max*d Issue 04

max*d ISUZU UTE AUSTRALIA

ISSUE 4

TRIAL

BY FIRE

Bruce Garland: toughest rally driver this side of Hades

Eat My Dust:

A journey to Australia’s northernmost point, Cape York

Passport:

Exploring Papua New Guinea’s hostile eastern highlands

Unsung Heroes:

The maverick priest who’s saving the world, one child at a time

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 ■

1948:

Say “cheese”: a local Japanese tour guide poses in front of a later retro-styled Isuzu bus

ISUZU MOTOR’S BX91 REVOLUTIONISES PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN POST-WAR JAPAN

It took some years for public transport in Japan to recover after WWII. The nation’s motor vehicle fleet had been almost completely destroyed by Allied bombing raids, while coal shortages and overcrowding made rail travel perilous and unreliable. Enter the BX91, a 50-seat diesel-powered bus by Isuzu Motors that paved the way for domestic bus production in Japan. Featuring a special chassis that made it possible for the driver to lower the floor, front-shock absorbers, long-span rear springs, an underslung body and a retro-styled outer shell cut straight out of an anime comic book, the BX91 would become the blueprint for bus design for decades to come.

Photo: Wim Dussel, collection IISG, Amsterdam

The Isuzu BX91: a revolution on wheels

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N O C S T TEN

■ CONTENTS

16

ISSUE 4

05 NEWS rld of Isuzu wo What‘s happening in the alia UTE Austr

10 TECH HEAD

rying loads The ins and outs of car AX D-M in utes like

11 WISH LIST

h these highNever get lost again wit tech navigational toys

PORT 12 INTERNATIONAL REwo rld‘s

the Bruce Garland takes on Australasian the at s ver best off-road dri Safari and Dakar Rally

16 PASSPORT

heart of Papua A journey into the dark Province New Guinea‘s Simbu

20 EAT MY DUST

n Gruzlewski

Cape York veteran Sta takes us to the top

28 UNSUNG HEROES lt an

o bui The story of a priest wh hills of East Timor ote orphanage in the rem

32 SPECIAL EVENT

at the Deni Ute Getting down and dirty gest gathering big Muster – the world‘s ts gle of utes and blue sin

32

36 GET STUFFED

ct How to make the perfe

12 2

pavlova

38 DEALER LIST

dealers Where to find D-MAX alia str across Au

ER 40 HOOK, LINE 'N' SINK ing in fish Stuart Peall goes beach D-MAX sty tru his h wit ola olo Co

S

WELCOME ■ Bruce Garland‘s D-MAX tears through the Western Australian Outback in the 2010 Australasian Safari

Recen Nation Austr peopl to oth secur doesn thank share get so Au a dec last is Rockh south And w patter to be At of dea 2008. in acc tenur finally

Recent standard-of-living ratings of nations by two reputable entities – the United Nations Development Programme and the Economist Intelligence Unit – have ranked Australia in second and fourth place respectively. But from what I understand, many people who’ve grown up here may not fully appreciate how lucky they have it compared to other places in the world. Democracy, the rule of law, universal healthcare, a social security safety net, jobs for anyone who wants to work and a tolerant culture that doesn’t readily resort to violence: these are some of the things Australians have to be thankful for. Add to those a clean and sparsely populated island continent with a lion’s share of natural resources placed outside the earth’s coldest and hottest zones, and you get something not too dissimilar to nirvana.

Many residents, farmers and business owners in much of eastern Australia and WA’s Gascoyne region might argue the last point, having endured a decade of drought followed by record floods or bumper crop-killing late rains, while WA’s south-west was still in drought as this issue of max*d went to press. Businesses affected included our regional Queensland Isuzu UTE dealers in Bundaberg and Emerald.

Our sympathies go to all flood-affected people.

Records show that such weather extremes are part of this land’s nature, as if to give us a reality check. Despite such times of disaster, we need to be thankful that we still belong to that tiny 0.3 percent of the world’s population which is more fortunate than others.

Hit Ma Isu

other eye black, too.

Hitoshi Kono Managing Director Isuzu UTE Australia

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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

NEWS ■

Qld Police Get Maxed Queensland Police has taken delivery of seventeen Isuzu D-MAX crew utes of its current 73 orders and is kitting them out for various special applications.

Most D-MAXs have been fitted out with ‘prisoner pods’ to be used for offender transport and come equipped with an auxiliary air-conditioner to service the pod.

Queensland Police is the only police force in Australia that buys and maintains its own fleet of vehicles, whereas other area commands contract these functions out.

As such, it often sets design and engineering benchmarks for specialised vehicle modifications and adaptations required for various types of police work, some of which are adopted interstate.

LUCKY MO, BRO

Sydneysider Marco Garcia won an Isuzu D-MAX LS 4x2 as part of Isuzu UTE Australia’s sponsorship of Movember – a global charity campaign that sees men let their facial hair go wild every November to raise awareness and funds for often-ignored men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer and depression.

Marco’s name was drawn from a pool of more than 45,000 Movember participants who raised $100 or more. In 2010, Movember’s grand total of $22 million was directed to men’s health charities the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, Beyond Blue and the Movember Foundation itself.

To learn more about Movember, visit www.au.movember.com.

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D-MAX Sales Skyrocket Isuzu UTE Australia (IUA) lifted sales of its premium Isuzu D-MAX Ute range 43.4 per cent in 2010 with 5,114 units sold, up from 3,566 in 2009.

The increase reflects IUA’s success in penetrating both the private and government fleet sectors, on top of D-MAX’s established appeal to private and small business owners.

Nearly 80 per cent of D-MAXs sold were 4x4s. The most popular model was the range-topping LS-U 4x4 Crew Ute. The latest sales figures – representing 5,114 unit sales in the year – moved IUA into the top 20 list of passenger and light commercial

Did you know?

The diesel engine was named after German refrigerator engineer Rudolf Diesel, who invented the technology in 1892.

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automotive brands sold in Australia – overtaking both Land Rover and Volvo.

Close to 9,000 D-MAXs have been sold in Australia since IUA opened in October 2008. As part of a Japanese tradition, the Daruma (pictured above) has helped provide sales prosperity since launch. At that time, the first eye was drawn on the doll, which kicked off the luck for IUA. The second eye will be added once 10,000 unit sales are achieved, expected this coming March.

The original network of 38 national dealers will have more than doubled in size by February. This is in addition to more than a dozen satellite outlets in remote and rural areas.

Did you know?

The Isuzu network extends to 41 subsidiary companies in 21 countries, with over 24,000 employees and sales representatives in over 120 countries.

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■ NEWS

DATES FOR THE DIARY FEBRUARY

23–27 South Australian Caravan & Camping Show Adelaide Showgrounds, SA

MARCH

10–15 Victorian Caravan and Camping Show Caulfield Racecourse, VIC 18–19 Lucindale Field Days Lucindale, SA

RESTORED ISUZU WASP ON SHOW Thousands of car lovers got close and personal with a lovingly restored Wasp – Isuzu Motors’ originalstyle one-tonner from the 1960s – at the Isuzu UTE stand at the 2010 Australian International Motor Show held in Darling Harbour, Sydney.

Evoking the Bertone-inspired lines of its Isuzu Bellett small-car cousin, the Wasp was manufactured with diesel and petrol engines in Japan from 1963 to 1971.

The model on display was manufactured in 1965, one of just 122 KR20 Wasps imported into Australia that year. It features a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that delivers 49 kW and 110 Nm of torque.

The Wasp had been languishing in a paddock near Albury for 17 years until its recent restoration

by Brett Wild, a member of Melbourne’s Bellett Car Club.

Brett also made a few modifications, fitting it with a custom flatbed tray, oversize alloy wheels, D-MAX front disc brakes, sports seats and a contemporary steering wheel. He also changed the original colour from pale blue to Monza green.

Also on display at the Motor Show was Bruce Garland’s rally-spec D-MAX and a Limited Edition II 4x4 crew cab ute, released late last year to mark the completion of IUA’s second big year.

BELLET NATIONALS RETURNS The NSW town of Coonabarabran came alive last October with the fifth annual Bellett Nationals.

Organised by Ken and Carol Bloor of Queensland, the event saw a record number of cars and enthusiasts participating, with almost 80 people and 40 cars, including two Isuzu Wasp utes. The proceedings kicked off Saturday morning with a ‘show and shine’ competition. It was followed by the official dinner, with all attendees receiving a few gifts and listening to guest speaker Ken Bloor sharing 40 years of Isuzu experiences and knowledge. Ken tragically passed away on December 17, 2010 and will be greatly missed by family, friends and the extended Isuzu family.

APRIL

8–10 Brisbane 4x4 Show; Brisbane Tinny and Tackle Show RNA Show Grounds, QLD 14–17 Perth Boat Show Perth, WA 30 April – 8 May NSW Caravan, Camping, RV and Holiday Super Show Rosehill Racecourse, Sydney, NSW

5–7 AGFEST Launceston, Tasmania 27–29 Adelaide National Tradesman Expo Adelaide Showgrounds, SA

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 Michael Butler, Georgina Armour, Kristy Barratt

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

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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24–27 Farm World Field Day Lardner Park, Warragul, VIC

MAY

PUBLISHER Isuzu UTE Australia Pty Ltd

SENIOR DESIGNER Jon Miller

17–21 Perth Caravan and Camping Show Claremont Showgrounds, WA

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.

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

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NEWS ■

THAI PRINCE VISITS OZ

Six young Thai TV stars and a Thai prince drove across Australia in a convoy of D-MAXs while filming their reality TV show Adventure Down Under.

The 9,400-kilometre road trip saw a convoy of six D-MAX 4x4 utes depart from Perth bound for the South Australian town of Port Augusta, some 2,388 kilometres to the east. From there they headed north to the Red Centre, Mount Isa and Normanton, a small cattle town just south of the Gulf of Carpentaria in north Queensland.

The convoy then went east to Cairns before completing the final leg of the journey – a 2,600km sprint to Sydney via Brisbane.

However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. One crew rolled their D-MAX in some blinding bull dust near Mount Isa yet emerged unscathed thanks to the ute’s truck-strength frame and roof.

The line-up included His Highness Prince Ticumporn Yugala and producer/presenter/TV show host Mathanee ‘Nino’ Booranasiri, who said the team had to adjust quickly to the unusual driving conditions, especially the endless stretches of emptiness – and tiringly low speed limits – they had to contend with in much of the Outback.

BIGGER, BETTER The partnership between ShowTime FMX and Isuzu UTE Australia is going strong after last year’s line up of national events. With ShowTime FMX relocating to its new state-ofthe-art workshop on the Gold Coast, the team will be able to work more closely with IUA’s HQ in Brisbane. And with 2011 bringing more partners to ShowTime FMX, including Kawasaki and Monster Energy, all participants are looking forward to a bigger and better year ahead. “We will be launching a new landing ramp truck and our new merchandise line is looking great,” said ShowTime FMX director Gary Reid. “I can’t wait to return to perform at our current client’s events and looking forward to the new events we will be involved in.”

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■ MAX TANK

Treading lightly FUEL-EFFICIENT DRIVING ON SOFT SAND? PIECE OF CAKE WITH A D-MAX!

D

riving on soft sand is one of the most rewarding aspects of going off-road, but it also loads up your engine and hikes fuel usage. Murray Hubbard, publisher of independent online auto website mister-cars.com took a D-MAX outback where there’s plenty of sand.

8

The mission started from Isuzu UTE Australia headquarters in Brisbane then headed to to Poeppel Corner – where QLD, NT and SA meet – via Big Red. At 40 metres in height, it’s the largest sand dune in the country and the perfect place to retest the efficiency of the D-MAX’s off-road credentials.

The route took Murray and his wife

Shelly westward along the Warrego and Mitchell Highways, passing via Toowoomba, Roma, Mitchell, Quilpie and Windorah until finally reaching Birdsville.

From there, it would be a quick skip across to the eastern side of the Simpson to reach Big Red. Here’s the story straight from Murray's diary.

MAX TANK ■

Dear Diary,

Clockwise from top left: The track to Poeppel Corner; sunrise over the Simpson; D-MAX in the badlands; best not to make a ‘galah’ of yourself out here...; Diamantina Lakes National Park; Sturt’s Desert Pea; setting up camp.

In the Outback , you want to get the best possible economy. With Big Red is da unting at first. the tray as full as a prime But with my wife Shel minister’s ego, ly at the whe the back seat buried un el , w e take it easily in seco der layers of so nd gear, with ft luggage, sleeping bags a ru st n-up arted in first ge and camera ba gs, and ar on the hard boxes of food sand before red sa behind the se nd buries the ats, we're not exactly travellin track. We take the smaller du g light. Yet as nes in third ge w e roll into Birdsville late ar and, with 225 millimetre in the afternoo s ground clea n we show a miserly 7.8 litre rance, the D-MAX doesn’ s per 100 kilo t bottom out metres after the 1,600-kilo once. metre trip from We pressed on B ris towards Simps ba ne.

This is reassu Desert Nationa on ring, as a coup l Park and Ey le of days later we’ll tack re Creek.

Rains had left le not only Big a deep legacy Red, but also another at the usual crossing and 149 undulatin again we wer g sand dunes in our east-w e diverted south for a sh est crossing of ort distance be the Simpson Desert Nationa fore crossing the l Park. sw ollen water w This was one ay.

We often stop of the reason the D-MAX on s we chose the D-M the dunes – there’ AX. We didn’t s no w t much traffic an carr y jerr y ca t to – and stare in awe ns of fuel, so at the seemin we needed a 4X4 that was gly unending big dipper of frugal in all ro north-south-ru ad conditions. Th nning dunes.

The only sign is led us firstly of civilisation to dieselclass engines is a twisting track in the sa and secondly nd that stretc to the D-MAX. We al hed into the horizon like a so liked the he gi ant red python avy-duty underbody pr . otection for th Our consumpt e sump, ion rose to 8. fuel tank and 0 litres/100km transfer case in the soft sa . The 3.0-litre turbo-diesel en nd, forcing th car to work ha gine is a liftout e rder. In these from an Isuzu two-tonn conditions, I prefer a car e truck, so ev with a diesel en hauling our house-on to a petrol engine any da -wheels arou y: it’s the type nd for a couple of wee of terrain that sends pe ks was nothin trol gauges ra g compared to the usual w pidly south of the border ork this engine . performs.

We also liked the idea of re Next morning ly , the terrain ch in g on a vehicle made anges.

We drive acro by a company ss w th ell-worn tracks at heritage in tr has its salt-crusted dr ucks. on y lake beds th It normally ta at look solid but are serious kes 30 minut ly treacherou es to get from Bird s. Vehicle recovery cost sville to Big R s out here are ed, the granddaddy of m easured in th e all Australian thousands of dunes. But dollars, so an on this trip he y attempt at a world land avy rains had -speed record blocked the approach, forc for the D-MAX is out ing us take a of the questio 10-kilometre detour around n. an ephemeral la ke.

Atop Big Red , the vista is st THE VERDIC unning: a bright-red sa T nd castle flan B y the time we ks a shimmering la return to Bris ke in the mid bane, we’ve added dle of Earth’s driest continen 4,600 effortle ss t. Ahead of us kilometres to th e D-MAX. Fuel sits a roller-coaster consumption of dunes on th re is a m ar ka e ride to ble 8.3 litres/ Poeppel Corne 100km, includ r, their crests 40 ing 0 ki lo m adorned by etres of soft Australia’s fam sand. In almos ed desert flow road condition t all ers. s, I have no he sitation in giving the D-M AX thumbs up .

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WISHLIST ■■TECH HEAD

GETTING LOADED

IF THERE’S ONE THING UTES DO BETTER THAN CARS OR SUVS, IT’S CARRYING LOADS. BUT KNOWING HOW MUCH YOU CAN LEGALLY AND SAFELY TOTE AND/OR TOW IS CRUCIAL

L

oad capacity or load rating is one big difference between one-tonne utes and similar-size cars or SUVs. Ute buyers need to know about this more than car or SUV buyers because a ute’s more truck-like body, suspension and image tempt people to load up with more gear, possibly beyond what’s legally allowed – especially in a commercial use setting.

Load capacity is simply the difference between a vehicle’s certified full mass (weight) and its empty mass. Full mass is GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass); empty mass is termed either Tare Mass or Kerb Mass. Tare Mass is an empty vehicle with any accessories fitted (like tow or bull bars), 10 litres of fuel and, on cab/ chassis, the mass of whatever body is fitted. Kerb Mass is the same as Tare Mass except the fuel tank is full. GCM (Gross Combination Mass) is the GVM plus the vehicle’s certified maximum tow mass with a braked trailer.

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The maximum mass you can load into a typical medium-large car or SUV is about 600kg, most of that usually being occupants and their luggage, while as their sub-class suggests, one-tonne utes are rated to load around one tonne, including occupants.

(This can vary from less than 900kg to more than 1200kg depending on spec. A base spec single cab/chassis with alloy tray body fitted – the most work-related variant of a typical ute model line-up – usually has the highest load capacity because it is the lightest variant and usually has heavier-duty rear springs than ‘pick-up’ (ute) variants.)

Confusion can arise in determining what is ‘load capacity’ and what is ‘payload’. Payload is that part of the load capacity used in either generating income (tools, toolboxes, racks, raw materials, finished products, farm feed etc), or in supporting lifestyle (carting sports and camping gear, moving house furniture etc).

If a ute buyer is going to regularly carry and/or tow substantial loads they need to know the overall mass of all this to establish how many people they can also carry to stay under the GVM or GCM. This may require off-loading some of it to legally seat all occupants.

Rules or guidelines relating to aftermarket body dimensions and particularly rear overhang are inappropriate to one-tonne conventionalcab utes, because they target much larger trucks. It’s best to follow the ute manufacturer’s body builders guide to establish the correct size body to fit to a cab/chassis. All Isuzu UTE dealers provide a D-MAX Payload Calculator form to help buyers select the best D-MAX model for their needs.

Rules governing maximum tow mass and tow-ball download (i.e. the load mass down force exerted on the tow bar by whatever is being towed) can vary across states and territories, so these should be checked also.

WISH LIST ■ CALL HOME TASSIE’S LITTLE DEVIL Long before there were GPS navigational units there was Hema Maps, a supplier of road atlases and Outback mapping for more than 25 years. And while Hema still sells maps in book and sheet form, it also sells GPS units and SD cards with preloaded topographical maps.

Hema’s latest SD card range includes a highly detailed map of Tasmania, and comes with a bonus bushwalking, hunting and outdoor companion: www.hemamaps.com.au.

Inmarsat is the market leader in satellite telephony, and its new IsatPhone Pro is its first model available for less than a grand.

The deal includes a battery with eight hours’ talk time and 100 hours’ standby; a toughas-nuts handset that can operate under temperatures from -20ºC to 55ºC; a large keypad that lets you dial while wearing gloves; a fully manoeuvrable antenna; a high-visibility colour screen; Bluetooth connectivity; and a hands-free headset: www.inmarsataustralia.com.au.

T S O L T GE HIGH-TE

CH D

O… Y HARD T L L A E R E IT HAT MAK EVICES T

HELP BUTTON Pull the switch on the AccuSat MT410 Personal Locator Beacon and it will transmit your coordinates, accurate to a few metres, via satellite to a 24-hour help desk in New York, which then informs relevant search and rescue authorities. Featuring a seven-year battery life (with warranty), a sealed waterproof design and a highpowered flashlight, it’s the friend you need when the A-Team is not around: www.gme.net.au.

PROTRACT THAT When it comes to the protractor compass, few knew more than Swedish ski champion Björn Kjellström – he helped invent them.

His orienteering book sold more than 500,000 copies and the American company he co-founded, Silva, is probably the best compass-maker out there. One of its most popular models is the Ranger 3, a classic base plate compass featuring an inbuilt magnifier for detailed map reading and luminous needle stripe: www.mainpeak.com.au.

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â– INTERNATIONAL REPORT Words: Liz Swanton

e c u r B n i h e h t d n a

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c a m

e n i

INTERNATIONAL REPORT ■

WITH THE 2010 AUSTRALASIAN SAFARI AND THE 2011 DAKAR RALLY DONE AND DUSTED, BRUCE GARLAND IS ALREADY LOOKING AHEAD

T

he Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once observed that while life can only be understood backward, it must be lived forward.

Isuzu off-road racing star Bruce Garland and his navigator Harry Suzuki know that too. The duo afforded themselves only the briefest look back at the frustrations of 2010 and early 2011 – enough to work out a plan for the rest of this year and into next. These plans are being revised as Bruce recovers from the fractured vertebra that forced him into early retirement from Dakar 2011, the annual marathon endurance off-road rally ‘raid’ relocated three years ago from Africa to the plains and mountains of South America.

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■ INTERNATIONAL REPORT

BEST LAID PLANS

Bruce was injured 30km from the end of the fifth competitive section of the 14-day event, when his Isuzu Motorsports D-MAX ploughed into a ravine of sand.

After a spectator helped Harry get the D-MAX out, Bruce finished the stage, hoping he could keep chasing his goal of a top 10 result, but with a gut feeling that the accident was serious.

“I look at who we were racing and where they did or didn’t finish, and if we’d kept going the way we were I have no doubt we would have been well inside the top 10,” he laments. “The plan is always to look after the car, because you don’t finish the Dakar by racing the first week.

The D-MAX definitely had more speed but I wasn’t using the last 15 to 20 per cent of it, and it was just travelling really well.

“We’d had minimal problems,” he continues. “We just came in each night and did the basic checks for the next day.

We started that last stage in 18th but we’d passed a few cars so I think we would have been about 14th or 15th outright if we’d kept that up through the next day, ready for the start of week two. And that would have been exactly to plan.”

It was a disappointing start to 2011 given that 2010 was so successful, starting with building the latest Dakarspec D-MAX. Two weeks of continually belting the hell out of a vehicle tends to

14

point out what works and what doesn’t.

Bruce, who personally engineered and fitted the vehicle, describes it as an evolution instead of a revolution: stronger, faster, better handling, easier to drive and – importantly for the crew – easier to work on.

“The original car was based on the Isuzu Trooper chassis that we ran for about 15 years; this one has the D-MAX chassis. It’s got a Trooper’s rear end but the rest is all D-MAX. The blend is all about moving the weight around and getting a better balance in the car, and we used more standard D-MAX parts this time because they do the job well.”

Previous page (insert): Bruce at the starting point of Dakar 2011, the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Argentina Above: Pre-race scrutineering Right: Continuous punctures dogged Bruce’s hopes in the 2010 Australasian Safari.

He swapped to Toyo tyres for the Dakar Far right: Speeding along the beach towards the Safari finish at Esperance, WA

HIGHER AND HIGHER

Arriving in Buenos Aires, the ute was still fitted with the 2010 Australasian Safari engine – a tweaked version of its 3.0-litre turbo diesel power plant producing 630Nm of maximum torque and 192kW of peak power – an increase of 75 and 60 per cent respectively on the standard Isuzu D-MAX engine.

Once the D-MAX cleared customs, that engine was in turn swapped for another even higher output power plant brought from Japan by the Isuzu engineers. “It’s very similar to the previous one, but the boys in the R&D department are always trying new technologies. They try things on our car

“THE ROUTE CLIMBS MORE THAN 4000M CROSSING THE ANDES MOUNTAIN RANGE FROM ARGENTINA TO CHILE AND BACK AGAIN...”

INTERNATIONAL REPORT ■

that may go into production models. If they discover an improvement in fuel economy or power, they give them to us to test – it may have been some slightly different fuel injectors, but this engine is faster and performs better.”

Despite the high-altitude demands of Dakar – the route climbs more than 4000m crossing the Andes Mountain range from Argentina to Chile and back again – the crew did not need to re-tune the engine. While it can be done and would have given them an advantage, there’s a risk of damaging the engine or turbo charger.

“As you climb, the turbo is still trying to create full boost but it can’t get enough air to do it, so the computer adjusts and drops the boost,” Bruce explains. “I can actually look at our boost gauge and tell you how high we are. At sea level we might run 25 pounds of boost and at 3000 metres above sea level it’s about 16 pounds. So you lose about 30 per cent of your power and go slow like everyone else!”

Readying themselves for the challenges of high-altitude racing is something Bruce and his crew cannot prepare for by entering the Australasian Safari in Western Australia. But for every other aspect of their annual Dakar campaign, participating is vital.

“Safari is always part of our plan. It’s

about getting ‘race fitness’. We wouldn’t be as prepared for Dakar – the car or us – if we didn’t do Safari,” Bruce says.

“It’s the same planning and preparation – parts, logistics, all that sort of stuff. If you’re not prepared and you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, you’re stuffed, so it is the same exercise for both events. It gets us ‘race fit’ individually and for what we need to do as a team.”

NEVER SAY DIE

From that perspective, the 2010 Australasian Safari was successful.

The crew fine-tuned the ute for South America while repeating its 2009 result, finishing first in class and third outright, even though the goal was victory.

“Last year’s route included some really tough terrain with lots of old branches on the track,” says Bruce.

“It was just too hard on the production tyres we were running and we literally had dozens of punctures, which put us way behind. We should have been hunting for the lead but we just couldn’t.”

Despite the punctures – and his injury at Dakar – quitting is not in Garland’s nature. He loves what he does, which is why this year is already starting to look like an improvement on the past for the madcap Sydney offroad racer.

“Both Safari and Dakar are very tough events, but that’s the appeal. It’s not just

about the competition. It’s also about being able to build a car that will cope, making sure we are fit enough to do it and being prepared.

“The biggest issue for both these events is being prepared for what lies ahead,” Bruce continues.

“If you go in under-prepared, you add to the danger. Under-preparedness just magnifies itself when you’re out in the field and you have no access to anything. You’ll never know what’s coming, so there’s a whole range of things you have to prepare for.

“Dakar is more relentless than Australasian Safari, but the Safari is hard,” he says. “You’ve got to get up early in the morning, when your body is hurting after driving all day the day before, get ready, go, then get back and prepare to do it all again... Dakar multiplies that because the terrain is harder and the distances are longer, so it just wears you down.”

Bruce’s planning for Dakar 2012 is well underway and this year’s Safari is part of that. The goals won’t change: Garland wants history to record the D-MAX as the first diesel winner of the Australasian Safari, and to repeat or better the team’s 2009 Dakar results when they finished first non-factory team, first diesel ute, first production chassis car and 11th outright.

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â– PASSPORT Words & photos: Ian Neubauer

woman versus wild 16

PASSPORT ■

L

THE PAPUA NEW GUINEAN WOMAN WHO TOOK ON MAN AND NATURE AND WON – IF ONLY FOR A WHILE

ike many great travel stories, this one begins with a road.

Not just any road but the Highlands Highway of Papua New Guinea: a 700-kilometrelong patchwork of potholes, washouts and perilous hairpin turns that cuts through some of the most dramatic scenery in the South Pacific. Our destination was Betty’s Lodge, a small B&B at the foothills of Mount Wilhelm, the country’s highest peak. We weren’t going there to scale the mountain but to meet the owner, Betty Higgins, recipient of PNG’s 2009 Westpac Women in Business Award. A former flight attendant who tore herself from the grip of poverty, she now runs a successful business in one of the most challenging – and hostile – environments on earth.

THE ROAD

Commencing in Lae – the east-coast city named after the Leahy Brothers of Toowoomba who discovered more than a million people living in the Highlands while prospecting for gold in the 1930s – the first 160 kilometres of the Highlands Highway cuts through the Markham Valley. Hawks dive for roadkill as vehicles thunder down the tarmac, many of them fated to join the smashed metal carcasses that litter the roadsides. PNG has the worst road statistics in the Western Pacific, with 4,000 fatal crashes per year.

After crossing the Ramu River, the highway veers east into a colossal mountain range. Rhythmically it ascends, switchback after switchback, the Markham River melting into the rear view.

At 1,500 metres, the highway crosses the Kassam Pass and enters the Highlands. The temperature instantly cools as the jungle gives way to softly rolling hills carpeted in pines and wildflowers. It climbs to 2,478 metres at the Daulo Pass before descending to Kundiawa, capital of Simbu Province.

Despite its rugged terrain, Simbu is the second most densely populated province in the country. Simbu people are ancient gardeners renowned for growing yams, taro and coffee. They’re also fierce and temperamental, believers in black magic and adherents of a payback system that often ends in tribal war.

From Kundiawa, we veer north onto the Kengsugl Road. Hewn along the ridge of a saw-toothed valley, the road is as breathtaking as it is torturous. It takes us four hours to cover 40 kilometres of the ruts, bog-holes and sharp, slippery rocks that characterise this diabolical thoroughfare. Landslides have washed away huge sections of it, while rope bridges creak under the strain of our car.

Commuters also have to contend with gangs of raskols that regularly ambush vehicles, though we only encountered friendlies on the road.

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I’d been warned the accommodation at Betty’s was basic: bunk beds with a shared bathroom. But those who stay at B&Bs know the comfort level has less to do with amenities and more to do with the manager’s care and creativity – as Betty and her staff proved in spades.

They’d spent hours chopping wood to heat water for the shower and to fuel the Mongolian fireplace in the lounge room.

Beer had been placed in nets in the river and brought to us ice-cold, and rainbow trout caught a few hours earlier at Betty’s own fish farm were roasting in the oven.

But even these paled in comparison to the stimulating conversation afforded by the landlady herself.

Standing just over five feet (153cm) tall, Betty carries the aura of a giant among the heavyset Simbuans. At a recent village meeting, she lambasted a local member for failing to improve the Kengsugl Road (“Don’t tell me to sit down! You have been in power for 15 years and not done a thing!”); and when a bigman threatened to shoot her after she refused to be extorted, she promised her death would be avenged 100-fold upon him and his business partners.

“It’s wonderful to meet someone as innovative as Betty,” said Colin Prince, an architect from Sydney who came to PNG to hunt butterflies. “She’s led a remarkable life – being kicked out of home by her father, putting herself through school and working around the world before returning to open this place.

“She also does a lot for the community,” he says. “Two days ago, we went to a ceremony marking the anniversary of the opening of a high school, which Betty has been very supportive of. And she provides jobs for dozens of people here. Without her, they’d have nothing.”

Top: A banana-passionfruit Right: Sydney butterfly hunter Colin Prince

imported from Tasmania. But in 2008, Ken passed away.

“It has been difficult without him,” Betty laments. “After he died, the villagers accused me of witchcraft and destroyed a lot of my equipment.”

The worst was still to come when, in February 2010, a landslide washed away the fish farm. “It was very traumatic,” Betty says. “I lost four years’ work and nearly 7,000 fish. I went away for four months but now we are rebuilding.”

Betty also created an organic hobby farm, where she grows strawberries, banana-passionfruit and herbs. She’s also set up a small hydro plant that generates 7,000kW of power, and grows highaltitude orchids that attract collectors from as far as Holland and Japan.

But with a rainy season that locks Betty in and visitors out for six months of every year, the lodge struggles to survive, hosting only two visitors a week.

“My main income is from trout but the Government wants to focus on tourism, so maybe things will improve,” she says.

“There are huge opportunities here for hiking, biking, fly-fishing, birdwatching ...

So I hope all your friends will come to visit us in Papua New Guinea.”

FACT FILE

GETTING THERE

Air PNG (www.apng.c om) flies from Port Moresby to Lae and Mount Hagen, the clo sest airport to Betty’s Lodge.

GETTING AROUND

Self-drive tours are no t recommended in PNG for security reasons. Betty can sen d a car and driver to pick you up from airports in Lae, Goroka or Mount Hagen and bring you saf ely to her lodge. Rates are $100 per person, per night. Meals are inc luded, transportation is not. Ca ll +675 7175 8350 or email bh iggins@ digicelpacific.blackberry .com.

CLIMBING MOUNT WILHELM

It takes four days to rea ch the top of Mount Wilhelm from Betty’s Lodge, with tw o overnight stopovers at base cam ps. Take precautions against hyp othermia, sunburn, malaria and alti tude sickness. Unless you’re an expert, you’ll need porters and a guide, all of which Betty can organise.

DEATH AND REBIRTH

Early the next morning, Betty gives us a tour of her property. She came here in 2005 with her husband Ken, an Aussie miner she’d met 20 years earlier. They built the guesthouse and a state-of-theart fish farm using income from eggs

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â– EAT MY DUST Words: Stan Gruzlewski Photos: Robyne Gruzlewski

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EAT MY DUST ■

Romancing

the

Cape ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST EXPERIENCED OFF-ROAD DRIVERS SHOWS HOW ANYONE WITH A RELIABLE 4WD CAN TAKE ON CAPE YORK

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■ EAT MY DUST Previous page: Staring out to sea at Viryla Point Right: The old Laura Homestead Far right: Crossing Isabella Falls

A “THE ROAD TO COEN IS EASY GOING, AS ARE THE FOLK WHO CALL IT HOME. IT’S ONE OF THOSE PLACES THAT SEEMS FROZEN IN TIME...”

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s an outback travel specialist with more than 50 trips to Cape York under my belt, I get a lot of emails from people asking all kinds of questions about driving to Cape York.

Some of them spend months, even years preparing for the trip and end up taking everything including the kitchen sink.

But the Cape is no longer the last frontier. While it’s still challenging and remote (believe me, you don’t want to get stuck there), a dirt highway called the Peninsula Developmental Road has made it possible for visitors to explore the area with next to no planning at all.

All you need is cash for fuel and food, a compressor, a second spare tyre, a map and a reliable 4WD, with ‘reliable’ being the key attribute.

To prove it, I contacted Isuzu UTE Australia and asked them if they thought the D-MAX would be up to the challenge.

They jumped at the chance and, a few weeks later, a slightly used D-MAX LS-U ute was delivered to my home on the Gold Coast. My wife and I then took turns driving up to Cooktown, where we spent

a day soaking in the sunshine before the real journey kicked-off.

COOKTOWN TO COEN You can back-track south along the Mulligan Highway from Cooktown, but we chose to drive north along the Endeavour-Battlecamp Road, as it passes

by Isabella Falls, a great spot for morning tea. The first 50 kays is sealed and after that it becomes a dirt road, though it’s all been graded now.

Most people don’t know that you can now do this leg of the trip – and the next, to Weipa – in any old car. But even in a 4WD you’re not guaranteed to make it. There’s a flood-prone section about 160 kays out of Cooktown that gets excessively boggy when wet and completely impassable after a big downpour in the wet season.

After Isabella Falls, the landscape becomes more mountainous, covered in sandstone boulders the size of houses. It changes again when we merge onto the Peninsula Developmental Road, with giant termite hills as far as the eye can see.

EAT MY DUST ■

We stop for lunch at the Old Laura Homestead at the southern end of Lakefield National Park. The homestead was lovingly restored between 1986 and 1988: now it shows what life was like when it was a working cattle station more than a century ago. It’s well worth a look, as is Musgrave Roadhouse, the next stopping point along the route. The accommodation there is pretty basic but the hamburgers are as good as they get.

The road to Coen is easy going, as are the folk who call it home. It’s one of those places that seems frozen in time and everyone heading to the Cape stops by.

There’s free camping along the banks of the Coen River, though we stayed at the Homestead Guest House, which I can’t really vouch for as it’s now under new management.

COEN TO WEIPA There are huge dips in the road between Coen and the Archer River that can fill up with nearly two metres of water during the wet season, making the road impassable. Until recently, the Archer

River was uncrossable for many months of the year, but now there’s a new causeway that’s made it a lot easier to get you and your vehicle to the other side.

About 35km after crossing the Archer, we turn right onto the Lockhart River Road and follow it for 15 or so kays ‘til we come to the Batavia gold mine. The Wenlock Gold Rush in the 1890s was bright but short-lived. Prospectors dug 3,000 ounces of gold out of the ground here before finally abandoning the place in the 1950s, and there’s lots of rusty old mining equipment left behind to prove it.

We track back east to the Peninsula Developmental Road and follow it west to Weipa, the granddaddy of all mining towns. Weipa is an outpost of civilisation with a bank, post office, supermarket, and internet access available at the local library. And if you’ve got a boat or don’t mind joining a charter, the Carpentaria Coast has sensational fishing.

That night, we stay at the Albatross Bay Resort Motel,

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■ EAT MY DUST

Weipa’s hidden gem. The food is superb, the rooms impeccable and the manager, Mike Vestel, goes out of his way to make sure we receive AAA service.

WEIPA TO BRAMWELL STATION

When to go

Cape York becomes inaccessible during the wet season, which typically runs from November to April. The best time to visit is at the end of the dry season, when the roads are as dry as they’ll ever be. For up-to-date driving conditions around Cape York, phone 1800 174 895 or visit cooktownandcapeyork.com/roads.

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The corrugations along this section of the road were terrible in the past but now they’ve all been graded. Ten years ago, I actually had a windscreen fall out of a car in this section, and if you were driving an old bone-rattler, it was murder.

An hour’s drive takes us to Moreton Telegraph Station on the Wenlock River, one of the Cape’s major waterways.

There’s a proper concrete bridge here, though it wasn’t too long ago when the only way to cross the Wenlock was on an old barge built out of 44-gallon drums.

The road along here has tarred sections that go for about five kays, followed by dirt sections that go for about 20 kays. I rack my brains trying to figure out why they’d bring all that expensive roadmaking machinery here and not finish the job. The only reason I can think of is that it’s done so smaller

vehicles can overtake the heavy mining vehicles and road trains you get around these parts.

At Moreton Telegraph Station, we’re greeted by managers Ray Kind and Ade Meredith. They show us around the camping area, which includes two dozenodd safari tents, and offer meals homecooked by Ray himself. Ade tells me Ray makes a mean lamb shank.

From Moreton, we head north to Bramwell Station, a working cattle station with visitor accommodation and a licensed bar and barbecue area. There are a few unusually named pets here, including a Brahman cow called Princess Butterfly and her beautiful calf Ellie May. A tour group turns up soon after we arrive. Wendy Speed, the restaurant manager, suggests I talk to the tour leader, who’d said he knew us. To our surprise, it turns out to be Ron Beggs, a former 4WD trainer who joined one of our first tagalongs to Cape York some 25 years ago! What are the chances? We enthrall the other guests with our travel stories and a great night is had by all.

EAT MY DUST ■

The Cape’s Best Beaches SOMERSET BEACH Fifteen kilometres south of Frangipani Bay, turn east onto Somerset Beach Road and follow it all the way to the coast, where you’ll find three old cannons pointing out to sea. You’ll also find the grave of the tyrant Frank Jardine, a police magistrate who was so despised by the Aboriginals of his time that they dug him up and reburied him head first so his spirit could never leave. At low tide, you’ll also find caves on the beach that contain Aboriginal rock art.

VRILYA POINT This is a remote, hard-to-reach part of the Carpentaria Coast, but it’s well worth the effort. The water is magical, turquoise in colour with gently lapping waves, but watch out for crocs. We saw two big salties here in the space of one day. To get to Vrilya Point, drive 26 kilometres south of the Jardine Ferry and then veer west for 30 kilometres.

There’s one hairy water crossing along the way, at Crystal Creek, which is bridged by an old wooden thing full of gaps.

USSHER POINT

BRAMWELL STATION TO SEISIA From Bramwell Station, we cut onto the Overland Telegraph Track. The ‘original’ Cape York road, the Telegraph Track gives you an idea of what driving here was like circa 1985. At one stage we have to drop over a metre-plus-high bank and after that, we come across a deep-water crossing I have to walk across to test. The water nearly comes up to my knee – if it had passed my knee, I would’ve turned around the way I came.

And that’s not because the D-MAX didn’t come equipped with a snorkel.

People think 4WDs with snorkels can be driven through water as deep as the bonnet, but that’s not true: the vehicle will simply float away. I know, because I’ve done it!

Anyway, the next creek crossing – Gunshot Creek – is too steep, so we hop on back to the Peninsula Developmental Road. This is what makes driving the Cape today easy and interesting. Both thoroughfares run vaguely parallel to one another, so you can cut backwards and forwards to your heart’s content. It’s

Top left: Moreton Telegraph Station Managers Ray & Ade Bottom left: Peter ‘the legend’ Hermans Left: Termite Mound Top: Crossing Mistake Creek

Probably the most remote part of the Cape, Ussher Point is only recommended for groups of two cars or more. The unmarked, easterly-facing turn-off lies about 20 kilometres south of Bamaga. Watch out for a small but treacherous creek crossing just before you reach the point. And don’t try to drive down to the beach unless you’re very experienced: it’s way too steep. Park on the headland, walk down to the shoreline and bask in the sheer beauty of this spot. We spent hours inspecting the flotsam and jetsam that washes up on this beach – parts of old boats, planes and all kinds of junk.

CAPTAIN BILLY LANDING As remote as Ussher Point but easier to reach, with great camping spots and picnic tables, Captain Billy Landing is a fishing and beachcombing paradise. If you walk south along the rocks at low tide you’ll find a series of caves that are home to endangered Little Bentwing bats. The turn-off lies about 40 kilometres south of Seisia.

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■ EAT MY DUST

also handy for checking out sights along the way – such as Eliot Falls, where you’ll find an amazing set of freshwater swimming pools and some of the clearest water in the country.

After a refreshing swim at Eliot Falls, we rejoin the Developmental Road and follow it straight to the Jardine River.

The ferry here charges $88 to cross and the fare includes a permit to camp in the traditional lands of the Injinoo, the indigenous people of the Cape. Fortyfive kays down the road is Seisia, where hot showers and cold beers greet weary travellers like us.

SEISIA TO THE TIP History buffs will love this part of the Cape, as there are a tonne of wrecks here left over from World War II, including a DC3 that crashed en route from Brisbane to New Guinea on May 5, 1945.

It also has great fishing. On our first morning there, we’re lucky enough to

26

see a local pull in a huge Trevally off the Seisia Wharf. He said the sea was literally “boiling with fish”.

We also meet a great bloke called Peter Hermans. Peter had travelled from Ravenshoe near Cairns all the way to Seisia on his pushbike, camping on the side of the road for three weeks straight.

Onya, Peter!

The ‘tip’ of Cape York lies 30 kays north of Seisia: a hauntingly beautiful spot called Frangipani Bay. We get there late in the afternoon, park at the end of the drive and walk for 15 minutes to reach the water’s edge. It’s a magnificent feeling to be standing at the northernmost point of Australia … all the bumps we copped were worth it.

And a bit of trivia before I go. When Robyne and I first came up here in 1985 in our 45 LandCruiser, we spent $425 on fuel. Fast-forward to 2010 and D-MAX’s fuel-efficient turbo diesel engine and our fuel bill came to $470. That’s a saving of nearly 50 per cent in today’s dollars!

Top left: Vrilya Point Lightship wreck Top right: Eliot Falls Above: We made it! Frangipani Bay, the northernmost point of Australia

STAN’S VERDICT

After Stan sent in his report, we asked him for an honest, no-holdsbarred review on his D-MAX. This is what he said. “The ute I used had 28,000 kays on the clock when I received it and it had just come back from its second trip to the Red Centre and crossing the Simpson Desert. On this trip, we drove 6,000 kays and the only thing I can say about the D-MAX is it’s faultless – absolutely faultless. After driving from the Gold Coast to Cape York and back, it showed no fatigue. It had nothing wrong with it at all. I could’ve turned around and done the same trip again in the same [vehicle] without a problem.”

â– UNSUNG HEROES

At 73, Father Richard is in incredibly good shape, skirting the path with the dexterity of a mountain goat

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UNSUNG HEROES ■

The Saint Words and photos: Ian Neubauer

RELEASED BY THE CHURCH, AN AMERICAN MISSIONARY IN EAST TIMOR OPENS HIS HOME – AND HEART – TO CHILDREN

F

rom the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he was unlike the other Westerners aboard our ship, Berlin Nakroma, a seafaring vessel that plies Timor-Leste’s north coast. Slowly and steadily he advanced through the crowd, pausing as wellwishers took his hand and touched it lightly to their foreheads – a traditional sign of veneration for men of the cloth. Yet this elderly gent seemed anything but missionary-like, wearing a polo shirt and an old baseball hat, his small, stumpy teeth stained red from chewing betel nut – a mild narcotic popular in Southeast Asia.

Later that evening I saw him again, spread out on the upper deck among the hundreds making the overnight journey from Dili to Oecussi, a small coastal enclave of East Timor walled in by Indonesian-controlled West Timor. His name was Father Richard Daschbach, an American priest who runs a small orphanage in Oecussi’s remote hinterlands. A lively discussion ensued and by the time we turned in, I’d accepted an invitation to visit Father Richard’s mountaintop home.

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE Night had not yet broken when we pulled into Oecussi’s dry, desolate coast.

After a hot rice breakfast, we set off by

foot along an unsealed road that faded into a surreal, moonlike landscape. The path morphed into a trickling stream as we began the ascent and soon we found ourselves scaling a shallow jungle river.

At 73, Father Richard was in incredibly good shape, skirting the path with the dexterity of a mountain goat.

“The trick is to stay active,” he said with his trademark smile. “Active in the body and active in the mind.”

The son of a Pennsylvanian steelworker, Father Richard was sent to Timor as a missionary by the Catholic Church two years after his ordination, in 1967.

“At the time, it was the other side of the moon,” he said. “The people were very poor and there was no electricity, no telephones, nothing – just one dirt road crossing the island.”

The clergyman spent six weeks in the Indonesian settlement of Kupang until he was able to arrange transport to Oecussi, which was under Portuguese control at the time. He worked exclusively as a priest for the next 15 years, and remained on good terms with the Indonesians when they annexed Oecussi and East Timor in 1975. But all that was to change the day a letter with a wax seal arrived from Rome.

“In the early 80s, the church decided it would remove foreign priests from parish work and hand over responsibility

to indigenous ministers. But they wanted us to remain and get into other lines of work. So I asked to come to Kutet, the village we’re heading to now,” he said.

“For years I’d been using it as a retreat and had many friends there.”

Dusk was approaching by the time we reached Kutet. Just getting here had been a grand adventure… I couldn’t wait to see the place in the morning light.

FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS Early the next morning, Father Richard took me on a tour of the village. In one hut, we saw a woman using a loom to make tias – hand-woven shawls that double as carry bags. Farther down the road, we visited a collective lettuce patch in which a half a dozen women were watering the harvest by hand.

Every single villager greeted me with a beaming smile and, on seeing my camera, struck a comical pose.

“They’re open, honest and very responsive to strangers,” said Janet Mitchell, a Victorian policewoman who adopted a girl from Kutet.

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GET ON BOARD Max your chance to win an Isuzu D-MAX plus the ultimate swag of camping gear from BCF. Your challenge? Guess how little diesel our drive teams will use taking a fully loaded D-MAX from Melbourne to Cairns.

Competition commences 1 March 2011 and concludes 31 May 2011. For more information, visit isuzuute.com.au

isuzuute.com.au

UNSUNG HEROES ■

“They’re open, honest and very responsive to strangers.

It makes you see people are decent and that there’s a lot of good in the world.”

Previous page: Janet Mitchell and her adopted East Timorese daughter Below: Father Richard catches up with old friends on the deck of the Berlin Nakroma passenger ferry to Oecussi

“It makes you see people are decent and that there’s a lot of good in the world.”

As the tour continued, I asked the Father how the orphanage began.

“When I first opened my home in Kutet, it was meant to be a rectory – a place people could come for contemplation and prayer,” he said. “One day during the hungry season, we had a visitor, a small boy. All the kids here are small for their age but this one was really starving. So I told my cook the boy could come here to eat after school.

“A week later, I came home one night and the boy was in the backyard. I asked the cook why he was still here and she told me the boy said he was going to stay. Then a few days later, we had another one, and he said he was staying, too. Soon we had 20 children here and I was providing for all of them.

“Then, in about 1993, a representative from the Indonesian Government came to visit me and said ‘Why don’t you open up a formal orphanage so we can give you financial support?’ So after reams of paperwork, we got our funding and things became easier for a while.”

THE KUTET FINANCIAL CRISIS I spent the next few days getting to know Father Richard’s 98 children. They slept on wooden beds, had only one set of clothes each and no toys other than

those they made – things like spinning tops and wooden dolls. But the one thing they really needed was wellbalanced meals. Mostly they live on cabbage, beans and rice, which fills their stomachs but falls short of a healthy diet. And it’s not because Father Richard doesn’t understand nutrition; it’s because he’s slowly going broke.

When East Timor and Oecussi seceded from Indonesia in 1999, the authorities yanked Father Richard’s meagre budget. He then turned to his brother, Edwin, a pastor in Pennsylvania, whose flock went on to assist Father Richard and his children for many years.

But in 2008, Father Edwin passed away.

This, coupled with the impact of the global financial crisis, meant donations from the US petered out.

As it stands, Father Richard has just enough funds to run things at a bare-bones level. Stipends for staff are months in arrears. Meat has disappeared from the menu. The medicine cabinet is bare and urgently needed repairs to the property remain undone.

“For the first time since we opened, we are turning new children away,” Father Richard said. “Thirty-two have already left. They were not sent home; they just left by themselves.”

Nevertheless, the Father remains blindly optimistic his work will go on.

“My brother’s friends in the US will try to send us some money soon,” he said, his smile never wavering. “One way or another, we will carry on.”

WANT TO HELP? Father Richard requires $80 to feed and house one child per month. To make a donation, contact the ANZ Bank BSB: 018-950 Swift: ANZBTLDIXXX Account name: Richard Daschbach Account number: 1011-0450-08030 For a tax-deductible receipt, email enclave.kutet@yahoo.com.

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■ SPECIAL EVENT Words: Chris Macer & Richard Power Photos: Chris Macer

E T U I N E D

R E T S U M

TS LUE SINGLE B D N A S E T U THERING OF IA A G T S E T A E TO UTE-TOP GR IN ’S N D L W R O O T Y W R THE ALL COUNT TURNS A SM

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SPECIAL EVENT â–

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■ SPECIAL EVENT

Previous page: A record 25,000 people attended the 2010 Muster Far left: A strict dress code was enforced throughout the weekend Left: Don’t, erm ... drink and drive Below: Barnsey belts out the Chisel classics

A

fair bit of the culture in rural Australia mimics that of the USA – things like rodeos, country’n’ western music and outlaw bikers to name a few. But the Deni Ute Muster – an annual celebration of the ute held on the outskirts of Deniliquin in southern NSW – is one cultural event that’s uniquely True Blue. It’s also the world’s largest gathering of utes, as befits the nation that invented the car-based coupé utility in 1934.

10,000 UTES ON THE WALL Ordinarily a sleepy town, Deniliquin is a dot on one of the flattest plains on earth.

But everything changes come the first weekend of October. Utes as far as the eye can see line the main drag, while a vast army of pumped-up characters camp out beside their utes waiting for the gates to open.

2010 marked the 12th running of the Deni and it didn’t disappoint. More than 25,000 people descended on the two-day event, while the 10,125 official ute count smashed all previous records.

The more elaborate of these utes participated in paddock driving events in which it seemed the bigger the bullbars, boom boxes, spotlights, aerials and mudflaps, the better.

One of the utes entered was Isuzu Motorsport Team’s new but already

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battle-scarred Dakar-spec D-MAX. It was engineered by off-road rally star Bruce Garland, who stopped in at Deni on his way back to Sydney following a podium finish at the 2010 Australasian Safari.

Being a circus of mostly old-tech, gas-guzzling, wheel-spinning, notraction action utes, the ‘Circle Work’ competition wasn’t the place to excel for Garland’s high-tech D-MAX, with its incredible grip and explosive acceleration on dirt. But in its full rally setup and warpaint, and by showing how fast a diesel ute could go, it left the big-cube petrol V8 crowd agape.

Garland’s co-driver Hiroaki ‘Harry’ Suzuki also had a blast round the barrels in his near-stock D-MAX. As the Deni’s first-ever Japanese driver, he got a great reception from a well-lubricated gallery.

Attendees also got to gawk at the D-MAX Limited Edition II, which was entered in the Town Ute class, where it sparked much interest but came away empty-handed, as it was an un-customised factory model.

SINGLETS AND SINGING The Deni Ute Muster is not just about utes: there’s an entire line-up of wacky events. The best of these was the ‘Blue Singlet Count’, which each year aims to break the record for the largestever gathering of people wearing blue singlets at the same place and time.

At the 2009 ute muster, the record was set at 2,230, according to Guinness

World Records. That measly number was smashed into the stratosphere in 2010, when the line-up of blue-singlet-wearers stretched out of sight and the count stopped at 3,500 because the officials ran out of counting stickers.

Plenty of entertainment followed on, with performances by Lee Kernaghan, Kasey Chambers, John Williamson, James Reyne, The Pigs, Tori Darke and the ultimate ute band of all time, Cold Chisel, in their only concert of the year.

“The Deni Ute Muster is great!” said an enthusiastic Bruce Garland. “It’s a giant celebration of outback Australia, like a cross between a B&S ball, the Bathurst 1000 and a royal show!”

■ GET STUFFED

D.I.Y. SUMMER FRUITS PAV

SUMMER ISN’T SUMMER WITHOUT A GREAT AUSSIE PAVLOVA. AND IT’S DEAD EASY TO MAKE, ACCORDING TO THE MARQUIS DE PASTRY

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Jan Derksen always loved baking. As a little girl, she could often be found making cakes and scones in her mum’s kitchen. In her teenage years, Jan scored a job as a shop assistant at Queensland’s famous Yatala Pies, but after the manager noted her potential, she was taken around the back and put to work in the kitchen. After graduating from high school, Jan completed her baker’s apprenticeship and has worked as a pastry chef ever since – and for the past 12 months, at the Marquis de pastry. “The great thing about baking is the creative side – the way something you’ve baked can come out totally different by making the slightest variation in the mix,” Jan says. “And it’s just awesome when you put something in the oven and it comes out baked to perfection.”

TRY THE REAL THING

Marquis de pastry can be found at Unit C3, Central Park Plaza, 12 Central Park Avenue, Ashmore, on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Open seven days from 9am to 4pm. 07 5564 8777; www.themarquisdepastry.com.

GET STUFFED ■

SUMMER FRUITS PAV SPARE PARTS

• Canola spray • 16 eggs • 4 cups sugar • 2 tbsp cornflour • 2 tbsp vanilla essence • 1 tbsp icing sugar • 500ml cream • 2 kiwifruits • 1 cup mixed berries • Shaved white and dark chocolate

TOOLS OF THE TRADE • 12-inch spring-loaded baking tin • Baking paper • 1 large and 3 small mixing bowls • Whisk or electric beater • Sieve • Serving tray • Spatula

2 CRACK IT Crack open the eggs and pass the contents from shell to shell until the egg whites drain into a large mixing bowl. Don’t throw out the yolks; put them in the fridge and use them to make an omelette in the morning.

4 SIFT IT Mix the rest of the sugar and cornflour in a bowl, then sieve it into a second bowl. Add the mixture to the egg whites and whisk for a tick. You don’t want the granules to dissolve this time; they’ll give your pav a nice crust.

6 BAKE IT Bake for 40 minutes at 170°C and then for another 30 minutes at 150°C with the door slightly ajar. Allow your pav base to cool for 15 minutes; then place a serving tray on top and flip it over.

1

GREASE IT Clean your baking tin with vinegar to remove any fatty residue and apply canola spray. Then cut and place two pieces of baking paper: a circular piece for the base and a long, rectangular piece for the rim.

3 WHISK IT Whisk the egg whites until they’re light and fluffy.

Add half the sugar in a soft stream and whisk again until the sugar dissolves completely. Pinch it with your fingers: if you can feel the sugar granules, you’re not there yet.

5

SCOOP IT Using your hand, scoop the ingredients into your baking tin and pat the mixture down to remove any air bubbles. Form a dome on the top. Don’t worry if the tin overfills.

7 TOP IT Pour the cream, vanilla essence and icing sugar into a third bowl and whisk until small peaks form.

Using a spatula, apply the whipped cream mix liberally to your pav. Add sliced kiwifruit, berries and shaved chocolate. Voila!

■ DEALER LIST

ISUZU UTE DEALERS ASO = Approved satellite outlet

QUEENSLAND Ayr Burdekin Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4783 7077 Bundaberg Bundaberg Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4131 8211 Cleveland ASO Keema Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3479 9880 Cairns Trinity Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4081 5000 Currimundi ASO Pacific Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5438 4818 Dalby ASO Black Trucks Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4669 8988 Emerald Emerald Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4987 9933 Goondiwindi ASO Black Trucks Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4671 3512 Gympie Isuzu UTE Gympie Phone: 07 5480 5200 Ipswich Blue Ribbon Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3288 6600

Mount Gravatt Keema Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3426 1500 Nundah Norris Motor Group Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3635 5100 Redcliffe Northstar Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3480 8600

Dandenong Patterson Cheney Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9215 2300 Epsom Central Victorian Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5449 4500 Geelong Winter & Taylor Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5226 4201

CASE FILE

Traralgon Isuzu UTE Gippsland Phone: 03 5175 8060 Warrnambool Clinton Baulch’s Warrnambool Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5561 6000 Werribee Werribee Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9974 3799

NEW SOUTH WALES Albion Park Rail Shellharbour Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4230 3100

Rockhampton Rockhampton Prestige Phone: 07 4922 1000

Albury Wodonga Blacklocks Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6049 5500

Southport Cartwright Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5557 7333

Armidale Grant McCarroll Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6772 1566

Springwood Keema Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 3884 8300

Name: George Ponorac bour Dealership: Shellhar E UT Isuzu sinesses Motto: “All lasting bu ip.” sh end fri on ilt bu are

Toowoomba Black Trucks Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4631 4200

Ballina ASO Trevan Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6681 4499 Bankstown Dale Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 9742 1766

Townsville Pickerings Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4726 5555

Horsham Dick Wilson Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5382 4677

Bathurst ASO Orange Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6332 4007

Warwick Black Trucks Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4661 3228

Malvern Isuzu UTE Malvern Phone: 03 9864 3585

VICTORIA

Bomaderry Country Motor Company Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4421 0122

Mildura Autosynergry Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5022 0927

Ballarat Ballarat Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5335 3600

Bowral Highlands Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4861 1100

Mackay River City Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 4968 0111

Bundoora Sterling Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 9467 5533

Shepparton Ken Muston Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5821 6688

Broken Hill Far West Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8087 2311

Maroochydore Pacific Isuzu UTE Phone: 07 5458 9740

Caroline Springs ASO Werribee Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 8361 8255

Swan Hill ASO Autosynergy Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 5033 1555

Coffs Harbour Coffs Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6648 3566

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DEALER LIST ■ Dubbo Sainsbury Automotive Dubbo Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6884 6444 Eden Ron Doyle Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6496 1420 Forster ASO Mid Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6591 7933 Gosford Central Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4320 0900 Goulburn ASO John McGrath Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4823 1000 Griffith Griffith Isuzu UTE COMING SOON Kingswood Western Sydney Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4736 2143 Lansvale Lansvale Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 9726 1111

North Wollongong ASO Wollongong City Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4222 7999

North Adelaide Isuzu UTE Walkerville Phone: 08 8269 2922

Picton JEM Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9725 4911

Orange Orange Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6362 8100

Port Lincoln Mike Raleigh Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8683 1211

Port Hedland ASO JEM Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9140 1811

Parramatta Denlo Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 8892 8150

Port Augusta Emanuele Bros Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8643 6233

Wangara Wanneroo Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9403 9403

Port Macquarie John Patrick Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6584 1800

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Wagin ASO JEM Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9861 2188

Tamworth Peel Valley Motors Tamworth Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6768 3111 Taree Mid Coast Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6592 6300 Wagga Wagga Wagga Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6933 0100 Young McAlister Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6382 3033

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Lismore Trevan Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6627 7999

Mitchell ASO John McGrath Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6201 1800

Maitland Hunter Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4999 6710

Queanbeyan John McGrath Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 6166 1111

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Albany Albany Autos Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9842 5522

NORTHERN TERRITORY

Broome Broome Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9192 7357

Alice Springs Isuzu UTE Territory Phone: 08 8952 5155

Esperance ASO Albany Autos Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9071 1060

Darwin Isuzu UTE Darwin Phone: 08 8946 4460

Geraldton Waltons Isuzu UTE Geraldton Phone: 08 9921 5044

TASMANIA

Kalgoorlie Golden City Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9021 1699

Launceston Jackson Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 6323 7000

Maddington DVG Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9492 0000

Derwent Park Jackson Isuzu UTE Phone: 03 6277 6600

CASE FILE

Midland Midland Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9464 1000

Moree Hill Fitzsimmons Phone: 02 6752 1777

Angaston Eblen Isuzu UTE Phone: 1300 ISUZU UTE

Moora ASO Waltons Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9651 1363

Narellan Narellan Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4622 2552

Fullarton Fullarton Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 8338 2303

O’Connor Major Motors Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9331 9331

Newcastle Newcastle Isuzu UTE Phone: 02 4980 0660

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

Osborne Park Regents Isuzu UTE Phone: 08 9273 2000

Name: Craig Turner Dealership: Newcast le Isuzu UTE Motto: “Always treat people the same wa y you expect to be treated.”

max*d

39

■ HOOK, LINE ‘N’ SINKER

Life’s a beach QUEENSLANDER STUART PEALL WAXES LYRICAL ABOUT CATCHING WHITING AND TREVALLY AT COOLOOLA’S GREAT SANDY NATIONAL PARK

I

bought my D-MAX in October 2009 and love it for stacks of reasons: it’s fuel-efficient, comfortable, looks a treat and, most importantly, can take on just about any off-road terrain, including the soft sand at Cooloola.

My last trip there started on a cold and wet August morning, headlights cutting through the eerie darkness to reveal the undulating sand of Teewah Beach. I pulled up at the gutter I’d scouted the day before when I was worming.

I headed to the surf and within a couple of minutes, a Giant Trevally had taken the bait and was dealt with quickly. After that I headed to Double Island Point to fish the flats under the lighthouse for dart and succeeded in catching two 40cm darts and a nice 33cm summer whiting.

The day remained overcast, wet and cold, so I crossed back over to Rainbow Beach and took the D-MAX for a run along the soft sand. But the tide was too high and I got trapped on the inside of the lake under the sand dunes.

With nothing to do, I parked the car and waited... and waited… and waited.

The moment the tide dropped, I drove the D-MAX through the water, around the

40

fallen half-submerged trees and headed back towards Rainbow Beach township, where my wife and I had rented a place for the week. It was great to disengage the 4X4 mode with the push of a button. After a quick hose down of the underbody I coasted on down to the lodge along the bitumen road for the last few kays of the trip.

The Missus must have sensed me coming because when I arrived, she was waiting out front with the camera and took these photos of me and my catch, which we then cleaned and battered in eggs and breadcrumbs. They tasted amazing – and it’s all thanks to my D-MAX, which has given me the freedom to do the kind of fishing I’d only dreamed of before.

Cheers for your story, Stuart, and enjoy your prize.

You’ve also inspired us to check out Cooloola, so look out for the story in issue five of max*d – Ed.

WIN

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IT’S A LIFESTYLE THING...

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