT-50.

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Did you know?

Following the signing of Narellan Isuzu UTE in Sydney’s south-west, the Isuzu UTE Australia dealer network now numbers 65 – plus 12 approved satellite outlets (ASO).

*

Australia’s independent voice on ute and vans, Delivery magazine, has awarded D-MAX Ute of the Year for 2010.

Delivery editor Chris Mullett, a former 4x4 instructor who headed up the magazine’s panel, praised D-MAX for its reliability and performance.

“We found that when we delved into the chassis and componentry, there are further benefits such as longer chassis lengths, wheelbase dimensions, stronger axle bearings, chassis cross-members and more impressive engine performance that show the depth of its original development,” says Chris.

“While all utes tend to look the same, the engineering and reliability of the D-MAX itself highlights the reasons for purchase.

It’s one of the most powerful, the most economical and one of the most capable.

“The D-MAX is certainly the pick if you are looking for a solid workhorse that does an honest day’s work without ever complaining,” he says.

The Delivery magazine award follows the crowning of D-MAX as 4WDers’ ‘Ute of the Year’ by 4WD Action magazine in 2009.

Did you know?

D-MAX was named Malaysia’s most fuel-efficient ute two years in a row by Asian Auto-Mudah.my Fuel Efficiency Awards 2009.

news â–

GO YA HALVES

MATE!

Refer Isuzu D-MAX to a mate and get $200 cash, $100 for you and $100 for your mate!* Isuzu UTE are doing unbelievable Buddy Bonuses with a generous cash back offer to current owners of new and demo Isuzu D-MAX utes who refer their mates. $100 cash for you and $100 cash for your mate with the successful referral and mate’s purchase of an Isuzu D-MAX. Claim form and T&Cs available at www.isuzuute.com.au/buddybonus

*Terms and conditions apply. Full details available at www.isuzuute.com.au/buddybonus

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■ news

dates FOR THE DIARY july 8-10 Ag-Grow Field Day Emerald 16-18 Farm Fantastic Caboolture 27-29 Queensland Mining and Engineering Expo Mackay

D-MAX & showtime fmx join forces Isuzu UTE Australia has joined forces with ShowTime FMX, Australia’s premier freestyle motocross team.

The deal will see ShowTime FMX use D-MAX utes to cart dirtbikes, ramps and the team of riders, mechanics and other support personnel around the country as they wow audiences with death-defying

motorcycle stunts. ShowTime FMX will also customise a D-MAX that will be displayed at a number of events around the country.

“I’m very excited about the partnership with Isuzu UTE,” says ShowTime FMX’s Gary Reid.

“They are a great vehicle that suits our team image.”

Did you know?

Isuzu D-MAX is the ‘Tow Vehicle of Choice’ and the Official Vehicle Sponsor for the Darwin Boat Show 2010 and the Brisbane Boat Show 2010.

august 5-14 Royal Queensland Show Brisbane 17-19 AgQuip Field Days Gunnedah 26-29 Brisbane Boat Show Brisbane

september

Nearly a Fatality-Free Friday Fatality Free Friday (FFF) – a campaign supported by Isuzu Ute Australia to reduce road fatalities – had its most successful year to date in 2010, with seven out of eight states and territories recording no road fatalities on May 28.

This year, FFF was marked by three major public installations held at Melbourne’s Federation Square, Brisbane’s Reddacliff Place and Townsville’s Strand Park.

The Melbourne and Brisbane events featured 1,500 pairs of shoes to represent the number of people killed on Australian roads every year.

“People appreciate that the road toll is too high and can be reduced,” says FFF founder Russell White.

“This day gives them the platform to create a positive difference in their own community.”

FFF returns on May 27, 2011. fatalityfreefriday.com.

Publisher Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd

Publishing Partner Edge Custom Media

CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Merran White

ACCOUNT MANAGER Amy Story

Managing Editors Richard Power, Cornelius Ionescu

EDITOR Ian Neubauer ian.neubauer@edgecustom.com.au

SENIOR SUB-EDITOR Sanchia Pegley

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Sarah Willmott

SENIOR EDITORS Georgina Armour, Edwina Lawry, Kristy Barratt

ADVERTISING SALES Peter Gilray peter.gilray@edgecustom.com.au

SENIOR DESIGNER Michelle D’Souza

Disclaimer: The information included in this magazine is intended for interest only. The opinions and views expressed in this magazine are provided in the writers’ personal capacities and are their sole responsibility. Their publication does not imply that they represent the views or opinions of Isuzu UTE Australia or Edge Custom Media and must neither be regarded as constituting advice on any matter nor be interpreted as such. The reproduction of advertisements in this publication does not in any way imply endorsement by Isuzu UTE Australia or Edge Custom Media of products or services referred to therein. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. A selection of the images featured in this publication have been sourced from Getty Images and Thinkstock Images. Business Essentials trading as Edge Custom Media ABN 22 062 493 869.

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COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Craig Hodges

max*d magazine is proudly printed in Australia using renewable resources. Pacesetter Coated is an FSC Mixed Sources Certified paper, which ensures that all virgin pulp is derived from well-managed forests and controlled sources. It contains elemental chlorine-free bleached pulp and is manufactured by an ISO 14001 certified mill.

3-5 4x4 Fishing and Boating Expo Melbourne 4-5 Darwin Boat Show Darwin 4-12 Royal Adelaide Show Adelaide 18-28 Royal Melbourne Show Melbourne 22-24 Henty Field Days Henty max*d is published on behalf of Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd by

51 Whistler St, Manly NSW 2095 T +61 (0) 2 8962 2600

SGS-COC-003898

tech head ■

masterful mud-slinger Three out of every four D-MAXs sold in Australia are 4x4s. but What do these buyers get for their coin, other than a passport to adventure?

Right: D-MAX’s torquey turbo-diesel revels in tough off-roading Below: From a 60-degree plunge to river crossings, the D-MAX conquers all terrain D-MAX’s 4x4 package offers much more than just drive power to all four wheels.

Identifiable by its high-riding, wide-track stance on 16-inch-by-7-inch wheels with 245/70 all-terrain tyres and wheel arch flares, it is serious kit so first off, lowrange gearing is a given.

That includes an ultra-low low-range crawler first gear with anti-stall technology for idling over the gnarliest rocky outcrops or chucking hay bales off the tray across the paddock; and pushbutton dash controls offer shift-on-thefly between 2WD and 4WD high with speeds up to 100 km/h.

The ABS on all but the D-MAX EX has a G-sensor so it disables on very steep, loose surface slopes, allowing wheel lockup and control over braking.

Protection from underbody assaults is delivered via steel plate guards for

225mm

48

25.8

34.6

48

(SX)

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the sump, transfer case and the front end of the ute’s high-density polyethylene fuel tank. There is also a sheet steel shield to protect the rest of the tank’s underside.

Front and rear diffs have snorkelled breathers – flexible tubing that pipes the air outlets considerably higher up than the diff housings themselves. This prevents water entry in axle-deep water fording.

The D-MAX 4x4 kit also increases maximum tow capacity by 500kg, taking it up to a class-leading three tonnes, and adds another 100kg to Gross Vehicle Mass, taking it up to 2,900kg.

The High-Ride suspension offers 225mm minimum ground clearance. Drivers who require even more distance between them and the ground will love the torsion bar independent front suspension, which is far easier– and less costly – to alter than a standard coil spring set-up. And short overhangs in the front and rear mean D-MAX will get you in and out of the steep and the deep every time.

D-MAX 4x4’s rear-loading heights are also lower than most other 4x4 utes, thanks to underslung rear-leaf springs. These are unusual in 4x4 utes and don’t cost ground clearance. They also lower the D-MAX’s centre of gravity and offer better handling by slinging the heavy springs closer to the ground.

A ‘soft-roader’ she ain’t!

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■ max tank

A tonne towed 1,000km on a tank Isuzu’s D-MAX diesel UTE tows a five-metre fibreglass boat weighing a tonne nearly 1,000km on a single tank

Words: Richard Power

8

E

co-futurist and tree farmer Hans Tholstrup loves a challenge – especially one designed to promote the importance of conserving fossil fuels. Last year, he drove a D-MAX SX 4x2 manual lowride ute 1,716.3km on a single tank of diesel from Far North Queensland to Innamincka in South Australia.

That drive, which included 175km of gravel, returned an average fuel consumption of 4.428 litres/100km.

The result was similar to that of an electric-petrol hybrid or a small diesel car – not what one would expect from a four-door, five-seater ute with three litres of turbo-diesel torque.

So this year we upped the ante and asked Hans to see how far he could drive a D-MAX while towing a Haines Traveller TC165 cruise boat with Suzuki DF80A outboard motor – a

combined weight of about one tonne.

Dubbed the 2010 Max Run Challenge, the test kicked off in Cunnamulla in south-west Queensland with the grand design of making it all the way to Coolangatta on the coast on one standard tank. And to complicate things, it took place between the two February deluges that saw central Queensland turn into a sea the size of Spain and that created head- and nose-winds of up to 35km/h along much of Hans' route.

But the master of frugality took it all in his stride, and when he arrived at his destination in Coolangatta, the fuel light hadn’t even come on yet. Spurred on, Hans then headed north and finished the run in the Brisbane suburb of Cannon Hill – another 100km away.

The D-MAX’s calculated average fuel use during the run was 7.85 litres/100km based on a nominal fuel tank volume

max tank ■

...when he arrived at his destination in coolanGatta, the fuel light hadn't even come on.

February's first floodwaters cascade over Cunnamulla's weir at the start of the Max Run

of 76 litres. That's less than the best ADR81/02 figure for any D-MAX, which at 7.9l/100km without towing is a 3.0-litre class winner.

Fuelling at the start and finish of the test was supervised by the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland. The fuel-tank flap was sealed with void tape and the tow-bar link was intertwined with numbered security seals.

The 2010 Max Run Challenge was geared as a ‘real world’ economy test and has again proved the claim that the D-MAX is the most efficient one-tonner in its class.

Bent-back grass betrays stiff head-winds on the Max Run across southern Queensland

Eco-friendly driving tips getting more distance for your dollar is easy TIP 1: start and go

Going back a decade or so, starting a cold diesel engine in the morning meant waiting several minutes for it to warm up. But with new-generation diesels such as those found in a D-MAX, you can just start and drive off, accelerating gently until the temperature gauge needle starts moving off ‘cold’.

TIP 2: put the pressure on

Run your tyres at the highest end of their recommended pressures as denoted on your vehicle’s tyre-pressure plate – usually found on the driver’s door trim. Doing so is especially beneficial when you’re driving at highway speeds as it conserves fuel, sharpens steering response and handling, and lengthens the life of your tyres.

TIP 3: take a cruise

Only engage the cruise control function when driving on flat roads. The on-board computer cannot anticipate hills and reacts too late, using more fuel to maintain speed. Ditto when a hill is climbed in cruise control mode the computer tends to back off the accelerator too late, thus speeding and consuming more fuel. But on flat stretches where traffic is light, activating cruise control will result in marginal fuel savings.

Note: In these runs, Hans Tholstrup, an expert in economy driving, drove for maximum economy at mostly less-than-posted speeds over mostly low-traffic roads. The full-size alloy spare wheel was carried and the door mirrors were in their normal positions and not folded back.

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■ tech head

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wish list ■ SNOWBOARDS Californian snowboard-MAKER Cheetah Ultra Sports isn’t afraid of crazy new ideas, such as stamping a huge gaping hole in the centre of a board, for example. Enter the Whip FR-117A, a new type of blade that borrows design elements from a hydrofoil – minimising the area of the board that contacts the ground to reduce drag.

Made from carbon composite, the Whip has been described as “Batman’s snowboard”, “the Lamborghini of snowboards” and “the coolest snowboard ever built”. And at more than $2K a pop, it had better be: www. cheetahultrasports.net.

SOCCER BALL Jabulani means ‘to celebrate’ in the Zulu language.

But when adidas’ futuristic new soccer ball by the same name was unleashed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, it brought nothing but controversy.

Acclaimed as the roundest soccer ball ever made, this lightweight ball made from eight thermally bonded 3-D panels was blamed for dozens of uncharacteristic ball losses. But FIFA remains adamant in its belief that the ball delivers unparalleled accuracy and it seems the Jabulani is here to stay: adidas.com.au.

ers k a bre l a de wp Four ne

s that roduct

an will ch

y we thin wa e h t e g

k about

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SHOES The brief was as follows: make us a boot that exceeds all known parameters in terms of performance, durability, comfort and protection. Make it puncture-proof, fireproof, chemical-proof, lightweight and slash-resistant. Give it enhanced loadbearing stability, insert a soft breathable inner for silent movement, and add combat-grade speed eyelets and laces.

The result – the aptly-named Elite Assault Boot – now graces the feet of US Elite Special Forces operating in Afghanistan and Iraq, with a consumer variant (pictured) now sold only at Oakley stores: www.oakley.com.au.

3-D TELEVISION In 1922, LA’s Ambassador Hotel Theater screened The Power of Love, a soppy tearjerker filmed on a camera that recorded images from two different perspectives. Seen through special eyewear, it tricked the eye into thinking it was seeing a 3-D image on a flat screen.

Audiences were thrilled – but had to wait until now to see 3-D technology incorporated onto the small screen. Among the first to market is the Samsung LED C7000, an ultra-slim, internetenabled unit with an inbuilt recorder: www.samsung.com.au.

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â– out of the box

eyeof the storm Two former veterans of surfing’s world tour seek out the largest swells on the planet.

They call themselves Storm Surfers Words: Michael Mapstone

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out of the box ■

There are no words to describe the intensity and magnitude of the waves Tom and Ross face.

This page: Ross Clarke-Jones dices with a monster wall of freezing Fiordland and fury in far south NZ

hen the ocean erupts like a volcano, its massive swells whipping to a frenzy, most of us would prefer to have our feet firmly planted on terra firma.

Not so for Tom Carroll and Ross Clarke-Jones.

The two Aussies, former vets of surfing’s World Tour, deliberately put themselves in the paths of the largest swells on the planet. They call themselves Storm Surfers.

There are no words to describe the intensity and magnitude of the waves Tom and Ross face, though the footage they capture offers insight into the high-risk world they inhabit.

It also resulted in the first installment of the Storm Surfers series – filmed on reefs off the north-west Tasmanian coast – and a global success for broadcast partner Discovery Channel.

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Slaughtered in NZ

In their latest adventure, Storm Surfers – New Zealand, Ross, Tom and the Storm Surfers team head to the South Island’s remote Fiordland, where they face hailstorms and frigid temperatures while hunting down icy waves the size of fourstorey buildings.

When Tom describes the situation as “heavy”, you can be sure it was a thousand times worse.

“There was snow falling on the jet skis at the boat station,” he says. “It was very intense.”

So did they find the swells they were after?

“We got it all,” laughs Ross. “We had good surf but then we were slammed and slaughtered by the elements.”

Yet the results, he adds, speak for themselves.

“We filmed Storm Surfers – New Zealand in a way that puts viewers right in there with us.

I think it’s our best one yet. We have improved every time but this time, we really hit the nail on the head.”

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fers Storm Seuarla nd – New Z d on Premiere Channel Discovery on July 14

“We had good surf but then we were slammed and slaughtered by the elements.”

ROSS CLARKE-JONES

Behind the scenes

Successfully riding and filming such epic surf doesn’t come easily. Ross and Tom may be the faces of the Storm Surfers team but they depend on the skills of surf forecaster and meteorologist Ben Matson to put them in the right place at the right time. Tom dubs him “the man with two brains” for his knowledge of the ocean and weather patterns.

The Storm Surfers team also includes Sydney-based documentary makers Justin McMillan and Chris Nelius, who first got together in 2004 to film The Sixth Element: The Ross Clarke-Jones Story. The duo also produced Horror/ scopes – Cape of Storms and Red Bull Tai Fu, surf films in which Ross and Tom feature.

The Storm Surfers team faces massive logistical challenges filming the

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The series ticked all the right boxes when it debuted last year, attracting fans from across the demographic spectrum. But where it really shone was in showing how Ross, Australia’s best-known big-wave specialist, literally lives for the thrill of riding massive swells. His co-host Tom, 1983 and ’84 world champion and a leading competitor on the tour for more than a decade following, likewise relishes the challenge of pitching himself against some of the most difficult conditions Mother Nature can dish out.

Not only do the boys possess the skills and abilities needed to deal with super-sized waves; they’re both extraordinary individuals with largerthan-life personalities that combine in a crescendo on the small screen.

“We’re like two little kids sitting up the back of the room who annoy the shit out of the teacher,” Ross says. “We’re aggressive but also highly creative.”

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■ out of the box

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Igniting the storm

Above: For a perfect holiday, add freezing water, giant waves, sharks and rock towers Below: Ross Clarke-Jones (L) and Tom Carroll

show, displaying enormous patience to snare footage of storm-generated swell.

“With 15 to 20 people on the team, we have to move with military precision,” Ross says. “It’s a big-scale operation and feels like work, but when it comes together it’s a beautiful thing.”

A Marriage of minds

Danger is, of course, ever-present in such extreme environments – even more so when a production crew is involved.

“I think coming out at the end of a big day when everything and everyone is safe – it really is a wonderful feeling,” Tom says. “After all, we lay ourselves out in front of nature.”

Tom adds that Ross is the only person who can reassure him when things really heat up – even when he is “going off his chops”.

The two have been good mates since their World Tour days, travelling together, competing against one another and sharing countless personal highs and lows. It was their friendship, combined with their mutual love of surfing, that saw them fall into big-wave riding at the same time. And it’s their history that counts when they’re towing one another into mountainous waves in situations where each man has the other’s life in his hands.

“It’s about seeing the other person and being able to communicate without talking,” Tom says. “Knowing how the other person will behave.”

Ross agrees, describing their relationship as a marriage of sorts.

“You’ve got to work together, and be just as happy getting the other guy into a good wave as catching one of your own,” he says.

“In the same way, it’s nice to cook a meal for someone else or have one cooked for you.”

The first Storm Surfers series, Storm Surfers: Dangero us Banks, was commissi oned

by Discovery Ignite, a testbed for new ideas on the Discovery Channel.

Discovery Ignite aims to collaborate with filmma kers in Australia and New Ze aland to co-produce original local content with global app eal.

“Bearing in mind extrem e sports is not historically a key genre on Discovery Ch annel, the challenge was to tak ea subject like big-wave sur fing – a relatively niche genre with pre-existing filmma king conventions – and cre ate a program that would con nect with a much wider aud ience,” says Mark Francis, exe cutive producer for Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific.

The first series premiered as Discovery’s number one show in Australia and New Zealand.

Mark and the Discovery team achieved this by moulding Ross and Tom ’s original concept into a series that is as much about their personal journeys of discovery as the exped itions on which they embark.

Combined with data on the scientific elements of the missions and some hila rious experiments, Storm Su rfers achieved broad appeal .

The first series premiered as the Discovery Channel’s number one show in Australia and New Zealand last year before being on-sold to markets in Europe, North America and As ia.

Last Front ier

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â– passport

North of Borneo, on the outer fringe of the Philippines, lies the island of Palawan, south-east asia’s garden of eden Words and photos: Ian Neubauer

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or more than half a century now, South-East Asia has enthralled Australian travellers with its exotic cultures, friendly people and breathtaking natural beauty. Bali, Thailand and Vietnam have taken the lion’s share of the spoils, selling unforgettable experiences to foodies, explorers and beachcombers alike.

Another country that ranks alongside them but lacks their marketing prowess is the Philippines.

Comprising 7,100 tropical islands that are home to 10 distinct indigenous groups and countless aboriginal tribes, the Philippines is among the most intriguing and bestvalue destinations in the region.

Palawan – a 400-kilometre-long island in the country’s south-west – is arguably the jewel in its crown.

Dubbed the ‘last frontier’ of the Philippines, this province is an ecological wonderland boasting vast swathes of jungle, pristine coral reefs, hundreds of empty beaches and some of the world’s most stunning geological phenomena.

The city in the forest Flying into Puerto Princesa City, Palawan’s sleepy little capital, is like being transported into an animated film. Surrounded on all sides by turquoise waters, cloud-ringed mountains and mangrove trees, it’s one of the cleanest, greenest cities in the Philippines – and the developing world – thanks to the efforts of logger-turned-greenie Mayor Edward Hagedorn. Wheelie bins abound, garbage is collected daily and litterbugs face citizens’ arrest.

Lighting fires, cutting down trees and digging wells have been illegalised, and Mayor Hagedorn is waging all-out war on those who use dynamite or cyanide illegally to fish.

It’s little wonder that so many of the people who live here, Mayor Hagedorn included, emigrated from other parts of the Philippines. Puerto, as the locals affectionately call it, is

passport ■

also the gateway to Palawan’s many natural attractions, including the islands and reefs of nearby Honda Bay. But to see something truly unique, visitors need make the 50-kilometre journey to Sabang Beach.

Journey to the centre of the earth Sabang Beach is nothing out of the ordinary for Palawan – just another sweep of powder-white sand lined with coconut palms and thatch-roofed eateries and bars. The real attraction is the Puerto Princesa Underground River – a subterranean canal that runs 8.2 kilometres into the earth. About half of its length can be explored in guided canoes that depart regularly from a small lagoon hidden behind the north end of the beach.

The feeling upon entering the cave is like travelling through space: the darkness is overwhelming so the canoes come rigged with powerful lights. Our guide uses them to illuminate walls layered with stalactites and stalagmites, some of which resemble characters from the Bible.

The only things that can survive in this light-less world are bats and swiftlets – small birds that use echolocation to navigate in the dark.

Yet the most impressive feature is a set of caverns with walls that stretch up to 65 metres high. The slightest sound echoes insatiably, sending thousands of bats into a spin.

This page: palawan’s big lagoon is the most photographed sight in the Philippines

The South China Sea coast From Sabang, the trail continues north to the beaches and islets of Palawan’s west coast. You can get there via mini-van, on a rented dirt bike or by hitching a lift in a ‘jeepney’ – one of the elongated jeeps that serve as national carriers of the Philippines. A more direct, less stressful alternative exists in the form of motorised catamarans that ply the South China Sea coast.

A half-day journey takes one to Port

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Near a school, you know the rule.

40

Fatality Free Friday, 27 May 2011 When driving in school zones, slow down and be patient. Be aware of children and other road users. Take the pledge, and make it a Fatality Free Friday.

For more information and to register your commitment visit www.fatalityfreefriday.com

Fatality Free

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Proudly Supported by Isuzu UTE Australia

Manila Right: Exploring the world’s longest underground river by canoe

THE PHILIPPINES

Middle: Spontaneous smiles all round

Palawan

Bottom: Two-tier travel by jeepney

Barton, a former logging station set on a tranquil cove. Allegedly named after a British colonel who surveyed the area in the 1940s, Port Barton boasts a pristine beach where the water is lukewarm in parts and as still as a lagoon. There’s nothing much to do here but loll in a hammock, or trek through the jungle to nearby Pamuayan Falls.

The next stop on the tourist trail is the town of El Nido, a day’s journey north of Port Barton. Located between limestone formations that resemble skyscrapersized chess pieces, El Nido is a place of eternal beauty – and is where Alex Garland wrote his seminal novel The Beach. El Nido is also the jumping-off point for trips to the Bacuit archipelago, a series of interlinked bays pockmarked by karst-like islands and islets that appear to explode from the sea.

“The archipelago is similar to Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay or the Krabi and Phi Phi area of southern Thailand … only – dare we say it – more beautiful,” write the denizens of independent travel at Lonely Planet.

Only two resorts have been built on the Bacuit archipelago; both cater exclusively to the rich. The first lies on Miniloc Island, a sand-ringed former volcano with two hidden inland lagoons, accessible only through small holes in rock walls. Inside, an aquatic paradise awaits discovery. The diving is outstanding, with luminescent coral gardens and aquablue swimming-holes. But you don’t have to be rolling in it or staying at the fancy resort to take it in. Dozens of different daytrips depart from El Nido, with prices starting from as low as $15 a day.

Treasure island Despite Palawan’s mind-blowing beauty, the real treasures are the Palawanians

Fact file GETTING THERE:

Qantas flies from Sydn ey to Manila three times pe r week; tickets start at $1,050 return.

Philippine Airlines flies from Manila to Puerto Prince sa daily from $110 return.

GETTING AROUND:

Hotels in Puerto sell mi nibus tickets to Sabang for $10 . From there, jump on a canoe to the underground river for the same price. Seafaring catam arans and mini-vans run to and fro m Sabang, Port Barton and El Nido.

Each leg costs around $20 per he ad.

WHERE TO STAY:

themselves. Foreigners are addressed as “madam” or “sir” and the locals practically fall over themselves to help tourists. What these people offer goes beyond hospitality: it’s a deeply ingrained sense of responsibility for all visitors.

“I think it is inherent to all Palawanians because they are, by nature, extremely helpful and cooperative people,” explains Mayor Hagedorn.

“If you visit a poor family living in the country, they will cook you a chicken even though it is worth a fortune to them. They have a compassion for strangers which I find remarkable.”

• Puerto Princesa: An iceto’s Pension offers rooms, some with air conditioning and private bathrooms, for $5-$20 per night.

Phone +63 917 789 46 64 • Port Barton: Ysobelle ’s Beach Resort rents bungalows and townhouses from $20-$ 50 per night.

Phone +63 910 201 64 64 • Bacuit archipelago: El Nido Resorts on Miniloc and Lagen islands offer all-inclusive stays in luxe cottages startin g from $280 per person per nig ht.

Phone +63 2750 7600 or visit www.elnidoresorts.com .

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â– eat your dust

20

eat your dust â–

BIG WET THE

Record rains transform Outback NSW into a spectacular wetland ripe for off-road exploration

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■ eat your dust

Words: Ian Neubauer Photos: Ian Mckenzie & Ian Neubauer

ydney, Katoomba, Bathurst, Dubbo: they vanish like faded dreams in my rear-view mirror as I surge westward on a mission to witness one of the rarest natural occurrences of our times: the outback, in bloom. Following drought-breaking rain across eastern Australia last summer, huge bodies of water are moving south from Queensland to the Murray-Darling Basin, turning the desert green in their wake.

I get a taste of what it was like here during the Big Wet when a savage electrical storm erupts on the horizon as I coast down a lonely stretch of the Barrier Highway at sundown. The desert releases its giddy aroma as white-blue rain comes down in sheets and lightning bolts flash across a pitch-black sky. I’m heading to White Cliffs, an opal town and now tourist trap some 300 kilometres north-east of Broken Hill. It’s a short distance to the Paroo-Darling National Park, one of the most recent areas to have been transformed by the Big Wet, a place where once-dry lake beds have become inland seas so large they have their own islands and weather systems.

Bedrock

Previous page: A submerged forest on Lake Menindee, Kinchega National Park Top right: ‘Grey nomads’ Paul and Jenny Massie Middle left: Apostle birds enjoying a drink Others: Sand dunes, lake beds, lunettes, and an emu in Mungo National Park

22

I wake up staring at 64-million-year-old ceiling inside PJ’s Underground, a familyrun B&B built inside a former opal mine.

My womb-like room feels like something out of The Flintstones, providing the perfect escape from the blistering heat and cutting winds for which White Cliffs is renowned.

I sleep so well it’s mid-morning by the time I emerge at the surface. It’s my first time in the outback and I’m blown away by the vastness of it all – rocky red soil and saltbush as far as the eye can see. The only standout feature is a moon-crater-like sandstone ridge that borders the shore of distant Lake

The desert releases its giddy aroma as white-blue rain comes down in sheets.

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■ eat your dust

KILLER ROOS Roos are the single biggest cause of car crashes in the outback.

If you do hit one – or are about to – don’t try to swerve or stop; just plough straight through ‘em. “If you try to hit the brakes or turn hard when you’re doing 100km/h, you’ll flip your car,” says Toby from White Cliffs.

“Happened to my auntie a few years ago when she hit a roo. Her car rolled 12 times. She survived but her daughter didn’t. That was a tough week for all of us.”

24

Peery – centrepiece of the Paroo-Darling National Park. Fed by torrents of waters flowing 600 kilometres south from Queensland’s gorge country, this string of pools has in recent weeks become a complex wetland system and inland playground for countless species of water birds.

After a quick breakfast, I jump into the D-MAX and make for the lake, accompanied by PJ’s manager, 24-yearold Toby Kelly. Like many people in bush, Toby loves banging on about his hometown and isn’t the kind to let the truth get in the way of a good yarn.

“These opal miners, even if they did strike it rich, they wouldn’t know what to do with the money,” he says. “There was this one guy here who walked around in the same pair of pants for five years, ate baked beans for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of his life.

When he died, we got wind he had $700,000 in his account.”

It takes us half an hour to reach the ridge and another half an hour until we hit the waterline. Peery is more ocean than lake – a churning mass of water that emits ferocious winds from its centre and spits baby waves onto foam-fed beaches.

We walk along the shoreline, over a small ridge, to a secluded nook where coolibah trees dangle over gently lapping water.

I kick off my boots and sun myself on a rock as a school of ducks flies overhead in a ‘V’ formation. We’re in the middle of the driest continent on earth but blessed, as it seems, with an abundance of water.

“When the big rains came, there was no warning,” Toby recalls. “I was outside barbecuing some zucchini and within 15 seconds, I was boiling them. The guests ran inside but I didn’t care. Hadn’t washed my hair in a couple of days and it needed a good soaking.”

The lakers

The next morning, I head south to the town of Wilcannia. Going back 130 years, it was one of the busiest ports on the Darling River Run – a 1,000-kilometre steamboat trade route upon which the region’s great pastoralists built their wealth and prestige. Their legacies –

eat your dust ■

magnificent sandstone buildings that line Wilcannia’s riverfront – now sit empty, boarded up and in disrepair, though authorities have begun to restore some of them, including a post office built in 1880.

While fuelling up, I grab a copy of the Wilcannia News, which tells me the Darling River registered 1.27 metres yesterday afternoon after reaching its peak two days beforehand. I catch glimpses of the caramel-coloured waterway for the first time as I head out of town and drive south along Four Mile Lane – an unsealed road that runs along a dry, dusty plain carpeted with myrtle trees. The road’s surface is chameleon-like, changing from grey to brown to ochre to blonde as I hurtle towards the next stop on my itinerary, the Menindee Lakes. Known as ‘the oasis of the outback’, these nine great

Above: Outback art Left: Small-town service at BP Wilcannia Middle left: Toby Kelly at PJ’s Underground Others: Places, faces and critters on the open road

toby loves banging on about his hometown and isn’t the type to let the truth get in the way of a good yarn. ephemerallakes are bloated beyond compare, with Lake Menindee now holding three-and-a-half times more water than Sydney Harbour. “I never thought I would see Menindee like this again,” says an aboriginal ranger I meet at the visitors’ centre at Kinchega National Park, an area encompassing four of the great lakes.

I ask the ranger for a good place to see the sunset. He directs me to an unmarked spot 20 kilometres down Lake Drive, where I park the D-MAX and walk a kilometre or two to reach a finger of land that divides Lake Menindee from the more diminutive Lake Eurobilli. I spot dozens of kangaroos running around the heath, and pique the interest of a pair of emus that follows me at a safe distance.

When I reach the shoreline, I see a raft of a hundred or so pelicans feeding on the surface, diving and throwing fish into the air. Once again, I marvel at the sheer quantity of water – an enormous silvery sheet stretching almost as far as the

horizon through which the branches of submerged trees reach out to the sky.

“That’s what I love about the landscape here – the contrast between the greens and the reds – long dusty plains that go on forever,” says Paul Massie, a grey nomad from Lennox Head I meet at a camp site that night.

“The last time I came here was 1980 and boy, has it changed; it’s like a wetland now.”

Captain caveman

From Menindee, I continue south on a paved road that runs parallel to the Darling River – part of a 3,370-kilometre stretch of water that runs from Queensland to the Victoria-NSW border.

The river is in better shape than it has been in years, though even now, after the Big Wet, it narrows perilously in parts. It gets me wondering how much longer a river that has dried up several times over the past 100 years can realistically last.

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lM Opa

WHITE CLIFFS

■ eat your dust

Paroo-Darling National Park

y Wa iners

Menindee Lake

MENINDEE

Darling Ri

Tandou Lake

ver Run

Kinchega National Park

D Ri arlin ve g rR un

WILCANNIA

Mungo National Park Walls of China

Left: the old woolshed at Mungo National Park

Historians believe that to contemplate the future, one must first understand the past. So to get a better idea of the Darling might look like centuries from now, I detour to Mungo National Park.

A World-Heritage-listed area some 60 kilometres east of the Darling, it is the site of the oldest known human occupation in the Southern Hemisphere following the discovery of human remains – those of Mungo Man and Woman – dating back 40,000 years. The park was also once home to 13 colossal lakes teeming with crustaceans and mussels and countless fish species.

Today the lakes are dry – shallow pans bordered by powder-white sand dunes and lunettes. The most impressive and most visited dune is known as the Walls of China: a breathtaking 33-kilometre ridge dotted with ancient fireplaces around which Mungo Man and Woman warmed themselves at night. And while the Big Wet was nowhere near big enough to revitalise the lake beds of Mungo, it did create a number of billabongs, one of which is home to a family of black swans. In my haste to catch an eyeful I drive a bit too close to the edge and end up getting the D-MAX deeply bogged in grey, gelatinous mud.

Photographer Ian Mckenzie and I spend the next three hours digging the vehicle out and by the time the ordeal is over, we too are looking like Mungo Men, covered from head to toe in semi-baked mud. We write it off to experience and spend the

26

rest of the day exploring this occasionally moon-like place that, while technically a desert, is green and full of life.

“Mungo is typical of the outback,” says Jacques Barichard, co-manager of Mungo Lodge, a luxurious cabin-style accommodation property owned by Indigenous Business Australia.

“When there is drought, life becomes very challenging, but when there is rain, everything floods and then turns green. It’s an amazing place.”

River’s End

After two days in Mungo, I coast back to a road that hugs the Darling and follow it south to Wentworth, where the river meets its end and empties into the Murray. “Magnificent trees droop like willows to the water’s edge with evening’s mildest radiance in their foliage, throwing a soft haze over the distance,” wrote Captain Charles Sturt, the first European to arrive here in 1830.

Though much of Australia would be unrecognisable to Captain Sturt today, Wentworth has indubitably retained all of its charm. Given the impact of climate change and our persistent overuse of water resources, it’s hard to say how much longer it will remain that way.

The task, then, is to see it and relish it; to respect and nurture the great rivers and wetlands that are the lifeblood of our nation; and to remember that water is the most important, most magical, most inimitable thing on earth.

Fact file WENTWORTH

GETTING THERE: Both Kinchega and Pa rooDarling National Parks are easily accessible from Broken Hill.

For Kinchega, follow Menindee Road for 110 kilometre s. For Paroo-Darling, follow the Barrier Highway to Wilcannia, then head north along Opal Mine rs Way until you hit White Cliffs. La ke Paroo lies about 50km east of town.

Alternatively, unsealed roads on either side of the Darlin g River link the two parks. Mungo National Park lies 200km south -east of Menindee and 130km north-east of Mildura. All unsea led roads and parks are subject to flooding and temporary closu res. For upto-date information, co ntact the Roads and Traffic Autho rity (13 1700) or the NSW Na tional Parks Authority (1300 361 96 7).

WHERE TO STAY: • PJ’s Underground off ers spacious accommoda tion in White Cliffs: $125 (sing le) to $165 (double). Phone 08 80 91 6626; pjsunderground@bigp ond.com.

• Mungo Lodge on the outskirts of the national park ha s 4-star cabin-style accommo dation for $250 per night. Phon e 03 5029 7297; www.mungolo dge.com.au.

• Emaroo Cottages ha s swanky residential-style accom modation in Mildura for $175 pe r night, or $160 per night in Bro ken Hill.

Phone 08 8595 7217 or visit www.emaroocottages. com.au.

HE SOLE

The

TA NT

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RESIS

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Contact customer service on (03) 62 712 222 for stockist details

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LIGHT AND TOUGH

â– unsung heroes

IN HIS

J Words: Amelia Ball

D O BLO

ore ho saved m w n ia l a r t ble Aus cluded a remarka ndsons in a f r o g y r is o h t f s The one o ion lives – l il m o w t than

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Photo: Kate Geraghty

JH unsung heroes ■

J

ames Harrison doesn’t like needles. This may seem strange coming from the man who holds the Guinness World Record for donating blood. As a regular donor for 56 years, James has been on the receiving end of almost 1,000 needles – 975 in the left arm and 10 in the right. And because he carries a rare antibody that fights the deadly Rhesus disease in the womb, he’s also helped save the lives of more than two million babies – including that of his grandsons.

Despite being bestowed with an Order of Australia and three nominations for Australian of the Year, the 74-year-old summarily dismisses any suggestion of heroism.

“I regard our soldiers as heroes,” he asserts. “My only claim to fame is that I became a regular donor.”

It was a lifesaving operation at the age of 14 that set James on this path. After receiving 13 pints of blood during surgery on his lungs, he spent what felt like an eternity recovering in Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital.

“The operation today takes about a week and they do it with keyhole surgery, but I was in there for three months with 100 stitches,” he says.

When James realised his life had been saved by blood donors, he resolved to return the favour. Two days after turning 18, he made his first donation and never looked back.

An accidental hero Doctors believe an accidental transfusion of positive blood into James’ negative system created a rare antibody that proved a death knell for a fatal form of anaemia called Rhesus disease.

“I could never have another transfusion like it – it would kill me on the spot,” James says.

“In 1966, they proved that the Anti-D vaccine, made out of the antibody, could be used to stop women having what were then called ‘blue babies’.

They explained it to me, said they had a breakthrough and asked if I’d be prepared to be involved.”

Because James was among the first to participate in the related trials, his life was insured at the time for $1 million. “They made sure my wife would be looked after,” he says.

Women at risk of having babies with Rhesus disease today are injected with the Anti-D vaccine

“Only three per cent of people donate blood but 80 per cent will need it in their lifetime.”

during pregnancy preventing the disease from taking hold, or within 72 hours of birth to prevent future ‘blue babies’. Incredibly, this same treatment was used on James’ own daughter when she had her second, healthy child.

That grandson is now aged 15, and James laughs about the fact that the teenager is all too aware of his responsibility to donate blood, much like the rest of his family. “He hears enough about his story, so he’s very conscious of it.”

James began by donating blood in the late 1950s. But he switched over to donating plasma to maximise his antibodies when the discovery was made in the 1960s.

“I was giving plasma and not blood, which meant I could donate more regularly than the normal four or five times a year,” he explains.

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Rainforest Challenge, Malaysia

4x4 Fun Race, Venezuela

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Russia

J

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Dakar Rally, Atacama Desert, Chile MAXTRAX are made from super tough engineering-grade reinforced Nylon, and measure Sahara Aventure, north Africa 1200mm long, 340mm wide and 60mm high, and weigh just over 4kg each.

MAXTRAX can reduce “down time” as recovery can typically be performed by just one person.

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MAXTRAX can eliminate the need for recovery by placing over boggy ground before attempting to traverse. They can be linked together to form a continuous track or pegged to slippery surfaces to provide MAXimum TRAXion. They also make a great portable boat ramp for launching or retrieving off a beach or creek bank.

MAXTRAX are sold in pairs and feature: - Excellent traction and a large ‘footprint’ Outback Challenge, Morocco - Tyre grab points and ramps for superior traction - Suitable for vehicles up to 4 tonne on boggy sand - ‘Nestability’ for additional load capacity and easy storage and transport - Large cleats on the base provide grip on slippery ground - Holes for linking or pegging to the ground - Six comfortable handles - Safety orange colour Estonia

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J

H

Previous page: James cradles twins Seth (left) and Ethan Murray. Seth’s blood type is O positive; Ethan’s is O negative Below: James has been donating blood for 56 years

Photo: Courtesy of Red Cross

If you’d like to donate blood, call 13 1495 or go to www.donateblood.com.au.

Eligible donors – women over child-bearing age and men of any age with Rhesus (Rh)-negative blood – may also wish to volunteer to have the injection that creates antibodies in their systems and enables them to become Anti-D donors.

”It went down to being able to donate every six weeks and then every four, then three, and now it’s 33 times a year.”

James’ schedule of donations must be perfectly lined up – “you can’t come one day early” – and has thus formed a huge part of his life.

As a long-time caravan enthusiast who travels widely each year, James’ commitment is impressive. Even when he escapes to Queensland for three months in the winter, he keeps up his donations at the local blood bank.

“I’ve donated in most places in Queensland over the years, and also in Perth and Adelaide,” he says.

Born to give Perhaps the reason James doesn’t consider his achievements unique is because helping others out is in his blood. His father was a regular blood donor and was involved in countless community groups.

“He was also the town Santa Claus for 25 years. He would wake up at 4am, get dressed in his suit and hand out lollies to the children. They relied on him,” James recalls.

And while James’ modesty adds to his charm, there’s no downplaying the statistics born from his deeds.

“They say I’ve saved 2.2 million

unsung heroes ■

“They say I’ve saved 2.2 million babies, which sounds like a hell of a lot, so I can’t argue with them.”

babies, which sounds like a hell of a lot, so I can’t argue with them,” he jokes, nevertheless maintaining that everyone must do their bit.

“Only three per cent of people donate blood but 80 per cent will need it in their lifetime,” he explains.

“I don’t like needles or pain but you feel good that you’re one of that three per cent. I take the train and read a book on the way there and back.”

James’ generosity is now being heralded around the globe. When influential US news website The Huffington Post ran a story about him earlier this year, hundreds of readers posted comments lauding the man. In the UK, he is known as ‘the man with the golden arm’ following a report by the Daily Mail headlined this way.

It’s all a bit surreal for the country boy from Junee, though James does get a little excited by the prospect that the publicity might encourage more people to donate blood. “Blood can’t be made in a test-tube,” he says.

“There are two sayings I go by: the life you save could be your own; and an hour of your time could mean a lifetime for someone else.”

As James approaches his 1,000th donation, he is becoming philosophical about the milestone.

“Every donation is the same,” he says, “and I would never suggest that my 900th donation was any better than someone’s first. I may hold the world record for the most donations, but it’s a record I hope is beaten.”

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■ international report

This page: Team Isuzu takes on Baja España Aragón

32

international report â–

Words: Ian Neubauer

rom ing team f c a r k ic r e A mav ers fles feath f u r l a g u Port ad mier off-ro e r p ’s in at Spa rts event motorspo

e s e u g u t r po

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■ international report

Featuring dense dust, high temperatures and seemingly impossibly rocky terrain, the circuit is known for brinGing out the best – and worst – in competitors.

Above left: The gigantic red rock formations (Mallos de Riglos) that tower over the village of Aguero, Aragón Above right: Rui Sousa and Carlos Silva celebrate their 2006 win

34

S

outh America has the Dakar Rally, California has the Baja 1000 and Western Australia has the Australasian Safari: gruelling off-road rallies set in unforgiving desert environs that put adventurers and machines through the ultimate test in their quest for glory and the much-coveted number one plate.

In Spain, they have the Baja España Aragón, a 1,000-kilometre cross-country race held in Monegros, a semi-arid area of the Iberian Peninsula. Featuring dense dust, high temperatures and seemingly impossible rocky terrain, the circuit is renowned for bringing out the best – and sometimes the worst – in competitors.

Since its launch in 1983, the Baja España Aragón winners’ list has been dominated by the likes of Citroën, Mitsubishi and various incarnations of the Schlesser-Buggy – a Porsche-powered dune buggy custom-made by French racing driver Jean-Louis Schlesser. But last year, the field had a new vehicle with which to contend – an Isuzu D-MAX Proto, crewed by Portuguese pilot Rui Sousa and navigator Carlos Silva.

Sousa and Silva first made a splash in the world of off-road racing with Isuzu in 2006, when they won the T2 (production) class in five races in the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) World Cup for Cross Country Rallies (Bajas), which

now incorporates the Baja España Aragón as its third round.

In 2007, Sousa and Silva participated in the National Championship in the T1 class of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies, finishing the season in third place overall. (The T1 class is for modified cross-country vehicles weighing less than 3,500kg, such as the Bruce Garland D-MAX ute that came first in its class and 11th outright in the 2009 Dakar Rally.)

In 2008, Sousa and Silva went one better, becoming the first Portuguese team to deliver a world title to Isuzu Motors after winning the T2 class in the FIA World Cup rounds in Spain, Hungary and Portugal and claiming a sixth-place finish in the Italian Baja.

Last year saw the Isuzu Portugal team enter the Baja España Aragón with a 3.0-litre turbo-diesel D-MAX Proto in the T1 open class.

Against the might of the highly modified T2 race ‘specials’ from big factory teams from BMW and Mitsubishi, Sousa and Silva came in a very creditable sixth place, completing the circuit in eight-plus hours, less than an hour behind the rally’s outright winners.

It’s a result the boys from Portugal are determined to better on July 23 when they once again take on Europe’s best and bravest off-road drivers in the 2010 Baja España Aragón.

For updates and live results from Aragón, visit www.bajaspain.com/eng.

■ get stuffed

1

DICE IT In Australia, we call pork belly ‘bacon’ – but in Italy, it’s called pancetta and, instead of smoking it, they cure it with spices. Dice it, don’t slice it, so the fat content melts away when it’s cooked.

2

D.I.Y.

GRATE IT Stay away from parmesan. Use pecorino instead – a hard Italian cheese made from ewe’s milk. Pecorino is harder than parmesan but has a crumbly texture and a saltier taste.

fettuccini carbonara

You don’t have to be a master chef to make an authentic fettuccini carbonara, but a few pointers from Sicilian restaurateur Paolo Patane can’t hurt

3 36

BEAT IT The biggest mistake Aussies make when cooking this dish is adding cream. The creamy texture should come from eggs. Beat with a whisk or a fork, add a generous pinch of coarsely chopped parsley and set aside.

4

FRY IT Turn the heat to medium-low and add the butter.

Once it’s hot, add the meat and onions and cook for two minutes. It’s ready when the fat from the pancetta turns clear. Add white wine to blend the flavours.

get stuffed ■

5

6

BOIL IT Place the fettuccini in boiling water for two minutes. When it floats to the surface, it’s al dente. If you prefer it less chewy, cook it for up to another three minutes.

BUILD IT Add the fettuccini along with a little boiling water so the pasta doesn’t stick to the pan. Throw in the cheese-and-egg mix and turn off the stove; there’s enough heat in the pan to cook the egg lightly.

7

PRESENT IT Don’t dump it on a plate.

Using tongs, lay the pasta out first, the meat second and the sauce last, so the last two components are distributed evenly. Drizzle with olive oil and add cracked pepper.

THE MAN

When Paolo Patane’s grandfather was conscripted into the army in Sicily, he avoided frontline servi ce by working as a cook in the officers’ mess.

Paolo has dutifully fol lowed in his grandfather’s footstep s. Last year, after slaving away for mo re than a decade in commercial kitchens, he opened Gusto Bar & Kitchen – the on ly genuine Sicilian restaurant in Sydney .

“Everyone loves Italia n cooking,” he says. “But Sicilian co oking is a bit more concentrated, with sh arper flavours and spices that come fro m Arabic and African cultures which have influenced Sicily.”

Typical fare includes swordfish steak, crab-and-avocado rav ioli, and duck breast with porcini mushroo ms and pumpkin puree .

SPARE PARTS

• 10 0g pancetta • 50g pecorino chee se • 2 eggs • A fistful of parsley • 1 tbsp of butter • 1/4 onion • A dash of white wi ne • 80g fettuccini • Olive oil to drizzle • Cracked pepper, gr ound

TOOLS OF THE TRA DE

• Chopping board • Sharp chopping kn ife • Tongs • Cheese grater • Frypan • Set of bowls

TRY THE REAL THIN G

Gusto Bar & Kitchen is at 27 Military Road , Watsons Bay, Sydney . Open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Sunday. 02 9388 8827; www.gustobaran dkitchen.com.

■ dealer list

ISUZU UTE dealers: australia with 65 dedicated dealers in our national sales network, you’re sure to find a d-max dealer near you ASO = Approved satellite outlet

Queensland Ayr Burdekin Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4783 7077 Bundaberg Bundaberg Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4152 0000 Cairns Trinity Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4081 5000 Dalby ASO Black Trucks Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4669 8988 Emerald Emerald Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4982 2855 Goondiwindi ASO Black Trucks Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4671 3512 Ipswich Blue Ribbon Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3288 6600 Mackay North Jacklin Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4963 2200 Maroochydore Pacific Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5458 9777 Mount Gravatt Keema Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3426 1500

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Nundah Norris Motor Group Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3635 5100

CASE FILE

Traralgon Isuzu UTE Gippsland Phone: 03 5175 8060

Toowoomba Black Trucks Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4631 4200

Warrnambool Clinton Baulch’s Warrnambool Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5561 6000

Redcliffe Northstar Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3480 8600

Werribee Werribee Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9974 3799

Rockhampton Rockhampton Prestige Phone: 07 4922 1000 Southport Cartwright Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5557 7333 Springwood Keema Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3884 8300 Townsville Pickerings Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4726 5555

w Wilson Name: Mathe el Valley Pe : ip sh er Deal orth, NSW w am T Motors, ay have to m Motto: “You more than fight a battle .” in w once to

Dandenong Patterson Cheney Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9703 3333 Docklands ASO Isuzu UTE Malvern Phone: 03 9684 1085

New South Wales Albury Wodonga Blacklocks Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6049 5500 Ballina ASO Trevan Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6681 4499 Bathurst ASO Orange Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6332 4007

Horsham Dick Wilson Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5382 4677

Bomaderry Country Motor Company Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4421 0122

Malvern Isuzu UTE Malvern Phone: 03 9864 3585

Bowral Highlands Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4861 1100

Bendigo Central Victorian Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5447 1550

Mildura Autosynergry Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5022 0927

Coffs Harbour Coffs Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6648 3566

Bundoora Sterling Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9467 5533

Shepparton Ken Muston Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5821 6688

Dubbo Sainsbury Automotive Dubbo Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6884 6444

Victoria Ballarat Ballarat Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5335 3600

dealer list ■

Eden Ron Doyle Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6496 1420 Forbes ASO Sainsbury Automotive Forbes Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6852 2244 Gosford Central Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4320 0900 Greenacre Dale Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 9742 1766 Lismore Trevan Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6627 7999 Maitland Hunter Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4999 6710 Narellan Narellan Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4622 2552 Newcastle Newcastle Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4980 0660 Wollongong ASO Wollongong City Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4222 7999 Orange Orange Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6362 8100

South Australia Shellharbour Shellharbour Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4230 3100

North Adelaide Isuzu UTE Walkerville Phone: 08 8269 2922

Tamworth Peel Valley Motors Tamworth Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6768 3111

South Adelaide Black Forest Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8351 5755

Wagga Wagga Wagga Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6933 0100

Mount Gambier O.G.R Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8724 1111

Wyong ASO Central Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4352 1044

Port Lincoln Mike Raleigh Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8683 1211

Melville DVG Melville Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9330 0777

Young McAlister Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6382 3033

Port Augusta Isuzu UTE Port Augusta Phone: 08 8643 6233

Midland Midland Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9464 1000

Australian Capital Territory

Western Australia

Goulburn ASO John McGrath Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4823 1000

Albany Albany Autos Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9842 5522

Moora ASO Waltons Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9651 1363

Mitchell ASO John McGrath Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6201 1800

Broome Broome Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9192 7357

Queanbeyan John McGrath Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6166 1111

Bunbury Jem Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9725 4911

CASE FILE

Parramatta COMING SOON Penrith Western Sydney Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4736 2143 Port Macquarie John Patrick Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6584 1800

Proctor Name: Lewis orris Motor N p: hi Dealers Qld UTE, Nundah, u Group Isuz e ar u yo r ve te Motto: “Wha everything doing, give it you’ve got.”

Wangara Wanneroo Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9403 9480 Wagin ASO Jem Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9861 2188

Northern Territory

Esperance ASO Albany Autos Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9071 1060

Alice Springs Isuzu UTE Territory Phone: 08 8952 5155

Geraldton Waltons Isuzu UTE Geraldton Phone: 08 9921 5044

Darwin Isuzu UTE Darwin Phone: 08 8946 4460

Tasmania

Kalgoorlie Golden City Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9021 1699

Derwent Park Jackson Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 6277 6600

Maddington DVG Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9492 9000

Launceston Jackson Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 6323 7000

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■ Hook, Line ‘n’ Sinker

5

Brett’s top 1 2 Weipa, Far North Queensland

This small mining town on the western side of Cape York is a fantastic place to get away from it all. There are massive river systems where you can catch big fish and boat around for days. The Wenlock River is particularly good because of its size and numerous 4WD crossings during the dry season. I’ve caught sooty grunter and saratoga there using both hard-body and soft plastic lures.

4

As a product manager for Shimano and a regular guest on Channel 10’s IFISH and Escape with ET, Brett Wilson has travelled Australia far and wide in search of the perfect place to drop a line.

Here are his top five

3

Lake Augusta, Tasmania The Great Lakes region in the highlands of Tasmania is absolutely alive with small creeks and rivers that flow into grand lagoons perfect for trout fishing. Lake Augusta is my favourite and it happens to be just about the most beautiful place in the world; everyone should visit it once in their lifetime. But it’s only for fly-fishing – the most difficult kind there is – so you have to know what you’re doing; otherwise, you’re just wetting a line.

Coffs Harbour, New South Wales Like Darwin, Coffs Harbour is great for fishing because of its diversity. Hire a canoe or kayak and cruise up Warrell Creek, where the waterways teem with Australian bass. The brackish water closer to the coast is ideal territory for catching bream as well as other freshwater and saltwater species. Or jump in a boat for some of the state’s best bluewater fishing, where large snapper is abundant.

WIN

5

Darwin and surrounds, Northern Territory If you have a boat, head out into Darwin Harbour and rig your line for giant trevally and Spanish mackerel. The city also has some great landbased spots only a short drive from town, such as Lee Point and Buffalo Creek. Further afield, a one-hour drive will take you to Corroboree Billabong while a two-hour drive will take you to Shady Camp. Both these sites are teeming with barramundi and you might also reel in a saratoga or two.

Eastern Victoria This is prime territory for southern black bream.

There are plenty of rivers and estuaries you can access in a boat or canoe, wading (in boots) or just standing on a bank. My top spots include the Bemm River, the Cann River, Mallacoota, Lakes Entrance and Marlo, where the Snowy River meets the sea – one of the few places in the country where you’ll find sea run trout.

ck!

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Only Isuzu Genuine Parts offer quality components engineered by decades of automotive experience.

You can confidently drive with the satisfaction that every part and component has been manufactured to the highest of standards. This ensures you a safe, more efficient and environmentally sound driving experience at the level of quality that the designers of the Isuzu D-MAX intended – the original and the best.

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